See you over at hdforum

Try the Pirelli SPs. I like them on my 600 track bike, but I only ride in the intermediate class a couple times a year.

I'm on my second set of RS10s on my ZX10 which doesn't get used on the track. You're right, it's a pretty good street tire.

The new R1 is a pretty sweet ride, even better with the Austin pipe on there. They make really nice stuff.

I have a set of Super Corsa SPs on my ZX10R and I really like them. I think I'll try those or the SC before switching to slicks.



 

Sounds like you know what you're doing.

What year ZX10R do you ride? Mine is a 2013.

SC1 front and SC2 rear is my preferred track day setup for DOT race tires. The SP is too hard and gets greasy too fast on the track, but makes a pretty good street tire if you like the profile.

Ha! I don't know about that but I am learning quick. I've got a 2008 ZX10R that will be listed for sale as soon as I have some time to take some decent pics of it.
I sold my beloved Buell XB12ss this year as well. I loved the bike but I never rode it. I sold it to a friend, so I might have a shot at riding it again...

2008 ZX10R




 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Why do you run the SC1 in the front and the SC2 in the rear? What kind of bike are you riding? What class do you ride on track days?
I run a 200-series SP on the Kawi and I really like the way it feels but I suspect that I'd chew it up like the RS10. The SC1-2 are definitely on my radar and I'd like to have some "real world" feedback.





 
 
 

SC1 is a softer compound than the SC2. With this combination the front gives me more grip while the rear lasts longer than it would if it was the softer compound. Most of my track days are on either a Ducati 1198sp our a Honda CBR 600 rr. Depending on the weekend I may ride in A group (fastest) or B group, depends if I'll get in the way of the racers. If I'm on the CBR I'm almost always in C group to help the new guys.

The SC's will not last as long as the SP's on the track, but they will allow you to ride faster. I installed a set of Michelin Power Cup evo's for this season and they have lasted four track days with warmers, I have been getting six days with the SC1/SC2 combination and almost an entire season out of the Pirelli Pro slicks. I'm actually harder on tires while riding the CBR than the Ducati, traction control and smooth throttle application make it easer to ride fast.

MY CBR

2010 600




Wifes GSXR


2007 600

I would rather have the KLR, at least it's still in production.



I tried to like the Terra, I really did.



Husqaitalybmw should have gone with 60 less pounds and a 6 speed transmission.

They screwed the pooch killing the 610/630 for the rebranded BMW's
The good thing is, SWM took over the old Husky plant and is basically going to start making a clone of the 630 again with a bit more grunt.

In dual sport and SM trim.

How to make your 10 year old bike instantly feel 20 years old: Buy a new bike.




I finally got my R1M!







The old girl,.... not sure what to do with her. Glue factory or Street Fighter treatment? We need a 2-up bike that still hauls ass, i could sell it and save a few grand and have a paid for FZ-09...

What a beast .....there's a middle aged mom here locally that owns an R1M but it isn't her first bike

Yet they didn't, and it's still better than a KLR. Unless the current models are better than the '09 I rode.  

The TE 630 was an awesome adventure bike, The Terra 650 gained 80 pounds with very little motor or suspension upgrades.  It was better on the highway than the 630, but suffered a bit offroad.

The Strada got a 19" front wheel and the same 80 pounds over the SMS... so, meh...

Congrats! Please give us your impressions/thoughts on the bike. I am looking forward to taking the new R1 for a test ride during a upcoming demo day.

I think you are going to find its a really easy bike to ride. The bike is really fluid and unhurried when you are hauling ass and it's very stable with good front end feel. It's not all perfect though, the brakes take quite a while to bed in and they are only decent. Lots of feel, no initial bite-you have to squeeze. The worst of it is the fly by wire throttle control-none of the power modes are very good. A mode is annoyingly harsh to ride at street speeds on and off the throttle. B mode is quite a bit better but still jerky. C mode has smooth throttle response but it feels like having to ask twice for power because the initial 1/4 turn of throttle is pretty lazy. D mode feels about perfect but only makes about 100hp. the good news is that it's all fixed in software. Speaking of which, there's a big hole in the power delivery because the throttle bodies don't open past 80% and the exup valve doesn't open until 7500 rpm. Once you get past 7500, it picks up 50hp over the next 2000rpm! It's like riding a 2 stroke! A reflash fixes all that and makes 10 more hp on the stock pipe, a little over 200 at the wheel with an Arrow full system.

The rest of the electronics are pretty interesting, You'll notice the wheelie control the most, it really works and doesn't slow the bike down,  I haven't gotten the front to activate the ABS, but the rear works well and pulses lightly under your foot. The linked brakes are fantastice for corner entry and the slipper clutch is the best I have had so far. It amazing to bang full throttle up shifts into 3rd at 130 with the bars wiggling a little as you are cranked over on a freeway on ramp while the bike just rails and drives ahead.

I've got about 450 miles on it now, today was it's first ride out in the country with the boys. It's a fantastic backroad bike-all those throttle snatchiness at low speed goes way when the thing is revving and it just slays corners. No idea how the KYB forks on the standard R1 are, but mine just feel perfect everywhere on the street tire/street riding automatic dampening setting. The bike has excellent feedback and front end feel, changing lines several times in a corner feels like the bike encourages it. By the end of the day I was lofting the front up over hilltop curves while cranked over and not worrying about anything but watching where the road went-you can feel and hear the throttle bodies do their thing as it detects what the bike is doing. It's pretty special. Unlike say, a BMW or Panigale, it isn't cutting power when you pull shenanigans-it never gives the engine enough power to get in trouble because it's giving throttle, not you. there are no audible ignition cuts most of the time, they do it with throttle control.

It's a tall assed bike, the riding position feels very.... Italian. Tires aren't going to last long either. Mine get balled up at normal freeway speeds-they feel rough, almost like I am riding with the tire under inflated. It is already getting worn down in the center.

They don't have the R1s at the demo days this year. You have to go to the one of the Yamaha track day events to ride it. I was bummed.

Damn, now I have something else to lust after.

This thread sucks!

My bug smasher in western Arkansas last weekend.  

VERY JEALOUS!!!!!  R1M...beautiful!



Any luck you would give us a ballpark of what you paid for it?  Hell...there's someone on Ebay asking $100K for one...



 

R1m is beautiful! congrats!

Beautiful!

Simplicity at it's best.  

OTD with $900 extended warranty was just under 26k and I got the first service thrown in. I wasn't really in a position to bargain..

This has been a 4 month ordeal involving 3 dealerships and almost shipping one from Washington to Michigan. If it had not been for me doing all the legwork, I wouldn't have the bike-none of the dealerships knew anything about getting ahold of one, other than the one in Washington that had one in stock. Eventually, I called Yamaha corporate to find out what the deal was on the bikes that were not early Pre Delivery Program bikes ( deposits were taken in November and deliveries on some of those had still not happened for some of those poor guys when I got mine) that were supposed to be allotted to dealerships based on their sales volume.  Yamaha told me that of the 500 R1M's, 350 were delivered to the U.S. England got 60 and you had to be a previous R1 owner or have some serious track experience, Canada got 60, countries like South Afrika got TWO.

What got my bike to me was that after I got thru to Yamaha, I went back to a dealership that told me they were taking deposits for bikes coming in August. I didn't want to wait that long, but what they were saying didn't jive with what Yamaha said: That all of the bikes were GONE, no more coming, we don't know if they will be sold next year yet or not. So I asked them what the deal was and they called their regional rep... He was like "what do you mean 'can you get an R1M', you have one coming next fucking week!". They didn't know it was coming so I was the lone guy to put a deposit on it-they are the biggest dealer in the Detroit area and only had one come in, back in February for a guy that bought one for his 19 year old kid. This was at the end of April.

Unfortunately, it didn't end there. A day or two before my bike was to arrive, Yamaha decided to pull all the bikes back to Seattle for a recall on the Ohlins shock. Apparently, the swingarm can't just be dropped to swap the shock out because the catalytic converter has to come off to give clearance. The labor was enough that Yamaha was better off doing the work themselves rather than having dealership charge shop rate. There is also a recall involving the data logging/wireless interface because the bike keeps trying to talk to your phone/tablet/laptop after you turn it off and it drains your battery. That and the first service is being taken care of right now.

I don't know if all R1M owners will get the special treatment or not, but the PDP customers in Canada got a care package in the mail that included a Yamaha in MotoGP book, a $600 watch, and other nice bits. That would really be awesome, but I don't think I'll be getting anything like that.



As for a ride report, I am really happy with the bike. It's not all roses though, the ride by wire has me scratching my head and wondering how it could have ever left the factory the way it throttles off of a closed throttle. everything else is amazing. This is my 14th bike and it is by FAR the best handling bike I have ever ridden, and I have had some really exotic shit over the years. the electronic suspension alone was worth the money-on the street speeds/street tires automatic mode it just feels ....perfect. The bike is really stable, but changing a line several times in a corner is zero issue and bar pressures are light. The brakes are powerful and easy to modulate, but lack initial bite. The electronics are FANTASTIC! I haven't had ABS kick in on the front, but the rear is barely noticeable when you stomp on it. The wheelie control flat works no matter what you do to it, there is not sensation of a power cut because the throttle bodies never give the bike more power than the chassis can handle and you never feel like the bike is being held back. It doesn't cut and pogo the front end like the BMW, it just skims the ground as the tach sweeps thru the power. If you really hammer the throttle I the midrange, it will pick up about 6 inches and then smoothly drop as you hear the throttle bodies go thru some convulsions in the air box.

Power is a little lazy off the bottom, and the thing is choked off is stock form-the throttle bodies don't open past 80 percent and the exup valve in the exhaust won't open until 7500.... These bikes have a big hole in the power band until your re flash them and then it fixes that and you get 10 horses on the stock pipe with no need to get a power commander. The bike rides like a 2 stroke.... In the 2k after the flat spot, it picks up 50hp and keeps pulling like that thru to the rev limiter. It might only be 176hp as delivered but the peak torque is pretty much constant from that hole in the power delivery until the rev limiter. It's FAST, and has a higher top end than the BMW that comes with 10hp more out of the factory-it's a tiny bike.

I get a lot of attention with it too. I went on a group ride out in the country with my ex racer friends and we stop at a coffee and donut shop that is a popular destination for guys that go out to hit the curves on a Sunday. One guy saw it, ran inside and told everyone what was outside and the place emptied out so fast it was like one of those old westerns where the outlaw walks into the saloon and people start jumping out of windows.

One bad point....  I took it to the dealer with just under 600 miles for the first service this afternoon, that 200 series rear tire has already got noticeable wear on it and the sides are rough like I have been doing track days. I'm not a super fast street rider anymore, but these tires are so gummy that they won't possibly last 1500 miles. Having good traction control lets you get away with murder coming off of corners and the center compound of the tire clearly was meant more for grip than long wear. That's what it get for buying a track day toy!

ETA: damn near rewrote my last post-I've been having to do quite a few write-ups about the bike on the forums I frequent, I can't remember who I tell what!

Just picked up a 2015 Night Rod Special

Thing looks like it's got a couple JATOs on it

Thanks a lot for this post Dave!!  Very cool story behind it...makes it that much more worth it.  At least it should holds it's value for quite a while...



Although I don't have as many years of experience as you do, I still want just a regular R1...or a GSXR1000...however I won't get a 1K until probably next Summer.  I ride a K7 600 (my first bike ever) and I just did my first track day.  I'll post my video tonight so you can give me some hell...



I'm met some great guys from Bobby J's Yamaha in Albuquerque and I'll have to ask them if they're getting one in or not.  They move more product than a lot dealers in this region and in NM for certain.  One of the sales guys did say that the tires they have on there wore like shit on the street...they may as well have put slicks on it.  A friend of his out of state allegedly got 850 miles out of 'em and they were shot...



 

They are blowing out last year's R1's for $10,000 OTD around here..... If you are in a position to get one it would be a fantastic bike for you.

Love the color scheme, that's a bike I was itching for when I got into riding.  How's she ride?

2007 FLHT.  Done a few things to it.

001 by Nagoya10, on Flickr" />

Amazing.  I actually think it handles better then some of the 600cc sport bikes I've owned.  The rear tire is 240 so its wide but its not a monster like a 300.  I was without a bike for about a year since getting rid of the last one and I'm so glad I got this.  I totally have the itch again and it feels good.

Had a few hours to kill today so I ran the 390 up to Pike's Peak. Man that is a fun road... especially on this little bike! Had a couple of encounters with the Ranger's over my "speed"... but that was half the fun. I guess maybe I should lay off the Pike's Peak Hill climb YouTube footage for awhile.

A very stealth looking bike.  I like it!

She is a beauty! After riding nothing but sport bikes for the past few years I have been seriously thinking about a cruiser especially the VROD.

Test ride one first, you may like it a lot, you may not like it at all. They handle surprisingly well, but certain aspects of riding one may turn you off because of how cruiser like they are. I come from a sport bike background myself and love railing around the first sweeping freeway on ramp I took on a Vrod, I was over 115 before I had to merge and the air was pushing my foot off of the forward controls! I had to consciously hold my foot on the peg to keep it there. The tires have a hard time keeping traction off of a stoplight-great for showing off and feeling like "rip-zip-aint-I-misbehavin'.." kind of way when you get he from work and just want to blow the stink out of your hair, but if you want a sport bike experience in a cruiser you'll come up short.

This is one of those bikes that has more engine than the bike can handle when pushed. It's fine when you are riding around and getting on it here and there, but you won't want to get one to enjoy going fast on in the way that one buys a sport bike and doesn't have to think about it.

I think I'd be looking at the new Victory Scout instead of the Vrod, performance would be close with a substantial difference in price.

Glad to see you are gettin a lot of use and enjoyment out of your new bike.

Just picked her up today.

honda did a very good job with that bike, they definitely hit all the marks for their older customers.

Funny, because it's my favorite bike out there currently, yet I'm only 28 old soul I guess.

Yes they did.  

Also, for the guys with the KTM 390s, how's the power?  I haven't even seen one in person yet, just curious.

You're in good company.  I like the red with polished valve covers...just like the old ones.

the power on the RC390's single is really good.  The only previous bike that I could compare it too would be my DRZ400 supermoto... but it blows that away.  It loves to stay revved up... the sweet spot seems like it's around 7-8K (rev-limiter at around 10K).  Also, it's super-comfortable cruising along at 80mhp.  It's a great little bike.

 
Love those! Considered getting one a few years ago.

 
I rode the first Terra and Strada's at a Husky demo day in Washington.






The Terra had nothing on the KLR.


It really had nothing on the other guy's 610.


It was a dead heat through the gears, top end was the same.

 

 
Nice!