r1, vs Gsxr, vs ZX10

[tigertim20]

thought I would gather some thoughts from you people.

A while back, I bought a 2004 gsxr that was a write off. its back on the road now, goes great, but I only bought it as I saw that I could turn a profit on it.
Ive been using it to get around on for the last couple months while I get my 2001 R1 sorted out, and now that my R1 is getting close to being finished, I can start thinking about selling the K4 GSXR.

So I have always loved the 04-06 R1s and have wanted one for ages, however I like the ZX10 from 04~05 or so, and I have heard great things about the K5 gsxr as well.

So all three of these are all very close in price, but the R1, year for year and all other things being equal, seem to come with a higher price tag - is there any good reason for this?

what I want to know are other peoples thoughts on these three options and how they compare to each other.

Which would you go for, and why, if you were in my shoes.

interested in what you guys think!

[ss55539]

if you want sheer hold on to your balls get the zx10

[MelvinAkshay]

all of them are old bikes... how about the new zx10r ?

[SakiBomb]

Why sell the k4? Don't want to turn it into a track bike?

I'm not very knowledgeable on either the Cowa or Gixxer for 05, so I'd stick with what I know, which is the 04-06 R1. Can't go wrong especially since it's the best years anyways

[tigertim20]

Originally Posted by ss55539

if you want sheer hold on to your balls get the zx10

heh I have been told this a few times. A guy I ride with sometimes has the new zx10, he gets a new zx10 every 2 years or less, doesnt own a house, he's a bit of a bogan, and figured since he will never amount to anything, he would rather spend all his money on keeping a nice bike in the shed.

He said that the 04 zx10r was, and still is his favourite of all the zx10's.

Originally Posted by MelvinAkshay

all of them are old bikes... how about the new zx10r ?

Sweet, if you want to gift me the extra $12,000 nzd I need to get a new one Ill go for it.

my circumstances dont allow me to buy brand new. Ever. Instead, I try to be patient and wait for bargains. the K4 is actually the youngest vehicle I have ever owned in my life

besides, buying second hand means I dont eat the big losses on resale, plus enough time has passed to know which bikes to avoid due to common problems etc

Originally Posted by SakiBomb

Why sell the k4? Don't want to turn it into a track bike?

I'm not very knowledgeable on either the Cowa or Gixxer for 05, so I'd stick with what I know, which is the 04-06 R1. Can't go wrong especially since it's the best years anyways

not really. I ONLY bought the K4 because I stumbled across it, it was cheap, and I had enough cash to buy it, knowing that I could turn a decent profit on it by rebuilding it myself (I have a habbit of doing that - I buy broken bikes and fix 'em up to make money - its the only reason I can afford the stuff I have as it is)

I have no desire to keep the K4 at all, it was only ever a stepping stone financially, towards something I found desirable

[ss55539]

Originally Posted by tigertim20

heh I have been told this a few times. A guy I ride with sometimes has the new zx10, he gets a new zx10 every 2 years or less, doesnt own a house, he's a bit of a bogan, and figured since he will never amount to anything, he would rather spend all his money on keeping a nice bike in the shed.

He said that the 04 zx10r was, and still is his favourite of all the zx10's.

he aint lying

[tigertim20]

Originally Posted by ss55539

he aint lying

excellent!!

what about the rest of it though, does it stop well, turn in well etc etc, any glaring faults youd want to immediately remedy if I got one etc?

[Gr8 White]

Had all of them, i loved the zx the most, actually sold it 2 months ago....had a k6, which is also a hoot but i have. Ome to dislike the zooks ALOT! But it was as fast as the zx, it was a beast but the k6 was s,ightly better (for me) in handling because it did come with a steering damper as the zx did not have it and ppl say i was faster on the k6.

The lawa is a handfull and have toearn to ride with it and fight it...but boy it was fun.

Personally i think the r1 is the most timid of the 3, the rest are raw sledgehammer power in ur face type bikes..

Doesnt matter which u pick, it will blow ur hair back and kick ur balls in....ur sitting with a nice kind of problem...lol

[Gr8 White]

On a side note, of the 3 i felt the zook had the zook had the poorest finish in terms of plastic and paind and the oem stickers. My kawa was 2005 and when i sold it ot looked like it was pulled from the show romm a week earlier, top top.top notch build quality.

[Gearheaded]

R1

I'm not impressed at the 04-05 zx. They were good bikes, but not as fast as everyone makes them seem. My planker held its on very well on track, street, and at the drag strip against a 05zx with similar mods.

[OptimoPrime]

well each of these bikes at the time were looked at with such awe cause there was nothing like it

k5 gixxer is looked at as one of the fastest bikes of the last decade. its light,powerful,good suspention

the 05 zx10r up untill the s1000rr had the most HP of any liter bike. did dyno battle with one that only had a pipe and no PC and it did 160hp. they are NO JOKE current bike power.

then you have the r1....argueably the best looking bike produced by the big 4 and in motorcycling in general. power,speed,percision, build quality, residual value.

any bike you choose will be a great option becuase they are all groundbreaking or new in their own way. but best way to look is this

zx10 - power
k5 gix - all around goodness
r1- LOOKS LOOKS LOOKS and power to back it up

[Gr8 White]

Prime speaks the truth....

As a allround package i would say zook is ur best pick.....but then again u dont buy with ur head

[batmantis]

The K5 Gixxer is just as powerful as the ZX10R (in fact euro ones tend to dyno higher than the 04/05 ZX by a couple of bhp) and it is just as light. However it has more bottom end power and a better chassis.
The Kwak feels faster but ultimately the GSXR will go faster easier. Both are great and very evenly matched - they just do things a little differently

[Gearheaded]

Originally Posted by OptimoPrime

the 05 zx10r up untill the s1000rr had the most HP of any liter bike. did dyno battle with one that only had a pipe and no PC and it did 160hp. they are NO JOKE current bike power.

[Skipper08]

As far as those old bike I can give an opinion but I can sure give my thought and the new ones, Suzuki has always been a good contender but they need to step up the game, Yamaha is a very good reliable bike and very comfortable but lacks in power, Kawasaki just out did themselves with their new bike, I've rode all 3 and kawi is by far much better, just needs to be set up right for the rider then is all game

[CARBONAR1]

I've ridden all three of those Tim...

The Gixxer had the beastliest motor and handled great, but was ugly and didn't have the best brakes.

The ZX10 had a great motor, not quite as much low down as the Gixxer, but handled poorly.

And the R1 handles great, has more of a peaky motor and felt gutless compared to the Gixxer, but looks miles better (imo).

With all I've done to my 06 R1 motor, the stock 05 Gixxer was stronger down low.

If you can stand the looks...the Gixxer is a mad bike, and a Brembo m/cyl will fix it's brakes.

[killa kali]

i owned an '05 zx10 for awhile...tons of power (not insane like everyone makes 'em out to be though), ridiculously lightweight, and probably the worst brakes EVER (a simple caliper and master cylinder swap and you're good to go though).

The reason i would stay away from them is that they had frame cracking problems. A simple tip over in the garage could cause them to crack at the welds (happened to mine). Similar problem with the Suzuki's ('05-'06) but at least suzuki issued a recall whereas Kawi did not.

I'd go with the gsxr...definitely the best of the three choices and the best platform to build on. Thousands of aftermarket parts circulating the used market and it's easy and cheap to get a lot more power out of them. There's a reason that's the most popular bike in club racing

[tigertim20]

hmmm interesting thoughts.
the gsxr doesnt really register my interest, ive just heard good stuff about it, I think its really between the yamaha and the Kwak.

Is there some more extensive reading on the kwak frame issues and brake upgrades I could look into?

I assume a modest sum of money on the yamaha could yield the same or similar power as the stock zx10 couldnt it, or was the zx10 that far ahead?

[Gearheaded]

No the zx is not that far ahead

Regular 3 mods will do the yammy fine

[tigertim20]

oh I should also add, someone has informed me they would possibly be keen on a straight swap on a 2007 zx10r as well