Well guys I was talking to a fellow rider a day or so ago, and he claimed that the 954rr is bulky. I was baffled and bewildered; I thought the 954 to be a smaller slim and comfortable as well as fast bike. He compared it to newer CBR 1000 04-07 and claimed that it seemed clumsy and a little slow. Maybe I'm just a noob or something even though I have been riding for about 4 years but mostly the liter bikes I have ridden is my two 954s and a 2008 R1 which actually reminded me of the 954 in some way, it had good midrange but lacked on top end and wasn't nearly as comfortable. So am I just not experienced on the newer bikes to have a valid opinion, and compare it to the 954rr or is this guy nuts? What would you say about the 954 in comparison to newer liter bikes? Looking at the weight it is still lighter than most 2010 liter bikes even though it lacks about 30hp. I need some opinions I don't think I'm too crazy on this one.
Thanks in advance.
Finch

 

Nah, your not crazy.The 954 is still the lightest liter bike out there.Yes the newer bikes have more power and more electronics.But if you can't control the power it is all to waste.

 

My question is whether a 954 is considered a liter bike or not. It has a 954cc engine, which is drifting pretty far away from the standard 998 or 999cc liter bike standard.

 

Of course it is. I would say 899cc and above is, it WAS the version of the 1000cc just better. So I'd say yes.

 

Well in my opinion.. I came from riding a 1996 kawasaki zx11. THAT bike was big and bulky.

moving to this bike (2002 cbr 954rr) is a dream. It has low end grunt and amazing mid range power.

my friend who owns a 2002 yamaha r1 can't keep up with me if we go from a roll, a stop, or a dig.

As for the newer liter bikes, they are still heavier, and i believe the 954cc engine has a better power to weight ratio overall. I'm not sure.

 

His bike is about 30 pounds heavier dry than the 954. Bulky? Yeah right.

 

mine is a blast on the track! either one road course or drag strip. did a 6.89 on the drag fri nite and was ripping it a couple weeks ago at jennings. it feels like its riding on rails all the time. it handles like a 600 and has the power of a 1k

 

Just got back form riding.

Raced an 2008 R1. Beat him from a 30 roll, a 50 roll and a 2nd gear punch. By atleast 2 bike lengths. And this is on my 2002 954rr. he has it stretched and lowered with exhaust etc. Mine is full 2 bros exhaust as far as performance, thats it.

If that gives you an idea.

 

The 954 is my favorite bike hands down. In the street I can keep up or beat any bike I come across, and last weekend I was in Poconos for a track day and I was right there with the 1000's in the straights and she handled like a dream in the corners.

The instructors all agreed that the 954 was one of the best bikes on the track due to her power and light weight!

And for style and looks, I had a couple people in the past week ask me what she was and if it was an 09 or 2010? I just laugh and let them know she's 7 years old ;-) everyone is always blown away. The other thing I love about this bike is she is unique; you don't see many of them and I would love to scoop up another one soon just because ;-)

 

who cares? ask yourself if you love riding your 954? if the answer is yes, why care about other people going,"oh thats a nice bike, but its got nothing on my gixxer" or whatever they're comparing it to. i laugh at that.

my 954 is crazy fast, i can keep up with anyone. straights, corners, twisties, whatever. its my 2nd bike. my first one was an f3, and my 954 definitely handles better than that. ive ridden a few other current literbikes and 600's and as far as i'm conscerned, the 954 suits me best. yes, the most current crop of literbikes will be faster in a dragrace against a 954. so what. yes, the have newer components and more technology. i dont care, i dont need wheelie control, ABS or whatever.

i love the 954. its plenty fast, handles amazingly, and as paseo said, it has a look that just never dies, it will always look like a current bike.

people that want the latest and greatest should stick with the newest bike. but i dont want any other bike, i'm 100% satisfied with my 954. some magazine did an old vs. new comparison on a couple of bikes, and in both cases they found the older bike (with a few mods) to be better in every way except for serious racing.

As far as the bulky thing, no way. modern sportbikes are heavier than our "older" bikes. everything is thicker in order to be stronger because the modern bikes are putting out more power (frame, swingarm, rims, certain engine components,drivetrain - all heavier).

and as for the being down 30 or so hp... thats only in one area -top end. doesnt matter on the street, doesnt matter necessarily on the roadrace track. only matters at the drag track.