The future of litre bikes

[lifeofcrimeguy]

Just had a little bit of a run on a new R1 today. Wasn't planned but I was riding past and noticed something new and shiny sitting in a friends driveway. I've heard reports in articles of it having lots of power. "Perhpas too much", and I thought to myself, not that I doubt your comment, but what can that possibly mean?? Well it becomes very evident what that means when you're in A mode (balls to the wall mode) and giving the throttle the kind of twist that would normally raise the revs by 1000, but on this they rise to 5 or 6 grand! Good thing it was in neutral at the time. I would certainly believe in it being the fastest reving production bike ever. The rear suspension is phenomenal as well. Rather than being an uncontrolable wheely machine, having the extra stressed frame member there means that the front wheel kind of just hovers off the ground slightly as you can feel the suspension working to not allow the flip to occur. I would be very interested to know what that feels like coming out of a corner, but as the tires where not yet scrubbed I didn't wanna push my luck.

But all this got me thinking about the future for the 10. With rumors going round that Kawasaki may use their own, far more agressive, cross-plane technology in the future, combined with the Showa forks that have just come out on the 6... This is definetely going to be a good couple of years for us spectators. Yamaha has stated that they have far more aggression left to put in the engine but wanted this engine to be more of a warm up to the next generation. If this race keeps going, I can definetely see full traction control being standard, perhaps even ABS coupled with other motoGP techs like the engines and suspensions. Give it a few years boys and girls, and I reckon we might get to ride the closest thing to a GP bike any of us (sane) people would want to.

[Phil]

Just like the 1198S already has. Beau Beaton was racing his at Symmons and they took the DDA back to the room in the evenings and analised it on the pooter - the bike had stock exhausts and a race fairing FFS. It aslo has the traction control stuff as well (on the least intrusive setting)

I just want to know where the f**k they think we are going to be able to ride them apart from the track - I mean its really good, but at the same time really bad.

When i rode the current 10 I thought it was way to easy to go really, insanely fast - and not even get a kick out of it cause it was sooooooooo sanitised.

I hope pepole dont spend too much time looking at the "how much is the throttle open meter" on the dash of the R1 - they may be surprised how shit they are and then realise they cant stop for the next corner and park it in the weeds

[Saki]

i guess the thing is though, imagine if the new Zx10 was like riding a 1999 Zx9 ?? Sure it would be bit more practical! But guess they are just gunna get more perfected and faster!

I found it easy to go fast on the new ZX10 also but the brakes where fantastic! It felt very solid on the road also!

[photomike666]

Go and buy a late 80s FZR1000 - they were the mutz nutz when they came out, every other 1000 was a tourer and it stomped all over the GSXR750. Every one said then they were too fast for the road, wouldn't keep up with very much now.

[bonester]

by photomike666 on Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:31 pm

Go and buy a late 80s FZR1000 - they were the mutz nutz when they came out, every other 1000 was a tourer and it stomped all over the GSXR750. Every one said then they were too fast for the road, wouldn't keep up with very much now.

When the R1 came out, the old Thunderace (YZF1000) it replaced was actually more powerful! Easier to live with too.

[Troy Pearson]

Its a funny thing this horsepower/performance thing. I remember probably like a lot of people out there back in the mid 90's that the racebikes at home were pumping out a whopping 140 to 150 bhp and the thought of that hitting the streets was inconcievable.
look at us now! Bikes are more refined to cope with the stresses of more power as well as tyre technology keeping with the times. Where indeed will the next step take us?
I love the internal combustion engine and was only talking about the subject of fossil fuels the other day with my work colleage.

I cant really see any other alternative means of propulsion coming from any other type of motor than the engines we run now, I hope!
I saw an article that said we will run out of fossil fuels by 2050. That doesn't buy us much time to develop another means of propulsion with a viable fuel source. I think the way forward will be hydrogen power internal combustion engines which will come out of the oil companies vault just prior to oil prices soaring. I couldnt think of life without my trusty KLX 450 or my ZX10R to ride.
I know Ive gone off track a bit with the conversation but like you guys said about development, when is it going to stop?
I dont think it is.


I hope you guys are getting heaps of riding in? I'm stuck on a boat overseas and dont get to ride again until November.

Enjoy!

[Wadda]

I hope pepole dont spend too much time looking at the "how much is the throttle open meter" on the dash of the R1 - they may be surprised how shit they are and then realise they cant stop for the next corner and park it in the weeds

I will have to bear that in mind next time in riding the shit bike.

[Wattie]

i think hje meant how shit the rider is,

but any dig at a yamaha is a good one

[Phil]

I hope pepole dont spend too much time looking at the "how much is the throttle open meter" on the dash of the R1 - they may be surprised how shit they are and then realise they cant stop for the next corner and park it in the weeds

I will have to bear that in mind next time in riding the shit bike.

Not the"shit bike" silly, more like "riders who over estimate their own ability" or "have delusions of their own ability" - I wanna see if I can get it WFO....when its run in of course

[Six Addict]

if u want a race bike for the road, go buy and RG500 gamma... that was a road going race bike of its day...i dont think any bike got as close to a race bike as that did but i could be wrong...maybe an RS250 aprilia...

but i do agree with the overall centiment jason... the technology and one upman-ship these days is astonishing... and altho honda keeps making awesome litre bikes they seem to be lacking in the technological innovations...

it is interesting to watch the continual development!!!!

[Wadda]

I hope pepole dont spend too much time looking at the "how much is the throttle open meter" on the dash of the R1 - they may be surprised how shit they are and then realise they cant stop for the next corner and park it in the weeds

I will have to bear that in mind next time in riding the shit bike.

Not the"shit bike" silly, more like "riders who over estimate their own ability" or "have delusions of their own ability" - I wanna see if I can get it WFO....when its run in of course

Fair enough. Maybe I should have inserted this after the sentence .

So now your calling some of my fellow R1 riders shit . We are fully sick OK .

[Jonno]

I wonder if there will be a "self" imposed or even a forced power restriction coming just like the speed wars that ended effectively in 2002-2003 with the 300kmph limiting.

It stands to reason after the speed agreement by the Jap manufacturers and some euro makers at the time the new war would have to be how quick you can get to 300

I agree that bikes have become more technologically sanitised as such but without some of that interference (perhaps) they couldn't achieve what they are doing now.

[Phil]

So now your calling some of my fellow R1 riders shit . We are fully sick OK .

Guilty as charged fullysiksweartogodfarkin

[Naked Twin]

Things can not stand still, you have to evolve to the ever changing landscape. 10 years ago fuel injection was relatively new on bikes but had been in basic cars since the 80s.

I agree the ability to go fast on these bikes is getting out of proportion. Most litre bikes can break the national speed limit in first gear and get to that in under 5 seconds with a half decent rider.

When/ where will it stop? Never it not human like behaviour.

With regards to fossil fuels, try get a National geo magazine from the 70s, back then they said there was only enough reserves to get us through to 21st century. We had the massive explosion in fuel prices as the oil crisis hit everyone said WTF are we going to do. Yet here we made it. The fact is you can extract oil from paper, it is not the sweet crude variety that is much easier to process, but it can be done, it is just a matter of cost. The more the price of oil goes up the more viable other sources of oil become. No need to panic just yet.

Nick

[Strika]

Go and buy a late 80s FZR1000 - they were the mutz nutz when they came out, every other 1000 was a tourer and it stomped all over the GSXR750. Every one said then they were too fast for the road, wouldn't keep up with very much now.

I owned one and at the time...and yes, they were THE Pucka sports bike to have! But bloody hell, they ALL used oil!!! Bloody Yamahappiness!