DarkLord
20th June 2009, 23:14
First of all - no I didn't buy one. This morning I caught up with a mate of mine who owns one at BP Taupo, and seeing as it was such a nice day we decided to go out for a quick blat to Tirau, via the backroads - Old Taupo Road and such. It was a cracker of a day and the roads and scenery were stunning.
After a quick bite of lunch of my friend very generously offered me to take the Gixxer back to Taupo via SH1, while he followed behind on my yellow Hyo. He's a very generous guy - letting a newly fully licensed motorcyclist ride his howeverfarkinexpensiveitis machine. To say I felt a wee bit intimidated by the occasion, was an understatement. At the same time, I've dreamed of owning - or at least riding - a Gixxer Thou for a long time, so I was also very excited!!
So I hopped on, after a pleasant lunch and chat at one of the Tirau restaurants, and we went on our merry way. The first thing I noticed - of course - was the power. My gawd. The power. The slightest twitch of the throttle and the thing jumped at me. I really struggled to keep it under the speed limit in the 50k and 70k zones.
Then, we hit the open road. Up to 6th gear, and the bike was trundling along quite happily at 100 at about 4,000 RPM. It has a very solid feel to it - even though it is around about the same weight as the Hyo I felt it to be somewhat heavier through the corners. Quite a bumpy ride as well - you certainly felt every last bit of the road surface. Not that I was complaining, mind you.
I then had the chance to pass some cars on the beast, and this is when it really came alive. Didn't need to drop a gear or anything - just open her up, and away she goes! The acceleration was phenomenal - it would hit 160 without even trying and obviously had far, far more to go. At one point I passed about 4 cars in what felt like a split second, while I was hanging on for dear life. I've never experienced wind resistance like that - felt like I was about to be blown off the seat. The ride went without a hitch, and we swapped bikes again in Taupo, making plans to catch up again soon.
It was an amazing experience getting to ride this bike. Some good points, and not so good points about it:
Good points -
1. The power. Good gawd, the power. More than you will ever need, and then a whole lot more after that. Passing cars would never ever be a problem ever again (I say that because passing cars is a mission on the Hyo).
2. The overall engineering and design of the bike. Everything was smooth, accurate and responsive, plus it was nice having the (aftermarket) GPS right in front of me.
3. Comfort. Some people don't like the seating on the Gixxers, but I loved it. It was quite a thick, padded seat - thicker than I was expecting. I like the aggressive seating position as well, and didn't feel in the slightest bit sore after being on it for about 80-90 k's or so.
4. Looks - super mega ultra sexy. 'Nuff said.
5. The sound - loved hearing the whirr of that engine once she got going.
Not so good points:
1. The power. As amazing as it was, I felt it was a little too much at times. I honestly didn't know what to do with so much acceleration. I was scared I was going to get launched off into space, or something if I opened it up too hard. I don't even want to know what the top speed on the beast is. Also found it very hard to control in low gears around town. Definitely not a commuter bike!!
That'd be about it for the not so good points.
All in all, a fantastic experience for me and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Suzuki have always impressed me, and I would like to get a Gixxer as my next bike (once I can afford it) however, I think a 600 will suit me just fine.
DarkLord out.
After a quick bite of lunch of my friend very generously offered me to take the Gixxer back to Taupo via SH1, while he followed behind on my yellow Hyo. He's a very generous guy - letting a newly fully licensed motorcyclist ride his howeverfarkinexpensiveitis machine. To say I felt a wee bit intimidated by the occasion, was an understatement. At the same time, I've dreamed of owning - or at least riding - a Gixxer Thou for a long time, so I was also very excited!!
So I hopped on, after a pleasant lunch and chat at one of the Tirau restaurants, and we went on our merry way. The first thing I noticed - of course - was the power. My gawd. The power. The slightest twitch of the throttle and the thing jumped at me. I really struggled to keep it under the speed limit in the 50k and 70k zones.
Then, we hit the open road. Up to 6th gear, and the bike was trundling along quite happily at 100 at about 4,000 RPM. It has a very solid feel to it - even though it is around about the same weight as the Hyo I felt it to be somewhat heavier through the corners. Quite a bumpy ride as well - you certainly felt every last bit of the road surface. Not that I was complaining, mind you.
I then had the chance to pass some cars on the beast, and this is when it really came alive. Didn't need to drop a gear or anything - just open her up, and away she goes! The acceleration was phenomenal - it would hit 160 without even trying and obviously had far, far more to go. At one point I passed about 4 cars in what felt like a split second, while I was hanging on for dear life. I've never experienced wind resistance like that - felt like I was about to be blown off the seat. The ride went without a hitch, and we swapped bikes again in Taupo, making plans to catch up again soon.
It was an amazing experience getting to ride this bike. Some good points, and not so good points about it:
Good points -
1. The power. Good gawd, the power. More than you will ever need, and then a whole lot more after that. Passing cars would never ever be a problem ever again (I say that because passing cars is a mission on the Hyo).
2. The overall engineering and design of the bike. Everything was smooth, accurate and responsive, plus it was nice having the (aftermarket) GPS right in front of me.
3. Comfort. Some people don't like the seating on the Gixxers, but I loved it. It was quite a thick, padded seat - thicker than I was expecting. I like the aggressive seating position as well, and didn't feel in the slightest bit sore after being on it for about 80-90 k's or so.
4. Looks - super mega ultra sexy. 'Nuff said.
5. The sound - loved hearing the whirr of that engine once she got going.
Not so good points:
1. The power. As amazing as it was, I felt it was a little too much at times. I honestly didn't know what to do with so much acceleration. I was scared I was going to get launched off into space, or something if I opened it up too hard. I don't even want to know what the top speed on the beast is. Also found it very hard to control in low gears around town. Definitely not a commuter bike!!
That'd be about it for the not so good points.
All in all, a fantastic experience for me and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Suzuki have always impressed me, and I would like to get a Gixxer as my next bike (once I can afford it) however, I think a 600 will suit me just fine.
DarkLord out.