daves wish list!!!

If i were using it just as a daily rider i'd go the GSXR750 from that list.
If you were wanting to do some track riding i'd be leaning towards the R6.

Any reason your not considering and 1000's? I personally find 1000's much easier to ride on public roads because of the lazy power delivery. On a 600 you need to be in the right gear to take advantage of the power available, where as on a 1000 it just has the power available in any gear.

Just a few thoughts from the bikes that i've ridden recently:-

2006 GSXR750 i found it to be a great package, just a little too small for my 6'3" frame. Also the bars were slightly too tight in on the tank so whilst attempting to ride slowly i was banging my wrists.

2005 CBR600RR i found to be a little lacking in the general feel of the bike. It just didn't feel like i was riding a $14,000 bike. A bit down on power, but the suspension was decent and the brakes have quite a bite to them. Also not a fan of the styling, but that's just me.

2005 ZX6R was fun to ride but really uninspiring. I didn't feel i could safely push the bike very hard at all. Low speed riding was very easy and the bike just did what i was thinking, but as soon as it got over ~90-110km/h it became twitchy and very easily upset by the road surface. Engine was strong for a 600, but still required winding up before the fun started.

2004 R6 was just too small for my liking. Nice engine but again tuned for top end rush and really needed to be squeezed hard to get the power out. I haven't yet ridden the 2006/07 R6 which i quite like the look, but the geometry seems to fit me a bit better.

As for the Ducati... i personally couldn't ride any road-going Duc on a day to day basis. They're too much of a beautiful object for me to punt it through the twisties with any great enthusiasm. I'd much rather just park it in the corner of my garage and stare at it for a while.

 

Just another option but not an inline 4 - I bought the suzuki SV650-S. Does not quite have the top end power of the R6 but has a better torque output up to 10,000rpm, which makes gear selection through the twisties a bit less critical. <!-- s:army: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_twisted.gif" alt=":army:" title="Army" /><!-- s:army: -->

I found it to be an easy upgrade from the FZR250 and well suited to commuting also. You would be able to shop around and get a brand new one for around $10,000 ride away. I think that puts it at the bottom of your target price bracket.

 

But if you have 140 hp at the flick of a wrist, do you need to use all of them ponies?

My in laws have a clubsport r8, and i only give that thing a little toepoke to get where i am going.

See where i am going?

 

Good luck with whatever you get Dave!
Gotta show us your ride when you decided to pick it up.

 

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My logic exactly!
I happily cruise around on my 1000's all day long happy in the knowledge that when i give it a bit of throttle i'm going places quickly. After spending a week driving around an underpowered hire car in Canberra i reeeeeally missed having the extra grunt my 1000 has on tap.
In all honesty i rarely use more than 70-80% of it's top end power, instead i prefer to ride the surge of torque available from ~4k-7k rpm (redline is ~12.5k).

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Which bit specifically was the snore for? I'm guessing it's got something to do with my comments on the CBR600RR. <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->
What can i say!? I've spent a fair bit of time on alot of different bikes and i know what i like. Even the earlier CBR1000RR's i don't like; yet for some reason i really get along with the CBR954's!

 

Why do you need a slipper clutch so badly?
What sort of riding are you doing that you think you need a slipper clutch?

IMO you don't need a slipper clutch unless..
a) your riding on the track and aren't riding as smoothly as you should be.
b) your riding on the road and your not riding as smoothly as you should be.
Simple solution would be to learn how to use the throttle whilst changing gears and you'll never have a problem. The only times i've ever locked up my rear wheel i'll honestly admit that i was being a bit of a moron and definitely... you guessed it... not riding as smoothly as i should be.

Not saying that all technology is a bad thing but if your using technology to supplement a lack of riding experience then it's a waste of money. Your far better off spending your $1000-2000 on proper rider training (ie. Superbike School) and learning how to properly control and ride your bike to it's full potential.

 

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I think Raptor need to get to bed a little earlier.

 

Dude...... Motard is something TOTALLY different than street riding.

 

Hmmm... well sort of.
Locking up the rear to get a motard to step out the rear, followed by what is essentially a power-over to stop the rear wheel gaining traction is a motard technique that allows the rider to in theory maintain higher corner speed.

When sports bike lock up the rear tyre it's usually not a good thing as it will unsettle the bike and reduce corner speed. People who 'back it in' have what i tend to think of as a reckless riding style by working on or beyond the limits of the motorcycle and/or their tyres.

When it comes down to it, 99% of the riders out there have no need for a slipper clutch but have been told that it will make them faster riders. What ends up happening is technology (in this case the slipper clutch) is making up for a lack of riding ability allowed the riders to get away with things that otherwise would be detrimental to their riding. By that logic if you can learn to ride without a slipper clutch then you'll never 'need' one and certainly won't rely on it, meaning that if you do ever use/install one it will increase your safety margin.

I don't see why people are so afraid of locking up the rear tyre. It's kinda fun! Just snakes around a little and lets you know that you don't have an infinite amount of grip between your tyres and the road.

 

Earlier this year I was 100m behind when this bike (which is fitted with a slipper clutch, standard equipment), locked up the back wheel under brakes. Unfortunately it was a write off. The rider came in to the corner a bit too hot and lost it momentarily, but he regained control but ran out of road.