Mythbusters - 1000cc vs 600cc

Fact or fiction...1000cc vs 600cc same rider, same skills, same seat time on both bike,can carry more corner speed on a 600 than a 1000?  

All things being equal, it can be true. But real life is never perfectly equal, and there are too many variables involved to make it a completely ironclad blanket statement. To wit, you can argue just what part of the corner that question is focusing on. To use a literbike to its full strengths (i.e., its power) means that it's often better to run the bike in hard, slow it down and get it turned, then fire out of the corner. Which means that the literbike will be faster on the entry and exit of the corner, but the 600 will have more mph in the middle. Then there's what type of corner (an increasing radius corner will favor the literbike), the riding style of the particular rider, etc. etc.

But generally speaking, it's more difficult to exploit the performance of a 1000 through corners, so if the rider is of less than expert skill level, the rider will more than likely be able to carry more average corner speed through most types of corners.

And to quote seven-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin: "The term 'corner speed' is overrated."  

What is better depends on lots of variables. But holding variables such as rider ability, tires, setup and others constants then it would depend on the environment. If we are talking race tracks then type would make a difference, if it's a tight technical track I'd give the edge to the 600 but if it's a more flowing track with long straights then the Hp of the superbikes/literbikes would have an advantage. For the street most of the time the 600 is a better tool because of the more forgiving traits and power. But for more advanced riders the extra power of the 1000 is helpful but not always necessary. That's why out of all the bikes I've ridden the GSXR 750 is the best compromise as it gives you a little more power than a 600 but with comparable handling and weight.

Nothing against Mladin but the MotoGP guys may disagree about the corner speed thing.  

An interesting aspect is the fact that some of the 1000s come close to the 600s in weight and chassis dimensions yet the 600s somehow seem to still have that edge in manueverability.  

The only explanation that might explain this perception is that the crank shaft in the 1000 likely has a longer stroke and therefore a bigger crank and therefore more gyrostatic force as compared to the 600's crank shaft.  

OK, so what if the 1000 had the same crank as the 600 but bigger bores?  

Nah, the 600s generally have narrower wheels; that's probably most of it.