Honda Motorcycles - FireBlades.org banner

Where do I go from here?

3K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  HPower 
#1 ·
The crying has now subsided.
I have now come to grips with the fact that the .... 954 .... is gone.
Did I fail her or did she fail m$... no, she was perfect!
I should have protected her better!!!
Can I still look into her eyes with the same feelings, ... I don't know?
I am sorry, it was my fault.
Yes, she has a younger sister coming of age, named '***1000', but that may be still to close to home.

For some reason I feel myself being drawn to the robust cousin.
Yes, she may be a little over weight and slightly under powered (but from what I heard she cleans up good) but I  think the pull to the dark side may be to difficult to combat.

The RC is still a Honda .............right?


HPower  (bleeding a little extra red than usual)
 
#3 ·
You have obviously been taking 'Hemingway' lessons from Chain!  Whatever, good luck on your decision - If I had the $$, I would probably upgrade to the 1000 also   .

Edit: Oops, guess I thought you were talking 'bout the 1000RR.  Now, if you're talkin' 'bout the RC51 then,   .  J/K, good luck on whatever Honda you move to   .
 
#12 ·
There is so much RC talk now on the board.

here is how it was for me.

In 2000 I was going to buy a 929, or a RC51...I went with what I knew, and made the 929 mine!!! 2.5 years later, after never a poor moment with the 929, she was taken from me during the night. I was never going to get another bike, because I was so upset...I was (and still am more then I will admit) so attached to the bike! If I was only home...that bike would still be mine today. but, its gone.

I went through the end of fall, and winter...when spring came along, the smell of bike season in the air....I knew I could never make it with out a bike in my life. I had always like the RC51, there was just something about it. Its a little porky, but...its a RC...its a twin.

So I shopped around for a bit, hoping to find a stock used 02 some where out there...then I made a good deal on a 03 sitting in the showroom. I never planned on getting it that day, but I did! In the back of the truck she went!

To this day I am happy I gave the RC a shot. Its very stable, and over all, a hero bike. I feel that I have improved my riding style more then 10-20% this season alone.

I have started to do some mods here and there, starting with Sato Banzi's and a PCIIIR. The RC sends the natives running with fear now! Barks so hard it sends pitbulls yelping! (yeah I ride with earplugs now) I am saving for other mods, forks, shock, rearsets, damper, wheels...but that raffle I am going to win soon will help! (yeah right, I wish)

Also, tons of people get all bent out of shape (literly) about the RC51 seat...whatever. The seat is not that bad. It IS the hardest seat I have ever had on a bike, but my butt can take it! hours of enjoyment!

(*right here i did a spell check and lost half of my post*)


Anyway, if you have had the itch for the RC...it is not just going to go away...your going to need to get one. Ride one, in the twisties (thats what I live for) and you will see what so many of us are talking about. besides, it a Honda, fit and finish are 110%! She will not let you down!

There is the CBR1000 year...so you might want to watch the stats to see what you want in a inline 4...but if you want a twin, it does not get too much better then the RC for the money!
 
#13 ·
Hey guys,
Thanks for the words.
showmethebombs, by the sounds of it you know where I'm coming from.
At first I thought that I should wait till the spring and have a look at the new 1000RR, now I am leaning to the RC.
This week I have come across 2 almost new RC51s.

The 1st is a 2001 with 350km and warrenty untill next July. Some guy bought it and hated it, and has just traded it in on a 600RR. The dealer wants $10,000cnd.

The 2nd is a 2002 with 900km and no warrenty remaining. This is a private sale with a asking price of $11,500cnd. The owner of this one can't afford the insurance and is looking to buy a house.

These 2 bikes are both 'as brand new' and completely stock, the only real difference is SP1 vs SP2.
How much better is the SP2?

I am going to ride the 2001 on Friday and see what all the difference of opinion is all about.
If I come away impressed with the twin, I will pull the trigger and try to squeeze the last month out of our fading riding season.
 
#15 ·
tigerblade : If there's not that much difference in price, go for the SP2 over the SP1.  Swingarm and a few other bits are improved.
Tigerblade is right on, the sp2 does have a few extra goodies, but not too many the untrained eye would see.  


HP, it was the right move for me...I wanted a bike I could really bang out corners with and not feel like I was going wiggle right off the road with.  The RC added weight played right into what I wanted.  I love it...and the pipes made it so much more!  

all kidding aside, it feels very similar in power to what my 929 felt like.  The power curve is in a very different place...the RC really piles it on late in the game! High RPMs stomp out the power! The low WHUMPing sound of the pipes makes it seem effortless as it pushes me around town, and though the mountains!  

Good Luck!
 
#16 ·
showme, thanks for the input.
It sounds like Sato is the way to go for the RC. Did you get yours dyno'd/tuned or just went with Dan's mapping?
How much for the pc/exhaust?

The 02 is $1500 more than the 01 but because the 02 will be a private sale the tax savings will bring the 02 only $500 or $700 more than the 01.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate with tomorrows test ride.
 
#21 ·
I will try, but to be honest I think that his asking price is not all that bad.
If I had to guess, he probably paid just under $18,000cnd, out the door. I know that sounds like a lot to you guys but that would be something like $12,500usd. Of that $18,000 our great Canadian government would have taken $2,300 in taxes (15%).
On a used bike the taxes are ONLY 8%, and to save some more on taxes most people will write down a lower sale price on the receipt.
 
#22 ·
Pay no attention to figments 'gay' side...hes BI, he has both! hahaha!

yeah, it was pretty much near $1500 for the sato banzai's and the pcIIIr with Dan map. I did it all myself, but have not brought it to the dyno yet...the shop dorks that have a dyno near me could not tune a thing with a PCIII on it...last time I had to show the guy how to use it, and then his windows crashed, lucky for me, I am a network guy, so I got it ironed out. but in the end, the guy still had no idea how to dyno correctly.
 
#23 ·
$1500 sounds not bad, my Arata and pc3 for the 954 was about $1270.
Did you go with carbon or metal cans?
Are the Banzi's too loud?
I love the look of them but it seems that the low mounts are quiter and make more power, maybe too quite?

Come to think of it, the guy who is selling the 02 had kind of a limp handshake and if I am not mistaken there was a vette in the driveway.
he he
 
#24 ·



as you can see, I went carbon cans. The lows do make more power, and are a tad more quiet...but I just love highpipes...plus there was only a small difference in the HP, like 1-2 ponies. I will just take out my tool kit, and reduce the weight to make up for it!
 
#25 ·
Your bike looks awsome, showmethebombs

Well I just got back from my test ride on the 01 rc51.

1) The handling is a tad slower than the 954, not that that is a bad thing. The trade off seems to be a bike that is easier to aim and keep on your desired line, less twitchy.

2) The brakes seem like they will be as good as the 954's even with the extra 50-60lb to stop. The 01 with just 330km on it needs some more time to seed the brakes and they could have used a bleeding.

3) The gear box felt a lot smoother than my 954 and the clutch, well felt different. Hydraulic, what is the deal with that?

4) Riding position and seat felt great for my 15 min. ride. I am 5'10', 165lb witch seemed to fit the RC perfectly (same could be said for the 954). Ya the seat is firm but a lot of guys hated the CBR seat, it never was a problem for me, even on all day trips.

So far that is a 4 for 4 rating

5) Power: This obviously is were the 954 and the RC differ the most. I am not a stunter, but on the 954 you have to pick when and how to whack the trottle open, it's like turning a switch on. 1st and 2nd gear wheelies... usually not on purpose.
The RC power comes on a lot smoother. I can see it being a lot easier to modulate but with that comes a much more uneventful climb to the red line.
I was expecting/hoping for a little more bravado, mind you I was riding behind the shop owner at a nice, but consevative pace.
I wonder will the SP2 offer a little more in that department?
showme, did your exhaust and mapping add much more excitment in the power delivery?

6) Sounds: Hands down it's the RC, even in stock form it lets out a great exhaust note.
Was that a gear driven cam I heard?

I am a little closer, but am still not sure where I am going.
 
#26 ·
yes, and yes, and not really!  

The RC is cam chain drivin, nice huh?  

My pipes, and PCIII made a night and day improvement!  Felt like a whole new bike!  It really was obvious at how restricted the RC really is 'stock'.  With all my other bikes there was no where near this big of a different feeling after adding pipes and a PC.

the not really a large power notice between the SP1 and the SP2, I didn't notice much difference between the two (stock form) bikes. The swing arm is a little longer, for putting more power to the ground, 'they say'
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top