Riding with sportbikes woes

Hi All.

just wanted some opinions on my recent riding experience.
I was out this weekend on my first group ride. I was on my curvy with friends riding R1's, a Ninja and a Yamaha FZR. Usually i enjoy a good flowing ride down country lanes heading out of town for a couple of hours and then hitting some speed back home on the motorway.

On this occasion, i led the way on a familiar road towards huddersfield and was surprised to find the R1's falling way behind through the twisties and then catching up very quickly on the straights. I dropped back to see if it was deliberate on their part but to my surprise these guys on road missiles genuinely did'nt understand their bikes potential and treated them as straight line tarmac torpedoes.

However on the way home, we decided to hit the motorway and the bigger bikes vanished into the horizon. After getting home and thinking about the ride and some of the mistakes i made trying to keep up with the supersports bikes, i actually realised that the SV650 is actually a phenominal all-around bike. The lads on the bigger bikes have been trying to get me to look at something faster (I am tempted by a Street Triple - maybe after another years riding under my belt) but i dont see the point. I can push my bike to the point where I can feel its limit getting closer, it can hit 120mph, its comfortable unlike the Ninja which was the first sports bike ive sat on and have decided they are not for me, and I think it looks pretty cool in a simple kind of way.

Whats your experience been in riding in a group where your SV is probably the least powerful/fastest bike.

Same. It can be quite scary riding woth the more powerful bikes and finding that your outcronering them and have to get on the brakes.

I find my little bike pwns in the corners, and because of the people I rode with (not exceeding around 100mph) I never get left. The only lad that has the same sort of handling is a mate with a Vvtr1000 (poss my next bike)

[Bibio]

to an extent its not the bike its the person in control of the bike.

[L3nny]

I have ridden a few different litre sports bikes and every one of them has suspension and handling 100 times better than an SV.

However I have been owned by guys on minitwin bikes on track days when I have been on a Fireblade.

It's 100 % down to the riders, not the bikes.

rule 1 ride for yourself not the group

do you like your bike?
do you honestly think you need a bigger/ different style bike?
does your bike suit your current ability?
does pulling up at the service station 5 mins after your mates have, effect you deep inside?

answer the above and i'll get back to you

dave

[NTECUK]

Watch you licence on the motorway jogs.
If your mates are pulling away from you when your wound on at 120 mph your likely to get the racing on a public highway if you kept up with them as well as a ban just for the speed.
The speed triple is a very nice next bike.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by davepreston

rule 1 ride for yourself not the group

do you like your bike?
do you honestly think you need a bigger/ different style bike?
does your bike suit your current ability?
does pulling up at the service station 5 mins after your mates have, effect you deep inside?

answer the above and i'll get back to you

dave

Originally Posted by NTECUK

Watch you licence on the motorway jogs.
If your mates are pulling away from you when your wound on at 120 mph your likely to get the racing on a public highway if you kept up with them as well as a ban just for the speed.

+1 to both

Originally Posted by davepreston

rule 1 ride for yourself not the group

do you like your bike?
do you honestly think you need a bigger/ different style bike?
does your bike suit your current ability?
does pulling up at the service station 5 mins after your mates have, effect you deep inside?

answer the above and i'll get back to you

dave

Yes
No
Yes
Errrr.. I'll get back to you on that one.

I think SV strong point or flaw whichever way you look at it, is because its not über fast, you come in and out of bends more smoothly and not slamming on all the time because you've over cooked it.

Definitely need to watch my speed on motorways, hence my moment of reflection. It's was definitely fun maxing out my bike but is not worth losing my license. Mines a naked with small fly screen which only seemed to do its job effectively after Ton up. I might just take it off.

Triumph street triple is definitely my top choice at the moment, purely for the looks. It's got all the curves in the right places

in that case my dear man do this
save £4000 of your hard earned and dont buy a new bike, spend £500 total on new front springs and a gucci rear shock (can be done for a shed load less but wth live a little)
take your straight line merchant mates to a trackday and make them look like muppets by banging in some top laptimes on your "dinky" little engined bike

may i suggest the three sisters in wigan
then sit back and point out the differance betwen skill and bhp after youve stopped for petrol 5 mins after they have pulled in for a refuel at the allotted station