When is it ok to get a 1000cc?

1) I have been reading on different forums and majority of people have been suggesting and making great points on why a 600 would be a wiser choice than a 1k  for the inexperienced. It all makes sense to me, and I don't have
a great rebuttle to justify my undying desire for a litre. I have had a gsxr 600
for a few years and put under 10k miles on it. Sold it. and now want an R1.

I always hear people saying the 600 is great bike to take to twisties and to
the track than taking a 1k, and more forgiving for the ill experienced.

2) so i am wondering if there are any stories out there who have upped to a 1k and developed adequate skills on the track and twisties? i guess i'm looking for someone to justify
my already "made up" mind

let's here the criticisms...

3) also, i know both a 600 and litres are more than enough machine for most. and i know that there are only a handful who are able to really harness its potential. but none of it should be doing it on the street.
when is it ok to get a 1000 then?  

If your "mind is already made up" about getting an R1, what difference is justification from someone you don't know going to make? That's like saying "I'm going to jump off this cliff because someone on a forum said it was OK..."

10K miles on a 600 "in a few years" is very little riding experience. You need a lot more before you'll be able to come anywhere close to exploiting the performance of a 1000.  

yeah, you're right. i don't think anything could change my mind at this point. even if i heard the worst story on a 1k vs a 600. but i was just looking for a great "success story." ehh call me foolish or irresponsible, but any responses would be appreciated. Thanks guys  

Personally, I've never understood the fascination with liter bikes. But if you are dedicated to properly learning track riding technique and all that jazz, then growing and developing your skills with a 1000 could provide a lot more personal gratification compared to "just" a 600. Good luck with the R1; they are fantastic machines.  

bkong:
But if you are dedicated to properly learning track riding technique and all that jazz, then growing and developing your skills with a 1000 could provide a lot more personal gratification compared to "just" a 600.

I disagree. I think that getting the most possible out of the machine (which in turn allows you to get more out of yourself) provides more "personal gratification" than just how big an engine your bike has. And riding a 1000 before you're ready won't grow and develop your riding skills because you'll always be tip-toeing around the engine's tremendous power. You won't learn the intricacies of working with an engine's powerband, or selecting the right gear for a corner, because you'll always be rolling through in the lower rpms to keep the engine power from getting beyond your grasp (and if you try to step it up without the skills and experience necessary, more often than not you'll end up on the bad side of a mistake). You won't learn about proper braking and sensing your speed while slowing because you'll be too busy panicking to slow down every time you try to use any major portion of a literbike's substantial power that generates serious speed.

As an analogy to the newbie stickie at the top of this forum, you don't learn to juggle chainsaws by saying "I'm going to properly learn technique and all that jazz"...you're still juggling chainsaws, and your first mistake could be your last. You start off by learning on something less demanding.

Some people say that "you can go just as fast on a 600 as you can on a 1000, so your chances of getting hurt are the same." The problem with that argument is that it takes considerable skill to extract that kind of performance from a 600, whereas on a 1000, you basically just twist the throttle because their power is so abundant.

So back to the original post, "10K miles in a few years" is very little riding experience in my opinion. You'll need a lot more than that to understand what riding a 1000 properly requires.  

a 1000 is all for the sake of having a 1000 to me. yes, i've heard the lower end torque advantages and of course, "my (noun of choice) is bigger than your (same noun). it's true. i really was just looking for the other side, the justification of getting a 1k in my particular case. foolish. yes. i've had a couple of friends who've had r1's as a first bike and have been fine. keyword: fine. Now, i'm not saying they've unlocked the bikes full potential and are very skilled riders. ahhh. Thanks everyone for your input  

jsxr14s:
i really was just looking for the other side, the justification of getting a 1k in my particular case. foolish. yes. i've had a couple of friends who've had r1's as a first bike and have been fine. keyword: fine. Now, i'm not saying they've unlocked the bikes full potential and are very skilled riders.

A big part of the reason for learning to exploit a bike's performance (as much as possible...it's not expected that everyone has to become the next Valentino Rossi) is not just for being able to go fast. It's for being able to have the skill to control your bike when something beyond your control (like a car pulling in front of you) occurs.

There are plenty of people who have survived plane crashes or falls from great heights. Does that mean everyone who will be in a plane crash or fall off a cliff will be "fine"?

You're already involved in a high-risk sport. Attempting to justify a completely ego-based decision to substantially increase that risk will be a pretty empty search.  

When you can ride the wheels off of a 600 so to speak your are ready for a liter bike. I think the best idea is to work up to it in increments. But I am an old guy and you know how we are ha ha.  
There are worse things than death cowardice is one of them.

I did 25,000 miles on a 2000 model R6 in 18 months (my first proper bike after riding a year on 125cc bikes) before I made the step to an 04 R1.

And I only moved up because I wanted a more modern bike as the R6 was getting tired with almost 35,000 miles on the clock.

There shouldn't be a hurry up time to move up to a more powerful bike...In fact the R1, although it was superbly built, had some disadvantages in that it felt heavier and slower steering compared to the R6 and I had to recalibrate my brain for the extra stopping distances required for the easier speed.

I loved the way I could ride the R6 like a 2 stroke...Basically at full throttle everywhere, but I could never even use 3 quarter throttle of the R1 on the road.

Saying all that, the R1 allowed me to learn a load more motorcycle handling skills and I first learnt how to get my knee down on it, but without the prior experience, I don't think this would have been the case.

Get whatever bike you want, but be prepared to adjust a lot of your riding for more power, and you'll have to learn how to properly use the brakes too  

Just my experiences so far.  

Wow Kento makes some good points.

Sounds strangely familiar to me especially about the riding the wrong gears through corners....Doesn't happen so much on the road, but I can't shake the habit on track.

Also, braking is my weakest area in track riding.

Perhaps I jumped onto litres too soon.

Oooh, but I love them....I love the power, and it's ok that the bike is better than me...I'm never gonna give up learning because bikes are now part of my life...And I feel safe in the fact that I'll never outgrow my current litre GSX-R 1K K5  

>>Wow Kento makes some good points.

Agreed, as having too few miles under your belt may be a problem. But even more than miles traveled it's mentality and approach. If you have the respect for the bigger bike and are willing to take the time to learn how to ride it which is obviously different than a 600 you can make the transition. 600's allow you to explore near the limits (true limits shouldn't be explored on the streets) with a little less drama. Litre bikes added power and quicker tire spin potential require more judicious throttle response. I have a friend who bought an R1 several years ago as his first sportbike coming from the cruiser world and he never fully became comfortable pressing that bike close to what we could on our 600's.  

It all depends on your driving and the way you use the bike. If you're riding full throtle all the time the liter bike will kill ya, but if you have good throtle control and ride easy and respect the bikes power you should be ok.

I have a KTM RC8 and a honda cbr600rr. Riding on the road a The bigger bike lets you be lazy 'cause of the torgue and power I don't have to sift gears as much to owertake and to pull out of corners. The Ktm is verry nimble for a big bike and corners beautyfully but still on the track, twisties and in conditions where grip is limited the 600 is more fun. On track days I lap faster on the 600 than the 1149 KTM 'cause I can carry more corner speed and have more confedence in giving it ful gas without too much issues with grip.  

Besides everything thats been pointed out here in these replys, theres insurance to 'live' with. Your going to be paying astronomical rates..............guarranteed. Do you want to spend that 'throw-away' income on nothing more than 'LOOKS'? I'v got an 06 R6 that will scare the jebus out of me.....I'm 58, yea....an old man, still paying alot for insurance....and its for PL &PD, not full coverage. I'v been riding for 43 years, I'm pretty good...... on the decline now, but still a kneedrager. Throtle control when your leaned to the edge of your tires is not something to be taken lightly, too much and you low-side, too little and you go down.............. theres a fine edge there, only when you'v got the 'feel' can you do it right, and only for a fiew times in a row before you have an ooops moment. Unless you have alot of skill that ooops moment is going to cost you time and money. Time in like the other rider is way out in front now....not a bad kind of 'time, but the other 'time' is you rebuilding (or the shop) your bike and the money that it cost for plastic and whatever else got slammed. thats the time and money that a litre bike comes with if you don't respect it like GOD, only this GOD is NOT forgiving at all, infact he will eat you alive and spit you out in a heartbeat or two. As I said, I can ride......yet a litre bike would be the last thing I'd want to be thinking of controling. It's frikin a very difficult bike to throtle through curves my friend, and it weighs a ton to be slinging back and forth, you got big gunns? I mean forceps and biceps? A litre bike looks 'cool' and all, but as far as I'm concerned the Aniversary R6 cant be toutched............... were talking looks..... and their subjective, and others with other bikes will dissagree. If you must have a litre bike  then get a Ducati or MV Agusta, because at 20 plus K you won't dare do anything stupid or get in over your head, it'll cost too much to allow shenanigans. You'll likely read all this and just dismiss it as the rants of a bunch of 'loosers' but you will learn......one way or the other...................be safe and Gods speed my friend.  

AS MotoMark1 says "litre bikes power and quicker tire spin potential require more judicious throttle response" ........He's not exagerating an 'nth.....period!!!!!!  

Don't know if you have made the decision or not, but one of the things that they teach in the MSF course is managing risk.  The question, is how much risk are you comfortable with?  How much risk SHOULD you be comfortable with?  As a rule, the things that these guys are saying are very true.  I would only add that the simplest mistake (e.g. target fixation) can be the demise of the both experienced and inexperienced riders.  I've seen many people go down on 600cc and 1000cc race bikes, from various riding skill levels.  Some even die from their injuries. Bottom line, whatever you end up getting, never ride above your head. Any bike can be fun as well as dangerous.  Don't be persuaded to get a bigger displacement bike because you feel like the smaller bike is weak or not enough.  Get the bigger bike because you have graduated in skill and are ready for a new riding experience, which will include increased risk.  If you are ready, get the tools to be safe. Get geared up with a proper helmet, gloves, footwear, jacket and legwear.  600cc race bikes are not for beginners or the uneducated, much less a 1000cc bikes.  However, I've seen a rider start on a Hayabusa and do well... he only wrecked once or twice and only broke a few bones! It's about education AND safety.  My advice: take an MSF course, ride safely, have fun, and take out a good term life insurance policy on yourself!  You may need it!