Discuss: What's harder to ride properly fast; 600 or a 1000?

On the road, an experienced rider will be quicker in most instances on the 1,000cc bike where he can use the power. An average rider will be quicker under certain circumstances on the bigger bike, but quicker in others on the smaller bike.
Falcorob

Both are mentally fast, 500GP comparable, if you go back a few years. Give me the 1,000 anytime, even though I never get beyond 50% of its real ability!
R1 loon

A thou’ is easier to look fast on without being all that good. Modern bikes are so forgiving that on a 1,000 all you have to do is stick it in 6th and hold a good speed. 600s take skill to actually ride fast. Holding a good line, selecting the right gear for acceleration and, above all, reading the road are the hardest things to do well. But they make riding a 600 hard more rewarding. All thou’s are beyond the capabilities of mortals (on the road at least) anyway. Anyone who says that they truly push the limits of, for instance, the GSX-R1000 K series on the road are lying.
L.C

I’ve never ridden a litre sports bike, or indeed a 600 one. I’ve never been bothered by trying to ‘make up ground’ either. It kinda gets in the way of riding your own ride.
Hairy Ben

You’ve completely missed the point of this thread - and quite probably bike riding altogether! Every moment of road riding is a race; every set of traffic lights, a starting gate; every other rider, a competitor.
Kyot

1,000cc bikes are harder but more able, surely this is why the GSX-R750 is so popular for us mere mortals. Best of both worlds.
doodledog

I ride a hornet 900 and a ‘99 Blade, mainly coz I feel comfortable with the size and weight. 600s are great if you rev the nuts off them but I feel like I am on a BMX!
Hondabloke

I think it always depends on how big your balls are. I like the 600 ‘cos I know that I’m less likely too lose my licence whereas I would love a 1,000 but would do myself in. You can get away with a lot more on a Six. If you want the best of both go for a 750, it’s always funny how people with thou’s over-cook it showing off.
zx6sid

My litre riding mates who all laughed when I downgraded to a 600 never leave me behind unless it is a straight-line drag race with stupid speeds, but on the twisty B-roads where they never get out of second gear I end up grinning like a loon while they all complain it is too much hard work.
byteback

Given riders of equal ability on a road, the 1,000 would be slightly harder. The 600 rider will be able to use more of his ability than the thou’.
Kitch

Personally I found it harder to ride my R1 faster than I did my ZX-6R. The reason being that I could really rag the nipples off the ninja, and I did not have the bottle to do that on my R1.That might be down to the fact that I am a mortal man, or the fact that the R1 was too powerful a bike for me to get anywhere near doing it justice. 600s are easier to ride faster.
Bgb

Clearly litre bikes are harder to ride at the limit on-track, but then we are talking about road bikes and your average road ride doesn’t have the skills of a world class racer. Nor does your average road rider tend to be anywhere near the limits of the bike. I’d say that a litre bike can flatter a poor rider more than a 600, as they can make time up on the straights. A good rider on a 600 should still have no problem keeping up with a good rider on a 1000, as on the roads it’s harder to use the advantages.
MAC

A 1,000cc bike is easier to go fast on on the road because you don’t have to run big lean angles and you can accelerate much more quickly.
tripod_dave

All that matters on the road is how much you are willing to risk your life or licence, whichever expires first. On track days I see very few riders who are capable of the throttle control needed to be able to ride either a 600 or 1,000 though a corner smoothly with the bike in the powerband, so for most of us mortals the 1,000  is easier to ride fast because it will pick up better out of the corners.
toolbox

A 1,000 is easier to ride at a certain speed than a 600. But you go faster on a 1,000, which makes it a harder bike to ride.
Mylittlestudpony

Result:

A 1,000 is harder to ride: 6

No you cock, it’s a 600: 7

Super-close. Loads of people didn’t understand the question - we weren’t asking which is faster - but the outcome as decided this very website is that 1,000s are easier to ride, thereby making 600s harder.