I'm a drag racer that likes ridding hard in corners when I'm not at the track! my 08 is faster then the 08 gsxr1000 in the 1/8,1/4,and 1 mile but it is true the bottom end is not that great. but if you bring your rpms up it will fly I've got mine to 192mph but it had more! in the 1/8 it went a 6.60 @115mph not bad for just a slip on pipe and no tune on it yet. I'm going to see if it will hit 200mph some time this month but need a safe place to do that! if you are new to the street bike seen then keep your limits low it can and will kill you. but back to the low end power get a p/c and a full exhaust and have it tuned and that prob. will be gone. good luck and be safe!

 

Hi Chris,

Sounds like you have a lot of experience on bicycles, criterium racing is wild, you don't have the high speeds of motorcycle racingbut there's nothing but 1 mm of spandex betwen your buttand the pavement when you go down and the front tire isless than an inchacross. Not much of a tire patch their!I have both a Campagnola equipped roadracing bicycle and a mountain bike as well as two motorcycles, a VTX1300C cruiser anda Kawasaki ZX-14 , so I can relate to your experience. I love anything that has two wheels and grew up racing motocross but am a recent convert over to street bikes since my lower back is torn up from years of off road riding abuse. I can tell you from expereience, if you are a decent criterium racer, you have the skills to go fast on a street motorcycle if your willing to make the transition. The riding dynamics aresimilar in a corner, when you run out of cornering grip in the front, you're going down. The big difference with a bike like your new CBR 1000 is the weight, power and sheer velocity that the bikeis capable of. You have to completely recalibrate your brain and of course learn the fine art of throttle control.That CBR of yours will easily smoke the rear tire while wheelying out ofa 100 mph corner exit. It will match my ZX-14 on quarter mile acceleration and comes close on top speed but would absolutely anihilate my bike on a roadracing course with riders being equal. You are riding what is arguably the finest mass produced roadracing replica ever built. A recent racetrack shootout between a $40,000 Ducati 1098R and the '08 CBR 1000 put the CBR ahead in almost every category and you could arguably win a World Superbike Race on that Ducati if you have the skills. I'd have to see how your riding your bike to know what you are doing wrong but it sounds like you are bogging the motor i.e. launching with too low an rpm. You are riding a thoroughbred here, not a tractor, it's torque and horsepower are relativelyfar up in the powerband compared to your Ducatiso you will need rpm if you want to hole shot like a pro. The problem is your relative lack of experience could get you into serioustrouble if you were to grab a big handful of throttle and drop the clutch. ThatCBR will explode off the line and you can easily wheely or get sideways and lose control.
I would suggest that you get with some local riders in your area, mature ones preferably that have a lot of riding experience. Let them give you some pointers andcoachyou on your technique.Your missing out on a lot of fun if you don't learn to exploit at least some of the potential of that CBR. As far as the technology goes, I couldn't agree with you more. Some people buy these bikes just to stare at them in the garage but to me that's kind of a waste. They're made to be ridden.....fast! Good Luck out there Chris, I envy you that you can afford so many great new bikes. I'm currently in the market for a new CBR 1000 but it looks like early '09 will be the earliest I will be buying one.


Kruz

 

i am a bit confused. you are new to motorcycling but you are telling me that the premier litre bike in the world is too slow off of the line for you?

i guess your concept of speed and mine are too different things. good luck to you sir, you are going to need it.

 

I think he is just trying to launch with no revs, he's probably right in the middle of the low rpm soft spot. I'm afraid to tell him to grab a handful of throttle or he might loop it!


Kruz

 

S. A. Kruz

Thanks much for your feedback on this forum. I knew that my questions would make me a bit of a target, and that goes with the territory. Your replies were great and I appreciate the time. Most of my pals who have bikes are not the type that I'd want any coaching from. My general nature is to be very curious about anything to do with two wheels, and my recent exploration in motorcycles has been fun to say the least. Since my bicycle racing days are just over a decade ago now, I still miss it all the time...but not fit enough to race!

The replies I have received from this forum, along with some thought, led me to the conclusion that I needed to part with my CBR. I loved the bike, but the gap in my experience between my current capabilities and where I could have truly appreciated that bike were too great of a gap to risk crossing. From my racing days, I know that I would only eventually be pushing the limit. Since I have a wife, two children, and a business to run, there's just too much at stake to take the risk. So....... I traded the CBR yesterday evening for a Ducati Hypermotard 1100s. Of course, I took a bit of a bath on my new CBR, but I do believe the Hypermotard is more accommodating to my style, capabilities, and the fun factor is off the charts! Sure, the front wheel loves to come off the ground, but this is a bike I can have a heck of a lot of fun within the legal SPEED limits which I believe is going to be more realistic for me... and safer.

So, even though I've been working a ton, I found enough time to put 200 miles on the Hypermotard in a day and a half. It's the right bike for me..... This rig is an absolute BLAST!!

I'm an adrenaline junkie and have a healthy ego like any normal dude.... so it takes a lot to admit that the CBR was more than I should try to tackle. But it simply was. I'll miss it for all it stands for and the awesomeness of it's speed and technology. But I feel this was the right decision as I tuck my kids in for bed at night, knowing that I've made a tough but right decision.

Sure, the Motard is dangerous like any bike... But, I'm having a ton of fun on it already. I've signed up for track days and will be getting some private lessons to learn things the right way. Maybe in the future there will be another CBR for me...but until then, I've got a lot of fun and learning to do on my Monster and Motard (not to mention the 919 I am keeping).

Thanks Kruz and all of you others for your honest feedback. I'll check in with the forum every-so-often. Best of luck to you and be safe!

Chris

 

hehe 4 bikes in 3 months i bet you are 20k upside down =P

Well good luck those bikes are fun

 

Yes, good luck with your new Ducati Chris,itsounds likeyou made the right decision. In a few years you might want to take a look at that CBR once again but in the meantime enjoy your new ride.


Kruz

 

Thanks everyone. I do love the new one..... fret not though because I still get goose bumps when I see a fresh 2008 cbr1000rr. Just because I'm riding my ducs does not mean I don't have some honda blood in my veins. My trusty 919 is staying with me (I love that bike it's reliable as hell and rides great). Stay safe!

 

it seems that everytime i read a post and then read the next two pages of relpies i forget what i wanted to say about the topic, but im gonna do it anyway, the cbr needs more rpms when taking off from the line, thats all, its cool that the two different bikes show different qualities with torque and hp. but i speak for all cbr 1000 owners when i say: roll back the throttle and work the clutch from a dead stop and its hard to get your feet back on the pegs when its time to shift