BIKES - WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT? HIGH hp and HIGH REVS, or HIGH TORQUE AND LESS hp? HOW IMPORTANT IS WEIGHT?

First - horsepower is torque applied over time. So it is not true that you choose between the two. More torque (at a constant RPM) IS more horsepower. The question really is do you want a flat powerband or one with a big spike in it? For me (BMW R1100RT), I like the power coming in early, so I can shift early, and get out of the whiny, clunky lower gears, and I like a flat powerband with no surprises. But having said that, I think most people get a motorcycle because it "feels" fast. If top speed were the main thing, you'd be better off in a car. It's the big spike in the upper third of the powerband that makes a bike fun for most people. What they don't realize is that usually (with notable exceptions in recent days) this spike is really due to the engine being tuned to maximize peak HP at the expense of the rest of the powerband. It might actually go faster in real life if it made more power lower down, but it might feel slower.

My personal favourite road bike is the R1, light, fast and very responsive. The GSXR is also a superb machine. Don't overlook the Fireblade or the Ninja. The thing about all these bikes is that they have BALANCE. That is, the balance to effectively use the power from the engine. They are all quite different to handle and have different characteristics but the essential balance is present in each. The only sure way to get the right bike for you is to ride a few if you can. The 600's nowadays are fantastic. A slightly more pedestrian version could be the Fazer 600, Hornet 600, Bandit 600 type. Must be loads of fun belting about on one of the naked versions!

I have ridden many different bikes. Most of which are liter sportbikes which make lots of HP and torque, but do so somewhat high in the RPMS for most peoples taste. I beleive the 600's are way faster than most people need, but the degree to which you need to beat them I don;t like. Thats why I stick with the big bikes so I can go the same speed with less revs. I know that powercruisers with 80-100 ft lbs of tq with about 100HP are fun to ride, but because of the added heft they aren't nearly as fast or fun or scary :). I have ridden some v-twin sportbikes, the aprilla RSV-mille in particular was very fun to ride and had a smooth powerband. My person choice is the literbikes after everything is said and done. WIth an emphasis on the literbike that produces the greatest midrange, not the highest peak hp. I believe you would like a gsxr-1000 or zx-10r but may shy away from the r1 due to its sky high powerband. (R1 owners insert hate here). Also you do not have to rev the crap out of a literbike to go fast enough to make trouble.

Good question!

I went down the middle and got a Triumph tripple.

Not the fastest bike on the market but more than fast enough to have fun on.

It doesn't have as much torque as the twin thous' nor as much rev hungry HP as the four pot thous' but is a happy medium as far as I'm concerned.

It's a little on the heavy side but as I got it as an S/T it's better than most at that job.

I agree, for a long time I rode fairly fast high rev bikes (Kawa ZZR, Triumph Datona etc) They were very nice but around town was a pain as the bikes just wanted to be opened up.

Now I have a BMW R1100RS, boring I know but its probably the most usable bike I ever had, dont even notice when the wife is on the back, hardly ever need to change gear around town just use 2nd and 3rd. OK it doesn't do 150 MPH like the Triumph, but I got fed up with the speeding fines anyway.

Depends on what you want to accomplish with your motorcycle.

If you're out to have a thrill with death defying feats of daring-doo, you'll need lots of horsepower generated at the high end of the rpm envelope. Get a Ducati if you're under 160 lbs, a Hyabussa or the latest whiz-bang Suzuki if you're not.

If you just want the approval of other motorcyclists, it depends on how much of an inferiority complex you have and the crowd you hang around with. If they think loud two cylinder paint mixers are really cool, you may have to spend the money to get a Harley.

light weight big hp and torque