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z1000 or r1?

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buddy jst bought the new generation 2011 z1000. It was either that or a 2009 zx6r.

Says the z1000 is the best purchase he made. seating position is still a bit agressive. And to be honest I found I was able to put a lot less weight on the bars when I moved to a more upright bike, which in turn made me faster (because of stability) in corners.

To each their own though, I did not enjoy the feeling of an SS position. I am 22 btw
 
c0ool stuff, and ya frekey its obviously apps and oranges.

in talking 2004 (just like the one in the pic i posted on page 1)

zx6 forks, possibly new bars ( can i put clip ons on it?? LOL)
and its good to go...

i suppose it would be cheaper to make a zx10 street fighter...but insurance and such.
 
Bordie - I had an '05 Z1000. Prior to that, I had a 636.

The '03 - '06 year Z1000's, IMHO, have that something special that not all bikes have - soul. I'm currently in the hunt for ANOTHER Z, even though there are plenty of other bikes out there.

You can go nuts with these bikes in terms of mods. Dual pipes make the bike sound totally bad a s s. And the suspension, a 636 front end slots right in, and I had the rear reworked by Racetech. Totally transformed the bike. Awesome for around town, ripping up track days (and crashing at them :p), and even long distance rides - once you change out the seat and grow a pair of balls and not complain about the windblast.

Value/resale wise you're going to be up shiz creek with a Z. They were poor sellers when new, and horrible for holding their value. It's part of what makes them such bargains to pick up (you can get a new condition, under 5K mile '06 out of Maine for $4K). So if you're thinking of getting this and reselling it a year later, maybe not the bike for you.

But when you boil it down for me anyway, it's head and shoulders more bike than any R1. Personal opinion, I regret getting rid of mine when moving back to Toronto. Here's some pics.

DSC_0790.jpg


DSC_0788.jpg


DSC_0782.jpg


And a vid, those Jardine pipes were louder than my cut down Yoshi's!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eNRYPVa4qo
 
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I dont have an experience with the Z1000 but here is what I can say about R1 (I have an 03 and an 05).

Things I like about the R1:
- Styling - I think the 04-06 is the best looking generation of R1 ever made, if not the best looking bike japan has made.
- top end rush
- the intake growl on full boil
- ultra close ratio gear box, for the track anyways
- Body positioning is perfect for my frame (5'7, 140lbs)
- Unless you are racing competitively, it gives up nothing to the latest litre bikes.

Things I dont like
- The low end is a bit soft compared to the other litre bikes - addressed partially by full exhaust/tuning/gearing
- Heat from under the seat pipes - decatting made a big difference.
- Passenger seat is tiny. My friend will ride on the back of my 03 for a 600 km+ day of twisties but I dont think she'll last more than a couple of hours on the 05.
- super tall first gear means a bit more clutch slippage to get it going on the street.


My r1:
IMG-20111209-00728.jpg
 
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mma01 said:
- The low end is a bit soft compared to the other litre bikes - addressed partially by full exhaust/tuning/gearing
Click to expand...

Common theme with Yamahas of the last 2 decades unfortunately. The Honda and Kwak had +10/15 ft-lbs in the midrange. That's drastic.

sm3btj.jpg
 
mmmnaked said:
Common theme with Yamahas of the last 2 decades unfortunately. The Honda and Kwak had +10/15 ft-lbs in the midrange. That's drastic.
Click to expand...

Last two decades? not sure about that..... 04+ R1's gave up quite a bit in midrange to their peers but the 98-03 had strong low end and mid range. I'll have to dig up the the dyno chart later, but by memory my 03 made mid 70's ft lbs at 8000 rpm on RC's dyno. That 03 surprised many modern litre bike owners, esp with my skinny @ss on it hehehe.
 
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I had 2 friends with 98 and 02 R1s earlier in my riding career and we swapped bikes often.. I had an 03 GSXR1000 and they didn't compare in the slightest. I remember the Yamahas being very smooth and linear in power delivery but they didn't even come close the GSXR. Granted the big gixxers were literbike benchmarks from 2001 to 2005 (imo) but still... the Yami was behind. Also after they went FI the fueling has largely always been garbage, in both the 1 and the 6.. and its evident in most dyno graphs I can find on the net. There seems to always be a pronounced dip in power before the surge really comes on, just like that graph above. Then again, the zook follows the same line :lol:
 
hellllllls yeah I'd take an RC51 over either of those bikes by a longshot! its a pig and runs out of breath up top, but damn is it an addictive ride

Own a piece of Honda history ;)
 
I have no doubt the suzuki of that era was more powerful bike for bike. The fuel injection on mine was flawless..dyno graph was perfectly smooth (you've inspired me to dig it up when I get home :) .maybe it had to do with the pcc autotuning system I had on it? In any event, I never felt undergunned on the 03 against any of my friend's gixxers. Between weight reduction and the fact that I need to eat some big macs, I usually had 70+ weight advantage. Ran 140+ traps pretty much stock even with my crappy riding :)


mmmnaked said:
I had 2 friends with 98 and 02 R1s earlier in my riding career and we swapped bikes often.. I had an 03 GSXR1000 and they didn't compare in the slightest. I remember the Yamahas being very smooth and linear in power delivery but they didn't even come close the GSXR. Granted the big gixxers were literbike benchmarks from 2001 to 2005 (imo) but still... the Yami was behind. Also after they went FI the fueling has largely always been garbage, in both the 1 and the 6.. and its evident in most dyno graphs I can find on the net. There seems to always be a pronounced dip in power before the surge really comes on, just like that graph above. Then again, the zook follows the same line :lol:
Click to expand...
 
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I have the Z1K's little brother, the Z750S (version with a bikini fairing). I like it a lot but I can't compare it to anything except my old EX500. I like the seating position as it's practical for the riding I do. I use the bike to commute 2-3h each way every few days during the summer. It definitely has get up and go (the engine is a sleeved down Z1K engine). The seat needs swapping out though, mine's a beast. As for your particular riding position you could tune it with more aggressive bars if need be. Look at the Z750/Z1000 forums for the list of mods. There's tons, you won't get bored.
 
Test riding a ton of bikes, I loved the Z1000 as well as the new Ninja 1000 (almost same bike). In fact a lot of people from the magazine wanted to ride it all the time. Very fun ride
 
well...r1 is a no go now. was cheaper. needs a bunch of work i dont want to do to it. mainly wiring...

so no dice on that.

orange Z1K might be the one

or a 09 zx6...


how much more amazing is the 09 zx6 than the 07/08?
I hear its totally different.
 
djbordie said:
well...r1 is a no go now. was cheaper. needs a bunch of work i dont want to do to it. mainly wiring...

so no dice on that.

orange Z1K might be the one

or a 09 zx6...


how much more amazing is the 09 zx6 than the 07/08?
I hear its totally different.
Click to expand...

Completely different bike, much better engine....IMO...I never liked the lack in the motors low/mid range on the 07/08's, especially since the from the previous generation I was used the the 636cc engines characteristics
 
Keep in mind also, that with the naked bikes, if you don't like the handlebar position it's usually super easy to change them out to something else that suits your style. No fairing to interfere with clearance.

I've always liked the Z1000.
 
I saw a nice green Z1000 heading northbound on the DVP at 8.00am this morning.
 
z1000 state farm 2100$
z1000 new policy jevco $1400

wtf, i know the situation, but wouldnt it be better to keep me as a customer (statefarm) and meet in the middle/negotiate?

or lose me to another agency...
 
djbordie said:
z1000 state farm 2100$
z1000 new policy jevco $1400

wtf, i know the situation, but wouldnt it be better to keep me as a customer (statefarm) and meet in the middle/negotiate?

or lose me to another agency...
Click to expand...

State Farm goes strictly on CCs. I bet the R1 would be the same (or very close).
 
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