I meant that particular sport bike. I don't think the 636 is meh at all. It looks great and has all the bells and whistles the other bikes have. The GSXR is trash when you compare it to the other 3, though. No TC, no rain modes or anything and it's about the same price. There's really not a whole lot different between the jap 600s and its generally just pick the one you like the best.
I'm not sure what i'm picking up for my next bike but I've been considering a z1000, fz1 or something along those lines. Maybe a touring bike like a fjr or connie 14 if I feel like a old man.
There's also the daytona, striplle, s1kr and rr,
Honestly, the fact that everything else I own is Honda played a huge part in my decision, but it being the best "all-around" is what finalized my decision. I wish Honda would catch up with the technology. Yamaha leads the pack on the Jap bikes in that regard, at least with the new R1. ABS was something I can appreciate, though.
I know a lot of people whine about tech making vehicles easier. I can appreciate a "simple" car, which is part of why I love the CRX and S2000 (compared to other cars in its generation), but a lot of this stuff doesn't do shit until you need it to and can be easily disabled if I want to learn the limits in a controlled environment. When a dipshit decides to pull out in front of me, I appreciate not having to focus on throttling the brakes for optimal braking performance. I'm not a complete badass, and do occasionally panic, and am a geek. I like technology.
I read something today about the traction-control system Ducati is working on in which you can safely do hard-braking in a turn on a wet road, of course with the usual limitations where physics win. Sounds cool. Too bad I'll never pay a high price for a relatively unreliable bike.
I bought a shitton of mods, of course primarily bolt-ons since very little else seems to exist for these bikes. Didn't do anything but remove the labels (Honda, different adhesive please?) and a tank pad. Bike came with a Yoshi exhaust, tail delete, bar ends, tinted windscreen, and flush mount turn signals installed. Got them to throw in all the factory parts with it since they increased the price due to mods.
I did manage to fuck it up the first weekend I had it. I have FULL gear including Sidi boots, but I'm a lazy motherfucker. Wore my ratty-ass sneakers, and while walking away from the gas pump the laces on my right shoe got caught on the peg, preventing me from putting my foot down, causing me to instinctively step harder, causing the bike to fall over from a near stop. Lame. Scratched up a couple fairings and broke the brake lever. Making the rest of the 3 hour trip home with a nub for a brake lever caught me off-guard a few times... I had frame protectors and the levers that flip up instead of breaking at home
Put nearly 1000 miles on it on vacation. Too lazy to do first bit of maintenance. Oops. Next time. It's a blast to ride, and now the S2000 bores me even more.
I
did get some shelves set up in the garage so I could use it for god's intended purpose, which is putting all my toys in it. Need more garage space already.