rigor
31-08-07, 08:37 PM
OK, as some people know (and many more don't) I'm in the lucky position of getting to choose a new bike.
Today I went out on 2 test rides, Triumph Daytona 675 and Honda CBR600RR (From here on in, refered to as "The Pirate" (Arrrrrr!!))
Oh yeah, and for comparison, my current bike is a K6 GSX-R 600.
First up was the 675. Rolled up to Jack Lilley's to find the bike parked up outside next to the new Street Triple, so had a quick gander at that as well. Both are very pretty bikes, and you can see all the shared DNA. Went in, did the paperwork thing and was let loose on the bike.
Ashford isn't an area I know well at all, so just had to content myself with finding roads that looked interesting without getting too lost so I could find my way back :p.
Throwing my leg over the seat and I got my first surprise. This is a TALL bike, short-ar$es need not apply. I'm 6" and my legs were fairly straight, not something I'm used to on modern bikes.
Checking out the display, and it's got more functions than you can shake a stick at, MPG Avg. Speed, Max Speed, Lap Timer etc etc, Nice and clear to read, although the gear indicator was a bit small, but then I've got into the bad habit of using the Gixer's one too much anyway, so ignored it for most of the time.
You definitely sit over the front of the bike, with more pressure on the wrists than the Gixer, and the tank is a lot slimmer too, which is actually nicer to lock your kness onto.
Starting the bike up and its ooooohhhh that sound :D It's lovely!! :p Definitely a different beast to the IL4. Pulling away and I'm pretty sure (I could be totally wrong though) that the bike doesn't have a steering damper. Felt quite nervous at low speed and a little bit prone to wandering about. Start to get faster though and the nervousness is replaced with a desire to drop into corners (or roundabouts) with just a thought.
The mid-range is a nice change to the Gixxer too, not massively different, but noticable. I found myself running less revs to use the grunt more and to listen to the engine note more as well.
Finish the ride and it's back to the Dealers. It's a great bike, but then all the SS600 class are very good and I wasn't expecting it to be much worse or much better than what I'm on. And it wasn't. So it comes down to the heart strings point. Does the bike call to me? And my honest opinion is: Kinda :p Lovely to ride, not so hot to look at (IN MY OPINION :D) So it's still on the short list, but not at the top.
On a totally different not, anyone in the market for a new Speed Triple should head down to Jack Lilley's as they have a gorgeous Orange with White "Viper Stripes", really nice ;)
Next stop "The Pirate". Head down to Motoselect in Farnham. They've only been open since March this year (AFAIK) and it's a very nice dealership, lots of shiny bikes :D Slightly different setup to previous test rides, with a guy from the Dealership leading you out, but since I'm no BSB racer, shouldn't be a problem, and his route is exactly the route I would have taken anyway, A31, Pirbright twisties and back.
Start up the Honda and it's another lovely engine note, not as gruff as the Triple, but sweet, and as even on a fast idle as only Honda can do it. This is virtually a brand new bike (74 miles on the clock when I started) So I didn't really get to make her scream (Much ;) ) Clocks are nice, a teeny bit bland (Grey plastic anyone?) But easy to read, and the fuel guage is a nice touch (For people like me, who forget to reset the trip :) )
The seat is comfy and the whole riding position is slightly less focused than the 675, more akin to the gixer. But with the same narrow tank, giving more freedom to more around the bike. Honda's clever steering damper (Speed adaptive) means the bike is a breeze to move around at low speed, but it comes into effect the faster you go.
First surprise? The brakes! I didn't mention them from the 675 ride, because they were so similar to the Gixer's, but I don't know what magic Honda have pulled, but the brakes on the CBR have SERIOUS stopping power, and neither of the other two bikes are slouches in that dept., the CBR is just soooo much better!
Second surprise, this is an IL4 600 with mid-range! Not quite as much as the 675, but plenty enough to get away with being in the wrong gear and still keep humming along. And remember, this bike hasn't been run in yet, so I wasn't caning it, and the engine is bound to loosen up over time.
Get back, and a quick look over the bike confirms what I thought before I went out. Build quality is great and the bike is very very nice to look at. In fact the Metallic White version is possibly one of the prettiest bikes I've seen in a while.
So, which order? Well, this is my own personal opinion, so it's what I like :D
1: Honda CBR600RR
2: Suzuki GSX-R 600
3: Triumph Daytona 675
It's possible that I'm more used to the GSX-R than the other two, and have only put it above the 675 due to familiarity, but it's a very nice bike to ride. Not quite on a knife edge like the 675, but very very capable.
So, onto tomorrow, when I get to test the new ZX6R :D Aren't I a lucky boy :p
NOTE: I'm not testing the Yamaha R6, it just doesn't appeal to me at all from a looks point of view, and everyone I've spoken to says it needs to be revved hard, which just isn't my style at all.
Today I went out on 2 test rides, Triumph Daytona 675 and Honda CBR600RR (From here on in, refered to as "The Pirate" (Arrrrrr!!))
Oh yeah, and for comparison, my current bike is a K6 GSX-R 600.
First up was the 675. Rolled up to Jack Lilley's to find the bike parked up outside next to the new Street Triple, so had a quick gander at that as well. Both are very pretty bikes, and you can see all the shared DNA. Went in, did the paperwork thing and was let loose on the bike.
Ashford isn't an area I know well at all, so just had to content myself with finding roads that looked interesting without getting too lost so I could find my way back :p.
Throwing my leg over the seat and I got my first surprise. This is a TALL bike, short-ar$es need not apply. I'm 6" and my legs were fairly straight, not something I'm used to on modern bikes.
Checking out the display, and it's got more functions than you can shake a stick at, MPG Avg. Speed, Max Speed, Lap Timer etc etc, Nice and clear to read, although the gear indicator was a bit small, but then I've got into the bad habit of using the Gixer's one too much anyway, so ignored it for most of the time.
You definitely sit over the front of the bike, with more pressure on the wrists than the Gixer, and the tank is a lot slimmer too, which is actually nicer to lock your kness onto.
Starting the bike up and its ooooohhhh that sound :D It's lovely!! :p Definitely a different beast to the IL4. Pulling away and I'm pretty sure (I could be totally wrong though) that the bike doesn't have a steering damper. Felt quite nervous at low speed and a little bit prone to wandering about. Start to get faster though and the nervousness is replaced with a desire to drop into corners (or roundabouts) with just a thought.
The mid-range is a nice change to the Gixxer too, not massively different, but noticable. I found myself running less revs to use the grunt more and to listen to the engine note more as well.
Finish the ride and it's back to the Dealers. It's a great bike, but then all the SS600 class are very good and I wasn't expecting it to be much worse or much better than what I'm on. And it wasn't. So it comes down to the heart strings point. Does the bike call to me? And my honest opinion is: Kinda :p Lovely to ride, not so hot to look at (IN MY OPINION :D) So it's still on the short list, but not at the top.
On a totally different not, anyone in the market for a new Speed Triple should head down to Jack Lilley's as they have a gorgeous Orange with White "Viper Stripes", really nice ;)
Next stop "The Pirate". Head down to Motoselect in Farnham. They've only been open since March this year (AFAIK) and it's a very nice dealership, lots of shiny bikes :D Slightly different setup to previous test rides, with a guy from the Dealership leading you out, but since I'm no BSB racer, shouldn't be a problem, and his route is exactly the route I would have taken anyway, A31, Pirbright twisties and back.
Start up the Honda and it's another lovely engine note, not as gruff as the Triple, but sweet, and as even on a fast idle as only Honda can do it. This is virtually a brand new bike (74 miles on the clock when I started) So I didn't really get to make her scream (Much ;) ) Clocks are nice, a teeny bit bland (Grey plastic anyone?) But easy to read, and the fuel guage is a nice touch (For people like me, who forget to reset the trip :) )
The seat is comfy and the whole riding position is slightly less focused than the 675, more akin to the gixer. But with the same narrow tank, giving more freedom to more around the bike. Honda's clever steering damper (Speed adaptive) means the bike is a breeze to move around at low speed, but it comes into effect the faster you go.
First surprise? The brakes! I didn't mention them from the 675 ride, because they were so similar to the Gixer's, but I don't know what magic Honda have pulled, but the brakes on the CBR have SERIOUS stopping power, and neither of the other two bikes are slouches in that dept., the CBR is just soooo much better!
Second surprise, this is an IL4 600 with mid-range! Not quite as much as the 675, but plenty enough to get away with being in the wrong gear and still keep humming along. And remember, this bike hasn't been run in yet, so I wasn't caning it, and the engine is bound to loosen up over time.
Get back, and a quick look over the bike confirms what I thought before I went out. Build quality is great and the bike is very very nice to look at. In fact the Metallic White version is possibly one of the prettiest bikes I've seen in a while.
So, which order? Well, this is my own personal opinion, so it's what I like :D
1: Honda CBR600RR
2: Suzuki GSX-R 600
3: Triumph Daytona 675
It's possible that I'm more used to the GSX-R than the other two, and have only put it above the 675 due to familiarity, but it's a very nice bike to ride. Not quite on a knife edge like the 675, but very very capable.
So, onto tomorrow, when I get to test the new ZX6R :D Aren't I a lucky boy :p
NOTE: I'm not testing the Yamaha R6, it just doesn't appeal to me at all from a looks point of view, and everyone I've spoken to says it needs to be revved hard, which just isn't my style at all.