Hi everyone,
i was hoping to get some advice from some experienced CBR riders around my options for a new bike.
I've owned my 08 600ZZR (Kawi) for about a year now with a mere 3K miles of experience (in addition to 500miles on a KLR) and to be honest I'm getting tired of it. The kawi was always going to be a beginner bike before moving on to something a little more aggressive.
I guess i have been researching my options for about a month now and it seems that the 08/09 blade is the top 1liter bike to buy. I don;t want a GSXR 750 as it seems that everyone and his mother has one in Oregon and the Duc 848 is too expensive so its either a CBR600 or the blade or an 09 kawi Z6. I've sat on an 08 blade and it feels awesome and much more comfortable than R1/6. Oh, and I'm not so much into the top speed of a bike as i am into torque and power.I guess my questions are
- Is the 08 blade a madman? is this just too much bike for someone with approx 3.5k under the belt?
- Would I see a big enough difference in moving from a ZZR600 to a CBR600 or any other 600 ( 09 Z6) to justify the cash needed to upgrade?
- I rode my friends 06 blade for about 30mins and loved the power. Is the 08 blade a different beast?

i really appreciate the help. thanks

p.s not really interested in track days, will be used for commuting and twisties.

 

Maybe, depends on your mindset and responsibility. Only you can decide that, but be sure to be honest with yourself, your life depends on it.

Personal preference really. The 1000 has way more power, and across more of the power-band but when riding hard there is less of a difference. The 600 will handle better and be less intimidating which will allow you to use more of its power.

Completely different bike. Best bet is to ride the 600 if you can and see what you think.

I wouldn't suggest the 1000 to anyone with only 3500 miles in a saddle, but only you can make that call. I got a 929 after about 3500 miles of riding so it can be done (then again it was totalled less than 3 months later )

 

Hey Whiteknife. Thanks for your response. I didn;t get any hits so i was starting to think i had broken some forum rules

My mindset definitely changed after I completed the safety course (between the KLR and ZZR). I for sure had "mindset" issues prior but i think i manage to stay very level headed on the bike and try to block out external things that might affect my riding.

I plan on popping down to a local dealer soon and trying out the cbr600 09/08 and possibly the blade. (possibly the kawi Z6 but i guess I shoudn't say those words on this site )

I did notice that the CBR600 doesn;t come with a slipper clutch. yesterday i thought this was a negative but after chatting with a friend he maintained that this isn;t an issue and some riders like some engine breaking.

anyhow, cheers for the advice

 

Don't bother with the 09 600rr unless you are looking for the C-ABS version. Its down like 7hp from the 08 due to higher emissions restrictions, so look for an 08 if you can.

An interesting bit of info though, Motocyclist magazine did a shootout at the Streets of Willow and the CBR600rr had the top lap of al the bikes tested. Second place was... Ducati 1198. The lil' CBR beat the new R1, GSX-R1000 and kawi ZX6r too. Sure that's on the track, but its pretty darn impressive for a bike that's DOWN on power from last year. Just goes to show there's a difference between power and speed. The main difference is the 1000 will pull harder throughout the RPM range, but will knock you on your *** much easier too.

You said you will be using it for commuting and twisties, well the 600 is better for the twisties honestly, but the 1000 makes commuting a bit easier and more comfortable. I would actually ride a 600 myself since I ride almost exclusively in the twisties, and I love the challenge of dancing around in the powerband, but I make my 1000 look small. That is another thing to take into consideration; your body size and weight. If you are a real big guy I'd say keep looking at standards vs the 1k if you must. Some bigger guys say they fit just fine on 600s though too.

Maybe even consider something like a 929 as an introduction to big bikes if you decide you want to go big, then you can turn around and sell it for almost the same probably once the economy picks up again At least then you don't have to take the initial depreciation hit from buying new. My guess is at your experience level you are just still learning what you really want from a bike, so why do you want to commit to a brand new bike?

 

I weigh about 200lbs and I'm 5'10. i have sat on a few bikes and the only bike I reall felt uncomfortable on was the R1/6. I will see if the have any 08 CBR's in stock that they might cut a deal on.

I called down there yesterday and the big question that they answered for me was around my current ZZR600 and the power on true 600 sportbikes. apparently there is a night and day difference with regard to power. so, maybe i don;t need a 1 liter

So why do you want to commit to a brand new bike? good question, i don't know. Trying to single handedly stimulate the economy

 

You need to be careful when listening to dealers. they will push whatever bike they need to sell. In my honest opinion, there isnt a night and day difference between your ZZR and a so called true sportbike 600. If your looking for more low end, your going the wrong direction. the ZZR will have more low end than any supersport 600 out there. It doesnt have the top end power they do, as supersport bikes are are designed for race tracks and have more peak power, but all of the power is in the upper rpm range. You ZZR was designed more for the street, so the power is lower in the rpms range, although it is less peak power. If your truly looking for more low end, the only way to really get that is more cc's. You need more torque and that comes in the way of more cc's, or gearing your current bike lower to get power down sooner. If your truly bored with your current bike, I wouldnt suggest getting another 600. If you look at the torque specs, you'll see your ZZR has the same amount of torque as any 600cc bike, and puts it down sooner.

As far as needing a 1 liter, no ones really needs one, but then again, no one really needs a 600 either. From your posts, ( its always hard to suggest a bike to someone without knowing them) it sounds like a bigger cc bike is what your looking for. You also sound like you are a person that respects bikes, and if this is the case, I would suggest getting the liter bike. More times than not, its the size of the persons ego that gets them into trouble, not the size of the bike. If you had no experience at all, obviously a liter bike wouldnt be a good starting point, but your ZZR was a great platform to start with and should have given you the proper skills to move up if you want to.

 

Hey,
Thanks for the advice justasquid. Looks like i will be the proud owner of a new 2008 CBR1000RR. (just checked collision insurance, damnnnnnnn !)
I went to the dealers and rode both the ninja and the cbr and found a huge difference in both. Sure the ninja was a slightly more powerful bike (with goodies like the slipper and the big fork) than my ZZR but it was still the same high reving , poor midrange bike that I have come to dislike. Its a fine bike but i think it wasn't what I wanted from my next bike. Over the the past year or so i have come to want accessible power I guess.
The night and day difference the dealer spoke of wasn;t felt until i sat on the blade and not just for power or torque reasons. The quality of the build (I think at least) was at the next level and turning it was effortless. Funnily i thought the ergos were much better on the blade.
My wife and friends think i'm crazy for getting a "faster" bike as its hard to explain to a non-rider about accessible power.
again, thanks for the advice

 

i agree with the statement above on, its usually the size of your ego and not the bike that gets you into trouble....

I had NO street experience on a bike (well i rode some bikes here and there) i was mainly in the dirt my whole life. then i went and bought me a 07 1000rr, it was the best purchase i ever made, I went in to the dealership with more knowledge on the bikes then the salesmen so i didnt have to listen to the salesmens pitch to get me to buy a bike i might not like.

I was aware of the 1000's power and that its a big bike for a beginner. But i am a respectful rider and did not do anything squid like starting out on this bike, i started easy to get a feel for clutch engagment points, and learned throttle control before i started riding it harder. and also handling. Its crazy, these bikes want you to go faster thru the twisties because it gets easier the faster you go.

the 1000rr isn't a bad bike to start out on depending on what your intentions are. If your going to be a idiot, the 1000rr (or any liter bike) is going to amplify your eff up times 100 over a 600cc.

i love this bike and i am glad i didn't get a 600. I love the fact that i dont need all 6 gears for daily riding. i could use them but i use the first 3 or 4 90% of the time.

watch out for powerwheelies in first gear! they are scarry at first lol!

i get **** all the time for riding a 1000cc, all my buddies have 600's. well for one i wanted to be different and have a beast they were all afraid to own, and i tell them it really isn't that bad. it can be, but isnt.

ride safe bro. congrats on the new bike your about to buy. dont bail on it last minute. lol

 

I bought the blade and I have already put 100miles on her. (i did think of bailing to be honest ) I am so glad i kept with this purchase and that I decided on the blade. I took her for a quick ride today into the wine country and it was awesome. So responsive and powerful. i guess one the biggest differences i've noticed is that the breaking power on this bike is truely awesome. for the first 10 or so traffic lights i kept on break too soon as i used to the crappy zzr breaks.

 

Yea, you will definitly rack up the miles on that bike, its so easy. I bought my bike in Feb on this year, and i didn't ride it till late march b/c of snow. and i have about 3600 miles on it so far, and i bought my 07 brand new this year.