i don't know what to say i started with a r1 2008, i got a little more than 1000 miles. i havent ridden any other bike besides that 250cc coarse bike which can't be compared at all. if the exhaust doesnt bother you (im not sure if they have that small slip on thats about 3% better in air flow), i would recomend looking at the gixxer 1000. im not saying dont get the 09 r1, but compare them. if the exhaust would not bother me on the gixxer i would of think of buying that. still, the r1 is alot more beatiful imo. some of the reasons i would like to get a gixxer is because its thinner, the front, and the turn signals in the mirrors. still i would go towards a r1, but im not sure about the specifications on the 09 r1 vs 09 gixxer. find out the info and go check out the gixxer, you might fall in love.

 

Coming from the 750, a Gixxer Thou would be nice in a way. The pipes would have to be changed as I hate that swooping pipe look. Looks-wise, the R1 is the winner for me. Yes, you don't get mirror turn signals (my 750 had them). I can always go for flush mounts if I don't like the stock ones. Really doesn't bother me much (my CBR600RR had flush mount side turn signals).

After reading about what the uneven firing interval/crossplane crankshaft adds, the new R1's engine is the biggest reason I'm intrigued over the other 1000's. Plus all the videos of that engine's sound are amazing.

I did see Akrapovic's dyno chart, though I'll go along with what others mentioned how it's not going to be reliable to go off of for the power delivery after the firing interval has been changed up. Either way, I won't buy until reviews come.

 

3 years on a ninja 500. put about 4k miles on it then bought an r1.



your plenty fine experience wise. and she pulls like a betch in all gears.

 

I learned to ride on a brand new showroom fresh R1. Bad idea, but I made it work. 10 years running and aint crashed yet.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I rode dirt bikes since I was a kid then moved to a CBR250RR when I moved to town. Rode the :boobies of that for about two years then bought the first of a series of R1s.

Just quickly, Cagers can't see us, don't understand how we move and have no appreciation for the acceleration and breaking of a bike, so an accident is almost always your fault regardless of you having caused it. Keep your eyes open, always and be aware.

I'm inevitably going to get an 09/10 R1 then track my current 07. Can't wait! :rock

 

Thanks for the replies so far...feeling better about my starting point on a 1000. I guess I've also kind of worked into my head the image that it's going to be so much more powerful than anything I've ridden I won't be able to ride it because a slight touch on the throttle will put me on my a$$. Realistically I know it's not going to be nearly that bad, but eh. I still have a touch of that irrational worry (even though I could ring the 750's neck until it gasped desperately for air...), but I'm getting over that. It's probably also the fact that this would end up being my first new new bike (both my past bikes were used). It's...just so pristine!

Just quickly, Cagers can't see us, don't understand how we move and have no appreciation for the acceleration and breaking of a bike, so an accident is almost always your fault regardless of you having caused it. Keep your eyes open, always and be aware.

Oh I know. I've been very good about watching road intersections where people can pull out in front of me (usually with them having stop signs)...however, I had gotten used to traffic signals as being a bit more fail-proof...a false sense of security, obviously.

It was getting dark outside and I had an HID light on the bike...you can see that thing from miles away. All my rides up to this point when I've seen people stop and look for oncoming traffic, they almost instantly notice me (I'd like to think the headlight was doing its job :lol). Testimony so far has made him (the other driver) look very bad...from what I can gather, he actually didn't do a complete stop when turning on red...meaning when he said he "looked but didn't see me", he may have not really even turned his head in my direction. I was about as visible as a motorcycle could be. I also wouldn't buy the perception argument as I wasn't even going the speed limit (was going around 35 to 40mph), and given that he pulled out literally right next to me (absolutely no chance to stop...and because he was driving adjacent to me, I'm not sure if I could've swerved at that moment to avoid it), I don't think it was a gauging the distance problem (unless he's just really bad at that). He wound up being charged on two counts.

So, while I think I might have been able to prevent the accident had I looked up that street before I got near the intersection, I'm going to go ahead and maintain that he was at fault. Of course I'm going to treat traffic light intersections completely differently from now on. If anything this incident has wound up making me a better rider.

if i can turn back the time, i will start directly on a litre bike.....waste my time and my money for ride from smaller bike....now get a R1 and RESPECT the throttle....thats it...

If I could turn back time, I wouldn't have gotten a 600 for my first bike (even though I learned to ride on a 250 in the MSF course). I probably would've gone for something a bit smaller. I think I could've learned some of the handling fundamentals a bit quicker. Second bike would be either the 600 or 750, then I'd still be looking at an R1

 

So...
Get what you want.

 

if i can turn back the time, i will start directly on a litre bike.....waste my time and my money for ride from smaller bike....now get a R1 and RESPECT the throttle....thats it...

 

:dundun: Thats some bad advice right there. :secret: But each to their own.

 

to answer the question...i began riding a 1000cc bike in 1982:lol a kwaka z1r mk-2.:flex::rock

 

I had about 5000 miles between an 86 yamaha maxim 700 nad an 87 FZR 1000. To be honest, I was about ready to piss myself when I rode my 07 off the dealership lot. I was so afraid I was going to be one of those dudes dumbing her before I hit my first light. It wasn't that bad. Im still a noob, one year on my r1 now, but I think it was a bit easier b/c it didn't really shine until the higher rpms, I had time to get a little more comfortable on her, riding around the city.

 

For what its worth...600 bikes are so powerful and fast these days that you could lose control on one nearly as easy as a liter bike.
Liter bikes used to be much bigger than they are now. Getting smaller and lighter every year. I say the 1000 cc bike used to be a bad idea to start on, based on its size. But now, with 600 cc bikes having become so fast, and the 1000 cc bikes becoming so much easier to ride, the difference in diminishing. This just may only be my opinion but if you want the 1000 cc bike, get it. If you end up with a 600/750, that's plenty of power to injure a rider who loses focus or respect for the bike.

 

For what its worth...600 bikes are so powerful and fast these days that you could lose control on one nearly as easy as a liter bike.
Liter bikes used to be much bigger than they are now. Getting smaller and lighter every year. I say the 1000 cc bike used to be a bad idea to start on, based on its size. But now, with 600 cc bikes having become so fast, and the 1000 cc bikes becoming so much easier to ride, the difference in diminishing. This just may only be my opinion but if you want the 1000 cc bike, get it. If you end up with a 600/750, that's plenty of power to injure a rider who loses focus or respect for the bike.

The difference between the two still lies in the torque production of a motor that's 40% larger. 600's are fast but you can still hammer on them a lot harder than a liter bike. 600's nip, but liters bite.

 

If you could ride the 750 to its fullest potential then a 1000 will be no problem

 

Well, I said i wrung its neck (on backroads it got to to the point where I'd need to stay in 2nd gear to keep up with my friend on an RC51...which overall is a tad slower than the 750, but all that extra torque helped it pull out of corners much quicker than if I was in...say...4th gear) , but I know I could never ride any supersport/superbike to its fullest potential. I may have hit engine limitations and I may be able to wear off chicken strips before having to replace the tire, but I'm not nearly as crazy as those pro racers that use the rear brake to drift as they enter the corners and all :lol

So yeah, now I'm mainly waiting for a) my injuries to heal b) the R1 to actually arrive around Jan/Feb.

Regarding reviews, I'm referring to publications like MotorcycleUSA (and though every tester has their opinions, MCN can be good)...I usually don't find them to be biased.

 

I rode dirt bikes for about 5 years, and started on a 05 R1 after taking classes. I just made sure to respect the bike and the throttle. Have 8000 miles under my belt now; and have never ridden anything else. I have been curious to ride R6 just to feel the differance but glad I went big to start, I just rode smart.

 

i couldn't tell you how many miles i had before switching to the r1. i've had an ex500 for about 2 yrs, then my '92 cbr600f2 for about 12 years. i had my cbr for so long that it was just plain time for a new bike, and i decided that if i was going for a new one, i was going bigger and better. i started out looking at the cbr1000, but liked the look and ergos of the r1 much better, not to mention that i generally like yamaha's machines better anyway.

everyone i questioned had me worried about wheel spin coming out of the corners, unwanted wheelies, and trouble flipping around the liter bike in the corners. but i rode a 600 for so long that i wanted more power, regardless. so i bought my '08 r1 in june, and i'm extremely glad that i didn't get a 600. granted the 600's have come a long way from my f2 in performance and handling, but i feel really comfortable on the r1. the r6 almost felt too little and cramped for me, i'm 6' 220 lbs. as far as handling and stuff, it's all about throttle control. i'm sure wheelspin is possible in the corners in the upper rpms but it's easily managable. wheelies, you just have to learn to know your bike and to control it, no matter what you ride. cornering, compared to my f2, the r1 actually feels better to me despite being a 1000. according to the spec's, my r1 is actually about 16 lbs lighter than my f2 was. and i'm sure due to suspension and overall design details, it feels better to me than the f2.

the first thing i noticed was having to adjust judging distances. the r1 will get you through a short distance in a big hurry, so judging braking and entering corners and stuff is a little tricky at first, but if you take the time to make the adjustment and learn the new ride, it's not a problem. the brakes on the r1 are a great match for it's accelleration ability.

like you, i'm sure i wouldn't ever outride a new r6, but the r1 was just a much better fit for me and trust me, you won't regret going for the power of a 1000. it's way more than anybody needs on the street, that's for sure, but now that i have one, i'll probably never go with another 600 class bike. i'd be into a cruiser before that happens.

 

I've owned dirt bikes since I was a little kid and bought my first street bike about 6 months ago. It was a zx6r and I loved it for about the first 4 months (4000 miles) until I started craving more power. At that time I decided to buy a new R1 because it's been my dream bike for awhile and I knew it had more power than I could use. Some would say that I made the transition too soon and they may be right. But I'm very happy with the R1 and I feel that it should be more about your gut feeling, not what others think. Every time I take it for a ride I do so with a generous amount of respect for its power and potential to hurt me. I'm a firm believer in staying within your limits and not feeling pressured to push the limit. Long story short, if you feel you're ready, I say get the R1.

 

started on 2004 R6 as a first bike and i believe i could not have done it better. Made about 25K km for 3 seasons and this year switched to 2007 R1. R1 is a monster comparing to 600cc bikes but it's nothing you cannot deal with. As you learnt how to ride on smaller bikes you will be fine. Just dont forget that it has tons of power more (in real world).

I've purchased few weeks ago Gixx k7 600 for a track / stunt bike and have to admit that could not believe that difference between 600cc and 1000cc is that big. I got this bike on the road testing for few hours and it's weak comparing to r1... but on the other hand it's a weapon on the track.. so small, so controllable that i was more than surprised. I could even say that it has "track button" as it corners as nothing else i rode before.

Get yourself R1 and be safe!

 

I had a 20 year+ abstinence from bikes altogether and then bought an R1.

My last bike was a Yamaha XT500 but my first love was an S3 Kawasaki two stroke 400cc triple.

I quickly learnt bikes had changed somewhat but if you respect the bike and the throttle you might be OK.

My bike can still scare the sh*t out of me but thats the reason I like it so much. If you don't have a healthy respect for the bike and its power/abilty to kill you it probably will.

 

Like another poster said, my first bike was a thousand, a Kawi LTD 1000 and I was 17. With pipe, carbs, cam and hi compression pistons it made 123 HP at the rear wheel. Fun bike but it was no R1. Now about 150,000 bike miles later I got an R1. I've had some fast bikes, but the all around combination of this R1, acceleration, braking, handling, is like nothing I have had in the past.

Use your head and you will be fine on the R1.

 

Started on a 250 and I'm glad I did, knowing me if I had started on a bigger bike would definetly have hurt myself bad.
The 250 made me a better rider I think.

 

R1 for sure according to me. If you ride on 600 and 750 cc. you don't go wrong with a 1000.
I have got R1 as my second bike after a Ducati Monster 800 and I'm fine at all.
Be safe and have fun :thumbup

 

I had an 06 R6 and put 4,200 miles on it this last summer. Upgraded to an 07 R1 the end of Aug. Love every min of it

 

Around 1983 I bought a 1979 KZ 1000 MK II after 2 years on
a 1979 KZ 650.

 

Well seeing that majority started on 600's or less I am thinking to possibly go that route, learn the roads and tricks of the trade then jump back up after college. Looks like r6 will be in store now haha

 

About two days ago.