| Author | Message | ||
     Jimustanguitar |
I got my new clutch cylinder installed last night. I also thoroughly lubricated the kickstand  and replaced the oil and filter before taking the 1125 out for its first ride. Here are my initial thoughts from the first ride. This is the first FI bike I've ever owned, so I love it when a quick press of the starter gets the motor running every time! The engine still seems mechanically loud to me, but I'm sure I'll get used to the trademark rocks in the crankcase sound over time. I did expect it to pull away from a start without any throttle, but it does take just a little bit of gas. Really low speeds are a bit jerky. The bike wants to accelerate out of that range or coast much more than it wants to crawl slowly while in gear. I'm sure I'll get used to this and smooth it out over time. Damn it's fast! I don't know why you need more than 4 gears when you could merge on the freeway in second. How often do you really get into 6th? Cornering is noticeably different than the "standard bikes" that I've ridden in the past. When you lean into a turn, the forks really plant themselves into the turn. I've not felt that kind of steering grip in a corner before. The bike very much wants to right itself after a corner too. Steering seems different but quicker. The torque band of the engine is quite wide. Other bikes will hit a short torque curve and you have to shift on to the next one, but this one keeps pulling. I really like the feel of the brakes. Some other bikes have a very all or nothing feel on the lever, and the 1125r had a lot of taper and felt smooth and natural. It was hot. Between the radiators and the radiation from the exhaust, there's definitely some heat to deal with. Thoughts... What's a vacuum slipper clutch supposed to feel like? I can still engine brake, so what should I feel that's different? It wasn't scary fast, or at least it was easy to control. Why is everyone always warning about liter bikes and how they're too powerful for some people? I was scared that I would accidentally goose the throttle on a bump or something and rev the engine out from under me... That's all for now. I only rode for about 10 minutes, so I'll have more observations and thoughts after I get a few hours on her. See you on the road! Jim | ||
| Froggy |
It should easily pull itself away at low speeds as long as you don't just dump the clutch.
The Race ECM will improve that. It is still a little jerky with the Race ECM, but nowhere near as bad as stock.
After about 45 or 50mph I am in 6th, and start hunting for 7th. I don't see over 4000RPM on a normal day.
Downshift hard, like into 1st at 30mph without rev matching. The clutch will mostly disengage, the engine will make noise, and the bike will stay stable. Do the same on a different bike and the ass end will kick out and get all squirly. It is not a true slipper clutch like race bikes have, but it is a nice "cover your ass" thing if you ever screw up a shift.
Because too many people are idiots and can't ride responsibly, and we honestly have no idea if you are mature enough to handle it or not. While the power on the 1125 is more predictable than a Japanese 4 cyl, it still only takes a single lapse in judgment to end up in the trees. In the twisties you can't easily go full throttle for more than a second or two, as you will quickly end up needing to slow down for a turn. On something like my Blast, I could keep it wrung out, scrape the pegs around the turn, play with my phone, and still not break the speed limit. | ||
| Jdugger |
> Really low speeds are a bit jerky. You will find the motor has a 'happy' spot for cruise around 6,000 RPM. The needle points straight forward there. I would aim to keep the revs in about this range (5-8k or so on the street), and you will find the bike quite smooth. > How often do you really get into 6th? If you are keeping the motor in the smooth and happy zone, I think it's unlikely you ever will. If you do, it's because you are running from the police or will need to begin doing so shortly. With stock gearing, I can't even get the bike to pull past 5th because of wind resistance! > Thoughts... What's a vacuum slipper clutch supposed to feel like? It feels the same as a standard clutch because the slipper action doesn't really work. You will notice on decel the clutch lever requires less effort. In theory that allows the clutch to slip more easily. In practice, you have to absolutely hamfist a downshift AND be a pretty heavy dude to get the slipper action to do anything. That's the extent of the difference. It's turned off on most race bikes that use a proper mechanical slipper clutch, for what it's worth. | ||
| Cataract2 |
6K rpm for cruise? Where? On the race track? 3-4K is a happy place for the 1125 to cruise at. Below 3K it can get jerky depending on the gear and speed. I find it good and smooth for 3-4K. | ||
| Smoke4ndmears |
wrong thread! (Message edited by smoke4ndmears on August 21, 2013) | ||
| Smoke4ndmears |
wrong thread x2! (Message edited by smoke4ndmears on August 21, 2013) | ||
| D_adams |
6k rpm in 2nd or 3rd gear still gets you up around the speed limit or above. In 4th, you'd definitely be headed toward breaking the law. 6th gear would put you north of 100 mph I think. | ||
| Jdugger |
> 6K rpm for cruise? Where? On the race track? When I rode the street, I did a lot of this. Just put it in 2nd or 3rd, depending on the road, and keep it in that range. You really don't want to lug these motors around. | ||
| Stirz007 |
JD+1: Coming from the XB platform like I did, 4000 rpm seems about right - but it isn't. Like Jim sez, these things aren't really happy until about 5000 and above. Problem is, when they are in their happy place, they go fast - and usually faster than the posted speed. Sure, you can run them at 3-4000, but without race ECU, they buck and surge and aren't particularly "smooth". Race ECU helps, but cracking the throttle helps more. These bikes ARE NOT "cruisers", even though quite a few are used for touring, commuting, etc.. These are track/race ready with relatively little modification. In my case, after about 6 months riding the 1125 on the street, I determined that it was simply too much hammer for a daily rider - carving canyons, you bet - track days and racing, absolutely. Kinda like complaining that you can't parallel park a Lamborghini easily because of poor rear visibility. Opinions expressed may or may not have any basis in actual fact, and like all opinions, everyone has one and they all stink. | ||
| Ratbuell |
The literbike warning comes from power relative to speed. Ride it for more than ten minutes. Enjoy the power. Make note of the speedometer, as you're enjoying yourself. Triple digits are easily accessible. EASILY. And that self-control is what most people are missing when they jump onto a literbike. Keep revving the engine, it is happiest above 5k (and healthiest). Enjoy the ride, SET YOUR SUSPENSION, and watch that speedometer | ||
| Cataract2 |
3-4K is certainly NOT lugging the motor. I have no problems running it at that range with either the STOCK or RACE ECM on mine. That rpm range makes for a nice cruising range for the bike. If you want to go more spirited then above 4K makes sense. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I commute daily on my 1125R with the Race ECM. You can lug the engine down below 3k RPM but it gets rough down there. The best result I get if I realize the RPM's nearing 3k RPM as I approach a corner, I crack the throttle slightly open as I go through the corner. That makes the transition from cracked throttle to open throttle much, much smoother as you catapult yourself out at corner exit. Shifting at 5k RPM yields the best results, that still gets the bike way above the speed limit within city limits. The others are right. The 1125R feels much more at home above 5k RPM and running wild and free in the open roads. The feeling of the bike wanting to "right itself" during cornering means you need to raise the rear end a bit (add spring preload). Also, the bike is sensitive to tire choices. Generally, the more triangulated tire profile, the better the bike likes it. Rounded tire profiles slow the steering down. The 1125R is definitely not for a beginner--all liter class bikes are not. The whole generation of big CC bikes today are just very powerful. They make the previous generation liter class bikes feel slow. The best thing I like about my 1125R is its midrange power and drive. It has so much midrange that opening the throttle on corner exit shoots the bike forward to the next corner fast! Also, yeah the nice thing about that vacuum activated slipper clutch is you can downshift into a lower gear at higher speeds without an open throttle and the bike remains stable and the engine does not rev to the sky and engine brake! There is still engine braking during normal riding, but nothing like any bike without a slipper. The difference is pretty noticeable, and makes riding the 1125R fast in the twisties a lot easier. | ||
| Torquesauce |
Glad to hear you had a great first ride! Put on the miles and you'll keep on the smiles. As far as your clunky/lugging issues at low speeds, as mentioned above, get a Race ECM asap. Next to my exhaust, it was the best purchase I made for the bike. It REALLY makes a difference. If you have a stock exhaust, shelve it. If you like it loud, get a KEDA from Dean. You'll love it, the neighbors will hate it, and every time you blip a cager because they made you mad, you'll smile so wide your cheeks hurt (KEDA's are also found making noise in their natural territory of tunnels, underpasses, and cramped downtown city streets). If you don't like it loud, get a Jardine, FMF, or Drummer. Heat is always an issue; on an 80F day, keep it moving at 55 or prepare for swamp ass. As far as the literbike warnings go, get mid range in 2nd and pin it. Hang on for the ride  Also as mentioned above, seriously watch the speedo. The first 2 months of riding I found myself cruising at 75 in a 55 because I wasn't watching the digits. Highway patrol had a problem with that... I've you've got an '09 (sorry if I missed the year somewhere), prep for a stator/rotor replacement in the future. Or do it now and save the hassle. I see you're in Hoosier country; I'm in NW Ohio and venture all over the place, maybe we'll cross paths on 80/90. -Ride safe | ||
| Jimustanguitar |
Doesn't the CR have more teeth on the rear wheel? Does anybody swap that in to change the cruising RPMs a touch? | ||
| Jdugger |
The CR has shorter gearing yes. You need to change Sprocket, Belt and Swingarm to do it right, though. | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Yeah it's revvy, for a twin, but that seems to be the direction they're going in. The 1098 & up Ducs rev too. They say the current generation of twins are the first ones with no low end torque. Look at it this way, your shift point and active riding rpm is 5-8K. It loves that crap. At really low speed you can't really drop below 3000 RPM or it surges and hates you. On the highway with steady cruising, you can upshift it and lug down to just above 2000rpm. That's steady, I mean like doing 55 plus on I95 for ten minutes and not changing your throttle opening. You can lug it cruising like that, but if you try to "ride" like that, it's gonna buck and feel like crap. Gotta keep it above 3K. I use 6th daily, I think going 75mph on 66 in DC keeps it around 3200 rpm, smooth as a babies bottom. And still have enough power to pass without down shifting most of the time. You can work it like any other engine, it's just that here, the whole scale is shifted 2-3K higher than a traditional twin. It seems bass akwards, high RPM at low speed, low RPM at high speed. High RPM in 3rd gear and you're going to jail on one wheel. | ||
| D_adams |
I dunno what the rest of you are doing wrong, but mine _will_ run as low as 2100 rpm in 6th gear and pull right out of it. Yep, 35 mph, 6th gear @ 2100 rpm. No, it's not "perfect" but it's not falling on it's face taking off. | ||
| Jdugger |
My experience is the motor will respond better under heavy throttle inputs at lower RPMs that cruise. For a cruise, like others have suggested, above 5k things smooth out and the motor is in a happy place. Plus if you need a quick exit, it's there without a downshift. I've been saying this for EONS. I also have never had a stator failure in close to 75,000 miles on almost 5 of these bikes, including one that had the stator replaced before I took ownership of it! | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Dean, you're also not running stock fueling. Stock ECM and muffler and that's not a happy place. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
I'm with Dean. Race ecm and deans exhaust on it since new.Totally worth it. I did notice that it was getting a little jerky recently but new plugs cured that. I'm at 25k now, first set. | ||
| Jdugger |
Oddly enough my teaching bike is WAAAY more herky-jerky at slow speeds with a race ecm and pipe than with the stock set-up. When we do the first session "round robin" parade laps to teach the line, I usually have to leave it in 1st to keep it smooth. | ||
| D_adams |
That is correct and it's a free plug for EBR on just how good it is over what stock was like. I've been using their race map since mid-2010 and haven't looked back since. They may not be 100% perfect for every 1125 out there, but it's pretty damn good on mine and way better than stock ever thought about being. Some bikes just simply have issues, most will respond positively to the race ecm though. | ||
| Robertb1958 |
My 2008 seems to be happy cruising at around 3.5- 4K. If I wanted to hit it, I would shift down, otherwise, it responds well to a gentle roll on of the gas. When it is hot, clutch/throttle operation is a little more fussy about leaving a stop than I would prefer, but I have gotten used to it. |
