Is the GSX-R really that much better than the Ducati

January 18, 10:00 AMDC Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMark Poesch

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A reader was surprised by my comment that the Ducati turn-in was significantly more sluggish than my Suzuki GSX-R1000.  But, keep in mind that it was a Ducati GT1000... not a 999, 1098, or this year's 1198.
 
From my perspective, the Ducati sport-bikes are all neck-n-neck with the Japanese sport bikes.  After a number of years on top, the Suzuki GSXR1000 and GSX-R750 have been displaced by Honda's CBR1000RR.  But the new Yamaha R1 looks awesome (as always), and all of them, really, are ridiculously capable.  It's really down to personal taste; no rider will ever come close to (legally) using the power and capabilities of these bikes on the roads around this area.

I've read a number of accounts of the 999 having so much torque in the low range that uncareful throttle use has resulted in an upside-down bike.  So, it's not a beginner bike!  On the other hand, although the GSX-R1000 is certainly not a "beginner" bike, it is extremely tame.  It'll go nuts if you tell it to -- but it's 100% down to the rider.  A rider without self-discipline can kill themselves within six seconds (e.g., crash in a corner at 100 MPH) -- but I've been riding my gixer for over two years, and have never had the bike do anything I didn't tell it to do.

That said, my riding experience on non-Suzuki equipment is pretty limited (three bikes away from nil).  But, that's something I'll be working to change this year.  In the meantime, check out what the guys over at Sport Rider and Fast Bikes are saying.  (The 1198S and KTM video on the Fast Bikes site "Video: The Latest Bike Action Footage" are worth a look.)