First ride on the new bike today. Going to try and write down a review/comparison of the bike and what it's like compared to the Blade. Positives Shit the bed this thing is properly quick in a way that even my tuned track bike wouldnt stand up to. Had to totally readjust my brain, and the way it spins up the revs is unreal. The character of the engine is very much like a mix between the Blade and the SP1 (very much a positive for me) The sound. Oh my god what a sound! Corner entry speeds I'm going way quicker (I'll explain this later) The quick shifter is unbelievably smooth, even more so than even my HM GP shifter and that was like butter Riding position is spot on and actually very comfy on the legs. Surprised at that as it looks tiny. Negatives Throttle can be a bit on/off at low speeds Very tall gearing. So much so I'm riding 1 to 2 gears lower than the Blade (going to change the front sprocket to -1) Seriously deceptively fast due to the almost lazy engine at low revs. You genuinely think your doing at most 40mph. Nope 70! Seat is like sitting in a steel anvil (gel seat needed) Anyway that's the main points, so I'll try and explain what it's like for me. The bike is feels light and is easily flicked from side to side, and once on its side it's properly planted. With the engine feeling lazy you don't quite get a feel for how fast your going so you end up going into a corner faster than you'd expected, but the best part is that the bike just laughs at you and wants even more. The bike doesn't have as much low down torque as the Blade and as such you have to ride it a gear lower to get the sort of roll on roll of delivery expected from the Blade, making the Blade a better road bike in my opionion in that respect, along with the poor low speed control of the R1. But and this is a big but, the R1 is so much more fun, and feels something special. And for the miles I manage to do these days it suits me perfectly and something that gives me that smile. So to round it off (I'll probably edit this a bit once more comes back to me) the Blade in my opinion is a better all rounder and a great road bike (something I don't think any other Superbike out there at the moment can match), and I can easily spend a day on 1 taking on big mileage. The R1 on the other hand is a proper character and will give you that get off the bike and laugh feeling every time.
Haha nothing is faster than a rental mate Defo worth the trip. Big Bruce is on his way up in the next couple of weeks too
Ftecu flash will sort out the throttle and active tune will give you perfect turning with decat, I have -1f, +1r, if you think it's quick now, well try this lol
Yea it'll be a devil with that gearing, but it really needs it to be honest. Can't believe how log geared it is. Still to give Mike a call and sort something out for the ECU flashing.
As most people know, finding an exhaust for the new R1 that passes track day limits but isn't strangled by a db killer is tricky. Even on the road, something like the akra and link pipe sounds fantastic but it's properly loud ! Flash/dyno place I spoke to at the weekend told me you can lose up to 15hp fitting a baffle... The seton exhaust set up is nicely made and offers great power but with low DB but I'm not keen on the looks. Graves in the USA have just launched a end can/link pipe with a valve in it (like the stock set up) that is said to give you back the low end power you lose from ditching the exup (when you decat) system but keeps the db levels quiet until 7k rpms or so. It's a bigger diameter pipe and valve so has the deep tone at idle but should mean you don't need a baffle. It's used in conjuction with a flash or FTecu set up. Only downside is only their muffler will fit the link pipe. Other than that it seems like a good compromise but will probably be a more expensive option than some as it looks to be titanium only ATM. Nothing on their website yet, just stumbled across it on US R1 and MT-10 forums. It's called the Graves EVR if you want to search.
What Chuck Graves the president of Graves Motorsports has to say about the release of Graves’s newest line of exhaust systems, EVR and the technology behind it. “The EVR or Exhaust Valve Type R is and electronically controlled valve that improves drivability at small throttle and low RPM ranges where it matters most to the rider. The systems can also be utilized to reduce sound by a significant amount without reducing maximum power output.” What makes the Graves EVR different than the stock exhaust valves that racers commonly remove when the stock system is replaced with an aftermarket race system? That’s pretty simple, we install it in a race system and tune the electronics to maximize efficiency. The current trend of sport bike enthusiasts has been attracted to short silencers simply for looks. Power output and drivability has been sacrificed exclusively for the trendy look. Secondly the sound levels of many of these systems has reached the level of irresponsible and annoying for even the youngest riders. The aftermarket has responded with sound inserts to bring these short power robbing systems to an acceptable level. The real drawback to this is that once the sound inserts are installed the rider can now really feels the negative effect of the system in overall performance decline substantially. In most cases, I’d say 99.9% of all motorcycles that I have tested, the power output and throttle response is now far worse than the stock exhaust. With the EVR by Graves we solve all 3 issues, the power output, throttle response and the sound. Who else uses this system on their race pipes? Only Factory Moto GP teams are using it at the moment. Most of them all are well hidden! Why hasn’t this been done by the aftermarket before? Again that’s pretty simple. Cost! To drive the valve requires hardware and software. At minimum you need an ECU capable and a motor. The emergence of ECU flashing has given us the ability to do this at a reduced cost because we can now control the stock ECU motor controls. We have designed our EVR systems to accept the stock motor and cables. This makes for a really clean setup. So is the FTECU flashing system is required to optimize the EVR exhaust system? That is correct. Anytime you replace the stock exhaust system with an aftermarket racing system it requires changing the fueling. In addition to air fuel requirements the modern motorcycle engine control systems cannot be optimized by piggyback system so the flashing of the ECU is common place. Graves has partnered with FTECU to manage these strategies to enhance our exhausts systems performance just as a Moto GP team would do. What if I already have a flashed ECU? What Graves has been telling our customers is that they should purchase the FTECU flashing kit when they purchase an exhaust from Graves. Graves provides maps for the user to install in their motorcycles ECU. We tell them that by having the FTECU flashing system in their tool box they can update their ECU whenever Graves publishes a new map. If they have the system already then an updated map is all that they will need.
Good write up Colin, glad you like it.Looks amazing. I fondly remember my first ride on an R1, I ordered it without even seeing it when they first came out, think it was 98, scared the life out of me !
Added a couple of bits to the bike today. Nothing much, just some paddock stand bobbins and twin rad guards. Got the guards from Racing Radiator Guards and the fit spot on and look the berries.
