madbikeboy

Living with a GSXR1000 (aka, the crack addiction)

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It starts out innocently enough, you promise yourself that, today, for once, you're just going to take it a little easy. This is analagous to a crack addict promising just one small hit...

Living with a fast bike (GSXR1000), and why you should buy (or not buy).

I'm going to put aside all the macho stuff, the pub stories about needing more horsepower, and relate to you the reality of living with a GSXRthou.

I still have the Performance Bike article from 2001 that put the original against the benchmark fast bikes of the day, and the K1/K2 had to be pretty awesome to sideline the original R1. Subsequent iterations have gotten faster (well, more powerful), but they've also gotten more complicated (lost your keys lately?), and smaller. Smaller is an issue for me at six feet, I feel like a gorilla riding a tricycle on the latest 600's...

Putting aside the differences between models, what's it like living with one?

Well, it's fast. Scary fast for some, and for those that have little fear, the road rash and damage is normally expensive. This is not a bike that you buy once you get your full licence - my mate ZXRIDER almost got written off as one came past him on its side at a Coro ride - the overzealous rider had bought one as his second bike, too much front brake after entering a corner a lot too fast, and dropped it. ZXRIDER watched the bike go past, then he turned in - thank god for experience and good mirrors... "I told you so" just doesn't cut it.

It's fun in traffic. I can't describe some of the stuff I've done without it being used in court. Let's leave it as read that it's fast on the road. I've geared mine down, some people say 300 kph is academic - it's not, it's just too tempting. With the mods (God Bless yoshimura and an understanding bank manager) and the two teeth overstock on the rear, it'll lift the front wheel (not wheelstand, that's illegal on the road) in any of the first 3 or so gears without too much clutch abuse... it's also loud and obnoxious, which is how I like it. If Cagers have in issue with it, they can pull their useless big bores of their shitty nissans and then talk to me about it.

It's expensive on tires. I hear about people who plan their tire purchases based on getting a year's worth of life. I plan on what days / rides I can afford. For example, a couple of rides with the boys + Taupo track day. A Friday night in town (momentary and unexpected losses of traction can be expensive, but hey, chicks dig burnouts). Expect 2-3000 k's at most, if you're restrained - by restrained I mean physically tied to an large object and unable to ride. I've had a worst of 600 odd k's. I haven't made it to 2000 k's yet but it can be done. Apparently. It's like an urban myth, but somehow less believeable.

It's expensive for other stuff, it uses more gas than the company cage (well, it sounds so good at 10,000 + rpm...). It eats chains. It's not cheap to insure.

Why should you buy one?
1. At $10-12,000 for a mint one, it's a fucking bargain.
2. it's a great looking bike
3. It has tonnes of torque, it's well sorted, and if you leave it stock, it's a pussycat around town
4. It's easy to work out the hp/litre on a litre bike.
5. It'll embarass any car you can think of. Street racing is illegal, I've only ever done it on private racetracks. Like the night I rode between two slow assed rich plonkers on a racetrack called spaghetti racetrack (it's in italy, ahem), can you imagine Mr Merc and Mr Porsche in their uber expensive AMG/Gt3 when a cheap bike roars between them at 100kph faster than they're going?? Laughed?, fucking near pissed myself...


Why shouldn't you buy one?
1. The torque makes highsiding a reality if you back off once the rear lights up.
2. It's not a good bike unless you've cut your teeth on a succession of bikes, buy a 600 for 95% of fun sports riding, buy a 750 if you like riding really REALLY fast. A well ridden GSXR750 is as fast in the real world, but it lessens the pucker factor.
3. It's cheaper than a bitch mistress. But only just.
4. You may think you can control yourself, but the reality is quite different, you will ride too fast, and you'll find yourself laughing like a loon. This is normally an indication of mental illness. You need to be a little nuts to ride in the first place, so in this case, mental illness is like an entry requirement for a GSXR1000.
5. You will get to know your local police officers very well. Unfortunately, out where I live the woman cops are called Wayne and have mo's. I have no interest in getting batoned, so I've tried slowing down. 99% of cops seem to give the other 1% a bad name...