| Author | Message | ||
     Xodot |
I did my first day of track riding school day yesterday using a rental '10 R6. I am new to the sport and had never ridden anything but my '00 S3 and 08' 25R. The R6 "disappeared" under me and became invisible. After 2 turns the bike became part of me. All I had to do was look and think about where I wanted to go and twist the wrist. I loved the bike and learned so much about this great sport we all enjoy. My question is to ya'll who do track - what should I expect when/if I take my 25R on the track compared to the R6? I now realize have been "wrestling" with my bikes probably because I have been making basic mistakes cornering. I am taking the classes to improve that. Can someone to tip me off with what I should expect with the bigger Buell on the track? | ||
| Craiga |
I'm not a track guy, but if your having trouble getting into turns with your R compared to the R6 you may want to try tweaking the suspension on the R. If it is too stiff for your weight it will not want to fall into the turns as easily. The R should be almost the same weight as the R6 and a shorter wheelbase = better turning. With the suspension tuned to your liking the R should be better and more comfortable (ie "own the corners"). Good luck w/ the track riding. | ||
| Lovedabueller |
if your 1125r is set up tight you can find your self with a bike that is easier to ride in my opinion.... you dont have to be in the "revs" to be fast on the R. Suspension is everything on the track. | ||
| Chessm |
id have a hard time believing that a ready to ride 1125r weighs the same as a ready to ride r6. the r6 is way lighter. also, there's just something about lighter bikes with less power that makes them more confidence inspiring on the track | ||
| Fresnobuell |
The R handles wonderfully for a big twin, but I think it's a stretch to say it will out handle a 600cc bike. Most of us average riders will be faster on the R because it has a power advantage and is more forgiving than a 600cc motor, but all thing remaining the same the 600cc bikes will have the cornering edge. Also, there is some thing about the way the motors spin that makes the IL4 bikes easier to flip side to side. | ||
| Kevin_stevens |
The 1125 will still be pretty unobtrusive. It's a bit heavier, with slightly less sophisticated suspension. However, though it's only slightly more powerful than the R6, it will probably *feel* quite a bit stronger because of the wider torque spread. It's entirely suitable for track use and shouldn't restrict your learning or riding technique at all. KeS | ||
| Stirz007 |
R6 wet weight 417 lb. 1125R dry weight 375 lb. Figure 40 lbs for fuel and oil. Pretty much the same weight. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I believe we have had some Rs on an actual scale and the ready to ride weight is closer to 460ish pounds | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Granted that R6 wet weight is probably not accurate either. | ||
| Blackstripes |
I believe I read that the 1125 is a little over 440 with full tank of gas. I'd assume that 30 or 40 lbs are noticeable at the track, but not enough to make the difference. I haven't tracked bikes at all, but I have tracked cars for a long time, I track my twin turbo Mustang (550rwhp) and sometimes other cars (like my Miata), and let me tell you: I am with Chessm, the less power the easier to drive a car to the edge...its not that easy when the engine overpowers the tires all the time, but its a lot of fun  . | ||
| Xodot |
Given the flavour of the discusion here, that the R6 and 25R are NOT worlds apart - just different, I am thinking my suspension might not be correctly set up on the 25R but was on the rental R6. Since the dealer did NOT inspect the rad level and did NOT install the latest ECM flash even though I asked if it had, he may NOT have adjusted the suspension to my weight when I bought it even though he said he had. I'll check the settings out against the manual specs tonight. (Message edited by xodot on May 14, 2010) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Fuel could be +-30 pounds--might explain some of the variance. | ||
| Stirz007 |
5.3 gallons @ 6.2 lb/gal for gas. = 33 lb 3 quarts oil @ 1.9 lb/qt. = 6 lb. Where does the other 40 lb come from? (difference between published dry and wet weight for 1125R is 80 - yeah 80 pounds). Something ain't right here. Bottom line is that I'm not convinced that the R6 is way lighter than a 1125. So, back on thread - the 1125R with suspension set up decently, should handle similarly to the R6. Not having ridden both in the last couple of years, I defer an opinion to someone who has ridden both. | ||
| Craiga |
Thanks Stirz- | ||
| Stirz007 |
Duh - water! But still it would take nearly 5 gallons of water to make up the other 40 lb. Does dry weight omit brake fluid, shock fluid and clutch fluid? That would truly be dry. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
bATTERY--12 LBS. | ||
| Jdugger |
The 1125 is a great choice on the track. It's not as light feeling, IMHO, as a Japanese 600, but it's easier to ride fast given the forgiving power availability of the motor, and wide bars and comfortable seating posture. If you aren't fast at the track, it's not the 1125r's fault, even if you could be slightly faster on a 600. They are good track bikes. Put some money in your suspension and tires before any other mods. | ||
| 1125cr |
I'm going to disagree. My buddy has a 2007 GSXR 600 and he let me take it for a spin one day and it did not feel nearly as light and nimble as my 1125CR. | ||
| Blk09r |
Check this video out. It might answer a few questions. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/577/Motorcycle-Video /2009-Daytona-SportBike-Shootout.aspx | ||
| Hack_job |
keep in mind, you were riding a bike that spends its life on the track. I would assume the suspension was set specifically for that environment on the 600. If you haven't checked your suspension since you bought it, I would guess that it hasn't been setup properly. Even setting to the manual specs would still only be "in the ballpark" IMO. Have it set up by a local track suspension guru, and I would bet you'll say the same thing about the buell. | ||
| 98s1lightning |
I call BS, while the weight thing can be debated till death, one must understand that its where the weight is as opposed to the weight itself. A V twin carries the weight way lower than that of the IL4 and will ALWAYS allow a better center of gravity for cornering. Track, street or any gravity given planet the twin will be better. Now compare lean angles by the bikes width, the Buell will win there as well. Do you think Buell won AMA last year on an ILL handling motorcycle while being under powered as well? PLEASE. | ||
| Blake |
>>> " it's only slightly more powerful than the R6" ~130 RWHP vs ~105 RWHP for stock Buell 1125R vs stock GSXR600, respectively. "slightly more powerful"?  | ||
| Jake99buell |
I have my suspension set dead on for my weight and the time I rode my friends R6 back to back with my 25r I was kinda disapointed with my bike. His felt like it was on rails compared to mine. Now he may of had his set a little stiff but it was still pretty flckable. I also liked not having pods or a huge fairing. Made it feel a lot smaller. I still like my 25r but don't like the fact he paid like 4k less! The only thing I didn't like is the lack of torque | ||
| Jdugger |
Just remember the DSB-Spec 1125r that won is NOTHING like a stock OEM street 1125r. It's way lighter, has totally different geometry, suspension, and so on. | ||
| 98s1lightning |
The power really isn't an issue when you compare the bikes back to back. Take into account the aerodynamic advantage at speed versus power and also understand that the bikes are not at full throttle for any long period of time. That alone will show you the superiority of the Buells handling. Thats just the way it is, sorry. Theres NO WAY I get beat up on in the corners on my MULE. | ||
| Mrgubrz |
the dealer may have just set the preload and not made any real techy tweaks to it it took like 30 minutes to get mine setup professionally and it was WELL worth it the very first thing i thought while reading yer post was "uh.. its the suspension!" then i saw a ton of other people mentioned it in the following posts id try to find a good suspension guy in yer area to get it tweaked to yer weight/riding style/etc etc | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Do you think Buell won AMA last year on an ILL handling motorcycle while being under powered as well? The ONLY reason the Buell won was because of the rider. With his flat track experience, he was able to ride the Buell like no other person and make up for the deficiencies caused by the add'l weight (tires, braking,} cornering.) Barney crashed all season, Slick finished every race. Race-built 600cc bikes are potent track weapons. It's the only reason they can stay a couple seconds per lap behind the literbikes, which have 66% more displacement and probably 50% more horsepower. | ||
| 98s1lightning |
Theres an interesting article some where on bad web where EB himself does the math and shows the Buells at a huge disadvantage. I wish I could find it. If displacement was so key in the wins then how did they not win every race? The Buell 1125R is a GREAT machine and is just BETTER than a Japcrap 600, sorry! Thank you, please pull forward. | ||
| Jake99buell |
He got his bike OTD for 9k brand new with extended warranty. Let's just say I didn't... I got mine full price and feel like I got hosed! Don't get me wrong I love my bike I'm not trying to talk bad about it all. It can out ride any public street no problem. It's hard to explain unless you ride them back to back. It feels lighter, it might be the rider position I don't know. It may just be more novice friendly. Oh and the AMA thing I thought the 1125 had weight added and other stuff done to make it a competive, rider skill race not a big 4 sweep. | ||
| Refurb |
The Article was on the Cycle World website: http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?section_id=4 3&article_id=2119 |
