600 up to a 1000 - pointers?

A little info to help with the Mighty Beebs advice:

-I'm a career 600cc I-4 Club racer, now in my early 40's.
-track days since '06, racing since '09
-not a front runner or back marker - last year I only raced the last 3 rounds and in 7 races I had a 7th, two 3rds, two 2nds, and 2 wins - none of the podiums were in the Premier classes though.
-my goals are unchanged - keep my 4+ year streak of no crashes and have a shit tonne of fun - results are way down the list.

I bought myself an '05 Gix 1000 in the off season so I could have a new challenge for this year. I've always been interested in different riding styles and what it takes to push everything from a Vintage bike, to Ninja 250's, to full blown Formula Ultra bikes to their limits.

I know I'll have to change up my riding this summer to account for the extra 60+ ponies I had last year - different lines, different braking markers, and I guess a more point and shoot style rather than flowing "roundish" lines I'm used to running on my 600.

I'm particularly interested in feedback from those of you who run two bikes consistently or have made the same switch in classes recently.

Thanks in advance!

 

Brake less, more throttle.

 

As Walter White would say, "Tread lightly."

 

Turn the loud handle carefully?

 

Make friends with the tire guy

 

Don't use the same brake markers....

 

X100000000 Jesus

 

I'm hoping that I'll have 2-3 track days on it to get the feel for the bike, set up the boingy Swedish bits, and most of all, re wire my brain for the GP shift pattern.

I'm giving myself at least 5-6 days on it before I hope to match my 600 lap times, then will come the time to push and fine tune my riding and bike set up.

Traditionally I'm pretty easy on tires but im not expecting the same wear rates or fuel consumption. I am expecting big shit-eating grins and for this bike to tire me out more physically.

Can't wait! ��

 

Obviously smart use of the throttle. It's likely going to feel a lot more physical to muscle the bike around a track.

 

Yeah, tire wear rate is...massive. Braking is a bit sooner, and you may find you have to brake at some turns you didn't brake at all before. You can make up for corner speed against smaller bikes, but when it comes to racing, everyone's got the same power in your class, so it's just as important in my opinion. You can't say "I'll make up for lack of corner speed" too much, because the guy next to you who takes the corner faster has just as much power, and will be ahead of you when you're both getting on the throttle. It just all happens faster on the 1000. Have to learn not to be terrified of the bike, get on the gas soon, learn to feel wheel-spin.

I flip-flop between a 600 and a 1000 at the races, usually about 1-2 seconds faster/lap on the 1000. But I can ride a 600 around all day, I don't know how anyone does endurance on a 1000. I usually go back 1 marker on the numbered brake markers for the 1000 vs. 600. But I'm not the fastest on either bike. I use the same race lines, don't think it's really all that different there.

P.S. High-sides hurt.:down:

 

coming out of second gear the wrong way on a k5 L....

 

Saw that happen at Barber couple years ago, came through turn 1 off the start to see dude's GSXR 1000 flying in the air in front of me and him sliding on the ground. Everyone managed to miss him and his bike, but from what I heard, it had popped back into the lower gear after a missed gear. Bike was ruined I think.

 

Trust me, I'm more than a little nervous about it - 20 years of doing it one way is a lot of muscle memory and brain power to divert to a basic skill again. I've been meaning to try it for years but now that this bike has it already set up and the QS would require a different sensor - it's enough of an excuse to force me to give it a try.

I'm gonna have to do a lot of practice starts as well - this bike will be a helluva lot different to get off the line cleanly. I'm guessing there's no need for 8500rpm's like my '05 ZX6RR was?

 

That DUDE was me : (
False neutral into one slowed it down enough from what I thought. Clicked into 2nd gear while still a bit on the throttle. Lost the rear then the front and then OH SHIT!

 

This was the end result : (

 

1000's are a blast to ride!

 

I'm sure they are!

How would you compare it to a small displacement bike though in terms of racecraft, starts, and getting it from point A to point B without making any of those memes you posted above!

 

It does take a bit of getting used to with a bit of extra weight and power.
It does take more body/muscle to move the bike around.
Starts are managed by clutch and throttle since the front wheel will want to come up, not as easy to do like a 600 but not bad.
I dont crash bikes and that was a brain fart that I had.
Tire wear is more, takes more energy but overall 1000's are great bikes to ride and race.

 

Riding 600s is like blowin' your nose for all you're worth, stoppin' one nostril with this finger then stoppin' the other with that finger and, ultimately, not gettin' the one booger that's hangin' up. You end up wiping your nose on your sleeve and live with the sniveling.
Riding a 1000 is like blowin' your nose with embroidered handkerchiefs. You'll get the booger with finesse, lest you blow your brains out.

 

When racing competitively, everything that is important on a 600 is important on a 1000 too. At track days you often see people making up for a lack of corner speed or passing skills by utilizing the power of the 1k. That doesn't work when racing. The guys racing 1k's at a good pace are carrying a ton of entry and even mid-corner speed, they are using all of the available grip on exit (and even some that isn't available) and braking really hard.

In other words, there is no relative power advantage because everyone is on 1k's, and they are all really good riders.

The biggest thing is to work hard in practice. Work on getting up to WOT as quickly as possible, then on the next lap adjust your line into and out of that same corner to see if you can get to WOT sooner. On 1k's, you have to take advantage of the power, which means you need to make the straightaways as long as possible and maximize time at WOT.

Back all of your brake markers up 1-1.5 boards at in the beginning (depending on the length of the straight). Then work into it. Work on using a "Diamond" type of line where you apex the corner deeper, then get the bike turned, upright and on the gas.

Make sure you are using the brakes to control your speed, not your fear. Which again means you need to work hard in practice and develop some good markers. If you find yourself turning in too tight, or needing to get back on the gas early, then start pushing your brake markers up.

I love racing Liter bikes. If the 1k grids were bigger, I wouldn't race a 600. I just race a 600 because the grids are big and the battling is intense.