I guess it all depends on your idea of fun. By your own comparision, You will have more fun by having to shift all the time and having to rev the crap out of the engine to get to the power. I would much rather have the power when ever I wanted it, no matter what gear I was in. If that makes me lazy.... well lazy I guess I am.

I normally try not to disagree with people as everyone has their own opinion, and rightly so. But your post is quite honestly, just not correct on so many levels. The fact you want to ride your F2, which from the post I gather you feel is lighter than your 954, is very flawed. Your F2 outweighs the 954 by over 30lbs. There is no way the F2 handles better than the 954, in any situation. Its not just a matter of size, its a matter of technology. Also, just because a bike is lower to the ground, has nothing to do with how well it handles. If that were the case, we would all be gettting smoked by cruisers that have 20 inch seat heights. There is a lot more to the handling than the height of the bike.

Again, by your own admission, that is how it is.... thats what makes it fun, a 600 has to have shyt ran out of it in order to keep up with a liter just puttn along.. jk

 

COST: cost of ownership can be a factor - initial investment, gas mileage, insurance costs are all slightly to significantly higher for a literbike.

POWER: as far as max power goes, it's true that only a professional rider on a closed course would use all that a bike is capable of -- but the same goes for cars as well. a literbike has more available power across the spectrum, which is both useful when riding and a bigger hazard for the undisciplined rider. as someone who does in-town riding and long-distance touring, i like having extra power in the lower end of the band.

WEIGHT: on the street, the weight differences between the modern 600's and 1000's is so negligible i don't consider it a factor -- in fact, my 2008 literbike handles much better than my 2002 600.

COMFORT: for some riders, the 1000 is just a more comfortable ride. for others, it's the 600. find out what feels right for you.

 

I've read comments before that most people will not use a 600 to its full potential, a 600 can be faster that a 1000 with the right operator, etc., so there's no reason for them to get a 1000. True, but in my case anyway, I can ride a 1000 faster than I could ride a 600 and the extra power is there if I ever want to use it. That's the reason I bought a 1000.

That, plus the fact that Honda was practically giving the '08 CBR1000RR away last year at around $7,000 and 0.99% interest for 3 years.

 

Maybe it is ego but don't we all have egos. I have an 2001 F4I and it is a great bike but I don't like getting passed by my buddies like I am standing still. If anyone has a 929, 954 or liter bike and wants that loving feeling they get on a 600 please contact me at r_nancy@bellsouth.net so we can work out a trade.
Tom

 

Went for a ride with a couple buddies Wednesday afternoon. My buddy with a 600RR tried to race me again...he must like losing, I dunno? Anyway I see him closing quickly in the mirror and wait til he flies past me and then just hammer it. I caught back up from 95 to 130 and and he almost hung with from 130-140 but after that it was all tail lights and tailpipe for him to see!

 

i probably wont go back to a 600, the amount of power torque available at all rpm's makes life so much better for me. I did an 875 mile trip on a Triumph ST and it got me hooked on the the liter bikes feel. It's more homey to me rather than having to rip on the throttle and wait for the power.

Ha i rode my buddies 600rr the other day and it felt so slow. You know you have speed issues when a 1kr starts feeling normal/slow.

 

+1

 

Personally your going to hear alot of one sided answers. It really come down to what you feel comfortable with.

I am 140lbs. So I am lighter than a lot of these guys(also faster weight reduction ). Being said I wanted something ligther weight. I went for a f4i 600.

Pro's: Great gas mileage, Fuel injected, Insurance is cheap, 110hp. Really do you need anymore?
Con's: Nothing lol.

By the way. 1k isn't unstoppable. There are cars that roll on the streets that can burn ya on a roll or from a stop. I think it stupid when people think there unstoppable. Its a ego thing if they even mention "my bike is the fastest or faster than you". Who cares really?

 

To me it's just that a literbike makes you a lazier rider, especially if you start with one. First and only time I was at the track (regrettably) I was out braking/accelerating guys coming in and out of corners on a heavy, 70hp 750 with a ****ty suspension with all of my 6 months of riding experience. Sure it was the Novice group but there were a few quick guys on liter bikes that were afraid to ride them hard. They handle great in the corners and hold a line but that extra juice makes the rider lazy because they think they don't need to downshift and are scared to wash out the rear a little or power wheelie out of a sweeper and thus the learning curve is slower. They think because they catch back up on the straight away that they are riding as well.

With that said I have a 600, but riding it around town all the time - I truly do miss that mid-range power my old 750 had. I think a literbike is a better streetbike overall but honestly it's still not a good option for new riders.

So I guess it's what you want out of the bike. Why do people buy cars that are capable of much more than they can handle? Cause it's cool and fun.

 

Disclaimer: I've never ridden a liter bike - here's my take:

Liter bikes have more low-end grunt, which would suit me because I am just not a guy who winds my toys up constantly, therefore I would enjoy the thrill of speed more often on a 1k. To this point I imagine a V-Twin would really be a bike I would enjoy. If the RC51 had undertail exhaust I would probably really want one.

Having read countless threads on this subject - I never see a 1000k guy say that the 600 is a better bike and he/she wants to revert back. I do notice guys that own 600's justifying why they are better bikes. Some of these reasons are good (you'll never use the power, better for more novice guys, etc...) Some of these reasons are bad (they are lighter, they get better mileage, etc...) Overall I equate it to a corvette/Ferrari comparison where the corvette guys are justifying why their vette is better than a Ferrari.

If you're goign to stick with a 600 do so because it IS more bike than we'll ever use, the cost of ownership is slightly lower, or because your NOT ready for a 1k. But face the fact that the 1kr is going to be more bike - PERIOD.