My baby was sent to an early grave. Some guy decided to suddenly switch his line approaching the braking zone at summit. He suddenly grabbed a handful of brake and shot left to get behind his buddy while I was still FT. I Only had enough time to tap the front brake and sit up. Anyway Im now faced with decision of stepping down to a 600 or staying with the 1k. I can get another 06 for 4k ready to go. Another friend is selling his 06 zx6r(with a zx6rr motor) for 1,600. I was able to salvage the suspension off my bike( well except 1 compression valve) so the issue is not price. I know the 2nd gen zx10 was the worst racing chassis in recent years but I had so many goals. I was able to run low 23's high 22's consistently and was hoping to break 20's by the end of this season. My dilemma is, I'm use to (and love) the power of the 10 and not sure if I will be happy with a 600. I know a 600 will be easier to ride but little things like power wheelies over elevation changes are fun. Also I'm 6'0ft and 210lbs so Im a bit cramped on the average 600. Has anyone stepped down. what did you think.

I've never ridden a liter bike, so I can't comment on that. I am taller and heavier than you and I love my 600. I've made it down into the mid 1:22's on it at Summit. I'd personally rather have a bike that handles well, than one that has a stomping motor. I'd rather be quick in the corners than make up time with the motor on the straights. Riding a smaller bike will force you to go faster in the corners because you can't make up the time with the motor. I think you'd learn a lot from riding the 600. Having said that, I have been looking at the GSXR 750...

If the umph of a liter is what gets you off then its going to be hard to replace it with a middle weight. I think that if I rode mostly at Summit Main I'd be tempted to get a liter but on smaller and more technical tracks I love my 675 way too much to trade it's agility and how forgivable it is to my ham fisted inputs for a bigger bike.
I have a liter on the street and I have no interest in getting a middle weight to replace it there. But on the track I don't see myself going up to a liter bike from my Daytona any time soon.
Honestly I don't think there is an "answer" - just a matter of what makes you enjoy the track most.

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Thanks for the reply guys. Honestly speaking I enjoy Shenandoah more than main. I can move around there at a decent pace but I dont time it. I look at shenny more a a fun coarse. But again thanks for the advice. Your probably right about not being happy on a 600.

Get a GSXR-750...handles like a 600 and pulls closer to a 1000. May be the perfect blend you are looking for.

I enjoy my 750, but I still get pulled on by the big dogs. Hell a built 600 is putting down as much power as my stock 750. And it is definitely not as flickable as my 05 R6 was. I feel like I have to muscle it pretty good. The one thing I notice riding with WERA this year is that it really doesn't seem to matter what bike someone is riding its really about how they ride it. With the exception of a track like Summit most of the tracks we ride are not really going to favor one bike to the other. Also I'm guessing that the newer generation liter bikes will handle just as well as the previous generation 600's but I have no substance to back that up. Food for thought, the fastest times at each weekend I've been to have been set on a 600, even at Summit.

Here's my thought. If you're going to be racing get a 600. After this last round I found myself searching around for a 08-09 track ready R6 and am thinking about making the switch this off season. They are so damn nimble and with the right set up I think its the perfect bike for racing. You can literally enter EVERY class 600cc and higher and be competitive in them all.

If you're doing track days or just a bit of racing here and there I would stick with the bigger bike. Power wheelies out of corners and laying darkies are fun as hell, and like I said earlier I bet they handle pretty damn good too.

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Ben
#535

My take on 600 vs 1000 is...first, none of us will ever ride a 1000 to its limits. The only place I would use a 1000 is on the road, and that is simply so I could be lazy and not have to shift to get power. On the track, whether it is a track day or a race I would stick with a 600 for a couple of reasons. First it requires you to carry speed in the corners to compensate for the straights, especially when trying to pass a liter bike. Second, 600's are more forgiving than the liter bikes. Lastly, 600's are easier on tires, so may help save a couple of dollars.

Just my opinion, at this point I would probably take anything