revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Sunday I got to have a ride on my brothers new to him Ninja 1000 SX (2020 model). On paper the GSXS and 1000SX are pretty similar, the SX is a bit heavier but power and torque are pretty much the same. However, to ride they are chalk and cheese different.

The SX is heavier, feels bigger, you sit on it rather than in it. It has a fairly soft feeling throttle (don't mistake this for lack of go), a lovely light clutch, buttery soft gear change and the suspension smooths everything out. Bumps that kick you out the seat on the Suzuki just disappear. It handles really well but odd after the Suzuki as it's all soft and smooth, again don't mistake that for slow or bad, it handles great. The engine is unnaturally smooth. I have no idea how they have made an engine that smooth, it's like there are no internals. It has lots, and lots, of go but hits a brick wall at 10k. For road riding it's a proper tool and with the quick shifter it hoofs off up the road. Brakes are great, better bite and feel than the Suzuki's Brembo's. Only downer is the exhaust noise isn't, it really needs some sound. All round a fantastic bike.

Jumping back on the Suzuki it feels like I'm sitting 12 inches closer to the ground as you sit in it. Everything is more direct, clutch, throttle response, steering, it's much stiffer. Just generally more aggro all round. In comparison it feels like a sports bike with flat bars. On the road performance and speed is about the same but the Suzuki is all noise and wants you to tap the top end where is screams. It couldn't feel more different.

Really does show the 'It's an IL4 and they are all the same' argument to be total bollocks. The 2 bikes go about their business in a very different way.

Both bloody good bikes too

I'd love you to do back to back tests with the GSXR1000. Be interesting to see which you think is best road bike.

Panigale.

Had a couple of 2018 1000SX at work. Found them to feel really undergeared, I was always trying to go for another gear at 40mph when already in 6th.

BUT it would accelerate very well from that 40mph, without the need to change gear, right up to highly illegal speeds. Much more flexible than the CBF1000 we had too as I remember it.

I've had singles, twins and triples, never had a 4 banger

MrLongbeard wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 4:08 pm I've had singles, twins and triples, never had a 4 banger

Only had IL4s since my last YPVS 1989.
Apart from the single enduro bikes.

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 3:34 pm I'd love you to do back to back tests with the GSXR1000. Be interesting to see which you think is best road bike.

I know the GSXR motor is even more crackers, but I love the riding position on the GSXS, slightly canted forward for front end feel but flat bars which I've found really comfy. It's also more than fast enough for me, enough to make my eyes blurry at the top in 2nd. Mine is about 15 gee gees down on the K5 GSXR it came out of and 50 odd on yours which boggles the mind. I'd love to have a go on yours but I suspect only in short doses!

The more compliant suspension on the Kwak has made me want to upgrade mine all the more. I have the money for that now so will be off to MCT in spring. Having said that whilst the Kwak was more compliant it lacked the feedback of the stiffer Suzuki. It handled well but had a more remote feel to it. I don't want to lose that direct plugged in feeling but would like to get bashed about less by our shite roads

Supermofo wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 4:59 pm

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 3:34 pm I'd love you to do back to back tests with the GSXR1000. Be interesting to see which you think is best road bike.

I know the GSXR motor is even more crackers, but I love the riding position on the GSXS, slightly canted forward for front end feel but flat bars which I've found really comfy. It's also more than fast enough for me, enough to make my eyes blurry at the top in 2nd. Mine is about 15 gee gees down on the K5 GSXR it came out of and 50 odd on yours which boggles the mind. I'd love to have a go on yours but I suspect only in short doses!

The more compliant suspension on the Kwak has made me want to upgrade mine all the more. I have the money for that now so will be off to MCT in spring. Having said that whilst the Kwak was more compliant it lacked the feedback of the stiffer Suzuki. It handled well but had a more remote feel to it. I don't want to lose that direct plugged in feeling but would like to get bashed about less by our shite roads

The GSXR has "better" suspension and great on track. Feels great on roads, but not ridden your model for comparison.

Whysub wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 4:06 pm Had a couple of 2018 1000SX at work. Found them to feel really undergeared, I was always trying to go for another gear at 40mph when already in 6th.

BUT it would accelerate very well from that 40mph, without the need to change gear, right up to highly illegal speeds. Much more flexible than the CBF1000 we had too as I remember it.

Mine is fairly short geared as well but that works OK for a naked bike I think. I didn't notice too much difference between the 2 in terms of gearing if anything I think the Kwak was slightly higher geared, but with more emphasis on midrange thrust.

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 5:01 pm The GSXR has "better" suspension and great on track. Feels great on roads, but not ridden your model for comparison.

The GSXS is pretty budget compared to the R so I reckon yours would be far more composed. I'm hoping a Nitron shock and new springs/oil in the front plus set up will help.

Having said that if I was doing a track day I think mine would feel better/more sporty than the Kwak. Conversely on a longer tour the Kwak would be less wearing

Another thing I noticed from the ride was that whilst fairly twatty in places, top speeds were about 90 or so max. If I'd have owned either bike when I was younger that'd have been a lot higher!

Both bikes punch hard enough to be huge fun on acceleration out of corners without needing to be overly fed conscious

I currently own two singles, a twin and a triple. Not owned a IL4 since my CBR600 back in 2017.

I think my days of owning IL4's ended with that. Still look at the bikes available locally, but the urge to buy an IL4 is reducing. Its probably an age thing.

I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

Taipan wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:40 pm I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

For a giggle when I was track instructing, I did the sighting laps in just 6th gear.
Tight hairpins were no problem. Pulled from 20 MPH in top.

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:46 pm

Taipan wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:40 pm I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

For a giggle when I was track instructing, I did the sighting laps in just 6th gear.
Tight hairpins were no problem. Pulled from 20 MPH in top.

X-ADV is the same, I never need to change gear...

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:46 pm

Taipan wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:40 pm I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

For a giggle when I was track instructing, I did the sighting laps in just 6th gear.
Tight hairpins were no problem. Pulled from 20 MPH in top.

It's mad how tractable modern 1000cc IL4's are... Got a GSXS same as @Supermofo (albeit the faired version), and it's the same, pulls cleanly from tickover in top which is about 15mph...

I even tried pulling away in 6th to see if it would do it, and no problem, just a bit of clutch slip and away I went...

Supermofo wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 5:03 pm Mine is fairly short geared as well but that works OK for a naked bike I think. I didn't notice too much difference between the 2 in terms of gearing if anything I think the Kwak was slightly higher geared, but with more emphasis on midrange thrust.

They're actually quite tall geared when you consider they only have the aerodynamics and power for high 150's, maybe 160 at a push... Stock gearing on these would yield about 180ish if it could rev out in 6th! 1st is good for 90 too...

I changed the 17T front sprocket for a 16T at the same time as going from a 50 to 55 profile tyre, it's slightly downgeared overall now but still OK overall... Depends what a "cruising speed" is for you though... I stick under 80 these days as just not worth the consequences of going faster on main roads, which is just under 6krpm still... I noticed that at 6k the engine tends to really wake up and definitely uses a lot more fuel, so if you cruise at 90 then it would feel undergeared...

Biggest issue with the bike is the super close ratio gearbox from a road bike point of view. I mean it's fantastic when you're on it, but 1st to 6th is only a 200% gear range overall, where even the "close ratio" box on my old Aprilia RSV was 250% or thereabouts, and my KTM 1290's have all been around 300% range... Fitting a quickshifter has made the bike a whole lot more fun mind!

mboy wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2024 12:33 pm

Yorick wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:46 pm

Taipan wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:40 pm I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

For a giggle when I was track instructing, I did the sighting laps in just 6th gear.
Tight hairpins were no problem. Pulled from 20 MPH in top.

It's mad how tractable modern 1000cc IL4's are... Got a GSXS same as @Supermofo (albeit the faired version), and it's the same, pulls cleanly from tickover in top which is about 15mph...

I even tried pulling away in 6th to see if it would do it, and no problem, just a bit of clutch slip and away I went...

Yup. I've done that top gear start. I did a thread about it on here.

No mention of cup holders? Pffft.

Taipan wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 6:40 pm I was pretty shocked at my CB1000R IL4 power delivery. It was really grunty from idle! I wasn't expecting such linear power from an IL4.I'd been missing out on a lot by sticking to singles and twins.

You had the old one, the 2018+ ones have another 10bhp, mine pulls from low rpm and is incredibly smooth with an aftermarket silencer, with the standard silencer it had a step in power that made it feel faster than it was.

I've got 3 inline 4s, one with 8 valves, one with 16 valves and one with 20 valves, all feel different, I've also got a two stroke twin that I've lost interest in.