You will want the torque of a 1000 for slow speed commuting. But I hate commuting in heavy traffic on a bike. Although you can lane split. I commute on my supermoto more than my super bikes. Mostly because on a 1000, it is so easy to move through traffic, i end up speeding the whole way. For example, on my 2016 zx10r, 1st gear goes to 105mph. My DRZ tops out at 102mph in 5th gear lol. So I guess my answer is, for me, commuting on really fast bikes will land me in jail eventually. On a drz I can drive less aggressive and relax more. But that is a subjective thing. BTW the 99 R1 may not make the best track bike. Have you thought about reversing your process?

 

Sometimes I do think that being able to reach 120mph on a super bike in the blink of an eye is ridiculous, especially if you're daily driving it... there's a higher chance that one day it'll either put you in jail or the hospital... but I'm young so I'm still fairly retarded when it comes to practical thinking. Anyways, yeah a supermoto might be cool, but I did have a XR400 not converted to a sm, for the street and it felt so damn wimpy much of the time.

In any case, yeah it seems like my thinking was backwards, I'll probably continue with the older R1 on the road, and then get a newer R1 for the track and occasional street ride. :icon_smile:

This! The 99 R1 is a very raw bike so i would think it could be a very hard bike to throw around on the track. A new R6 will feel like a little toy that you can man handle all day on the track.

Yes this, never rode one, but I did have a newer ZX6R that I remember to be much lesser in all aspects than the R1 --- I'm 5'5" too, so a liter bike is a relatively large bike for me at least in terms of physical size.

My R1 is street only.
My R6 is track only.

Yup, I see it seems to be the proper thing to do now.

 

I have owned both a 2005 R6 and a 2006 R1 for commuting. Hands down the R1, not for the power, speed, torque, etc....FOR THE ERGONOMICS AND COMFORT!!!!

The R6 is a track bike, the R1's ergo is just better suited for the road and long hauls IMHO, but, it is in fact just that, MHO.

 

Both are fine. You are not gonna go 100+ for very long in l.a. traffic. If you commute in traffic

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In my opinion youre doing it backward. Use a newer bike for track and the old girl for the street. Put riser handle bars on it if you want a comfy street bike.

 

This! The 99 R1 is a very raw bike so i would think it could be a very hard bike to throw around on the track. A new R6 will feel like a little toy that you can man handle all day on the track.

 

My R1 is street only.
My R6 is track only.

 

As others suggested, you'll definitely need the torque/low-end of the litre bike and it'll probably be comfier than the supersport. The R6 is not only more aggressively tailored in terms of ergonomics but the engine will drive you insane when commuting, because all the power is at the top end.

 

Both are fine. 65mph is all you need for top end in traffic

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I've owned both (mid 2000's models). I prefer the R1 for the ergonomics, power, and superior headlights.