[Ghost020]

I thought I should just get myself a nice little 750 to get back into riding, but then I started looking around....
The 1000 comes in black and is only about 20 lbs heavier.
The 1000r has a lot of electronic wizardry (from memory 10 traction control "modes", ABS, wheelie control, cornering abs...) - not sure if I like that or not. Is it a good thing? If I decide I don't like it, will I be able to turn it off without turning off the steering damper?

Highway riding and track days, and enjoyment of raw I-4 power are the purpose of the bike, once I aquaint myself with it over the next two years or so.

Feel free to throw in other I-4 flat plane choices (I want to get that feel that I missed so much when I switched to a V4 long ago)

Discuss, please and thank you.

PS. I'm old so insurance is not that big a deal.

 

[Chango]

I've been riding for a little over 20 years now, probably have over 150,000 riding miles, and a couple of dozen trackdays under my expanding belt, blah blah blah.

While I appreciate the ridiculous amount of power and electronic wizardry available from modern literbikes, the fact that you have to have the electronic wizardry to be able to ride them makes me ever so slightly uncomfortable. Yes, I know they are reliable, but I've had enough computers screw up for no reason at all that I can't bring myself to fully trust them when I'm dragging a knee at 120 mph. Yes, I'm a partial luddite.

That said, my 06 750 is my favorite track bike so far. I've had 3 gsxr600s, an R6 and an SV650 that all went to the track before the 750. The 750 has enough more power than the 600s to be satisfying, but still have the handling of the 600s to turn better than the mediocre riders on 1000s.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Tinsnips]

I am also not sold on the Star Trek version. Don't get me wrong, it is cool as hell. I will say up front I haven't owned one with those bells & whistles. The last newer bike I had had a slipper clutch and the ABC mode selector. The slipper clutch was probably good - never felt it working so don't know how often it bailed me out. The ABC modes almost never got used. I would occaisionally flip into B or C to take a bit of the power out of it in very slick conditions but I am talking maybe twice a year.

If a quick shifter is in the goody bag that would be the only thing I may look forward to. The only other I-4 I would consider against the GSXR would be a cross plane Yamaha R1.

 

[Ghost020]

I am also not sold on the Star Trek version. Don't get me wrong, it is cool as hell. I will say up front I haven't owned one with those bells & whistles. The last newer bike I had had a slipper clutch and the ABC mode selector. The slipper clutch was probably good - never felt it working so don't know how often it bailed me out. The ABC modes almost never got used. I would occaisionally flip into B or C to take a bit of the power out of it in very slick conditions but I am talking maybe twice a year.

If a quick shifter is in the goody bag that would be the only thing I may look forward to. The only other I-4 I would consider against the GSXR would be a cross plane Yamaha R1.

Thanks for your thoughts. I did consider the R1 and the R6. Unfortunately the R6 is gone and the R7 is the opposite of what I want. What I want is something more like my learner cycle and less like my (only) other owned bike.

Due to lack of funds, I learned to ride in my mid to late 20s on an old heavily modified Honda CB750 borrowed from my brother, then got my very own V4 750 Honda Interceptor. The CB750 taught me how to downshift properly; the Interceptor with it's slipper clutch made me quickly forget how to downshift - never had a problem downshifting with it, but was a bit brutal on an EX500 when I didn't quite get the rev matching quite right dropping down a few gears (just slipped it in and dropped the clutch out of habit at the RPMs that would have been good on the Interceptor).

My learner cycle was an exciting beast with incredible acceleration and top end rush (not very high RPM compared to today, but high for the day). My brother also bought a car off someone who used to race it and had 1/4 mile timeslips in the 10 s. His bike made that car seem slow. The Interceptor was a much kinder gentler bike, with what most reviewers praise as a broad power band - to me it was meh; I didn't give a rat's adz about low end torque, because the tach hardly ever saw low rpms (I knew how to shift gears). I did enjoy the easier turning of the Interceptor, and not having to wrestle it when trail-breaking though (until the speed wobble after going over that bridge a bit too fast). Ever since I bought that V4 I promissed myself an I4 - one day.

I've watched a few you-tube videos and while I know my TV speakers probably don't do it justice, the sound of the cross-plane motor and the sound of V4s just don't do it for me. I 100% believe it is a big advantage putting power down on the track/road without breaking traction, but I'm not racing anyone, so I can put up with missing out on that.

Never had ABS on a bike. On a car it's not always as good as a finely tuned left foot, but it is consistent and it never has a bad day; my foot isn't always perfect. As to the traction control, I have three modes on my '08 vette, and I still haven't made up my mind if it's a good thing or not. My rear tires are voting for it being a good thing, though.

 

[Tinsnips]

I like the crossplane sound. It was a good engine.

I hate the traction control in my F150. It abruptly cuts the power. There is no “finesse” to it. I don’t know how the motorcycle equivalent works but I could see that cut in power mid corner may be disruptive. Maybe one of the members can describe how it reacts.

The Interceptor was iconic. If I had the funds and space I would have one.

 

[QRO]

I thought I should just get myself a nice little 750 to get back into riding, but then I started looking around....
The 1000 comes in black and is only about 20 lbs heavier.
The 1000r has a lot of electronic wizardry (from memory 10 traction control "modes", ABS, wheelie control, cornering abs...) - not sure if I like that or not. Is it a good thing? If I decide I don't like it, will I be able to turn it off without turning off the steering damper?

Highway riding and track days, and enjoyment of raw I-4 power are the purpose of the bike, once I aquaint myself with it over the next two years or so.

Feel free to throw in other I-4 flat plane choices (I want to get that feel that I missed so much when I switched to a V4 long ago)

Discuss, please and thank you.

PS. I'm old so insurance is not that big a deal.

A 750 is not little and not a trivial bike to get back into riding. It is a serious razor of a track machine, I would say, with due caveats, more so than 1000.

What you can do with a 750 or a 1000 on the road is academic. They will both cock the wheel in the air on pure acceleration at over legal speeds. You can't actually get more power into a bike frame than lifting the front off.

A 750 and a 1000 will be level pegging until the 750 has to change up a gear (which, FWIW, will be at an unlawful speed in most jurisdictions), then the brute 1000 power comes in.

A 750 gives you better response to acceleration but more so to deceleration and is less ponderous when flicking down into bends, in a 1000 you just don't need to flick down.

I honestly don't think there is much of a difference in experiencing power from either at legal speeds, and it is probably more accessible power from the 750 on a track. At all other times up to maximum speed then the 1000 wins, but the stock 750 has a higher top speed than a stock 1000 because the 750 has no speed limiter (this has been reported by MCN in its testing).

So, depends largely under what circumstances you want to experience 'the power'. I agonised over it too, I think the 750 was the best choice for me because I wanted the rest of what the 750 offered in terms of rider-control, not just power (or computer-control).

1000 if you want an easy life in any gear. 750 if you want to be personally challenged a bit more to get the most from it. Both are amazing, there is no 'wrong choice here'. You might also look at a 600, it is no slough and is a bigger personal challenge to get the most from it than the 750, as the 750 is to the 1000.

All of them will 'out ride' you on a public road, and are all worthy of your time trying to 'master' them.

 

[Ghost020]

Does the ever so slightly shorter wheelbase and lighter weight of the 750 make any more "challenging" to keep the front wheel on the road when accelerating?

 

[QRO]

Does the ever so slightly shorter wheelbase and lighter weight of the 750 make any more "challenging" to keep the front wheel on the road when accelerating?

I would say/guess not noticeable, but not experienced with 1000. But the first time my 750 L0 cocked a wheel I was at 12krpm and doing 75mph on a bend, I think in reality I might well have dropped a 1000 as I wasn't expecting that, and I would guess it all happens that much quicker on a 1000 and less likely to control it if already leaning over a bit.

The 1000 will lift more easily I am sure, but if you are going for the anti-wheelie electronics then that is dealt with. So in that regard, I'd guess you can be a little less fearful of bike control with the electronics, but I think maybe to treat that as a helping hand, not to rely on it as a safety thing.

The 750 has less inertia in the engine due to shorter stroke and lighter pistons. 600 even less. So the engine revs are more responsive to throttle inputs, so winding off the throttle should give you a quicker roll-off. Having electronics to back the power off, though, will always beat your brain and hand.