S2R's vs Jap 600's

[Mr.Number]

Any Monster 1000, or S2R 1000/800 riders ever been involved in a tussle with a 600, or just a ride along with one.

Wondering how you got on, and how you found the bike against the 600.

2 completely different bikes i appreciate, but are about to test ride both.

[Yorkie]

Jap 600's of a similar style or sports bike style?

Yorkie

[uksurfer]

my mates got a gsxr 600, and occasionally ride with him, he is a 'inexperienced' newbie rider, the only difference i think is that i can pull away in any gear, and he has to drop about two gears to get his bike moving to catch up, on the straights were about even, but we don't race!
Just mine and his opinion, and as i say, he has only had a licence about a year!
But if i was going for a IL4, i would go 750 i think. HTH

[Yorkie]

On a 600 Monster i could stick with most of my mates on Jap 600's on the back roads and on the track, but on the straights they could just wind it up.

Now with a 900 engine i have no dramas with most of my mates bikes, they have noticed i actually brake for corners now, when i was on the 600 Monster, i just kept it pinned!!!

I think its all about the rider and what you want from a bike ..... IMHO!!

Yorkie

[Mr.Number]

Sorry yorkie, yeah i meant 600 sports, gsxr and the likes.

[sburrows87]

Well, coming from a 2001 zx6r (ninja) onto a 620 monster, I can say that the ninja was faster (but it should be, being 100+ brake!) but it didn't have the low down grunt the monster has and it wasn't even in the same league as the monster in terms of feeling, looks and character!! / Just my 2p though!

[hungermonkey]

I had a CBR 600 just after I passed my test (having spent a year on a CG125) & it was amazing, just kept on accelerating up thru the revs to 18/19k, took my breath away. But it was very heavy and not too practical weaving in traffic. Also the lent over riding position I found pretty uncomfortable with the stop start of London traffic. I think it's much like a ferrari, great performance but not many places you can actually enjoy that on the road.

Now I have a M750 which is a completely different beast, I brought it because it was a childhood fantasy to have a monster and when I first heard it (in a garage) the sound just blew me away, much more beautiful than the high pitched wine of a 600 and beautiful in a very different way. Performance wise its much more practical for road driving, a lot lighter & easier in traffic (despite pants turning circle!) and a more comfortable riding position. Less flighty on the acceleration and beautiful grunt as it goes up through the revs (a passion of mine is hearing car alarms go off as I ride past) :devil:

Not sure that helps!

[Nickj]

On good twisty roads without too many straights my 750 handles them quite adequately, throw in straights and their top end wins.
As yorkie said it's really all down to the roads and the riders, round the forest I know where I'm going which means I'll take on most anything :)
I never feel that I'm working as hard on the monster as I did on the jap sports bikes, the fat flat power curves mean you don't bog if you're out a gear. The 750 feels much less frantic at the same speed.

[LouSCannon]

At Cadwell I got stuck behind a youngish lad on a R6 when I was on my old 695. I was all over him in the corners but on any of the straights he easily pulled away from me once he gathered some pace on the exit, despite me carrying more speed out of the corner then him.

I'm sure I could have got past him if I had more experience in the more technical sections, but for a whole session he frustrated me.... hope to see him again now I'm on the S4Rs!

Horses for courses I guess. I've always loved the sound and grunt of a Ducati, but those Japs do make good machines for the track, as soulless as they feel (In my opinion).

[Blah blah]

I found with my old gsxr600 that you had to rev the t1ts off it to get anywhere, and you had to be going like a tw4t all the time to appreciate its abilities. Now, on my (old) 750 I can go like a tw4t or just pootle and still have fun surprising much more modern ILJ4s...

[Nickj]

are about to test ride both.

That's going to be tough, you're talking chalk and cheese in riding styles and the ride itself.
An S2 will feel harsh alongside the jap bike, the suspension not as plush but you'll probably like the feel of the motor.
I'd go for the S2 myself but I do admit to a bit of bias.

[mholc123]

My brother had a Triumph 600 Speed 4 and that was as fast as my S4r on the straights, but he had to do a Fred Astaire on the gear lever whereas I was just opening the throttle. I have had various Jap 4's over the years the last one being a CBR600. In the end to enjoy the CBR I had to ride at 11/10ths all the time and would have ended up killing myself. I got my first 900 monster and loved it, the torque and the riding experience far surpassed any jap 4. One day i was riding on the Merthyr to brecon dual carriageway which is a twisty road and got overtaken by a GSXR750 on the straight, but I kicked his arse in the corners even going around the outside of him at one point suffice to say ducati's do handle. It was at this point I decided to buy an S4r which can keep up on the straights but still mullered them in the corners - from my experience I would say don't buy a soulless 4 but a cool twin, in the real world (away from MCN) the Monster is much more practical and much prettier. :yoparty:

[BluprintZ]

I have a mate who was always ribbing me about the M900, or any Monster being a "girls" bike, he owns a Yam genesis 1000.
I accepted that his bike was much faster than mine, so on any ride-outs i would just go at my own pace.
That was before i re-built the Monster last winter...and before i got the new Bridgestones.
Just after the weekender last May, i got the bike dyno'd then had the new tyres fitted.
Feck me! (pardon?), it was a totaly different bike and the handling was transformed radically.
He still hasn't forgiven me for passing him on the outside, on the twisties into Betwys y coed, although he hasn't called Monsters a "girls" bike since!...i rest my case yr`honour.
I still miss my Monster, i really do.

G ; ) :D.

(ps; my Thruxton handles like a shopping trolly, compared to the Monster).

[Arbeia]

I raced a zzr 600 with my s2r 800 from the lights and i`m sad to say he left me standing lol

[Thirdway]

It's all about the rider really. With a sensible bunch of lads on public roads the 1100 is fine. Start winding things up and you could stay in touch depending on the road but things are starting to get daft at the point when I would be left behind which is probably around 100+ primarily because having no real wind protection is a massive disadvantage. Play those sort of games for too long and the roulette wheel of fate will eventually strike you out either from an accident or by the long arm of HM Police.

Never been on a track with the bike, I'm guessing with equal riders aboard the 600 sports bike would disappear into the distance.........as if I cared :mand: Want to go mad then buy an R1 or a Blade, you can rest easy in the knowledge that if you playing top trumps then you will win out mightily against the 600's.

Buying a Monster is for me all about buying something more than a high efficiency rocket. I accept that the bike is not about road racing and as far as I'm concerned, if someone wants to go faster than me then I let them. I'm in my own little world enjoying the feel of riding something that communicates with me.

I happily go out for a ride with the guys from the Street Triple forum, there is no competition, everyone rides sensibly and there is plenty of opportunity to get your knee down without big speeds and mad overtaking manouveres playing a hand. No one is out to prove anything so bike performance does not come into it.

Ride what you like, if anyone wants to ride with you then thats fine. If you feel intimidated by getting overtaken by someone on another bike, well that's entirely your business.

[jerry]

On ultimate speed the jap 4s win , but on class ,sound and handling its Ducati all the way.

[pegboy]

When i was looking for a bike, a mate was selling his GSZR 600, we talked about it i wasn't sure so he let me ride it over the weekend to see if i liked it. Well i brought a monster instead.

[Scott1]

After a ride out on my old S2R with some ukmocers last Summer, I had to leave a bit early, on my way back I met up a guy with a new CBR 600 and one on a GIXR who were safe but quick, I don't think I've ever ridden so hard and fast in my life and I couldn't get anywhere near them, the newer 600's are just very quick these days. I've had a Hornet before and that was great fun but I missed the Monster vibe so I went back, M600 now, it's like a steam train compared to some bikes but I absolutely love it...aahh those Leo Vinci's, you don't get that sound on an in-line 4.

[johnsy]

Having owned fours, a triple, now a twin, it take more skill to ride a four flat out, realistically not many people can get 70% out of a four, which is why us monster lovers will stay with them.

A good example, my mates raced for years, him on a 400 import, the rest of us on a range of 1000, he still left us all for dead while giving us a wave mid corner...

[sburrows87]

What's the point in going quick though when we have such beautiful bikes :)

[Nickj]

What's the point in going quick though when we have such beautiful bikes :)

Indeedeee gotta let the public see and feel the vibes (or in my case a kind of visceral rumble)