All i know is my bike will take a turn at 120 and hold it steady without any hesitation with 94 forks (stock) and no steering damper on it and ill out race zx10 and cbr 1000 on any curve out there haha i love my F2 and she loves me my bike will hold its own against anything.. and im not finished yet..

Seat of the pants reviews, while useful, leave too much up to experience. I've been outrun by kids on 80's ninja 250's before... granted I was hungover, and following a chick with her thong hanging out :icon_eek:


A Dyno chart removes those elements.


I should add however, that in going from my F2 to my new GSXR 750... I am all too aware that modern bikes demolish older bikes. This isn't the F2 versus the planet though, it's just a comparison of progress in the 90's. Come 2000 the F series bikes got left in the dust.

From what I read and what the OP is describing, there is only one way the f2 could win, and it is not overall capability. If you reallllly are looking at streetability... Then capability doesn't matter. Both can pass cars easily in top gear. You don't need speed. And the torque again is still excessive, you aren't towing anything.

What matters are three things, for a COMMUTER bike that you are describing.

1- Comfort in all conditions - IE seating posture, suspension, sound
2- MPG... MPG... MPG...
3- Cost - Which depends on the owner really. And only matters if you don't have money for an expensive bike which is a toy in the first place.

1- From what I have seen, heard, and experienced, f4I wins here easy.
2- most get 42-43 on f4i stock, likewise though ive seen higher range, 39-45 on f2... so.. Tie?
3- F2 Wins, it's older, it's the same brand and model line, ergo... it's cheaper.

Torque matters for all around power. For casual riding, wringing the bike out for power isn't really comfortable. The F2 has more pull from a casual riding RPM than an F4i.


It's splitting hairs in this department for sure, which says a lot since the bike is the better part of ten years older. That speaks well for the F2 :icon_bike:

Are you being serious? First lets address the only technical part of your response. Your looking at the power and shifting single minded. Engine makes power to this point so it should be shifted before running out of power.... you don't take into consideration the rpm the engine comes back to when the next gear is selected. Yes power might trail off after a certain rpm but its still more then what is availible at the much lower rpm's you shift to next. Lower gear ratio equals less mechanical torque multiplication.

As for "not knowing an industry standerd term" and "go pick up a magazine", how about you actually get a job in the aftermarket industry and then try and talk? If you want to compare SEMA pictures of yourself Im game to show mine.[internet version of comparing how big our things are? lol]

I think the whole point of this exercise is to show that dollar for dollar, meaning that if the initial cost difference between an F2 and an F4i--or even only a small portion of it--is instead spent on addressing what are the weakest points of the F2 (i.e. potential lags in power delivery, overall ride quality, handling, and perhaps gearing); then even with all the technical advancements made throughout the F-series' evolution, an F2 is STILL a thoroughly capable machine. The advantages gained from buying an F4i are just not significant enough to declare it "clearly superior" for everyday use. There are some things that the older machine simply does better--or at the very least, cheaper.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate the F4i, as well; because I absolutely do. I had one, and it was (and still is) a FINE machine; and it does do certain things better than earlier F-series bikes. That said, it still would not be my first choice for a track weapon. For that purpose, I'd either drop dough for an RR; or I'd simply go off the Honda reservation, and get a Gixxer.

The fact that there are so many varied opinions on this subject is pretty much why this thread was created; and while I personally agree with the data that Jesse has documented here (not to mention I think it clearly demonstrates the validity of his viewpoint--which is that even when put to the test against it's great-grandchild, the F2 is still able to show just how GOOD a design it was), it's important to remember that there is no opinion that is 100% RIGHT.

Well said!!!

awesome post Jessie. Def stirs up discussion. and good to see some numbers istead of random numbers of the dome or internet speculation...

It's a shame that deer took out your bike. I didn't know you had a GSX-R 750, that's the very bike I've been looking into! I'm not sure if I want to be in debt for a bike, but I know I can't get anything better for a long time without taking out a loan. Man I want that bike, it's enough to make me turn away from big red.

I'm financially well off at this point in my life, so having a loan on a bike isn't killing me. I also only paid $4500 for a really nice 06 GSXR 750.

If you can ride pretty decent on an F2 you'll get on a GSXR 750 and conquer the planet. It's a confidence inspiring and forgiving beast that will calmly go where your F2 barely survived.

Oh yeah, and then there's the extra 50 peak horsepower... :icon_bike: