Hi,
Just a few thoughts on the above mentioned bikes. I have been able to put quite a few miles on each of these bikes over the past year.
The fireblade was the repsol edition. This build quality of this bike was not that impressive, not what I would expect from Honda anyways. The biggest plus point of this bike is the handling. It is just so well planted and stable, although this could partly be down to the bike having arguably the best tyres here (Pirelli Diablo Corsa's) fitted as standard.
The blade is a very fast bike, but feels strangled towards the end of its rev range. The gearbox is ultra slick, but the fueling is very snatchy, especially over less than perfect aussie roads. The bike would surge while riding through towns at low speeds on a constant throttle.
The riding postiion of the blade initially feels good, but after a few miles the old wrists where having a bit of a hard time. Combination of wide tank, high pegs and narrow bars playing there part here. Not an ideal road bike.
The ZX10 riding position feels quite high, with pressure on the inner thighs while just sitting on the bike. The ZX10 feels the lightest of the bikes, and the most compact. When moving the first thing that hits you with this bike, is how strong the engine feels. It just pulls and pulls all the way to the redline. The engine sounds very mechanical, almost agricultural. But the gear change is slick and precise. The bikes handling is awesome, but with quite a bit of headshake exiting corners hard on the gas. The slipper clutch is great, you can feel it when downshifting.
The bike seemed to get thrown quite a bit with uneven roads. This is probably down to the factory setting though.
The gixxer is like a cross between the blade and the ZX10. The tank is quite wide and the bars feel quite narrow, but like the 10, the bike feels ultra light. When moving the gixxer's engine feels just as strong as the Kawasaki's, with a super smooth gearbox (the best here) and smooth fueling. The bike handles superbly, you just point and the bike holds its line, soaking up uneven road surfaces, that would unsettle the ZX10. The gear selection indicator is a very nice addition as is the slipper clutch.
The R1 has probably the best riding position of the bikes here, with low pegs, narrow tank and widish bars. This is the bike to cover a fair few miles on. The downside with the r1 (as a road bike) is the lack of torque compared to the other bikes here. You have to keep the R1 on the boil and in the right gear to keep with the other bikes, when riding becomes a bit spirited. The R1 motor is so smooth though, all the way to the red line. The build quality is high, the bike just looks stunning. The r1 needs a slipper clutch to avoid aggressive downshift problems, when pushing on a bit.
The Daytona 955i is a very underrated bike IMO. The looks are very distinctive, you do not see that many about on the roads. The bike has seen only a few tweaks over recent years, so has been left behind by the competition. The bike feels quite high, but the seat is narrow if a little hard. The build quality is not quite upto the Jap stuff, with a few exposed wires here and there. The bike certainly sounds distinctive, with that triple growl, especially when overtaking, sounds awesome. The mirrors vibrate so badly they are almost useless, and the clocks look a bit cheap and tacky.
The power delivery is lazy, but you do not realise how fast and well planted this bike is, you just have to ride it differently to the inline 4's to appreciate this bikes strengths. The handling is a little different to the jap stuff, but not as bad as some mags make out. The riding position is now more sport tourer than sports. The bike also has the best tank range here, so fewer fuel stops.
For me, the R1 is the ideal bike for what I want to do. Mainly road riding with the occasional track day. Each bike has its strengths, so if you are in the market, go have a test ride on the bikes and make your own mind up.
I am not an expert by any means, but just thought I would share my impressions of each bike with you.
Just a few thoughts on the above mentioned bikes. I have been able to put quite a few miles on each of these bikes over the past year.
The fireblade was the repsol edition. This build quality of this bike was not that impressive, not what I would expect from Honda anyways. The biggest plus point of this bike is the handling. It is just so well planted and stable, although this could partly be down to the bike having arguably the best tyres here (Pirelli Diablo Corsa's) fitted as standard.
The blade is a very fast bike, but feels strangled towards the end of its rev range. The gearbox is ultra slick, but the fueling is very snatchy, especially over less than perfect aussie roads. The bike would surge while riding through towns at low speeds on a constant throttle.
The riding postiion of the blade initially feels good, but after a few miles the old wrists where having a bit of a hard time. Combination of wide tank, high pegs and narrow bars playing there part here. Not an ideal road bike.
The ZX10 riding position feels quite high, with pressure on the inner thighs while just sitting on the bike. The ZX10 feels the lightest of the bikes, and the most compact. When moving the first thing that hits you with this bike, is how strong the engine feels. It just pulls and pulls all the way to the redline. The engine sounds very mechanical, almost agricultural. But the gear change is slick and precise. The bikes handling is awesome, but with quite a bit of headshake exiting corners hard on the gas. The slipper clutch is great, you can feel it when downshifting.
The bike seemed to get thrown quite a bit with uneven roads. This is probably down to the factory setting though.
The gixxer is like a cross between the blade and the ZX10. The tank is quite wide and the bars feel quite narrow, but like the 10, the bike feels ultra light. When moving the gixxer's engine feels just as strong as the Kawasaki's, with a super smooth gearbox (the best here) and smooth fueling. The bike handles superbly, you just point and the bike holds its line, soaking up uneven road surfaces, that would unsettle the ZX10. The gear selection indicator is a very nice addition as is the slipper clutch.
The R1 has probably the best riding position of the bikes here, with low pegs, narrow tank and widish bars. This is the bike to cover a fair few miles on. The downside with the r1 (as a road bike) is the lack of torque compared to the other bikes here. You have to keep the R1 on the boil and in the right gear to keep with the other bikes, when riding becomes a bit spirited. The R1 motor is so smooth though, all the way to the red line. The build quality is high, the bike just looks stunning. The r1 needs a slipper clutch to avoid aggressive downshift problems, when pushing on a bit.
The Daytona 955i is a very underrated bike IMO. The looks are very distinctive, you do not see that many about on the roads. The bike has seen only a few tweaks over recent years, so has been left behind by the competition. The bike feels quite high, but the seat is narrow if a little hard. The build quality is not quite upto the Jap stuff, with a few exposed wires here and there. The bike certainly sounds distinctive, with that triple growl, especially when overtaking, sounds awesome. The mirrors vibrate so badly they are almost useless, and the clocks look a bit cheap and tacky.
The power delivery is lazy, but you do not realise how fast and well planted this bike is, you just have to ride it differently to the inline 4's to appreciate this bikes strengths. The handling is a little different to the jap stuff, but not as bad as some mags make out. The riding position is now more sport tourer than sports. The bike also has the best tank range here, so fewer fuel stops.
For me, the R1 is the ideal bike for what I want to do. Mainly road riding with the occasional track day. Each bike has its strengths, so if you are in the market, go have a test ride on the bikes and make your own mind up.
I am not an expert by any means, but just thought I would share my impressions of each bike with you.
