Huzzah! And this while running in? Do I gather from the fact that you haven't mentioned it that comfort is definitely not an issue?
I suspect that if you were the kind of hool^H^H^Hrefined gentleman motorcyclist who might occasionally enjoy wringing the neck of a motorcycle, pushing it to its very limits, bending it to your will and showing it who is boss (perish the very thought), you may have to curb your ambitions on the Gixxer thou. Everything I've read leads me to believe that only the superhuman specimens who race at national level are capable of extracting more from the current litre bikes than they could get from an equivalent 750, even on a race track. It would follow that on the Queens Highway, the performance envelope extends to places that nobody sane or mortal can possibly aspire to get within miles of.
Yep, I have the Manx tick from years gone by. Wild horses wouldn't drag me back to the Island during TT week, though, too dangerous, too many crazies, no good restaurants and the Grafton's nowhere near as good as it was.
Yep, I had heard about that - it'll certainly reduce the chances of being zapped by an out of control dentist from Essen. I do love the course, have even done the Mountain on my old 916 on Mad Sunday following a local on a 996SPS who was amazing to watch. I was quite chuffed to have him in view (albeit at some distance) throughout.
I think my problem specifically with the TT is that I have come not to like being around too many motorcyclists I don't know. There's a relatively short list of a dozen or so - you're on it - with whom I'm comfortable riding; they are predictable and safe and probably won't get me killed and good fun as well. Larger numbers suffering from testosterone poisoning frighten me shitless.
Add to that the generally Blackpool Pleasure Beach + alcohol ambience of TT week and, to my discredit, a declining interest in racing or watching same and the proposition's not that compelling.
True enough, but then I've never got anywhere close to the limits of any of my motorbikes since my GSXR1100 days all those years ago. The point is to have something utterly capable, operating well within its parameters, in order to make sensible and sane progress.
...convincing, eh? I like really fast bikes because I like going really fast. I enjoy technical twisties and consider them my natural habitat, but I'm also keen on the occasional high-speed blast across Europe (derestricted autobahns only, of course) and when I can find a private piece of good quality dual carriageway in this country on private land with the owner's permission, I quite appreciate the odd hoon up to 160mph or so.
Compared to the SP-1, comfort is, indeed, not an issue. My arse is in pretty good shape, thank you very much, which is another key point of divergence from the SP-1 norm!
I suspect that if you were the kind of hool^H^H^Hrefined gentleman motorcyclist who might occasionally enjoy wringing the neck of a motorcycle, pushing it to its very limits, bending it to your will and showing it who is boss (perish the very thought), you may have to curb your ambitions on the Gixxer thou. Everything I've read leads me to believe that only the superhuman specimens who race at national level are capable of extracting more from the current litre bikes than they could get from an equivalent 750, even on a race track. It would follow that on the Queens Highway, the performance envelope extends to places that nobody sane or mortal can possibly aspire to get within miles of.
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The bike will look better with abraded bar-ends and some road-rash along the front fairings. It's a given, so lie back and enjoy it.
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I think my problem specifically with the TT is that I have come not to like being around too many motorcyclists I don't know. There's a relatively short list of a dozen or so - you're on it - with whom I'm comfortable riding; they are predictable and safe and probably won't get me killed and good fun as well. Larger numbers suffering from testosterone poisoning frighten me shitless.
Add to that the generally Blackpool Pleasure Beach + alcohol ambience of TT week and, to my discredit, a declining interest in racing or watching same and the proposition's not that compelling.
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...convincing, eh? I like really fast bikes because I like going really fast. I enjoy technical twisties and consider them my natural habitat, but I'm also keen on the occasional high-speed blast across Europe (derestricted autobahns only, of course) and when I can find a private piece of good quality dual carriageway in this country on private land with the owner's permission, I quite appreciate the odd hoon up to 160mph or so.
Compared to the SP-1, comfort is, indeed, not an issue. My arse is in pretty good shape, thank you very much, which is another key point of divergence from the SP-1 norm!
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Obviously you won't ever be bouncing off the speed limiter in top at 186mph because that would just be silly.
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