best/fastest cornering street legal bike

[konarider94]

no doubt about it, you want the best cornering bike out I'd say a KTM motard.

beat me to it.

 

[RT Performance]

hmmm, so an S frame and an R frame are different? or the rear sets are different? (i'm not being a smartass either, just never heard of this and am curious to know) i thought the pegs not being dropped was the only difference.

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Frames peg brackets the same seat postion little differn't bigest thing is the handle bars.
I know pesonally that taller bars give you way more leverage for throwing around.

 

[myronman3]

was it just the riding position?

i can not answer that question definitively one way or the other...but i suspect so. riding position is going to affect the center of gravity, and the handlebars are different on the two as well.
i do know that my forearms would start to hurt within 15 minutes of riding on the bolt, and the base of my neck/skull would start to hurt shortly after my forearms....i dont have that problem on the lightning. definately a big difference for me between the two.

 

[anrkizm95]

buell lightning #1 mcn

 

[Thaloc]

GOduc
If you're talking the best money can buy and ride on the street the aprilia rsv4 or ducat 1198. Something more affordable then the sv650s actually dominate the lightweight twin class

Those are the best bikes around the track, but by no means ideal for street use. I agree that there is no "best" as everyone has their own opinion. But for practicality and a power band that you can use on the street without getting(too many) tickets, for me its any Buell XB, and a DRZ400sm.

I seen a cheap '98 CR500 2 stroke on craigslist a while back. Freshly Re build top end, full FMF exhaust, beautiful bike. I wanted to buy it and Sumo it, cuzz that would be absolutely ridiculous, but the practicality of it for street use is not there. I would have my license for all of 18 minutes after getting plates on it cause you would have to have the power of God to keep the front wheel on the ground.

 

[racepro716]

You guys have no idea untill you've ridden a proper 125GP bike. Other than than 80cc tiddlers nothing on two wheels carries more corner speed. Granted, they're uncomfortable as hell, only make power at around 9500 to 11,000 rpm, and not even close to street legal but more fun than you could imagine. Wayne

 

[myronman3]

that very well could be, i dont know, havent rode one and never will.
the thing about the buells that i dig is that they are practical. my biggest bitch about the firebolt, was that it hurt me to ride it. i dont have that problem with the lightning.

 

[Ranger3987]

Bike Magazine cornering article.

I was gunna say it but BikerTrash beat me to it, Bike magazine rated the 2005 buell xb12r as the best cornering bike, So I would say just go with suspention upgrades to your buell to make it better and still keep some coin in your pocket

 

[gunut75]

I put a set of pro-tapers on my 12R. I'm 6'2, 180#. I have the stock seat, the select seat, and the R or S pegs. My choice. With the S pegs and select seat, I sit up like a dirt bike with a big ass seat. My favorite set up is the S pegs and stock seat. Puts me down low in the bike. The seat choice changes the whole rider triangle. The select is great for long haul stuff, but if I'm gonna go out looking to tear up some corners, the stocker is the king. The seat height difference is more than an inch.

 

[upthemaiden]

I agree with gunut about the seats. I have a lightning and I have the stock seat, the low seat, and the tall 05-06 9sx seat. Each seat gives you a completely different bike.

As far as the frames being different like someone said before, that's not true. The only differences between the xbs and xbr is that the lightning pegs drop down an inch while the firebolt pegs do not, and the firebolt has lower handlebars. I'm not sure exactly where the seat height is, but I would think it's the same height as the normal height lightning seat, if anything it might be the same as the low seat, but it's definitely not further back or higher than a lightning seat.