HYPERR wrote:
I still think that sounds contradictory, no? I mean no reason to hit the upper gear on a liter bike....?? To me it has so much gobs of power there really is no reason to keep it buzzing in 2nd gear....unless one is a total power junkie. The thrust of a literbike in 2nd gear at 65 mph can only be described as violent. Cruising at 65, I would most definitely have any bike in 5th or 6th.
Again, my liter experience is limited (although now I'm going to have to talk a friend into letting me take their bike for some experimentation). But... it doesn't seem totally contradictory. From the 600cc point of view, at 65 I can (comfortably) from 3rd on up. Which gear I pick depends on my acceleration needs: if I want maximum power delivery, I'll run in 4th; if I'm just cruising a long, I want to maximize efficiency, so I'll run in 6th.
Which I guess makes your point that, if a liter has relatively uniform delivery across the entire powerband regardless of gear, it doesn't matter whether you're in 3rd or 6th - you'll still have juice if you need to goose it. On the 'tona, though, accelerating from 65 in 6th is a little weak since there is a 4k gap between revs at that speed (5500) and the top of the powerband.
I think today's 600s are amazing bikes. I of course have the occasional desire for the incredible power of a GSXR1000, but in the end, for me the 600 is perfect.
BTW, the Daytona isn't a 600, it's a ringer.....

I agree. I've yet to ride a 600 to the limit, so I really don't feel the need for a liter. I can get into more than enough trouble as is!
And the 'tona is closer to a 600 than it is to a 1k...
I always liked the sound of a triple. Especially the Triumphs. They sound so awesome. I had a '95 BMW K75. It had the nice triple sound but sounded kinda whimpy compared to the Triumph Triple.
Again, I gotta agree. Particularly the older triples. The new ones are sweet, no doubt, but... when I rode the 96 Trophy a couple days ago... oh my god. It DID sound like a diesel, but the sexiest diesel on the planet.

[b][i]"Good girls go to heaven. Bad ones go to hell. And girls on fast bikes go anywhere they want." [/i]
2009 Triumph Sprint ST - daily commuter
2006 Triumph Daytona 675 - track bike
1999 Suzuki SV650 - track training bike[/b]