RichK
Well-known member
Hey there,
I’ve had the 2015 R1 for about 6 months now, and I figured some Barfers might be interested in my experiences & impressions of it as a daily bike. Especially because it’s about impossible to test ride a Japanese sportbike before buying one – I always appreciate reviews.
Just so you know who this is coming from: I’ve been riding, commuting daily, and doing trackdays for about 12 years. My first bike was a 2000 VFR800, and I put about 50k miles on it. The next was a 2004 ZX-6RR which was a dedicated trackbike. That was followed/overlapped by my 2006 ZX-10R, which I still ride & has about 75k miles on it.
This last Spring, I was actually in the market for a new ZX-10R to replace my ’06, which has been a great bike. But while wandering the showrooms, it was apparent that the new R1 was just a completely new type of liter bike, and the build quality, looks, magazine articles and engine sound won me over. I didn’t want to spend $4k more than the Kawasaki, but I had a bigger-than-expected tax return burning a hole in my pocket, so I thought – what the hell?
Yes, I know this bike was designed for the racetrack – and riding it on the freeway to and from work is almost sacrilegious….but it’s just fun to ride!
Here are my impressions after 6 months and about 5,000 miles, in no particular order:
- Some days I actually think about selling it – I think “What am I doing adding tons of commute miles on a bike with so much technology?” - and then I’ll be blasting out of a traffic-free cloverleaf onramp with the wheelie control keeping the front wheel 1” in the air at full throttle, and I can’t imagine getting rid of it.
- The R1 just falls into turns. It feels like a 600, only with 180hp.
- My commute is from Livermore to San Francisco. Anyone who’s ridden 580 from Castro Valley to Oakland knows that the washboard surface is enough to blur your vision on a sportbike. The R1 suspension and frame are super stiff, so it’s a rough ride, especially compared to the older Kawasaki – which feels like a Cadillac in comparison. If I had test-ridden this bike on that section of freeway, I may not have bought it.
- The power is unbelievable. Where the ZX-10R comes on like “wwwwwwwwwwwwwWWWWWAAHHH!”, the R1 comes on INSTANTLY, like “BLAAAH!”. And there’s a lot more of it. It’s like trying to take 2 Siberian Huskies for a walk – it’s always pulling. Go a little faster to make it happy? It still wants to pull.
- The stock fueling and maps were made for EPA regulations. I guess back in 2006 when the ZX-10R was made, Kawasaki didn’t have the same limitations. But when I bought the R1, there was such a huge flat spot at 5k RPM, I couldn’t believe it. I bought the FTECU Flash kit, and loaded the Graves map for this bike. That fixed everything: Great, constant power across the RPM range.
- I still commute about half my days on the Kawasaki, just to keep so many miles off the R1. It feels like a couch compared to the R1. A slow turning couch. I sit IN the Kawasaki, and I sit ON the R1. I’m 6’2”, and the R1 feels tall when I’m sitting up at a stoplight. There isn’t much seat cushion to shave down, either, so I can’t imagine being 5’6” and trying to touch both feet.
- Aluminum gas tank: Magnetic tank bag doesn’t work, ha ha! I bought a Givi tank lock bag, which works great.
- For street-riding, the crossplane engine tends to lug at low RPMs vs. the Kawi. When I’m riding in 6th gear on the Kawi and slow down for traffic, it’s very smooth on the throttle to get going at, say, 45mph. The R1 needs to go down a couple gears. I guess the firing order makes the crossplane more twin-like, but it’s strange to have so much power, yet need to shift down.
- Biggest gripe: the fly by wire throttle is REALLY twitchy. The Graves map has helped a bit, but the “driveability” is really bad compared to the Kawasaki. I thought that on the track, it might feel better, but it’s still really tough to be smooth with this throttle. Changing from Mode A to Mode C or Power 1 to Power 2 doesn’t help, because I want full power available all the time, as well as smooth throttle control. Now that I’m used to it, it’s not as big a deal, but damn, they didn’t get this one right. You know how some people say “I could get a liter bike as a beginner, because I’d just be really careful and go slow”? With this throttle, you need experience. It feels mechanically disconnected from the engine…because it is.
- More EPA issues: the exhaust is really quiet. At Thunderhill with other bikes around me, I couldn’t hear my own bike. I’ve never bought an aftermarket exhaust, but I will be buying one for this bike – it sounds awesome at full throttle, so I want to hear it all the time.
- I like the gauge display – it’s great having instantaneous fuel mileage, outside temperature, fuel quantity used, etc. The lap timer display works really well.
- Mileage commuting is 41mpg – not bad with the 4.5gal fuel tank. Mileage at Thunderhill was half of that. :teeth
- Absolutely zero storage for anything. My flat kit & tools go in the backpack.
- There’s a good article somewhere on the web where Dave Moss made some comments on the suspension, which I agreed with 100%. I also think the rear high speed damping is too damped, but I haven’t fully played with it yet. The fork internals seem to be out of range for me, and I hear that RaceTech is coming out with some upgrades. My tuner, Mike Donndelinger, is helping me figure it out.
- At Thunderhill, this bike shortened the straights. That’s the best way I can put it. On the 600, I used to have a second to take a breath going down the front straight, but this bike is such a beast on acceleration, it’s not very long before I’m on the brakes into T1. And forget about downhill into T9 – it’s just pure chaos cresting the hill and flying down that straight. I don’t quite fully trust the wheelie control & traction control yet, so keeping the throttle pinned over that crest makes my hands sweat…
So….there you go. It’s an awesome bike – it’s so capable, so light. As a streetbike, you have to really want to put up with the harshness over bumps & the twitchy throttle, but like with all motorcycles, there are tradeoffs, and the fun factor more than makes up for it.
I’ve had the 2015 R1 for about 6 months now, and I figured some Barfers might be interested in my experiences & impressions of it as a daily bike. Especially because it’s about impossible to test ride a Japanese sportbike before buying one – I always appreciate reviews.
Just so you know who this is coming from: I’ve been riding, commuting daily, and doing trackdays for about 12 years. My first bike was a 2000 VFR800, and I put about 50k miles on it. The next was a 2004 ZX-6RR which was a dedicated trackbike. That was followed/overlapped by my 2006 ZX-10R, which I still ride & has about 75k miles on it.
This last Spring, I was actually in the market for a new ZX-10R to replace my ’06, which has been a great bike. But while wandering the showrooms, it was apparent that the new R1 was just a completely new type of liter bike, and the build quality, looks, magazine articles and engine sound won me over. I didn’t want to spend $4k more than the Kawasaki, but I had a bigger-than-expected tax return burning a hole in my pocket, so I thought – what the hell?
Yes, I know this bike was designed for the racetrack – and riding it on the freeway to and from work is almost sacrilegious….but it’s just fun to ride!
Here are my impressions after 6 months and about 5,000 miles, in no particular order:
- Some days I actually think about selling it – I think “What am I doing adding tons of commute miles on a bike with so much technology?” - and then I’ll be blasting out of a traffic-free cloverleaf onramp with the wheelie control keeping the front wheel 1” in the air at full throttle, and I can’t imagine getting rid of it.
- The R1 just falls into turns. It feels like a 600, only with 180hp.
- My commute is from Livermore to San Francisco. Anyone who’s ridden 580 from Castro Valley to Oakland knows that the washboard surface is enough to blur your vision on a sportbike. The R1 suspension and frame are super stiff, so it’s a rough ride, especially compared to the older Kawasaki – which feels like a Cadillac in comparison. If I had test-ridden this bike on that section of freeway, I may not have bought it.
- The power is unbelievable. Where the ZX-10R comes on like “wwwwwwwwwwwwwWWWWWAAHHH!”, the R1 comes on INSTANTLY, like “BLAAAH!”. And there’s a lot more of it. It’s like trying to take 2 Siberian Huskies for a walk – it’s always pulling. Go a little faster to make it happy? It still wants to pull.
- The stock fueling and maps were made for EPA regulations. I guess back in 2006 when the ZX-10R was made, Kawasaki didn’t have the same limitations. But when I bought the R1, there was such a huge flat spot at 5k RPM, I couldn’t believe it. I bought the FTECU Flash kit, and loaded the Graves map for this bike. That fixed everything: Great, constant power across the RPM range.
- I still commute about half my days on the Kawasaki, just to keep so many miles off the R1. It feels like a couch compared to the R1. A slow turning couch. I sit IN the Kawasaki, and I sit ON the R1. I’m 6’2”, and the R1 feels tall when I’m sitting up at a stoplight. There isn’t much seat cushion to shave down, either, so I can’t imagine being 5’6” and trying to touch both feet.
- Aluminum gas tank: Magnetic tank bag doesn’t work, ha ha! I bought a Givi tank lock bag, which works great.
- For street-riding, the crossplane engine tends to lug at low RPMs vs. the Kawi. When I’m riding in 6th gear on the Kawi and slow down for traffic, it’s very smooth on the throttle to get going at, say, 45mph. The R1 needs to go down a couple gears. I guess the firing order makes the crossplane more twin-like, but it’s strange to have so much power, yet need to shift down.
- Biggest gripe: the fly by wire throttle is REALLY twitchy. The Graves map has helped a bit, but the “driveability” is really bad compared to the Kawasaki. I thought that on the track, it might feel better, but it’s still really tough to be smooth with this throttle. Changing from Mode A to Mode C or Power 1 to Power 2 doesn’t help, because I want full power available all the time, as well as smooth throttle control. Now that I’m used to it, it’s not as big a deal, but damn, they didn’t get this one right. You know how some people say “I could get a liter bike as a beginner, because I’d just be really careful and go slow”? With this throttle, you need experience. It feels mechanically disconnected from the engine…because it is.
- More EPA issues: the exhaust is really quiet. At Thunderhill with other bikes around me, I couldn’t hear my own bike. I’ve never bought an aftermarket exhaust, but I will be buying one for this bike – it sounds awesome at full throttle, so I want to hear it all the time.
- I like the gauge display – it’s great having instantaneous fuel mileage, outside temperature, fuel quantity used, etc. The lap timer display works really well.
- Mileage commuting is 41mpg – not bad with the 4.5gal fuel tank. Mileage at Thunderhill was half of that. :teeth
- Absolutely zero storage for anything. My flat kit & tools go in the backpack.
- There’s a good article somewhere on the web where Dave Moss made some comments on the suspension, which I agreed with 100%. I also think the rear high speed damping is too damped, but I haven’t fully played with it yet. The fork internals seem to be out of range for me, and I hear that RaceTech is coming out with some upgrades. My tuner, Mike Donndelinger, is helping me figure it out.
- At Thunderhill, this bike shortened the straights. That’s the best way I can put it. On the 600, I used to have a second to take a breath going down the front straight, but this bike is such a beast on acceleration, it’s not very long before I’m on the brakes into T1. And forget about downhill into T9 – it’s just pure chaos cresting the hill and flying down that straight. I don’t quite fully trust the wheelie control & traction control yet, so keeping the throttle pinned over that crest makes my hands sweat…
So….there you go. It’s an awesome bike – it’s so capable, so light. As a streetbike, you have to really want to put up with the harshness over bumps & the twitchy throttle, but like with all motorcycles, there are tradeoffs, and the fun factor more than makes up for it.
but its still a great bike. A huge improvement when compared to the previous gen. Still looks fugly to me with those silly torch like headlights. Then again, most ppl think the S1Krr is fugly too...
