I'm coming off a 2005 R1 with GYTR exhaust and thats what I'll mostly compare the 1098 too.
The first few words that came to mind on my 90+ mile ride home today were.
Deceptive
Tiny
Nimble
Quick
Intuitive
WOW
At first I thought it wasn't as fast or atleast it didnt "feel" as fast going down the hwy. Then I looked down and saw I was doing 104Mph.. I thought wow this thing is very deceptive. Keep in mind I was still keeping her below 7k RPM and modulating the throttle. This thing is fast and it creeps up on you.
It was a pretty windy day and I noticed how little wind protection I had in comparison to my R1. Then I realized how Tiny the 1098 feels in comparison to my R1. My R1 feels like a touring bike by comparison. The seating position was a bit more aggressive than my R1, but it wasnt bad.
After a few miles I started getting into some fast moving traffic. Here is where I noticed how nimble the 1098 was. I really felt like I could man-handle the bike because it felt so tiny. The steering is very quick and I was able to whip in and out of traffic much easier than I could on the R1.
Once I got off the highway and on to some twisties before my house, the same ones I took every day with my R1... thats where I noticed the biggest difference between my R1 and the 1098. The 1098 was on rails even on new tires. Even with the small dip in the road that always upset my R1, the 1098 handled it perfectly. I was so awestruck by how easily it handled those twisties I almost turned around to do it again.
After resting a bit I ran up to the local motorbike shop to get some polish/cleaning products. As I pulled up to this dealership which is a Honda/Kawa/Suz/Yammy dealership, I drew a crowd. Even the dealerships own salesmen came out to stare. One guy says "Oh My GOD! I've only seen these in magazine!!" Everyone greeted me and told me nice bike as I walked into the shop. Once I got my polish I came back out the crowd was asking all kinds of questions. It was pretty neat but I told them all I had just gotten it and hadn't had a chance to play with all the gadgets yet.
Now onto the not so good things..
The mirrors are useless. Now, I'd heard this from folks about the R1 but when I got it, I didnt seem to have a problem. So when I read the same thing abotu the 1098 mirrors I thought bah, they'll be fine. Well they are not. I elbows and thats about it..
I did experience the "Stall" issue that a lot of folks have been reporting. I was at a light in neutral when the bike just shut off. I was able to turn it on right away with no problems. At one point it did it two or three times while I waited in traffic. I'm not sure if its temp related or what the deal is, I am running Termi slip ons.
The clutch is hard to pull. Here again I read the same thing about the R1 and while it was a bit hard its nothing like the 1098. It was fine until I got into traffic as I made my way to the local Honda/Kawa/Suz shop to get some polish/cleaners. Like anything it will just take some getting used too.
Overall I am really impressed with this bike. The looks, how tiny it feels, the amazing handling. Up to this point the R1 was the best bike I had owned and I've owned a lot. At first blush I think the 1098 may have unseated my beloved R1.

The first few words that came to mind on my 90+ mile ride home today were.
Deceptive
Tiny
Nimble
Quick
Intuitive
WOW

At first I thought it wasn't as fast or atleast it didnt "feel" as fast going down the hwy. Then I looked down and saw I was doing 104Mph.. I thought wow this thing is very deceptive. Keep in mind I was still keeping her below 7k RPM and modulating the throttle. This thing is fast and it creeps up on you.
It was a pretty windy day and I noticed how little wind protection I had in comparison to my R1. Then I realized how Tiny the 1098 feels in comparison to my R1. My R1 feels like a touring bike by comparison. The seating position was a bit more aggressive than my R1, but it wasnt bad.
After a few miles I started getting into some fast moving traffic. Here is where I noticed how nimble the 1098 was. I really felt like I could man-handle the bike because it felt so tiny. The steering is very quick and I was able to whip in and out of traffic much easier than I could on the R1.
Once I got off the highway and on to some twisties before my house, the same ones I took every day with my R1... thats where I noticed the biggest difference between my R1 and the 1098. The 1098 was on rails even on new tires. Even with the small dip in the road that always upset my R1, the 1098 handled it perfectly. I was so awestruck by how easily it handled those twisties I almost turned around to do it again.
After resting a bit I ran up to the local motorbike shop to get some polish/cleaning products. As I pulled up to this dealership which is a Honda/Kawa/Suz/Yammy dealership, I drew a crowd. Even the dealerships own salesmen came out to stare. One guy says "Oh My GOD! I've only seen these in magazine!!" Everyone greeted me and told me nice bike as I walked into the shop. Once I got my polish I came back out the crowd was asking all kinds of questions. It was pretty neat but I told them all I had just gotten it and hadn't had a chance to play with all the gadgets yet.

Now onto the not so good things..
The mirrors are useless. Now, I'd heard this from folks about the R1 but when I got it, I didnt seem to have a problem. So when I read the same thing abotu the 1098 mirrors I thought bah, they'll be fine. Well they are not. I elbows and thats about it..
I did experience the "Stall" issue that a lot of folks have been reporting. I was at a light in neutral when the bike just shut off. I was able to turn it on right away with no problems. At one point it did it two or three times while I waited in traffic. I'm not sure if its temp related or what the deal is, I am running Termi slip ons.
The clutch is hard to pull. Here again I read the same thing about the R1 and while it was a bit hard its nothing like the 1098. It was fine until I got into traffic as I made my way to the local Honda/Kawa/Suz shop to get some polish/cleaners. Like anything it will just take some getting used too.
Overall I am really impressed with this bike. The looks, how tiny it feels, the amazing handling. Up to this point the R1 was the best bike I had owned and I've owned a lot. At first blush I think the 1098 may have unseated my beloved R1.


