'09 DOT Race Tire Shootout

I do about 10-12 track days plus 8 race weekends per year, been racing & instructing since '06.

But getting back to bike selection, I've ridden EX500's, Motards, 600's, Ducati's, even an MV Agusta F4 on the track... The big bikes were definitely a thrill, no doubt about it, but a smaller bikes inspire so much more confidence and teach you so much so fast. The feeling you get when you start learning to ride a lightweight near its limit & you're passing other riders on superbikes... you just can't be beat it.

Not only that, but the lightweights are a lot cheaper, too. You can get a race ready SV650 for under 4 grand & your tires will last two or three times as long as they would on an R1, plus a 160 rear is cheaper than a 180 or 190... at upwards of 200-250 bucks each, that's a significant savings. You can buy a lot more track time with the money you save just on tires alone.

So yeah, the R1 would be a rush and the lightweights aren't as fast or as glamorous, but something like an SV is far more economical, a better learning tool and is quite possibly more satisfying to ride.

But ultimately, the choice is yours.