TBH it's all price related at the end of the day! General media concensus & tests seem to concur that the current crop of Sports bikes fall in to the following order. Ducati 1299 Panigali S Aprilia RSV4 RF Yamaha R1M BMWS1000RR Kawasaki ZX10R Coincidently, or not, this order just happens to fall in to a decending price point from £22K down to £13.7K Hmmmmm, funny that aint it?
I am deeply suspicious of the media these days. One of the top guys at BMW was interviewed in MCN, sorry cannot remember who he was, but he said that BMW try to win the group tests rather than win at MotoGP. His argument was that MotoGP racing was expensive waste. This made me deeply suspicious. Rather than make your bikes compete in the arena, cheaper and easier to win group tests in the media. Maybe even the media can be influenced in some way to your point of view, maybe even own some of the media - who knows really what goes on with big ruthless corporates. But he makes the point that he believes it is more cost effective for them to have good media reports, than top race results. Then we have the odd spectacle of BMW doing so well in media tests, quicker than the new ZX-10R round a track in the recent MCN test. Then in WSB we find in reality the ZX-10R is some ten seconds and more ahead of the first BMW. So we have the BMW quicker in tests in the media, but in real life racing the ZX-10R leaves it way behind. Being taken for a ride me thinks.
Pointless really as i wouldn't spend that kind of money on a bike! Think you can have as much fun on something sub10k and depending on your abilities ride just as fast as someone on a current electronic missile! Plus I'm old school! My control is in the wrist and what's been transmitted back to me via the bike.... Works for me
Yeh I was so tempted after riding the R1! It is simply an amazing bike! almost to good if I'm honest, but It felt a little disconnect and a bit to clinical I'm sure in time I would have bonded with it. So I decided to wait and see what Honda comes up with next year... Plus I worked out once I sold the blade and paid the addition funds for the R1 including the parts I wanted to make it a little special I'd be in it for too much... So I stuck with the blade and made it even more of great road bike, improving pretty much every area! First ride and shakedown on Sunday convinced me that I made the right move for now will be my last season so I'm just going to enjoy the new feeling and see what next year brings. The R1 will be at the top of the list for sure....
Yeh at some point I need to embrace the digital technology ... As for the new blade who knows.... I love being the underdog and surprising a few people! It's all about your ability and having a confidant package. I rode and raced 600's for years and I just love carrying loads of corner speed... It's mega! That's the buzz hitting the perfect apex getting your entry bang on and being as brave as you dare getting back on the power for the exit....
The thing that gets me with all these electronics, I mean don't get me wrong it's fantastic tech etc but can it go wrong? With all this stuff keeping you shiny side up, electronics go wrong so if it happens mid ride how rideable is the bike without its magical bits?
I like the sound of the electronics but not at the same time if that makes any sense. All the extras on my car has made me a really bad driver (discovered this when driving an old Mondeo last which had no extras) Also a friend of mine with a 2015 bmw basically jumped up from a 125 and we thought feck me he can ride. But getting on a basic bike he nearly killed himself as there has nothing restricting him! Will riding bikes like these make us bad riders? (obviously not an issue if bikes stay the way they are going) Not saying any of you are bad riders just interested
Agree with you mate, when I blew the engine on the Ducati Desmosedici and my Ducati 1098R was having an engine rebuild with new gearbox, high compression Pistons, RS cams etc I took my makes shitter of a 2001 GSXR1000 K1 on track. In the fast group I was passing club racers on their race bikes. Their faces in the pits was a picture. Also never used the electronics in the 1098R, not a fan of electronics and rather balance the bike off the throttle. That's funny as fuck, £22 per week I could buy a new R1 every year for the £1000+ per month I give the ex-wife in maintenance payments. We obviously live in different worlds!!
