Is a 1000cc 150bhp sports bike the sweet spot for road riding? Suzuki thinks so

Noobie

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It probably is TBH. 200+ bhp with a complex suite of electronic safety that are being constantly triggered to cover the rider's arse seems a bit pointless. I bet most track riders would also be faster on a bike they can boss rather than one that has to hold their hand. Same goes for supernakeds. 200 bhp with wings isn't going to make you any faster when you'll never use more than about 130 bhp anyway. People forget the peak power figures are taken at maximum revs with the throttle against the stop. No one actuallt ever rides like that on the road.

Chris Northover did a vid on Bike World reviewing an old RC8R. He reckoned it was the greatest real life sports bike for the road ever. 150 bhp from an engine overflowing with thump and character, no electronics and an impeccable chassis. It's all you need.
 
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It probably is TBH. 200+ bhp with a complex suite of electronic safety that are being constantly triggered to cover the rider's arse seems a bit pointless. I bet most track riders would also be faster on a bike they can boss rather than one that has to hold their hand. Same goes for supernakeds. 200 bhp with wings isn't going to make you any faster when you'll never use more than about 130 bhp anyway. People forget the peak power figures are taken at maximum revs with the throttle against the stop. No one actuallt ever rides like that on the road.

Chris Northover did a vid on Bike World reviewing an old RC8R. He reckoned it was the greatest real life sports bike for the road ever. 150 bhp from an engine overflowing with thump and character, no electronics and an impeccable chassis. It's all you need.
It still won't stop lads wanting 200+bhp my panigale was remapped with a full termi system it has 200 bhp on the dyno, ive used probably two thirds of that if even that. It was remapped because the fueling was fucking abysmal to the point the tuner said he wasn't sure if the ecu was for the 1299 but I bought it because I always thought it was a gorgeous bike ... if you want you can turn all the electronics off but from experience its fucking a handful.. glad I bought it as they all got wings after that
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It still won't stop lads wanting 200+bhp my panigale was remapped with a full termi system it has 200 bhp on the dyno, ive used probably two thirds of that if even that. It was remapped because the fueling was fucking abysmal to the point the tuner said he wasn't sure if the ecu was for the 1299 but I bought it because I always thought it was a gorgeous bike ... if you want you can turn all the electronics off but from experience its fucking a handful.. glad I bought it as they all got wings after that View attachment 174160View attachment 174161
It's a shame they never made a streetfighter with the 1299 engine. 180 bhp would have been more than enough to compete with any of them out there today.

Though I think the biggest trick Ducati missed was discontinuing the 1260 DVT. It's a sublime mill and IMO the best desmo they ever made. The engine in my Diavel was an utter joy - once Termi-ed and remapped. I've always felt that the performance gulf between the V2 SF and the V4 is too great. The V2 makes less power than the old 848 SF. A great bike, I don't doubt, but the 1260 was just made for a supernaked for those who want a roadster over an adventure bike. Mine Diavel had so much character, so much instant torque everywhere from the DVT that it never felt frenzied yet monstrous thrust was just a very controllable twist away. And it was never tetchy or restless if you just wanted to bimble and enjoy the scenery. KTMs V-twins are restless. They want to be ragged all the time. The 1260 had a more varied personality.
My Diavel was 150 bhp and 94 ft/lb at the wheel after the Termi and the remap and was ridiculously easy to ride with the flat torque curve. Always felt I was in charge, not the bike. Though saying all that, the Diavel's wheel base and huge rear contact patch meant you could take liberties that would make a more skittish supernaked feel unstable. If they could have managed to marry the Diavel's planted stability with a supernaked's lesser bulk I think they would have had a surefire winner on their hands.
 
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