Questions for those that went to the RC51
 

anyone use them for a daily?

Is the ride similar to a hawk on steroids?

My front end is RC-51, but my SH is already strong and can't say that I'd even trade it for an RC-51 unless the deal is just too good to pass up;)

I think you'll find the RC-51 riding position to be a bit more sporty/painful, but the power will be stronger lifting that front wheel faster outta the corners...
RC

Ahh, the RC51. I've nicknamed mine as "The Beast". It's a fun bike to ride, 30 minutes at a time. It has a way of gripping your soul causing the pilot to twist the throttle harder and harder until a reality check hits and you wake up feeling violated, not in a bad way, but you feel as though you were someone else, a Moto GP champion for a brief moment in time, almost like a dream.

If you are looking to replace the SH with a RC- don't. If you can borrow a friend's or park one beside the SH go for it. It is fast, uncomfortable, and causes wild momentary lapse of reasoning. You will get into trouble. The Superhawk is fun, quick, and a great all rounder. I love both but given a choice between the two I'd take the Superhawk any day.

The Beast...

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Nice looking Beast Hotbrakes.
RC

hotbrakes, is that one of your riding buddies behind you? what kind of exhaust is that on the vfr behind "the beast"

That's actually my bike of choice when the weather is sketchy over the Superhawk. It's not as fast but still very sporty yet comfortable with hard cases to store extra layers/rain gear, heated grips, and auxillary lighting. The exhaust is Laser and that V4 makes a wicked sound. If the VFR had a v twin motor and was 50lbs lighter it would be the perfect bike, but then it would be a Superhawk.

z man- I always wanted a RC51, but after finding the Superhawk there was no way I was going to trade it for something else. There was a SH on craigslist that was crashed and I wanted to check it out to maybe use as a parts bike (wheels, exhaust, etc.) or rebuild for a track bike. The shop selling it has a lot of salvaged bikes, some rebuildable, some not. I went and looked at their crashed SH and it was in bad shape; JB weld on the clutch cover, a drag tire on the rear, from NC (bad news for drag bikes), and all of the plastic was smashed plus the tank. The only thing salvageable was the exhaust really and they didn't want to part with just that. So I was disappointed and started looking through the other wrecked bikes where I discovered a smashed RC51. $2k and the beast was mine. 3 weeks later plus $2500 in parts (tires, wheels, exhaust, subframe, plastic, and a new undertail) and the beast was on the road. Most RC's are still going for over $5k no matter what condition they are in so I figured because of its resale value I probably won't lose any money. The parts that are real expensive like forks, frame, and tank were all in good shape. It was an easy project and a good experience that allowed me to have this machine. Would I go out and drop $6k on a decent one? No. But I'm glad I got this one and learned a lot from it.
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i think the longest single stretch ive done on my RC is like 50 miles (mind you, i just got it a few weeks ago). don't get me wrong, it's quite a bit different from the hawk, but personally i dont feel it is as "brutal" as some make it out to be. if you're commutes include horribly paved freeways at high speed, it's probably not the greatest. the suspenion ends up jarring you rather than soaking up bumps.

the steering is much, much different. the suspension is obviously worlds apart. the seat isnt as bad as most say. the suspension is where i would say makes the most difference in commuting. its just plain heavy, and if you're crawling between cars in traffic, it's probably not the most pleasant. the flip side to this is that in turns, the bike stays planted, it quite honestly takes some work to upset it while in turns (this DOES NOT mean that you cant make adjustments midcorner, the RC handles that actually quite well). the hawk, since ive had it, is pretty twitchy in corners for me (granted, i have shitty/older stock tires and stock suspension). hawk is still much more flickable. in order of preference for commuter bikes for me: 600cc supersport, hawk, RC. the difference between is nearly nil, so that's not really saying much.

windscreen is pointless, but the plus side to that is that @ hwy speed, the windscreen directs wind at your chest, effectively making your body a sail--way less weight on your wrists. motor is a whole notha beast to me, not a hawk on roids.

i like the freedom i get from the RC seat, the hawk seat always kind of forced me into that crusher position against the tank. i found myself constantly having to push myself back a little.

in sum, i love the RC, everything about it. it was the things that were lacking with the hawk (suspension, motor, adjustability) that made me want one and i dont regret it. i still have the hawk, probably better for longer rides, but in all honesty, im not doing 300+ miles a day, if ever. i want to feel the joy of a superb, confident, focused bike everytime i ride. makes my day that much better.

http://heymynameisfred.blogspot.com to see my blog on my RC's (i got two of them a few weeks ago)

Hotbrakes, didn't you catch a hawk with your RC not too long ago. How is it coming back together again after that?

The exhaust on your VFR looks rather MV Agusta-ish.

You can get in as much trouble on the Superhawk as you can on any bike. The 750-ish rush of the RC51 makes it addictive though. Comparing the 1000RR to the RC51, steering is pretty on par, and the RC51 is a tad more "planted", but power-wise the RR walks the RC like it's a 600. Top gear roll-ons from my tuned 130 rwhp 02 RC51 and a bone stock 1000RR was pointless. I ended up trading for the 1000RR a week or so later. Not to mention the screwed up fan rotation (they both blow in), hot running, and weird carburetion at low rpm/throttle positions made the RC a terrible commuter.

Finally got a headlight on Ebay tonight.

RC51's are fun to ride. I've been on several 300+ mile rides to the mountains. They just require more focus on what you're doing. If you're not careful it will buck you off. With a VFR and a 'Hawk parked next to mine, well more often than not the Beast stays home.

Short story... I owned my 2005 VTR and a 2001 RC51 at the same time. When it came down to the wire because I need some cash for a truck, I chose to sell the RC51. The RC51 out-performed the VTR... but the VTR is a better all-rounder and has a better personality (so to speak). Although... I wouldn't mind another RC51 in my future... maybe even as a track bike.... you should only go so fast on the street. ;)

I ride my RC everyday (when it is warm out) back and forth to work. I put CycleCat riser bars on it and it has a Corbin seat. Power wise, it definitely does not hit as hard as the superhawk does. Now don't get me wrong, it has plenty of power, but puts it to use in a different manner. I had to ask some guys in the RC51 forums if they thought there was something wrong with mine as getting on it aggressively like on the hawk didn't have me hunting for the rear brake as the front end shot towards the sky. I personally love it, and I am very glad I went for it when I had the chance.

There's a lot more weight on the front wheel of the RC51 than the Superhawk. The distribution are reversed with the two bikes. I tried to find exact numbers but internet searches bring up nothing, so.....I'm going on memory.

Superhawk F/R - 45/55
RC51 F/R - 52/48