fizzwheel
02-04-06, 09:40 PM
I thought that some of you might like to know what the GSXR feels like to ride compared to the SV. I’ve done 400 miles now since I picked it up on 29th March.
I've done 18,000 miles on my 200 Curvey SVS in two years.
Riding Position.
Compared to the SVS its wristy, but its not uncomfortable. I’m seated quite high up and very forward over the fuel tank. The pegs are high but I’ve done a few long rides on it now and its comfortable. You feel more like you’re sat on it rather than in it like on the SVS. The seat is comfortable and has some give it in, it doesn’t feel like you are sat on a plank.
It feels and is very small. Parked next to E.d.s K5 SVS its tiny at the front and the rear is much higher.
The only thing I could complain about is because of the weight on my wrists its uncomfortable at slow speeds i.e filtering through town traffic. I really noticed it yesterday riding through Portsmouth in the afternoon traffic.
Suspension
I was lost for words the first few times. Its unbelievable. It soaks up pot holes and bumps with ease it doesn’t throw me out of the seat on bumpy roads. I haven’t touched the preload, rebound or compression settings as I don’t really know what I’m doing with them, but based on how it feels so far I don’t think I’ll need to.
The steering is very responsive a quick nudge of the bars and looking through the corner has you turning. It feels very flickable and its very very easy to change direction and negotiating tight corners and slow speed roundabouts happens in the blink of an eye. Its easy to adjust your line mid corner or if the road tightens more than you expected or you carry a little to much corner speed.
When you’ve got it leaned over in a corner its very stable it doesn’t seem to wallow and pitch like my SV does. ( some of this could be due to the fact that my SV has done 35k and the suspension is tired )
Brakes
Fantastic, Plenty of bite and feel cant fault them at all.
Engine
Its very flexible, 6th gear roll on is great, 40mph in 6th wind on the throttle and it pulls hard. You can ride the torque wave in 6th and still make speedy process and its easy to ride it like this quite relaxed and not frantic at all.
Or if you want to really shift, drop it down to 5th and wind the throttle, If you really want to make speedy process drop it down to fourth and it really moves. Those of you that think IL4’s have no midrange, think again. It has plenty of engine braking to, not as much as the SV but enough to notice it and if you let off the throttle in lower gears at higher RPM then you really do notice it.
To be honest there isn’t really a powerband as such just lots of useable power pretty much from tick over. There is a definite surge at 6000rpm but its not a big jolt or a shove in the back. Just a smooth wave of power.
So how does it compare?
To be honest I was a little worried that riding this thing would be beyond me. I was expecting a stupid amount of power and lightning fast steering and brakes that when I touched them would tip me over the front of the bike.
But its not like that at all. I’m only running it in still but it feels so much more composed on the road than the SV, its like its saying to me, I can take this we can go a little faster but we don’t have to. I feel like I’m in control of the bike and not the other way around. You don’t have to ride it fast, stay below 4000rpm in any gear and it’s a very relaxed enjoyable riding experience. Push it harder and you get more of the same, it spins through its RPM range. The power delivery is very smooth and I’m finding it confidence inspiring. Feedback from the chassis in corners is vastly improved over the SV as is the braking performance. For those of you that think IL4’s are bland its really not, its very enjoyable to ride and very involving, Small inputs to the bars have you turning and its stable. I’m finding though that after a spirited ride I’m not as tired as I would have been on the SV.
The exhaust note from the Yoshi is very nice indeed. Its got a growl at tickover that then changes as you feed in the power to a rasp. Its not a scream like some IL4’s I’ve heard more of a howl. The induction roar from the airbox is very pleasing on the ear to.
Also the headlights actually illuminate the road. In fact they are ace.
If you are thinking of one of these as your next bike after the SV I would heartily recommend you take one for a test ride and see how you like it.
I've done 18,000 miles on my 200 Curvey SVS in two years.
Riding Position.
Compared to the SVS its wristy, but its not uncomfortable. I’m seated quite high up and very forward over the fuel tank. The pegs are high but I’ve done a few long rides on it now and its comfortable. You feel more like you’re sat on it rather than in it like on the SVS. The seat is comfortable and has some give it in, it doesn’t feel like you are sat on a plank.
It feels and is very small. Parked next to E.d.s K5 SVS its tiny at the front and the rear is much higher.
The only thing I could complain about is because of the weight on my wrists its uncomfortable at slow speeds i.e filtering through town traffic. I really noticed it yesterday riding through Portsmouth in the afternoon traffic.
Suspension
I was lost for words the first few times. Its unbelievable. It soaks up pot holes and bumps with ease it doesn’t throw me out of the seat on bumpy roads. I haven’t touched the preload, rebound or compression settings as I don’t really know what I’m doing with them, but based on how it feels so far I don’t think I’ll need to.
The steering is very responsive a quick nudge of the bars and looking through the corner has you turning. It feels very flickable and its very very easy to change direction and negotiating tight corners and slow speed roundabouts happens in the blink of an eye. Its easy to adjust your line mid corner or if the road tightens more than you expected or you carry a little to much corner speed.
When you’ve got it leaned over in a corner its very stable it doesn’t seem to wallow and pitch like my SV does. ( some of this could be due to the fact that my SV has done 35k and the suspension is tired )
Brakes
Fantastic, Plenty of bite and feel cant fault them at all.
Engine
Its very flexible, 6th gear roll on is great, 40mph in 6th wind on the throttle and it pulls hard. You can ride the torque wave in 6th and still make speedy process and its easy to ride it like this quite relaxed and not frantic at all.
Or if you want to really shift, drop it down to 5th and wind the throttle, If you really want to make speedy process drop it down to fourth and it really moves. Those of you that think IL4’s have no midrange, think again. It has plenty of engine braking to, not as much as the SV but enough to notice it and if you let off the throttle in lower gears at higher RPM then you really do notice it.
To be honest there isn’t really a powerband as such just lots of useable power pretty much from tick over. There is a definite surge at 6000rpm but its not a big jolt or a shove in the back. Just a smooth wave of power.
So how does it compare?
To be honest I was a little worried that riding this thing would be beyond me. I was expecting a stupid amount of power and lightning fast steering and brakes that when I touched them would tip me over the front of the bike.
But its not like that at all. I’m only running it in still but it feels so much more composed on the road than the SV, its like its saying to me, I can take this we can go a little faster but we don’t have to. I feel like I’m in control of the bike and not the other way around. You don’t have to ride it fast, stay below 4000rpm in any gear and it’s a very relaxed enjoyable riding experience. Push it harder and you get more of the same, it spins through its RPM range. The power delivery is very smooth and I’m finding it confidence inspiring. Feedback from the chassis in corners is vastly improved over the SV as is the braking performance. For those of you that think IL4’s are bland its really not, its very enjoyable to ride and very involving, Small inputs to the bars have you turning and its stable. I’m finding though that after a spirited ride I’m not as tired as I would have been on the SV.
The exhaust note from the Yoshi is very nice indeed. Its got a growl at tickover that then changes as you feed in the power to a rasp. Its not a scream like some IL4’s I’ve heard more of a howl. The induction roar from the airbox is very pleasing on the ear to.
Also the headlights actually illuminate the road. In fact they are ace.
If you are thinking of one of these as your next bike after the SV I would heartily recommend you take one for a test ride and see how you like it.