cbr6rr v cbr1000rr v sp-1

[Jarrid]

rode all three back to back to get a feeling of what is good/bad about each. i'll start with the sp-1 which is my bike that i rode to the bike shop. the bike sounds awesome. has good brakes and is pretty stable. it is bloody hard to get turned and requires a fair bit of muscle if you want to get it over faster. the engine is good and has grunt everywhere. it seems like a great bike in isolation.

next up i went for the cbr1000rr. coming off the sp the riding position is similar. a little more relaxed if anything and the pegs are lower. there is a flat spot down low which is probably due to the pipe but once through that it just goes. the power is very linear all the way. it just feels "planted" no matter what you seem to do to it. i decided to give it some shit in first to see what happened. all that happened is that it gripped and went forwards (not upwards) at a great rate. i've heard people come in and say "i couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground". they are either riding like a total nob or are full of shit. it does everything very efficiently and is very easy to ride very fast. and i think it suffers for it a bit as i like bikes with a bit of character.

after that it was back on to the girlfriends cbr6rr. riding possy is similar to the 1000 except for a slightly shorter reach to the bars. this is the best handling bike i have ever ridden. i've heard people say that the cbr1000rr feels and handles like a 600 - it doesn't. this thing turns in that fast that you have to concentrate on deliberately tipping in later to avoid hitting the apex. the handling/brakes are awesome and anyone who says they need more of either for the street is either mr barros or mr bullshitter. obviously it doesn't have the outright grunt of the 1000 but i prefer to work a bike to keep it singing and when the 6 is above 10,000 it doesn't lose out too much. on the track i've stuck with 1000cc bikes down the straights and hardly lose anything before getting them in the corners.

if i was going to go and buy one of them now, i'd go for the 600. the sp-1 looks and sounds nice, has heaps of character and makes mums hold onto their children tighter when you go near them, but in terms of actually being ridden its not as good as the other two. the 1000 is quite frankly awesome. it does everything great. i don't think i'd be able to get anywhere near the limit even at the track (will have to wait till the bladeblast). the 600 feels like you're getting there. it handles the best and doesn't really lose out in any area. they're all great bikes but do things differently.

i'll ride a few other bikes in the next couple of weeks as i am contemplating a change...just need to find a bike that makes me buy it.

Great review!

was the cbr1000r stock??

Edit:
Would be interesting to see what you would think about riding the 04 gixxer sixxer and cbr600 back to back.

[hokoyo]

You can fix the flat spot on the CBR by taking off the flapper tube, just like the SP!

I had a great time at the track with it but was a bit tentative, think that i only saw the shift light once. Got very lazy as well, only shifting up one out of the basin and down one to turn 7, running third all the way around!!! Still I reckon i was going at least 1 sec a lap faster on the CBR than on the SP. Even kept up with Danny on his 600rr for a while until he passed some slower traffic, i am not good at overtaking so i lost him.

Had a hard time getting the lines that i wanted but should be able to fix that with suspension fiddle, more track time and a lot of skill. Oh yea my corner speed is pathetic and needs a lot of work. The power of the bike is incredible.

Downside id the brakes really suck big time and i need a bleed and braided lines to sort them out.

[ChOOkiE]

Very good post man,

It's always good to hear what people's thought are on the different types of bikes, especially when you compare different classes. I might have to get down to some bike shops to start some testing myself after reading that because I'm getting withdrawl symptoms

[Jarrid]

Great review!

was the cbr1000r stock??

Edit:
Would be interesting to see what you would think about riding the 04 gixxer sixxer and cbr600 back to back.

cheers. the 1000 had a micron pipe on it but i think it was stock apart from that. i think the flat spot was due to the pipe. to install you need to remove the valve in the exhaust which gives back pressure at low rpm and opens higher up the rev range. like the yamaha exup valve. it wasn't the intake flapper flat spot that kicks in around 4-5000 on the sp-1, it was lower down and only noticed at take off.

i've got a week off work coming up and plan to test all the sixes back to back with the cbr. might try the gixxer 750 as well. i will probably have a go on the 1000's as well but really do think that if i get anything it will be a six.

[Breanne]

I got to have a ride of the CBR1000 too (ie. I rode the 600RR then swapped with him at the halfway mark).
My first impression when on the bike was that the riding position was very similar to the 600RR, but it was a little "deeper" in and around the seat, probably due to the larger tank. Very comfy.
From my point of view, it was very easy to ride. Handled nicely, lovely power. Not as overwhelming as the SP1 when I first rode that.
Having said that, it's probably nitpicking when I say it was a little too easy to jump on and ride. I'm a chick, and don't ride 1000cc bikes very often, but this was just too easy. Like Jarrid said, it doesn't really grab you with a personality. Overall I'd still go for the 600RR. It loves to duck and weave, has awesome brakes, and screams like a banshee on the track. Not that I'm biased or anything

Definitely recommend going for a test ride. And if you do take the plunge and buy one, for heaven's sake don't get the tri-colour! Fugly. In fact, looks-wise I'm not a big fan.

[Bulbous]

In fact, looks-wise I'm not a big fan.

of the bike? or jarrid??

[Breanne]

You can talk Matty. Best you keep that helmet on at all times...

[Juffy]

You can talk Matty. Best you keep that helmet on at all times...

Translation: Jarrid.

[Bulbous]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA