Me thinks this line up was geared to ensure a victory for the Ninja
I was going to say the exact same thing. There is no liter bike I'd consider a middle weight. If they wanted a fair comparison for the Ninja 1000, they could put it up against the Speed Triple, FZ1 (perhaps FZ-09), CB1000, etc.You couldn't really call the Ninja 1000 a "middle weight" I suppose. You'd have to compare with the FJR1200 as well which is regarded as the best sports tourer.
I want more of the manufacturers than slapping out a few naked bikes every few months.
Personally, I'm looking for light weight for good cornering but also comfortable for long duration rides. (ie : release one of those naked bikes with a fairing and without extending the suspension to make it a pseudo adventure bike)
It's like they've got the naked and adventure rose coloured glasses on up in HQ for a few years now. Maybe the radiation is in the water now ?
I think I'll just get a riser kit for a CBR1000 for the next bike, nothing is grabbing me by the balls for the last few years.
I think they chose these bikes because they all have curb weights below 600 pounds and are priced competitively. The bike that I think should have been included is the BMW F800GT, even though it probably had no chance of winning.You couldn't really call the Ninja 1000 a "middle weight" I suppose. You'd have to compare with the FJR1200 as well which is regarded as the best sports tourer.
I thought the article was pretty objective with each tester giving their personal reasons for the choices they made. One of them picked the Interceptor. Everyone is different and we all buy based on our own preferences.Me thinks this line up was geared to ensure a victory for the Ninja
i was riding my nephews street triple for an extended period on sunday and i realized yet again what i like about fairings. Too much wind pushing you around. Plus the fairings just look better. The only faired bikes Yamaha is going to have left is the R1 and R6. Seems like if you can engineer all this sophisticated crap you could engineer one that you could sell with or without fairings. Maybe if they put one on the fZ09 it would keep the front on the ground a little I may have to look at kawi for my next bike i really like the look of the ninja 1k. the FJR is pretty cool too, it could replace both my bikes but im small and a little afraid of the weight/size. I am going to try and demo one at the show.I think they chose these bikes because they all have curb weights below 600 pounds and are priced competitively. The bike that I think should have been included is the BMW F800GT, even though it probably had no chance of winning.
The FJR1200 is probably a light-heaxy weight. In regards to the best current sport touring bike, it seems like the press is smitten w/ the new R1200RT.
I thought the article was pretty objective with each tester giving their personal reasons for the choices they made. One of them picked the Interceptor. Everyone is different and we all buy based on our own preferences.
Personally, they're all too heavy for me. I'd be more into something about the same weight as the fz6r w/ a lower center of gravity and the power/torque of an 800.
Come on Yamaha - where's the fj-09?