2003 VTR1000 Firestorm

[Hoon]

My 97 TLS would only give me 180kms on a full tank at the most. However I looped it last month and killed it.

Now I'm on the lookout for a 98-99 CBR900 Fireblade but damn a brand new Firestorm is very tempting!!!...gotta love those V-twins!!!

[p0stal]

[ignorance] What are the pros/cons of a V-twin vs a straight 4? [/ignorance]

[bluninja]

Generally inline 4's produce more power than the same capacity twin (V, parallel, or opposed). However twins generally have better spread of torque meaning your gear selection is less critical than on the same capacity inline 4. Bored yet ?

Also a twin has 2 power pulses per 720 degree cycle as opposed to 4, so your rear tyre tends to grip better on drive (slips on the pulse, has longer to recover before the next one) but is harder wearing on your tyre. Twins also tend to have better engine braking.

Add to that a narrower profile (bike not rider ) on a V twin than an inline 4 and top speeds and acceleration aren't as far apart as the power figures suggest.

Oh...and did I say the sound of a V twin is much sexier than an inline 4 ?

TTFN

[p0stal]

Thanks, a damn fine explanation, that clears it up heaps!

[wkid_one]

Spankme.,

I have the 2000 model and they rock. Not massive on power compared to the GSXR/R1/Fireblades - but a lot of fun......and a lot more useable power....who needs 140+ hp on the roads anywho.

I ride with KiwiDan, so you're welcome to take it for a long ride, just drop me a line.....before we ride next - are you going to Paeroa? as if you are - we can do a swap for the ride down.

Would recommend braided lines from the Greenlane Speed Shop - only about $120, as the VTR tends to have spongy front brakes. Other than this they stomp with good low down torque, friendly riding position etc.

Very easy to ride especially as you are already used to the Vtwin from the SV.....

Dan

[SpankMe]

Thanks for the offer wkid_one, but I didn't read your post until today otherwise I would have taken you up on the offer. What year is yours

I went down to cyclespot today and they gave me a '99 model for a demo. Very nice. Not as powerful as I though it might be, but still plenty of grunt.

At this point I'm still deciding between the VTR1000 and the SV1000 which arrives at the end of the month.

[What?]

I saw the new SV1000 at Paeroa - looked nice, too. At least, until I looked closely. The bodywork looks cheap and nasty on close inspection, especially around the seat area where it is not hard to imagine breakeages occurring.

 

[SpankMe]

Took the 2003 VTR1000f out for a demo the other day. Was not overly impressed with the bike. Not very responsive and not as much “fun” to ride as my SV. It also doesn’t sound like a V-Twin with the standard pipes.

I now looking forward to riding the SV1000s in mid April.

[SpankMe]

Has anyone done any performance mods to their VTR? I would be interested to hear the results.