Does anyone actually need a 1 liter sport-bike?

Question

Disclaimer; I believe anybody should be able to buy whatever they want and I have nothing against them. Except for use on the track, who needs a bike with so much power? Doing 100 mph wheelies are fun (I guess?) but what else do you do with them? No lame answers such as ( a real rider would know) or (If you don't know, I can't explain). Being fat doesn't count as a reason.

I ask because my nephew wants one. ( he does know how to ride.)

Or a Hummer. At least the sports car would have the benefit of good handling.

Answer 1

Let me start off by saying that in the hands of good rider nothing is too much. There are many reasons to own a large displacement sportbike and in many cases they can be easier to ride due to their smoother, lower revving power delivery. My last bike, a Honda 599 (599cc) always needed to be kept above 3000 rpms for smooth opperation and would often need to be revved well over 6000 rpms in regular driving conditions and cruised on the highway at over 5000 rpms and had quite an abrupt throttle response that could take you by surprise if you weren't careful due to the engines peaky power band. My new bike, a Kawasaki ZX-14 (1352cc) runs smooth at rpms as low as 1500 which is barely above idle and I have never needed to rev it over 4000 rpms during normal riding for any reason and it cruises on the highway at a mellow (for a bike) 3400 rpm with a very predictable throttle response thanks to the engines ultra smooth power band. So as I explained speed isn't the only reason to get a bigger bike, Sometimes it's just the fact that they're more relaxed feeling than they're smaller cousins with their always teetering on the edge personality. And they still handle very well but are even more stable at sustained speeds which certainly feels nice on the highway. Larger sportbikes are usually more comfortable as well making them good sport tourers.

Answer 2

The pragmatic answer is: Of course not! Way too fast and way too much power to be on the street.

However, part of riding is about having the ride you want and doing what you want to do with it. Some folks want the liter bike because of how it makes them feel to ride such a beast, and while it's not my gig, I grant them that. The larger question to answer is not whether or not there is a reason to have one, but are there reasons why this particular person should not have one. Liter bikes take a lot of skill to ride safely and it is unfortunate that a lot of young riders with relatively little experience riding always seem to be the ones who want them. This may or may not be the case here.

Personally, if a rider can take a 750cc sport bike through its paces, then I'm open to them having a liter bike. Or, if their temperament will allow them to grow into the bike safely I can be persuaded. I've been riding for a shade over 24 years and I presently put more than 10k miles per year on a 1200cc sport bike, and I can always tell the folks who haven't got enough experience to ride what they have as they either fly past me obviously out of control, or I see what's left of their bike being hauled away on the wrecker.

If the decision is to get a liter bike (or any bike really), by all means get the best safety gear you can buy and upgrade when you can afford it.

Answer 3

This is a classic argument of wants and needs, need? No way, and not recommended for a beginner, unless you like funerals

Want is more like it, and I firmly believe that people should have at least some of what they want.

I went from 100 to 400 to 750 to 1200 to 1600 to 550 to 650 to 900 to 50 to 90 to 150, and I have had fun on all!

Think about parameters here. My parameters are to get the highest mileage, the lowest emissions, and able to keep up on the street, that is why I have a Bajaj Chetak.

I have 2 other bikes, a 1972 Honda CT-90 and a 1982 Honda CB900C. The 90 is for light trails, and to ride with friends, and the 900 is used for Interstate running, which the others cannot do.

There is only 1 reason to own a 1 liter sport bike, and it is to go fast! Some have them to impress their friends with 600s, but what a foolish reason to have such a big bike.

Answer 4

All we need is food and water and the ability to stay not too warm or too cold.

No one needs a bicycle or a motorcycle. But we might want a cool, scary fast motorcycle. We might want a lobster dinner.

This bike is probably a bad idea for a teenager. The combination of feeling indestructible coupled with having access to a bike that can wheelie at 120 mph...not so good. Back in the day I pushed my Triumph 650 to the very edge and if I had a liter bike I would have done the same, no question. Any teenager with balls would do the same.

Answer 5

In my opinion, nobody NEEDS a literbike. At least not on the street. If you're going for two-up sport touring, then go ahead and get that ZX-14 with full luggage, but it's still not a pure literbike.

While I do miss my old SV650's torque for carrying a passenger, my 600cc does just fine and tops out at 155mph solo. I touch triple digits pretty often, but the majority of my riding is well under 70mph and my "small" bike does just fine.

I have been considering a GSX-R750 for my next bike, primarily for the extra torque. I like the sharp handling of a smaller bike, personally, and perhaps Aprilia will do something special with their new 750cc twin in time for my next bike.

The people that think a literbike is what they need are the same ones that have no idea what "power-to-weight ratio" means. "My Hummer has a 5.7L Hemi in it, so how could one tiny liter POSSIBLY have any power?"

Answer 6

Most literbike riders are safer than 600 riders. They usually have more experience, and their bikes demand more respect. The larger the bike, the slower they go. I see it all the time. Maybe it also has something to do with the cost of insurance.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

there is absolutely no need for any bike to be able to reach speeds of 130 much less 180 on the street. bikes like this coupled with idiots cause cagers to hate us even more. until these idiots realize that their actions are turning more and more of the public against us, they wont learn until the day comes when these bikes wind up getting banned. it could happen yanno.

Answer 9

Absolutely! Liter bikes are great for killing off the dimmer, more arrogant members of society.

Applied Darwinism.

Answer 10

Some people just have "the need for speed"
I call them adrenalin junkies (only in jest).
I prefer to take it easy and enjoy the scenery when I'm riding.