Test Ride Time

Just got back from test riding the GSX1000, and the Speed Triple, back to back.  

GSX1000
Chucked a leg over, and it felt light and nimble straight away, without even starting it up. Kicked it in the guts, and it was very smooth at idol, and blipping the throttle.  It has a very neutral sitting position.  
Clutch in, knock into first, then take off.   Clutch feels nice, but straight away, I didn`t like the fuelling. Its very snatchy, and negotiating tight corners, and balancing at low speeds is annoying, due to the snatchy throttle response.  
The geometry is nice, but very twitchy. Lean your head 2 degree to far into a corner, and I`d screw up my line. (not use to that kind of input, or reaction, compared to the oily 1200)  The suspension was quiet good, especially the front. Nice and plush, and absorbed the bumps well. It was fully adjustable. The rear felt harsh, and when I got off it, and had a look at it, it just looked like a stock Bandit shock, with basically, no adjustment. 
Brakes are very nice.
The Donk....ummm, its got no real torque to speak of. When you hit the magic, 5000-7000rpm, which Suzuki says, this is where it shines(according to the dealer) it didn`t really blow me away.  It just felt like a typical 1000 to me, that sings, and you got to rev them to make them go.   I am comparing it to my carby 1200.  It had the immediate throttle response you get from F.I, that you don`t get from carbs, as its superior atomization, but...I was a bit disappointed with it.   I was expecting more low down torque, in this day and age. At the end of it all, its just a thousand I guess.

The Speed Triple.
Through my leg over it, and it felt a lot heavier just sitting on it.  Fired it up, certainly no where near as smooth as the Suzi. It felt as smooth as my 1200, which isn`t smooth at all. Sitting position is more aggressive than the Suzi, and I would have to put risers on it, to do a long trip. Clutch in, into first, then take off.   Slightly heavier clutch, but the fuelling is so much better, with absolutely no snatch at all.  The torque is far better, and far more usable. 
The bike felt way more planted, and stable, although it felt a little harsh in the suspension. It is far more suited to my style, and feel of a bikes.
Brakes are very good.
The engine..they`re not a smooth thing, but they feel like they`ve got torque at any rev. You don`t have to be critical, as you do on the GSX1000, as you have to be on the cams to make it work.

The dealer is going to line up the Speed Triple R, to ride, as this has the full Ohlins suspension fit out, and is supposed to be far superior to the standard, as it would want to be, so I`ll report back on that.

In summary, I wouldn`t buy the gsx1000.  Inline 4 cylinder 1000`s just don`t do it for me. THEY GOT NO TORQUE.
Apart from the V4 Tuono 1000, it has. Awesome bike that one. 

The Triumph is a winner, in my opinion.

Havnt rode the Gsx1000s yet, but I think my FZ-09 is better on the street, due to the torque the triple produces. It's also why I am on my 3rd Bandit. Getting to 90 or 100mph. Is where it is at for me.

I was looking at Speed Triples on bikesales last night seeing as a RSV4 seems to be out of my reach. 
I think the GSX is a better looking bike although you would have been surprised at the speed on the clock regardless of how much torque you felt.

broncsrule21 wrote:Havnt rode the Gsx1000s yet, but I think my FZ-09 is better on the street, due to the torque the triple produces. It's also why I am on my 3rd Bandit. Getting to 90 or 100mph. Is where it is at for me.

I`ve ridden the FZ-09, its a very nice bike.
The silly little tank on them really annoys me. It should at least be 17L.
If they came out with a better suspension package, and a bigger fuel tank standard, I would highly consider one, even though it doesn`t have the punch of the bigger 1050 Triumph.

2wheelsagain wrote:I was looking at Speed Triples on bikesales last night seeing as a RSV4 seems to be out of my reach. 
I think the GSX is a better looking bike although you would have been surprised at the speed on the clock regardless of how much torque you felt.

I`m a bit the opposite with the looks. When I first saw the photos of the Suzi, I didn`t like the look, but when I saw it in person, it looked a lot better. 
I just think the current naked 1000 bikes, are all fairly similar, just different colours, with a few little bits of plastics here and there.
I like the single swing arm look of the Trump, and it is definitely a different look than the other 1000`s.
The torque of the motor is far better. eg:  The little coarse we went on, had a bit of everything, a bit of hi-way, then up through a tight winding road, with sharp corners, dips, and off camber corners. When hard on the brakes, to approach a tight corner, then torque at of the corner, the GSX just wont torque you at of the corner, then along with the snatchy fuelling, just made for an unpleasant experience.
The total opposite with Trump. The same set of corners, and it can pull effortlessly from the apex of the corner, and you could short shift it, and keep terminal velocity, at a far more relaxed and control effort. Just felt better all round

Having ridden the Suzuki I would have to say the same. Fueling is rubbish. Power commander would probably fix it.

Tuono is stunning. Power and torque everywhere. And what a sound track with the stock exhaust. They seem to be reliable as well which is a surprise, mate had another Italian branded bike which he ended up giving back due to constant charging problems. Some Tuonos here at the 60kms mark with no problems. All I would do is lower the pegs.