2007 R1 first test ride

[WINJA]

You know what they say ...

FUNNY ENOUGH WE WERE ARGUEING ABOUT SPAZZ'S TO START WITH

[Darkman]

just went to look at the new R1. It looks just awesome from the front. Back to the shorter swingarm and tailpiece is a bit narrower, so see more of the exhaust. started it up and it still sounds the same. i still prefer the 06 from a side angle, but like I said..from the front view it is all drule, drule ,drule. No screws visable that holds on the front screen..looks mint.
it did not have pirellis on it as i expected it to have but had pilot powers on instead.breaks looks awesome.gonna test ride it over the weekend(will post review)..keen to see if all the engine changes will be noticeable. TSS have a red and white demo and the new black for sale...black looks really good.all in all, the new R1 looks like a great bike but not enough to take my mind of the KTm superduke!

[Dafe]

Went down to TSS this morning to see the new R1.
Got there on opening time only to find they had a demo R1......

So naturally - Yeehah!!!

Turns out it has 4 delivery kilometres on it. Nonetheless, Fergus is like - Go for it! Stu is like - New tyres, slippery, please don't die........ I haven't had my turn yet!

So after all the usual "I won't ride over 100kph" I was off!

Now my experiences are just that, my experiences. I'm comparing this bike to the K5/K6 GSXR, because thats all I have familiarity with in the litre inline 4 range.

First of all, sitting on the bike is aggressive, you feel like you'll end up with back problems, however......... Hit the motorway and the balance between wind pressure and lean angle negates one another. There is simply no weight for the arms to take when cruising at 100kph (or 150kph+). Very very comfortable for motorway cruising.

The bike is too tight at 10 odo kilometres to get a true performance feel, but the acceleration is definately there, the one word I'd use to describe it - Blinding. The bike delivered a sudden rush of acceleration that widened my eyes ten fold.
The handling feels light/responsive, on new tyres, you can't really get a true feel yet.

The Brakes, Strongest I've ever felt! They murder the GSXR brakes, then again they do have 6 pots.

Slipper clutch, Absolutely Beautiful! Far superior to the GSXR slipper clutch. So smooth and no hesitations on engaging.

Looks - By far the nicest of the Jap inline 4's. However, the red/white doesn't do it for me, nor the black. The Blue/Silver/Black will be by far the nicest.
Shame TSS didn't have one.

For performance, We will have to wait for Stu to run it in with some decent Km's and then let us know......

Instrumentation - It's only downfall in my eyes. Not easy to read at a glance.
Much prefered the GSXR panel.

My PERSONAL summary.
I just loved it, It would be the inline 4 for me.
However, I must admit that when I got on the old SV afterwards and rode off, The SV put a very big smile on my face - Probably relief!
I like my comforts on a bike and the sport/tourer can't be beat for that. It certainly made the SV feel like one heavy clump of metal, but thats what I'm liking. I like the survival factor.
Shave 5 or 10 years off, and I'd be filling out the HP forms today.
The bike is beautiful and sensational.
Abit too much bike for me!

A big thanks to Stu/Fergus/Kerry. The demo ride was thoroughly enjoyable.
If I win lotto in the next month - I'll buy one. (and I'd take the RSVR factory too).
Thanks TSS.

[MD]

Good write up Dafe. That's why you were smiling so much at the shop this morning. It did look the bizo in red/white.
Was that your SV parked out front then with those hot two Bro. pipes. Very tidy.

[MD]

I took the R1 over Wainui way today. Soooo much power. Definitely one of the best looking jappa thous. The ride confirmed for me why I can not buy another thou -far too much power. My lack of self control just can't handle sooo much power. Did I mention the power?
The motor seemed to put out a fair bit of heat around your legs but who cares with all that power to play with. The mirrors were blurry but maybe that's a side effect of all that power.
The front wheel gets light easy- just guessing but maybe that's a power thing?
If you are now confused, I will summarise - I really liked it, especially in red/white.

[Paulus]

I took the R1 over Wainui way today. Soooo much power. Definitely one of the best looking jappa thous. The ride confirmed for me why I can not buy another thou -far too much power. My lack of self control just can't handle sooo much power. Did I mention the power?
The motor seemed to put out a fair bit of heat around your legs but who cares with all that power to play with. The mirrors were blurry but maybe that's a side effect of all that power.
The front wheel gets light easy- just guessing but maybe that's a power thing?
If you are now confused, I will summarise - I really liked it, especially in red/white.

What was the power like?

[SPman]

What was the power like?

I think he reckoned it had a bit...