as a side note, I have my own love affair with the Z1000... good and cheap and pretty funky looking. quite fast too, on their own right.
as for the numbers.. .a 12 second quarter mile for a bike isn't THAT fast... our stock 250 ninja ran a fifteen something and it was a damn 91 model with 30k on the clock.
From reading all the above and thinking about my own needs, I'd have to agree. For riding on the street, you'll never NEED more than an SV650. I'd also encourage you to look at FZ6's... they are a total Bob Costascat of a bike, pretty nice looking, super comfortable, and very reliable. FZ1 will eat just about anything with sticky tires and the right rider... I've seen an FZ1 on pilot powers shut down two R1's, an RC51, and a handful of smaller sport bikes...
though to be fair, I was shutting them down on my GSXR 750 too...lol. But I was the only one wearing leathers with knee sliders and this was a public road.
Oh wait... I mean... professional riders on a closed track.. right
. Sure it's a bit rough around the edges on the throttle response unless you run a Power Commander or similar unit and that may be a little intimidating if you're new at this, but it sure sounds good when ridden in anger. Make sure it has the steering damper recall (addition) done on it.
