K1-k3 gsxr 1000 vs k6-k9

[breakaway]

Hey,

As in title. I'm keen to hear opinions from people who have ridden both, and I want to hear about what has changed in them. Seating position, power delivery, suspension?

I used to have K1, but am now toying with the idea of getting a K9 or similar.

What do you think?

Cheers.

[danchop]

k1-k3 changed dramatically in itself

[Drew]

Yep, there's four different bikes cover by the title mate, and I haven't ridden a K9. But here's my comparison of the ones I have.

K1/2. I still consider this to be the best bike I've ever owned. The power delivery is near perfect with this engine, to get the hang of riding it fast I rode it between 4 and 8 grand, it'll still smoke a 600 in this rev range but it's just smoother. After a few rides ya start wringing it's neck and HOLLY SHIT!!! The handling is great with good feel and predictable slides when ya start trying to drift it out of corners. I am a total believer that this is the best all rounder on the planet.

K3/4. Was the first thou I rode, I think it has the same motor as the K1 with a slightly stiffer frame and better brakes. There's NOTHING wrong with the K1 brakes, but these are better anyway. The suspension is better I'm told, but I didn't ride it long enough to make any real comparison between them. Less comfy to sit on than the K1 which is bloody awesome all the way to Aukland from Welly.

K5/6. This is where it gets mental. It smashes the previous models in EVERY way bar comfort. The motor is savage, (in a good way)! The bike feels smaller and is more nimble, you can ride it like a 600 just throwing it where you want to go. But beware, it's less forgiving and wont respond well to a soft touch. To ride it fast you have to be direct and positive with your input or it'll chuck you off and eat your remains as a snack.

The K7 I understand feels a lot like the K6 motor wise, but has a longer swingarm and different geometry to make it a more tameable beast I think, but having never had a go I couldn't tell you first hand.

Hope this helps.

[slowpoke]

I loved the old K1/2's for that amazing engine: so much grunt anywhere in the rev range. I wasn't a fan of the look of 'em, but the upside was pretty good weather/wind protection for a sports bike that you could comfortably tour on.

From there they seemed to progressively shift the grunt further up the rev range. There was a lot more of it but it was concentrated above 10k. Great for the track or scratching 'round the place but I found my K7 underwhelming unless you were chasing the redline. Handing is another story though, with K1's 10 years old now suspension will be well due for an upgrade to get it anywhere near a later bike.

For the money, if I was using it on the road I'd be looking at K5/6 as the best compromise between the earlier grunt monsters and the later screamers, but an early bike is still a great bit o' kit for not a lot of money.

Performance Bikes magazine are running a series of articles at the moment on how to upgrade a K1 to at least match a K9. So far the spend is bugger all and they're getting some good results. The early stuff is nothing to be sneezed at.

[Bad Gixxer]

Drew and Slowpoke have got it pretty well sussed out. I had a K2 (for 5 years) and have had a K7 for the last two years. I think for overall performance in braking, suspension (especially the front), engine dynamics, and frame construction, the K7 is a winner. The way the front end remains planted is awesome and better then my K2 (which was pretty good anyway). It handles bumps and ruts better on the road and is noticably better on the track.

And the change from a 3 pot to a 2 pot front brake was well worth it. The K2 brakes were pretty good anyway, K7 has more "feel" in my opinion. The flickability of the K7 also beats the K2 hands down, I guess thanks to the frame/swingarm changes. I remember having to convince the K2 to lay down, but my K7 just seems to do it instinctively.

The one negative for the K7 is rider comfort - it doesn't match the K2 even though you can adjust the pegs. It's more about the geometry of the seat/pegs/clipons. I've heard of people thinning out the seat foam to get better geometry body geometry by that 20mm or so and is probably better for racing, but the seats hard enough as it is for general riding. But I still do tours on it and overall it's the same basic shit as every sportsbike (sore wrists/shoulders/arms/Knees/butt).

Having said all that, for a few extra bucks I'd go for a K7. The power delivery is smoother and tamer and not generally as vicious as a K2 at high revs in 1st/2nd but if you keep the revs in the range it will outperform the K2. The K7 just generally feels more planted and more stable, and stops better. And I suspect it's less vicious on the rear tyre but that's just my anecdotal opinion.

[SPman]

K5-K6 is the best combination of power and rideability....always, of course, depending on your ride ability.

[gsxr&crf450]

between K8 and K9, K9 better brakes, better turn in, rocket ship fast. Feels easier to ride. K9 significantly better than K8. Having ridden both.

[breakaway]

Ended up with a K3. Decided now is not the right time for me to drop 12K+ on a later model bike :D Damn priorities.

Bike's great though. Has a full micron exhaust AND heated grips. Going to mod it further though - Air horns, and PC3 + air filter + dyno tune when I have the time.

[firefighter]

Ended up with a K3. Decided now is not the right time for me to drop 12K+ on a later model bike :D Damn priorities.

Bike's great though. Has a full micron exhaust AND heated grips. Going to mod it further though - Dual Air horns, and PC3 + air filter + dyno tune when I have the time.


You need to update your bike! (above AKLD)

Also, instead of the PCIII, have you seen this thread? http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/123256-Power-Commanders-NOT-NEEDED

[gale_wolf]

When I was looking for a newer bike I rode a K3 and was very impressed (this was coming from my reliable old faithful, the GSXR1100K), so much so that I went back and test rode the K3 multiple times while also test riding other bikes.

In the end I wasn't quite convinced that particular K3 was what I wanted, though I think the price and high km's had a lot to do with it.

After riding a few more bikes I decided on a K6 that had more aftermarket goodies for the same price and lower km's than the K3.



K5/6. This is where it gets mental. It smashes the previous models in EVERY way bar comfort. The motor is savage, (in a good way)! The bike feels smaller and is more nimble, you can ride it like a 600 just throwing it where you want to go. But beware, it's less forgiving and wont respond well to a soft touch. To ride it fast you have to be direct and positive with your input or it'll chuck you off and eat your remains as a snack.

Indeed, I feel like there's a hidden message directed at me coming from the K6's Micron that keeps saying to me "come on you wuss, give it more." I'm still learning my own limits compared to the K6's, but the K6 does everything I ask of it very well.


Ended up with a K3. Decided now is not the right time for me to drop 12K+ on a later model bike :D Damn priorities.

Bike's great though. Has a full micron exhaust AND heated grips. Going to mod it further though - Air horns, and PC3 + air filter + dyno tune when I have the time.
After riding through 18 winters with freezing hands, and now turning into a bit of a nana when comes to the cold, I'm thinking of getting heated grips for the K6. The riders I know who have them absolutely swear by them.

Enjoy your K3, I almost bought one too :D

[madbikeboy]

I have 3 GSXR's of various ages. My view is the K2 is the pick of the litter. I can't disagree with anything written above; they're pretty much on the money. The reason I like the k2 the best is because of the all round ability it has. it's more comfortable than the later ones, and the fat bottom end makes it much easier to ride on the road. I get between 500 and 1500 k's out of a rear; usually there will be the odd fast ride or trackday thrown into that lifespan.

The k5 is awesome, the k6/7 is awesome as well - but they all suffer from less low down grunt. On the k2, I've put a little time and money to add Yoshi bling; I've tried PCIII vs Yoshi powercube versus cams - plus a little internal work... I ended up backing away from peak power (there is such thing as too much for the street) and spent money on handling, brakes, and the honey like throttle response that the Evil Bitch possesses. My k5 600 track bike is faster on Hampton, but the k21000 is such a rush around Pukekohe, she's a wild animal and I love the Evil Bitch so.

The bottom line is that there's really little difference at this level, they're all good, but pick the one that feels the best, that thrills the most. My latest project is building a SuperLight GSXR - I need some BST wheels, and I'm going to give carbon rotors a go as well.

[Katman]

I need some BST wheels, and I'm going to give carbon rotors a go as well.

Wanna be my sugar daddy?

[nodrog]

K5/K6 is the best, then they went all gay and soft after that.

[Drew]

K5/K6 is the best, then they went all gay and soft after that.From the bikes I've ridden, the K5/6 is the best. But not as comfortable and for a rode bike it's important.

The K2 is also the easiest to get your legs over the screen for "highchair" wheelies, the mirrors sit a bit flatter. Pretty sure most people wouldn't care about that, but I do.