Ssky0078
Junior Member
Additionally, learning on a less powerful bike also teaches the handling and working the clutch rather than simply relying on "power reserve" - that's why you see those "grandmas" on liter bikes left behind in curves by a guy on a "small" 600 cc.
There are plenty of riders out there riding liter bikes and not using full power available, but it takes skill to recognize the situation and unleash only the correct amount of power and I doubt that those guy learned on those liter bikes.
Anyways, just my 2 cents.
I agree with much of what you say. But it's all in the attitude in how a person wants to learn. I started on the Fz6, totaled it. Jumped up to the Fz1 and crashed that the first day. Since then I'm getting close to 5000 miles without a problem on the Fz1 with a whole new respect for what the machine can deliver. I would say that I've learned more on controlling power and that "power reserve" on the Fz1 than on the Fz6. The Fz6 has power but you have to work the gears a lot more than the Fz1. A 600 cc will still lose me in the corners because I am still not comfortable really throwing the Fz1 around and the traction seems to be less reliable than the Fz6. I feel sometimes that if I were to come on the throttle too hard out of a corner there is a chance to break loose the rear and go down.
The Fz1's power is amazing, you could stay in first gear all through town and even on to the freeway. I've always drove manual transmissions cars for that same feeling of keeping the RPM's in the middle of the Peak Torque curve of the power band.