848 is a fantastic bike, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Especially us 1098/1198 guys. Because the bike doesn't matter.
The rider does. It's ALWAYS the rider, not the bike. Care to know how many R1's, GSXR1000's, 10R's, etc that I've smoked riding an SV650 with suspenion and decent tires? It's pretty ugly.
848's, like 600's, allow you to wring the hell out of them at a track without too much worry of over compensating the rear tire. That's why you see a lot of liter bike guys point-and-shoot it on a track. It takes a good amount of experience to develope a smooth throttle hand to get a lot out of a liter bike. 600's and 650/748/749/848 are easier to ride hard.
Now, having said that, I bought an 1198S. But I've been riding for 16 years, track days for 9, and corner working for over 4 years. And I can tell you there is no correlation on the size of the bike and the times at the track. It's a coin toss based on experience.
It's the rider, not the bike, it's ALWAYS the rider. Having said that, I believe *you* would be more happy, and faster, on an 848 than an 1198. The 1198 is a LOT of freakin' power, and unless you have years of experience, it will slow you down getting used to it, where as the 848 you just set up the suspension, throw good tires on it, and ride the piss out of it.
The rider does. It's ALWAYS the rider, not the bike. Care to know how many R1's, GSXR1000's, 10R's, etc that I've smoked riding an SV650 with suspenion and decent tires? It's pretty ugly.
848's, like 600's, allow you to wring the hell out of them at a track without too much worry of over compensating the rear tire. That's why you see a lot of liter bike guys point-and-shoot it on a track. It takes a good amount of experience to develope a smooth throttle hand to get a lot out of a liter bike. 600's and 650/748/749/848 are easier to ride hard.
Now, having said that, I bought an 1198S. But I've been riding for 16 years, track days for 9, and corner working for over 4 years. And I can tell you there is no correlation on the size of the bike and the times at the track. It's a coin toss based on experience.
It's the rider, not the bike, it's ALWAYS the rider. Having said that, I believe *you* would be more happy, and faster, on an 848 than an 1198. The 1198 is a LOT of freakin' power, and unless you have years of experience, it will slow you down getting used to it, where as the 848 you just set up the suspension, throw good tires on it, and ride the piss out of it.
) and i had a silly grin on my face the whole time, granted i have not ridden the 1098/1198, but the 848 is damned fun on the street. I cant wait to get back home and ride it again!