honestly, i like the 02 r1 much better. not just saying it because i own one. ridden my friends gsxr1000 before i bought my r1. i perfer the r1 any day over the gsxr1000, don't get me wrong, if they did not revise the r1 i would have bought the suzuki.

power wise, i honestly don't see the difference. the buzz is that the gsxr1000 has more hp but when i raced my friend he could not beat me.

handling, it is like night and day. the r1 handles flawlessly and feels very agile.

engine, the new fi is amazing compared to the gsxr. there is absolutely no bogg or burp in the throttle response. the bike is able to sling shot off the like.

my honest and unbiased opinion is that the r1 is an overall better bike.

 

Gixxer

:hellobye The Gixxer undoubtly the fastest .On the British Mag it stated that th R1 2002 top speed is 170mph for 2 miles drag. The Gixxer 1000/ 2001 top speed 180 mph.The other British mag stated that why need bigger power if you can't HANDLE it!. My friend bought a Gixxer two months before me, when my R1 2002 arrived he can't believe the actual colour on the scheme Liquid Silver. And he eventually said to me " we are not worth it". R1 2002 delta box III it was meant to cut corners. But not for top speed. The manufacturer concertrate more on weight to power ratio. Remeber R7 on super bike that's what happen if it is too much power. :thumbup

 

I agree with the "fatness" comment... i don't like the fat tank... i feel out of control... like i can't hurl it in the corner together with my body. But my friend loves it though... and he's smaller than me.

 

Atho I never ridden a Gixxer 1000,
I have always loved every gixxer that I've thrown a leg over.

But honnestly I would take an R1 over a Gixxer any day of the week . My buddy finally let me take it out for a short spin... and let me tell you this, I just about droped a load in my pants from the pure excitement and fun factor that this bike emits!!!

Gixxers are nice... but R1 kick major ass!

I guess I would be considered a trader over at the Gixxer forum but I dont give a Rats @$$!!!

 

I owned a 2001 Gixxer 1k last year (black/silver) and now own my R1. Gixxer 1k definitely feels stronger power-wise, but looks and overall balanced feel go to the R1. I like the R1 better.....not just cuz I have one. And have you seen the new colors on the 1k? ewwwwwwwww. (Sorry for the pic)

 

yeah yeah

Just look at the rear tire of the GSX-R it is so wimpy compared to the R1. heh. I want something beastie.

 

You should try posting this question on rec.motorcycles on usenet. Im sure you would get more responses.

Honestly, i like my r1. The gsxr1000 has more power, handles a bit better. But its not what the media has HYPED it up to be.

Ricardo

 

I own both bikes, I have been riding the Gixxer all last summer, it is a good bike, it does everything right at the right moment but for some reasons something is missing, it's been a year and I still can't describe what it is exactly, maybe it is because I feel like on top of the bike instead of "in" the bike like on the R1, maybe it's only me.

All the "hype" about power is what it is,"hype", of course it does have a tiny bit more top-end on the top of the rev range but that is not enough to make you choose this bike on power alone, the fit and finish on the bike is not bad, but the weldings on the frame and swing-arm looks like they where made by 6 years old kids with bubble gum glued to one hand, no jokes, the two bikes side by side really make it obvious on the direction of the two companys, quality or quantity.

I rode the 02 R1 only twice so far, but I can already attest that they have improved many of the 98 to 01 weak points and that is a very good thing, not that there was many weak points but to name only two, the frame is much stiffer than before and the bike steer better, the fuel injection works so good compared to the gixxer, and I thought the gixxer set-up was the best I've tested so far!

Suzuki have made a huge improvement when they came out with these new generation of gixxers and it shows, these are easy and cheap race bike that does everything quite right, as a result you see them all the time on the race track now.

The gixxer is now for sale, I found a new date on the 02 R1

my .02

Robert

 

this may have already been posted on this forum, but here's a well written article on the gixxer vs. r1 ...

http://www.2wf.com/articles/bike_tests/2B8053D0-159D-44C1-BFF3-8689A6049FF5.asp

 

and another aricle, but no real head to head comparison...

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/bikes/detail?sectionID=57280&documentID=133655

and finally one that you'll have to pay for...

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mccompare/02openspecs.motml

hope these are helpful. :thumbup

 

Re: Gixxer

:hellobye The Gixxer undoubtly the fastest .On the British Mag it stated that th R1 2002 top speed is 170mph for 2 miles drag. The Gixxer 1000/ 2001 top speed 180 mph.The other British mag stated that why need bigger power if you can't HANDLE it!. My friend bought a Gixxer two months before me, when my R1 2002 arrived he can't believe the actual colour on the scheme Liquid Silver. And he eventually said to me " we are not worth it". R1 2002 delta box III it was meant to cut corners. But not for top speed. The manufacturer concertrate more on weight to power ratio. Remeber R7 on super bike that's what happen if it is too much power. :thumbup

you failed to mention that the 02 r1 only had 400 miles on it when they did their dammed test. wait for "superbike" magazine's comparo to come out next month, it'll be more complete and accurate. it's the only magazine i trust. they actually test the 1/4 mile and top speed actual and indicated.

 

top speed is nothing more than drag vs power.

you can make 80hp do 200mph with the right body work.

the r1 is way dirtyier than the gix as for areos..

but it looks a hell of alot better..

for the ultimate top speed may i suggest a 10ft long raindrop shell.


imagine if the r1 looked like a busa or a 70's race bike with a dust bin fairing...
no thank you.


plus yes the gix makes a few more peak hp , but not 10mph worth, without comparing areos.

 

i've never ridden a gixxer thou (have joyridden the 750) so i can't compare it to the r1. but i did own a duc (still have it in fact - should finalize the sale tomorrow) and just got my silver r1 saturday.

if you owned a duc and are looking at the latest open-classers, i would guess that you are going through a similar decision process to mine last week.

in the end, i had to realize that my decisions needed to be driven largely by pragmatism.

if i wanted a bike that was uncompromising, i would have kept my duc. while i think that the gixxer isn't quite as track-focused as my 916 out-of-the-box, it is clearly more race-rep than the new r1. why replace a bike which has limited use with another one? my decision was that much of what i disliked with the duc is in part true of the gixxer.

the r1 allows a more moderate position, which opens up a whole new kind of riding for me (that would be the more-than-100 mi-in-a-sitting riding). further, people say the 02 r1 handles better (i still can't believe how easily you can flop this thing over).

besides, if you're a defecting ducatisti, style matters; the new r1 spanks the gixxer in aesthetics.

k

 

I've had the opportunity to flog two 02 R1s and three Gixxers.

Looks: R1. That was a tough call. Not.

Handling: Edge to the gixxer. Why? That "quality" frame Robert spoke of has excellent geometry and is produced with extreme accuracy. Much tighter tolerances than Yamaha. My source is GMD Computrack. Riding them doesn't really reveal a winner. The Gixxer is stable and the R1 is quick steering. Each has merits the other lacks. Both need a little work.

Motor: Gixxer. That was a tough call. Not.

Incidentals: R1. Look deep into the bike. Examine the hardware. Fittings, fasteners, brackets, etc. Show quality stuff on the R1. Home depot on the Gixxer.

Bottom line: If you like to wheelie get the gixxer. It will loft the front in fifth every time you hit a ripple at wfo. Hilarious good fun. If you want an eyecatcher the R1 is the hands down winner. Only a blind trailer park refugee could find beauty in the Gixxer. If you like to ride the fucking wheels off a bike on white knuckle mountain roads, either one is going to make you giggle like a schoolgirl. They are that good.

 

this is from a gsxr1000 owner i got off gixxer.com. i think he could not have said it better.



Back after three days at Nürburgring, and a week on Circuit Val de VIenne in France. Was really looking forward to test my Gixxer in a proper environment. But what a piece of shit the Gixxer is. I've not had a Screwsuki since the late 80's, and as of right now I deeply regret that I bought one again. Before I continue, let me emphazise that I do not write this to upset anyone, but I need to vent my frustration over a product that doesn't even come close to fulfill my expectations.I started off with a couple of days at Nürburgrings Nordschleife. Bike ran great. Lots of power, stable, and pretty good handling. I wasn't even close to my laptimes of last year, but being start of the season on a bike I wasn't too familiar with, I didn't put too much into it. What annoyed me though, was a tendency of the engine to cut at high speed on bumpy surfaces. Down Fuchsröhre, the engine would stall for a splitsecond, which is not what you want when you're riding at 270kph and setting up for the coming 200kph corner.I was also disappointed to see that I'd grounded out the bottom fairing on both sides. OK, the suspension wasn't fine tuned for me, but I hadn't thought it would be that easy. Another rider had told me he had the same problem last year, but I took it he was bragging. Now I know he wasn't. Well, that's be sorted with suitable springs and a bit more ride height at the rear, but not impressive. Arrived in Val de Vienne Monday. Val de Vienne is a tight and technically demanding track, and certainly not Gixxer territory. More ride height at the rear and the forks up the yokes a few mm helped the bike handle, but where's the huge advantage the Gixxer is supposed to have? I certainly didn't find it. I took it as a sign of me being unfamiliar with the bike, but I had expected more.I wouldn't even mentioned the above complaints if the bike had performed, but the piece of shit Screwsuzuki did not. The brakes are crap. They overheated, and the lever came closer and closer to the handlebar. Once I started lapping below 2 minutes, the bike couldn't cope with it. A buddy on another Gixxer had the same problem. He lost his brakes totally, and crashed at 200kph. In fact, 3 Gixxers went down because of brake failure. I say it again: What a piece of crap. Who the **** designed a bike with monster power, only to supply it with brakes that can't handle a few sessions of hard riding at the track?The problem with the cutting engine appeared again. I was told a relay was known to fail, so I spent a lot of time checking for loose connections. It helped for a while - only to become worse. Then the TPS sensor stopped working, so I was totally unable to ride the bike smoothly. I say it again: What a piece of crap. I spent more time in the garage fixing problems - together with the other Gixxer riders - than I've done in 3 years with my previous bike. When the Yamaha and Mille R guys were drinking beer in the afternoon, the Gixxer guys were repairing their bikes. And if nothing else was wrong, we had to replace tires at a speed I had thought impossible. I'm glad I have a tire sponsorship. But I'm fed up with replacing them every 3rd session. You need a fucking mechanic to ride this thing, it is too much stress handling it all alone. In between changing electrical components, checking for loose contacts, rapiring fuel pumps that couldn't cope with tank foam, and bleeding the brakes, we could enjouy the sound of Gixxers blowing their engines down the backstraight, and racers complaining about the quality of their Gixxers. What a piece of crap, we just all had to agree. It became a standing joke when we met in the pits: "Want a Gixxer thou'? I have one for sale cheap. Want to sell your Mille R? How about a trade with my Gixxer". It really was that bad, we were all fed up. Sure, the Gixxer handles well when set up right, and it is very powerful. But its build quality sucks badly. Whoever wrote that Suzuki design racebikes and then make them road legal, doesn't know what he is talking about. The bike need loads of mods just to be able to cope with a week of race practice. What a piece of crap.I'm exhausted. Not from riding fast, but from spending all my time between race sessions in the pit garage, trying to make the bike run well. Who needs that? And whoever designed that piece of shit swingarm need a good spanking. Adjusting the chain is hopeless, and the alignment is way off. What a piece of crap. After 1000km of track riding, I am tempted to sell the Screwsuki, and get a proper bike. A bike where I can concentrate on riding instead of making repairs, and a bike that can cope with the stress from racing. My friends Aprilia Mille performed without one single failure. When it was time to ride, he was rested and fit for fight. I was worn out and could hardly keep up. Because of a fucking piece of shit that isn't built properly, with little attention to detail. Suzuki seem to have spent all the money on the engine, and compromised on all the rest. Before I can start racing this thing for real, it need major upgrades. I'll give it another chance, but right now I am tempted to sell it. If it continues like this, it simply isn't worth the hassle. The Gixxer sucks - badly. I hope I will change my mind, but if this is the Gixxer experience, I'd rather be without it



:no

 

you guys are the best. Thanks for the great comments. Very helpful.

 

>this is from a gsxr1000 owner i got off gixxer.com.
>i think he could not have said it better

That was me, and being the owner of both a R1 and a Gixxer, feel free to ask questions.

Build quality?
R1 wins hands down. During three years of hard riding with my '99 R1, I had less problems than during three days with the Gixxer.

Handling?
When set up right, the Gixxer rocks. I haven't track tested the new R1 yet, but a racing friend of mine who has, say that it still lacks behind the GSX-R. Gixxer can be st up pretty agressively, and it still is more stable than the R1.

Power?
Larger difference than on previous Gixxers I've tried. Up to 8K, the R1 keeps up and maybe feels a tad stronger. But from there on, the Gixxer kills it. No discussion.


Brakes?
R1 wins without discussion.

Ergonomics?
The wide tank many people complain about, have never been a problem for me. But I am not very tall, which could be the reason. Much better wind protection than the R1, riding position suits me better as well.


General:
If I can get my Gixer to work reliably, I know I will be very happy with it. It is a great tracktool. The R1 is not far behind in this area though, and in others it is clearly clearly a better bike. Better attention to detail, looks better, better brakes, better bottom end.

Not easy to say what is the best. It depends on your needs. Comments that one bike rocks and the other sucks, say more about the squid posting than the bike. That's my opinion anyways. Try them both, and buy what suits you best.

 

Jse,

Iva done the same as you sold my R1 and bought the Gixxer and although I agree with you on most of the statements, there are some that are difficult for me to understand specially the reliability issue.

Ive owned a 98 and a 00 R1, the 98 was returned to the dealer due to cluth problems (all the 98's were returned to replace a part in the clutch) during the time I rode it always consumed oil(a lot).

My 00 had heating problems, therefore I cannot understand when you say the R1 is reliable.

Dont have an opinion on the Gixxer cause I own it just for 2 weeks (only rode 600 Miles).

Concerning the wide tank, no problem for me and i'm a tall guy 1,80 M.

You say the R1 brakes are better, which ones? not the 00R1'S!

I think the Gixxer is more complete bike to ride on the road it has better wind protection, it inspires more confidence in the fast corners (doesnt shake) and it sounds much better....

 

Jse,

Ive owned a 98 and a 00 R1, the 98 was returned to the dealer due to cluth problems (all the 98's were returned to replace a part in the clutch) during the time I rode it always consumed oil(a lot).

My 00 had heating problems, therefore I cannot understand when you say the R1 is reliable.

Dont have an opinion on the Gixxer cause I own it just for 2 weeks (only rode 600 Miles).

Concerning the wide tank, no problem for me and i'm a tall guy 1,80 M.

You say the R1 brakes are better, which ones? not the 00R1'S!

I had a '99, and obsolutely no problems with it. None of the people I do tracktime with, have had any serious problems with their R1s. The brakes on the R1 doesn't overheat like the Gixxers did.

I have heard of Gixxer owners who ride their bikes on the track without problems or modifications though, but they are not many.

 

Im reading Swedish Bike, and there is a head to head comparison between the R1, Gixxer 1k, Fireblade, Triumph 955 and Zx 9. All 02. To make a long story short I´ll exclude the honda, Kawa and the Triumph (cos they werent that good on the track).
There were five top quality riders trying out the bikes on Calafat in Spain. Christer Lindholm ( German pro superbike, World super sport among others) was the fastest guy on the track. The bikes had the same kind of tires and the best time Christer could make was with the R1, 1.31,69. And with the Gixxer 1k, 1.31,71 - wich is basically identical. And remember that the gixxer has a slight power advantage over the R1, so I guess the R1 is the sport bike to have chassi wise. And not to mention the looks:thumbup The riders also comment on the bikes and say that the R1 has better handling and a better tuned engine than the Gixxer.

the R1 rules ( i guess)

 

There were five top quality riders trying out the bikes on Calafat in Spain. Christer Lindholm ( German pro superbike, World super sport among others) was the fastest guy on the track. The bikes had the same kind of tires and the best time Christer could make was with the R1, 1.31,69. And with the Gixxer 1k, 1.31,71 - wich is basically identical. And remember that the gixxer has a slight power advantage over the R1, so I guess the R1 is the sport bike to have chassi wise. And not to mention the looks:thumbup The riders also comment on the bikes and say that the R1 has better handling and a better tuned engine than the Gixxer.

the R1 rules ( i guess)

For every mag you read, there is a different opinion. That the stock R1 is lapping quicker than the Gixxer is the first time I hear about though. Big contradiction to all other results so far. This said, I haven't seen any mags complain about the brakes of the Gixxer, but when speaking to racers around, the problem is well known. Makes you wonder what the mag tests are worth.

I have a friend in Germany racing in Formula Extreme and Seriensport. He is clearly quicker on the Gixxer, and he say it will be very difficult to upgrade the R1 to the level of his GSX-R. He tested them side-by-side at Oschersleben last weekend. That is his experience though, nothing else. So far, the GSX- R win more races, but then again, if all the best riders ride GSX-Rs, of course it will.

All the new bikes are very good, some better in one area than the other. I believe personal preference is more important than anything else. I say it again, talking about than one bike rules make no sense. Get out there and figure out for yourself. Then come back and tell us what works best, and why. When you know, you have found the best bike - for you.

 

jse,

Just kidding about the R1 rules thing, its like you say the new sport bikes are all more or less good. About the brakes they ofcourse mentioned that aswell and we all know that the brakes on the R1 does not add up to the rest of the bike. The Gixxer got some criticism about over heated brakes aswell. And I totally agree - go out and try it out for yourself!

Cheers

 

jse,
have you ridden the new 02 r1 yet.
i heard it won the first extreme formula race.

 

jse,
have you ridden the new 02 r1 yet.
i heard it won the first extreme formula race.

Not in a way that I feel "qualified" to say anything about its performance capabilities, so the answer is more no than yes. A spin down the road tells me nothing.

I saw it won some Australian Formula Extreme race. Unless I'm misinformed, there were mostly R1's among the best riders though.

To me, it will be very interesting to see how it does in German Seriensport, the class I participate in myself. I know some of the best riders have bought the R1, while others insist on riding the Suzuki. Will be some tight fights, I am sure.

 

i would be very interested to hear from you once you tested the new r1 on the track. i think you would be able to beat your lap 99 record.
i saw your videos and must say that i am impressed.
hope you test and post soon and give a verdict.