One week with my '06 GSX-R750: a few observations
Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:40 am
My first comment would have to be to that HOLY CRAP is this a fast bike. Ridiculously fast. I had never ridden one before buying this last week, but have had 2 previous 750cc bikes; a Nighthawk 750 and a Katana 750. Obviously the Nighthawk isn't in the same ballpark, but the Katana wouldn't be a complete slouch compared to it, or so I thought.
Well, it's a complete slouch compared to it.
Money wasn't a really big concern with this purchase, and I was going to buy a 600cc bike... originally had my eyes on a brand new '05 CBR600F4i at the dealer. But then I saw that a brand new '06 GSX-R600 was only a thousand bucks more, and really liked the look of those bikes. Then I thought hell, a 750 is only $1100 more than a 600, and it's basically the same size/weight of bike, so why not?
After one week of riding, I'm wondering who the hell I think I am, owing a machine like this. Really. In the time it takes someone to sneeze I can be going 3 times the speed limit in town. At 80km/hr on the highway in the city, the same downshift followed by a few seconds of throttle that used to take my Katana past people and up to 120 or so, rockets me to 180km/hr+ on this beast.
Not that I don't love this bike to pieces. It's amazing. I think it's one of the nicest looking bikes around, and it rides like a dream. I just feel guilty riding it to work and back. I can actually hear it laughing at me as I settle in to a 55km/hr pace in the city. I feel bad for this bike that longs to do powerslides out of corners on the track.
I had it out for a really nice ride this morning before work. The break-in is going really well, so I ran it up past 7500rpm for the first time, to around 12,000. On a long lonely road, I'm up through the gears nicely into third, rev it up to 9000 or so, into fourth, then accelerate fairly hard up to around 12,000. Glance at the speedo and I'm at about 210km/hr. Two-hundred-and-ten-friggin'-kilometers-per-hour. Not even redlined, and two gears to go. Kind of fun, kind of scary, and kind of sad.
I saw a few drops of what I thought was water under the bike when I got back, but now I think they were tears. Free for a short time, then back into the shackles of a 50km/hr speed limit. You know that scene in Gulag where they tell the prisoner he is free, he shaves, showers, gets all dressed up to leave... only to find out it's a lie, and back in the slammer he goes. That's why my bike cried. Back into the commuting jail cell with ya, gixxer.
*sigh*
I need to get to a track, or I have a feeling I'll be paying so huuuuge speeding tickets. Of course I don't speed for myself, it's to make life bearable for my poor motorcycle. Think the cop will buy that one?
Well, it's a complete slouch compared to it.
Money wasn't a really big concern with this purchase, and I was going to buy a 600cc bike... originally had my eyes on a brand new '05 CBR600F4i at the dealer. But then I saw that a brand new '06 GSX-R600 was only a thousand bucks more, and really liked the look of those bikes. Then I thought hell, a 750 is only $1100 more than a 600, and it's basically the same size/weight of bike, so why not?
After one week of riding, I'm wondering who the hell I think I am, owing a machine like this. Really. In the time it takes someone to sneeze I can be going 3 times the speed limit in town. At 80km/hr on the highway in the city, the same downshift followed by a few seconds of throttle that used to take my Katana past people and up to 120 or so, rockets me to 180km/hr+ on this beast.
Not that I don't love this bike to pieces. It's amazing. I think it's one of the nicest looking bikes around, and it rides like a dream. I just feel guilty riding it to work and back. I can actually hear it laughing at me as I settle in to a 55km/hr pace in the city. I feel bad for this bike that longs to do powerslides out of corners on the track.
I had it out for a really nice ride this morning before work. The break-in is going really well, so I ran it up past 7500rpm for the first time, to around 12,000. On a long lonely road, I'm up through the gears nicely into third, rev it up to 9000 or so, into fourth, then accelerate fairly hard up to around 12,000. Glance at the speedo and I'm at about 210km/hr. Two-hundred-and-ten-friggin'-kilometers-per-hour. Not even redlined, and two gears to go. Kind of fun, kind of scary, and kind of sad.
I saw a few drops of what I thought was water under the bike when I got back, but now I think they were tears. Free for a short time, then back into the shackles of a 50km/hr speed limit. You know that scene in Gulag where they tell the prisoner he is free, he shaves, showers, gets all dressed up to leave... only to find out it's a lie, and back in the slammer he goes. That's why my bike cried. Back into the commuting jail cell with ya, gixxer.
*sigh*
I need to get to a track, or I have a feeling I'll be paying so huuuuge speeding tickets. Of course I don't speed for myself, it's to make life bearable for my poor motorcycle. Think the cop will buy that one?
But the fact that you've got riding experience on other bikes makes me much more at ease. A guy here in AL was riding a BRAND NEW (bought on Saturday) Hayabusa and crashed it on Sunday thrashing himself badly and killing his girlfriend. He'd never ridden before...