Feck was it cold, but its good HP weather. Brought the ol 9R out of hibernation for a rematch against another FI 1000...this time a stone stock 1000RR.

1000RR: Flush mount front signals, 520 with -1 up front, Double bubble windshield

9R: Flush mount front signals, 520, piped.

9R rider was about 40-50 lbs lighter than the 1000RR rider...and it was quite evident....initial low speed and midrange runs proved close...but as the revs started piling on the 9R floated away....low speed 5th gear pulls had the 9R singing away as Ram Air induced power had it passing the 130 hp mark.

Head to head from a low speed roll I ran about 9/10ths ability on the 9R settling in and shadowing the flanks of the 1000RR....somewhere in 5th I decided that was all the thrust I was going to see from the 1000RR and rider so I stopped short shifting and layed into it and pulled away in 6th.

Hopped on the 1000RR....1st pass from 3500 rpms in 1st had it singing 174.3 mph on the rev limiter at about the 7/10 to 7.5/10ths mile mark. Went at it again deep in 1st, clicked 2nd at the start position and was on the rather soft rev limiter for a longer distance, this time pulling a hair slower of 173.6 mph. On less expensive or cheaper devices both of the speeds would have been recorded and displayed as "174"....but when measuring at the tenths you can see things a little more clearly. The slightly lower speed 2nd time around was probably more due to GPS refresh rate rather than an actual LOWER speed.

Still fun, and the 1000RR did better than I thought with the speedo pegged at 185 and -1 on the front. A little less steam down low....the build up is less dramatic, requiring more throttle for the same gusto as the ol 9R...but up top displacement, weight and HP come into play and even with the aftermarket windscreen there was significantly more turbulance on the 1000RR than the 9R.

As for the handling and braking, no question the 1000RR had it covered but the 9's heft just needed to be "directed"...much like a woman that sometimes needs to be told what to do but secretly likes it, it excelled when pushed harder and seemed cumbersome (cumbersome being a relative term in this case) at neutral throttle through the corners, whereas the 1000RR was fine with small nuances.

Everyday bike: 9R hands down. Twisties....1000RR. I didn't have time to regear the 9R to see if it could make a good showing considering it was on the rev limiter at the 5/10ths last time....next time.

Measured distance from "official" roll-on point is .82 miles with a light decline up to the .80 mark, then a leveling and slight incline at the traps. Some of the guys roll it a little earlier...about .85 miles.

A.

Interesting that an older bike like that can run with the newer toys. I believe sport rider did a comparo between first and current generation GSXR1ks. They bought a clean 01, upgraded it to the point where it was "worth" what a new 1k is and then ran them. The new, stock bike trounced the older, upgraded bike every time.

depends on the bike. They did the same with an 02 zx6r and an 03 636. When they modded the 02 it was very close to the 636. So it just depends on the specific bike.

I was surprised too, especially with the 5th gear low RPM pulls. Remember that even though the ZX-9R makes about low 120s HP, at 1/4 mile speed it picks up 8 RWHP...and at 160-165 the HP picks up to about 135!

The CBR 1000 is faster, but rider weight makes a difference in these type of runs. The 9R being LESS wheelie prone under WOT conditions, slightly larger and more spacious meant getting going from 1st gear was easier.

The CBR 1000 being -1 was geared pretty well for that place with that rider under those conditions with those mods. Pipe/pc3/filter and tuned ... I'd probably pull more if he went to stock gearing.

The 9R on the other hand needs IMO to go UP ONE in the front...we had a 17 tooth we were going to bolt up but I didn't get the 9R until it was time to roll out. Next time!

A.

Interesting read, guys... Thanks!!