2009 Literbike Shootout

28041 Views 51 Replies 32 Participants Last post by Flynn, Mar 8, 2010

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Discussion Starter · Apr 27, 2009

It's been nearly 12 years since I began working as a full-time motojournalist, and I get wistful for those simpler days. Back then, the literbikes (CBR900RR, ZX-9R, GSX-R1100 and YZF1000) were separated by nearly 100 pounds of weight and huge power disparities, and ergonomics ranged from racetrack refugee to something we now call sport-tour-y. Even a neophyte motojourno could pick a clear winner.

But today, we're stuck in a world of finely honed and fully featured literbikes whose level of diversity is amazingly insignificant. They all haul ass around a racetrack, chassis geometry distinctions are measured in fractions, and peak horsepower differs only by about 5%. Unless you're a nationally ranked Superbike racer, each of these bikes is way better than you are, and saying one is significantly better than another is mere hair-splitting.

If a person could ride a bike blindfolded (maybe next shootout…), they'd be hard-pressed to discern which literbike they were on. Jumping from one model to another at the racetrack, it was astounding to be fully comfortable running quick laps immediately on another brand's bike, as they all have remarkably high performance envelopes yet are amazingly user-friendly for what are essentially road-bound missiles.

More: 2009 Literbike Shootout on Motorcycle.com

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Crazy @ss Supervisor

· #2 · Apr 27, 2009

New Yamaha 09 R1 finishes dead last? Oh gawd thats funneeeee. :lol

The boys over at the R1 Forum must be really :crying

Mtalicarox

· #3 · Apr 27, 2009

Bahaha. R1 Rtehsux

AMA-R1

· #4 · Apr 27, 2009

Seemed like the story ended when they were done with talking about the duc, what about the rest of the bikes?

AMA-R1

· #5 · Apr 27, 2009

It was a purely biased event with no pure winner based on performance, if it had been performance based either the R1 or GSXR would have won. I consider them to be incompetent at reporting after watching there horrible lines around Willow, I am a very competent racer at that track and they looked way off form.
scott

BlownChevelle

· #6 · Apr 28, 2009

Shit who cares

GixxR_750

· #7 · Apr 28, 2009

AMA-R1 said:
It was a purely biased event with no pure winner based on performance, if it had been performance based either the R1 or GSXR would have won.scott

+1 dude I find it hard to believe that the ZX beat the gixxer

...BUZZ...

· #8 · Apr 28, 2009

nearly every mag in europe has the zx10r 3rd or last and the honda at number one with the gsxr and the R1 fighting for second place,,,??????

AMA-R1

· #9 · Apr 28, 2009

LOL these ass clowns are gettin paid by honduh, gotta be the answer look at the other yrs winner its always a honduh with these guys.

chrisOH

· #10 · Apr 29, 2009

Yeah only thing I pay attention to American Journalist is Numbers, and for any major things they come up with.

I wonder if any of them had tried to take a Honda CBR apart (at least the 07 model), what a cluster *$(#.

Europeans are the only ones who give true un biased reports on the bikes.

SLAGixxer

· #11 · Apr 29, 2009

live4speed said:
appearance? WTF!?!?! how can they put that into a comparo? and then give it to Honda??? thats a very opinion based catergory, and in my opinion Suzuki and Kawasaki's bikes look the best...

Agreed. That shouldn't be part of it. FWIW, I don't care for the look of the Honda at all.

Crazy @ss Supervisor

· #12 · Apr 30, 2009

GixxR_750 said:
+1 dude I find it hard to believe that the ZX beat the gixxer

Hard to believe?

RoadRacing World just released their 2009 Shootout Results

1. Honda (not great at anything, but good at everything)
2. Kawasaki (voted best engine, most HP, and set fastest lap time)
3. Suzuki (not as impressive as last years model, not much good to say)
4. Yamaha R1 (Fat, Heavy, and NO top end)

3 Last place finishes in a row for 09 R1 in the below shootouts.

Masterbike
Motorcycle.com
RoadRacing World

I'm just the messenger.

Remember, when shootouts don't go your way, just ignore them as irrelevant as that is what everyone else does, or claim that the journalists doing them must have been paid off by the winner. Works for me.

[email protected]

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GixxR_750

· #13 · Apr 30, 2009

Crazy @ss Supervisor said:
Remember, when shootouts don't go your way, just ignore them as irrelevant as that is what everyone else does, or claim that the journalists doing them must have been paid off by the winner. Works for me.
[email protected]

That was exactly my point, that's why I said "hard to believe." But to your point I should have said "I don't believe"

MikeHump

· #14 · Apr 30, 2009

magazine reviews are always biased in one way or another. if you want a real review, go out and ride the bikes yourself. :cheers

pepelu

· #15 · May 7, 2009 (Edited)

...BUZZ... said:
nearly every mag in europe has the zx10r 3rd or last and the honda at number one with the gsxr and the R1 fighting for second place,,,??????

Ina spanish test on a well known motorbikes magazine they took some journalist from Italy, Austria, Spain, Germany and US and lapped all japanese bikes and de ducati arround the Calafat circuit (know to be a circuit with slow corners) and many of the best times were made with the suzuki and the overall best time of all riders and bikes was made by the SUZUKI

unk

All the test made on the 09 model alone have something in common: It´s hard to say something bad about this bike.

Even without a crossplane crank suzuki f****** rules

MOKE1K

· #16 · May 8, 2009

Dont get upset at what a motojournalist picks as the best model or how they go about determining it. I never read anything without a grain or a couple grains of salt. Who cares, I'd rather read a compairision from a actual racer, then pick out how it translates to me and what Iam even using the bike for. By the way the Honda is the ugliest, hands down.

And remember the syling q's are coming from Motogp. One reason they are all losing the fairings and tails. I stopped buing bikes off looks along time ago!

killa kali

· #17 · May 9, 2009

the R1 had no top end? :scratch i think you mean bottom-end, cuz the Yammi's make their most power after 10k rpm. Looks are purely opinion based but i dunno how you can disagree that the Kawi is by far the ugliest of them all...oh well...it's not really about looks anywho...

i wouldn't pay attention to any of these reviews except for the numbers (like someone mentioned above)

you have to ride them all yourself and pick the one that fits you best...

anybody have pics of the K9 1k with aftermarket pipes???

frankrizzo

· #18 · May 12, 2009

I still haven't seen any reason to buy a new bike. My '06 gixxer thou still blows my mind with its lightweight, overall competence, handling and mind numbing power delivery. It still makes me feel all googly inside!!!

Crazy @ss Supervisor

· #19 · May 12, 2009

frankrizzo said:
I still haven't seen any reason to buy a new bike. My '06 gixxer thou still blows my mind with its lightweight, overall competence, handling and mind numbing power delivery. It still makes me feel all googly inside!!!

And its probably paid for, or close to it. :cheers

chrisOH

· #20 · May 12, 2009

frankrizzo said:
I still haven't seen any reason to buy a new bike. My '06 gixxer thou still blows my mind with its lightweight, overall competence, handling and mind numbing power delivery. It still makes me feel all googly inside!!!

Yeah I have been disappointed with my K6 Midrange and was about to dump 2-3 grand in it to make some monster midrange.

Till I sat on a K9.. Now I have to have a K9. The only other bike I had to have was 98 CBR 900 (lost one in house fire, then bought another after a K1 and K3 1k due to looks and comfort) blk and red. Now I sat on the K9 and I am sold. For my build (short upper body) the seating is heaven.

The seat is nice and soft like the K1 was, and the reach to the bars feels similar to a K6 Busa.

I even like the Burgundy color.

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