RC51 SP2

[Devils Advocate]

Are these good bikes?if you have owned one can you tell me what it was like to live with for everyday use.
and is it a v-twin or an il4?

[McGee]

Its a Vtwin.

Every magazine I read that has a review of this bike they say the power delivery is crap and it sucks as a road bike but rocks on the track.

But every one who owns one loves them.

Test ride one then decide.
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◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[Seb]

I've got the SP1, effectively the same bike with mods and tweaks across much of it.

I went from a 1000cc Aprilia as well, but the SP1 is a very very different bike to live with and ride. On paper they are pretty similar bikes but the Honda is far far more focused and it shows in every way. The fueling really is lumpy and prone to surging, the tank range is hilarious bad. Be sure to give the cooling system a very thorough checkover as the bike can get very hot very quick if it's not 100%.

As to how good it is, it depends on where you are riding it, in town it's no use as anything other than a posing toy, it just doesn't work in a 30 limit, it's either breaking the law or coughing and spluttering the whole way with very little in between. Get it on a smooth winding road and it's nothing short of incredible, the whole bike just clicks and it stops being an angry snorting mess

It's not been a cheap bike to own though, granted I think in my case it's down to the bike having sat for so long. All in all I love it and can't see myself getting rid of it whilst I can afford to keep it running

2 absolute musts when you buy one:

Check the radiators + mounts properly, if you don't know what to look for, get someone who does, I didn't check mine closely enough when I brought it and very nearly paid the price for it.

If it hasn't got a PCIII already fitted, factor getting that done into what your going to spend on it.

Beyond the fueling, imho the brembo fronts on the Aprilia are a bit sharper if I really had to nitpick.

And now for some porn...
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[Blackwolf]

[Noxious89123]

Seb, that bike is made of win.


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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[JAMSXR]

I would have loved an SP2, but my budget would not stretch that far! Got an RSV instead which I am more then happy with, and better value then an SP1 of similar value IMO.

There is a guy at work who commutes on his SP2 and loves it!
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Honda SFX50 > Aprilia SR125 > Aprilia RS125 > Honda RFV400 > K4 GSXR600 > KTM Duke > C1H 636 > K3 GSXR1000 > Aprilia RSV-R > Triumph Street Triple R > Ducati 899 Panigale > Aprilia Tuono 1100 > Triumph Daytona 675R > KTM SuperDuke 1290 2.0

[cLaTTeReD]

I have got an SP1 and its far and away the best bike ive had, much more than the sum of its parts

previous bikes have been NC30, R6, ZX9R, Fireblade

and it knocks all of them into fits

https://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/ash_cartwright/DSC00139.jpg

[lonner]

if you can get an sp2 its a better road bike.

i put a spacer on the rear shock to quicken the sterling and some linear springs in the front to sort the front.

i found that blocking off the pair valves and balancing the cylinders helped no end with slow traffic but the sp2 has far better fueling than the sp1.

the next best mod is to change the gearing to one less at the front and two more at the rear

there a fantastic bike and you will get a lot of attention if you get them set up nice there superb.

try and avoid fitting cheap shitty cans as they will spoil it.

and if you must fit cans & pc etc get it set up properly.

don't know about cooling issues unless the bike has been crashed as rads get wrecked so check for crash damage.

weak battery's are an issue as the big twin takes some turning over but apart from that not much wrong with them.

there not a comfy bike but not that bad as you can ride em all day but you will hurt a bit in the wrist department.

but who gives a toss as owning an sp is a real treat and you will sell it easily and not lose any money so get one and enjoy it

some more porn

[damz]

[cLaTTeReD]

its Red - SP1 Red

maybe just the pic - but it looks fine on my screen

lol

[Devils Advocate]

i like the looks of the sp2 but i think i`ve changed my mind now because it`s a v-twin.
I`ve been riding a twin now for about 3 months and just can`t get to grips with the bugger compared to an il4.Not sure what the problem is but it just feels weird and jerky,and it`s a proper arse in slow moving traffic.
are all twins the same or is it just an exclusive problem for the late model rsvr?
fantastic bike on an open road though

[Mr Nice Guy]

Having ridden both RSV's and an SP2, they were all ridiculously jerky around town, but fine once the throttle is pinned. Not made for town, either put up with it or get something else I'm afraid.

Power commander can help, but it will never be as smooth as a four.
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Suzuki GSX-R750K4 ~ Mivv GP

[Devils Advocate]

[JAMSXR]

My RSV is used as a weekend tool, and is great for that. However if I was going to be using the bike everyday like in the past it would have to be another IL4. My GSXR1000 was very smooth on the power delivery, first gear will be a little higher compared to a 600. The best all-round sportsbike I would recommend would be a 636, I had the 05 model and it was sublime, great for the daily commute and so well balanced when taken out for a hoon.
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Honda SFX50 > Aprilia SR125 > Aprilia RS125 > Honda RFV400 > K4 GSXR600 > KTM Duke > C1H 636 > K3 GSXR1000 > Aprilia RSV-R > Triumph Street Triple R > Ducati 899 Panigale > Aprilia Tuono 1100 > Triumph Daytona 675R > KTM SuperDuke 1290 2.0

[Seb]

Definately steer well clear of the SP1/2s if you found the RSV too much on your commute tbh, they are not even remotely forgiving or friendly, great when your up for it but utterly exhausting when your not.

Sounds like you'd be best off with a more road orientated sports bike, plenty of good options there really, the earlier Fireblades (900 to 954 era in particular I'd say), later ZX9r's and pretty much any Daytona 955i variant springs straight to mind.

Alternatively if you enjoy the RSV, you can always go down the route of tweaking it to make it a little more practical in town. Lower the gearing a touch, stick on a PCIII and get it properly setup on a dyno with usability rather than top end in mind and you'll be set
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[Devils Advocate]

[Seb]

The 1000cc blades were designed with WSB in mind (much in the same vein as the SP1 and RSV), on the other hand the older 900 era blades were built for the road.

As for the PCIII, your looking ~260 quid for the unit itself, an hour or 2s worth of labour to fit it if your not up for it yourself, a proper setup on a dyno varies but the average seems to be around 200 mark as well. In your case you can use it to smooth out the throttle response around the lower rev range. I've seen the difference a smoothed out throttle can make first hand on my RST and it really does make the bike that much easier to ride and not to mention more settled around slower turns.

Beyond that it's a case of just working on refining your throttle control some more
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST