I love riding all styles of bikes, from cruising on a bobber to blasting an adventure bike on the dirt. Yet there is a special place in my heart reserved for a racetrack, and a big litre bike to fire up the tarmac with none of the distractions found on the road is my idea of heaven. That’s exactly why I’ve been highly excited to get my hands on the GSX-R1000R this year.
Recently I’ve been spending a bit of time getting it prepped for a day of track action , with some key tweaks to make twisting that noise tube as enjoyable as possible.
First up, making it legal for use on UK tracks. For that, I’ve kept the standard pipe (even though it’s an eyesore that doesn’t grow on you over time, trust me) to pass noise restrictions without a worry and fitted a GBRacing brake lever guard which is on the slightly pricier end of the spectrum but is a quality bit of kit that is well-built and sturdy. For these little things, it’s worth spending a few pounds extra to have something that you know you can rely on out on track.
The same goes for crash protection; although it isn’t a necessity, I hate the feeling of riding on track without wrapping the engine in some secondary covers. They’re easy to fit, and if there is the unfortunate chance of an off-track excursion, they can save you thousands on an engine rebuild.
But to hopefully reduce the chances of that, I’ve also opted for some sportier rubber . Tyres are one of the most important investments you can make, and for that reason I’ve gone for Metzeler’s new Sportec 01 RS . With some snazzy new tech, including an adaptive tread pattern that closes under hard acceleration and braking, Metzeler claim that they perform like a slick on track, while still offering a reasonable level of grip on the road for the journey there and back too.
I’ve always been a big fan of the Pirelli Supercorsa range (Metzeler’s sister company with shared DNA) so I’m really interested to see how they hold up, both on track and on the road as we start to enter into the cooler months.
If they can deliver the goods in terms of grip and feedback while still offering a decent level of longevity, they could well be my new favourite set of tyres.
The GSX-R’s riding position feels more like an old-school Japanese bike compared to a ‘modern’ superbike, with a comfortable, yet quite compact cockpit. The ’pegs are high and the ’bars are set quite tight, with the levers set quite high as standard. It’s worth tweaking the position and dropping them slightly for a more comfortable wrist position on the transition from acceleration to braking.
Deputy Editor - Carl has worked within the industry as a motorcycling journalist for several titles since 2015, and has covered a host of new bike launches, events, and interviews since then. Although he may still looks fairly young, he’s been around the block for longer than he’d care to admit. Alongside his journalistic experience, Carl has been racing since 2012, spending many years at both a club and National level. A personal highlight of his came in the form of a British GP2 podium, at his first outing. Although Carl has a keen eye on sportsbikes, nakeds and anything that can be a bit naughty, his love of motorcycling covers everything from off-road and adventure, to cruisers and big customs. If it’s got two wheels and an engine, he’ll have a go.
Writer, racer, budding fashionista. Bikes, beers and dogs are his favourite things