Hi folks, I'm getting a good deal on a 09 R1 and I'm wondering if it is really bad to use as a race bike. I would ideally prefer a 600 and have been tracking \racing for two years on a 07 gsxr 600.It got stolen , I'm a little cash strapped and this is only good bike I can seem to afford at the moment. I read through a lot of posts that literally calls the 09 version a Turd in terms of handling - which is what I am worried about. I run in top 7 in the novice bunch and by no means fast . Is the 09 R1 really hard to set up\race? Is it really that much of a difference between the 600 \ 1000 ? To make things worse , I have never ridden a 1000 on the track I'm planning on getting upgraded suspension\ forks and getting TC Bazzaz.
I think your bigger issue will be having never ridden a 1000 on track and trying to race it cold turkey moreso than getting an R1 specifically good to race. Is there really that much difference between a 600 and 1000? yes.......when it comes to racing the 2? oh yes
you plan on doing suspension and tuning on it? Save your money, buy a 600. There is a reason you dont see many R1's on the grid. What youve read is pretty much spot on. Not to mention, when you toss it, and more than likely, you WILL toss it, its WAy more costly to repair than any 600 will be.
I didn't realize how bad my 05 R1 was, until I bought a 07 R6 racebike. Now, all I think about is how much More fun it is to ride the R6!
If you already bought the bike just ride it and feel it out the first few outings. It has 30-50 more HP and however much torque than you are used to. It will be somewhat easier to ride than a 600 (less shifting, not as precise where and how you ride). If you haven't picked it up yet save your $$ and get a 600 if you want to race.
I havent picked it up yet.. it is very tempting though. I am looking at an 06 R6 now. I always thought that yammy's were more track oriented than a suzuki\honda , but now that I'm researching them a lot i find that this is not all that true. The gsxr was built like a tank and I had 0 reliability issues. It seems like the 06 R6's have engine reliability problems.
I think you will have more fun on a 600. Having owned and tracked an R1, they can be quite the expensive pig. The power is nice to have to mask mistakes, but it can also make small mistakes very big in a hurry. The 06-07 R6's did have engine problems, not all though. Rebuilding a motor with updated parts will give you the same as 08+. Plus the R6 is a extremely common bike at the track, so in the case you break something, somebody at the track may have a part you can borrow or buy off them to get you going for your next race.
