I have an RC which is similar to that bike. In a lot of ways it is the anti-600. For instance you can go deeper and use torque to pull you out more effectively but it transitions slower due to weight. Of course I am also heavier and down south but have ridden Grattan. In general on the RC I find that I am a bit slower going in but the RC is stable on brakes which helps so about the same or advantage 600. Mid corner the 600 has the advantage. Coming out I kill them. Mid straight it is a wash (or all the straight at Barber) but about half way between the tower and tire I come on them hard on top end. With equal riders it is a blast as I am strong where they are weak and the other way also so lots of swapping :thumb: Get used to it and I bet similar times but strong/weak in different places.
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Hmm, Well my bike history is a couple GSXR 750's, Hayabusa, CBR600, R6, now the "Big" Twin. Before getting into any details I can tell you this... I go in way deeper and square up with my Ducati and I to had to make a transition from the jap bikes to the Italian twin. The huge difference and this may disqualify my from offering advice. My Ducati had essentially the same wet weight as a CBR600RR... Regardless there is always a place to start when it comes to getting the bike around the track... Answer a couple questions: Whats your suspension settings, Have you set the bike for you? What type of tire are you running? Are you running a tire that needs more heat then your pace can give it? What are your tire pressures? Are you sacrificing smooth because your over-riding your current bike setup? :cheers:
Right now I have pilot powers. For the next track day, at the suggestion of a fellow track rider, I am going to put on a set of q3s. Last time I was at the track, I had Ken do major suspension changes. I got new springs, and he set it up so it is very aggressive, where the bike is lower on the front and higher at the rear. My lap time improved by almost 10 seconds at Grattan, but at the end, I was still 5 seconds off my pace with the cbr. I noticed I could go into the corners at bit faster, but, it seemed as tho the front was sliding still, and the aprillia just does not corner. So, next track day, I was going to lean off and straighten my arms a bit more instead of hugging the tank like I did with my cbr. Tire pressure, I will use with the q3s is probably 30 30. With my cbr and pp3s, I had 31 26. Yes I am sacrificing smooth, because the aprillia is really really smooth compared to my cbr.
Well it sounds like your getting your suspension worked out and you have a grasp on your tire selections. I can tell you that I was combating the slippery front end when I was at the Pro Day and all I did to fix it was keep my throttle control in check and keep the heavy load off the front end. The second I would start to get choppy on my throttle the front end would immediately let me know!
Well, just wanted to see if you were at a different body position in comparison to the Japanese bikes. I am going to lean off more with it on the basis that its a bigger, heavier bike, and at 5'9" 160 lbs, I think I'll lean off it more to get it to handle better.
Not so much you hanging off as taking a slightly different line at times. Seems like a 600 you need to carve arcs more while you can point and shoot a bit more with the twin. I am not talking park and wack mind you more like the difference between Yamaha and Honda in MotoGP, noticeable but not radical. Of course the twin can do the arc if needed but sometimes using the torque available down low gets you there quicker.
I find I have a better feel if I "Point and shoot". Its not to say I don't carve smooth arcs they are just a tad later and tighter!
I was a Grattan with my buddy who rides a zx6r. I wasn't accelerating better than him. So, it's got the power of a 600 but longer wheelbase, not as good handling, and bigger. But listening to others who say Aprillias are great bikes, I am determined to not let it kik my a**.
For the record, good BP is advantageous on any and every bike, regardless of size or engine configuration. Proper BP alters the CoM and allows you to carry less lean angle for any given speed and radius. That holds true no matter what bike you are riding.
I'm late coming to this topic but I had a couple of things to add to the conversion. I had an experience once where a very close friend who I really trusted and rode with before who absolutely lost his mind when he was presented with some of the twisty mountain roads near Helen Ga. He knew the route and I was following. He was mostly normal until he got me lost and then he decided he wanted to prove to me how much faster his Ducati was than my MV Agusta. When I noticed the speeds getting unsafe I just let him leave me behind. I caught up to him later on while he was pulled over by 5 police cars on the route home with spot lights and uncomfortable conversations. Like an idiot I pulled over and the police of course wanted to run all of my info too. I cooperated and was VERY polite and managed to convince the police not to haul him in. He did not learn his lesson and even after the close call was STILL riding like a jackass. A few weeks later he still had not learned and crashed his bike. Moral of the story. Ride your own pace and leave your ego at home. It's cheaper in the long run and can save your life. Even people you think you know well can sometimes get caught up in the moment. I generally avoid group riding on my sportbikes because of the ego factor.