I actually posted this on the F3 forum the other week, as I found a nice F3, but I'm not sure if it will work out.. but I found what seems to be a good deal on a 2000 F4, and since it is ful on off season winter here in NY I have some good bargaining leverage..

Here is the post:

My last bike (and first) a Ninja 250, served me very well. I put about 1800 miles on it last season. It has been sold and now I am looking for its replacement.

I know what I like, but I’m also trying to figure out what I need. 80% of my riding is commuting back and forth to work and short rides in ‘city’ traffic with stop and go and lower speeds.. The other 20% is touring and nice rides on Sunday mornings/weekends. I would say a typical weekend ride is 80-120 miles of parkway/highway and medium speed (40-50mph) single lane roads. I rarely ride super fast.. I would say 70-80mph is a good highway cruising speed for me, with the occasional romp between 80 and 90 that I did on the 250.. I don’t see myself going faster than that on the roads around here. The buddy that I ride with has a cruiser, and we won’t be setting any land speed records. When we ride, we usually go out for like 3 or 4 hours, but next season we plan on going for longer rides.

My wish list:
Full fairings – definately a sport bike
Good ergos
Good gas mileage (my N250 was getting mid 50s, so I would like to be in the 40s at least)
Relative light weight (keep wet weight to 450# since it is tight in the garage)

For inline fours I have been considering:
97-98 CBR600F3
99-00 CBR600F4
01-02 CBR600F4i (tough to find in my price range)
00-02 ZX6R


Keeping in mind how I use my bike, and the fact that the Ninja 250 did exactly what I wanted/needed 80% or so of the time, what do you think?

Does it sound like the F4 is for me, or should I stick with one of the twins? I would hate to finally find the bike of my dreams and then find out that it doesn't fit my motorcycle needs.

Any opinions are welcome!

The general consensus on the F3 forum is that it would fit me perfectly.. the F4 is newer, has nice conveniences like easier seat removal and lighter weight.. but I'd love to make a more educated decision. I know I love the looks (love the F3 as well)

Thanks in advance,
Adam

 

F4 sounds like a winner to me I went from a suzuki 500 twin to my F4 and I love it, and Ive been known to ride for like 16 hrs strait I think it is one of the best sport bikes for touring it has a great cushy seat unlike some newer sport bikes I've ridden and the seat sits lower compared to the bars which is great for long riding sessions you hardly have any wieght on your hands while riding. And with a double bouble windscreen even being 6'3" I still dont hardly get wind battered.... I love the F4 but this is my opinion.

 

You already know how you ride so that's half the battle. Next thing is to do the research to figure out what bike is *most* suited to you. There are so many options out there I wouldn't stop at an F3 or F4. And though the looks of the bike mean allot to the people who choose a bike I wouldn't let that entirely be the basis of how you choose a bike. 600cc sport bikes are more practical on the road than 1000cc sport bikes but I don't think you can truly have fun on a sport bike unless you're on a track or in the mountains riding the bike how it was designed.

I would look into other bikes personally. I LOVE my f4 dearly but I know when it comes to commuter rides and more long distance rides I'd prefer not to do it on my f4. When I get my dream bike (BMW 1200GS) I'm dedicating my f4 as a track bike. And when I want to ride the twisties in the mountains hopefully I'll have the new VFR 1200 that's coming out in 2010.

I've ridden from North Carolina to Arizona once and have ridden from Phoenix AZ to Los Angeles California and back several times. Plus a round trip of over 400 miles on AZ roads north east, north and north west of phoenix in the mountains. My complaint is the comfort on the F4. With the sporty clip-ons on the f4 short commuter rides are painless and easy. But when it came to my ride from NC to AZ my right hand had no rest for hours at a time. And by the time I got to Phoenix I couldn't grip a pen to write worth the life of me for several days.

If I could go back to when I was looking at buying a motorcycle I would have gone with the VFR 800Fi. It's a natural sport touring bike with more comfort for the commuter/long distance rider and the fi models have the Vtech motor which is designed with with long distance fuel consumption in mind. The VFR 800Fi sits on the line of people that love sport bikes and touring bikes and would also make a great commuter bike. The VFR 800Fi also has saddle bags that are specifically designed for it. Another plus if you don't want to carry around a backpack to work or where ever your next destination is.


I'm a bit long winded and I apologize. I just love talking about motorcycles. I'm sure I was no help. Just putting in my two cents I guess...

 

I've ridden the 250 and enjoyed it a lot. If you're looking for a commuter bike you will not beat the 250. I know you want to "upgrade" but really the sportier you go the worse you will find it commutes.

I own a F4 and I have done some big tours on it... I've done a SS1k on it and several 4000 mile 5 day trips. The bike tours very well.

I am also converting my F4 to nearly dedicated track bike - last year I got my race licence on it, and this year I'm prepping it to run a full season.

The biggest F4 weakness is commuting. The charging system is good enough for most riding, however, warm weather in heavy traffic and you will be pushing your luck. Unless you have a perfect battery, and a the charging system is working at its absolute peak and you don't get stuck in grid lock - you will have problems. At low RPM it will get to the point it will stall because it is running flat. The fan draws too much power for the bikes charging system - to keep it from stalling once the bike has been running the fan for some time you'll need to hold RPMs over 3500/4000 RPM.


So that said - if you can at all afford to keep the 250 for commuting your body will thank you.

If you can not - then consider the F4i which makes an additional 90/100 watts of charging.

Personally I love my F4 and it is probably the single most comfortable sport bike out there... my single complaint is the it isn't a commuter bike. Usually I just drive my car because I'm sick of riding in rush hour traffic.

 

That is very interesting woot.. I never heard of the charging issue but that is something to remember.. is it on all F4s or just most of them? Can you upgrade to charging parts from an F4I?

I know you from ninja250.org, and unfortunately my Ninja is gone.. first person to look at her grabbed her up. I loved that bike.. just wanted a bit more bike..

 

It has come up a few times on this forum... My suggestion has been to consider some of the more modern R/R's - and - I'd like to try an F4i stator swap. I haven't really gotten into it because I've been using it as a touring bike until last season, and now started getting into racing... In both cases the charging system is more than adequate.

 

have you thought about a ninja 500? Or a SV or a yzf600? all those make better commuters.

A VFR would be choice for a honda

 

Ninja 500 no thanks... not even remotely a fan of those.. the YZF is nice, but it is way heavy to lug around my garage... the SV650S is/was on my list... It is tied for me with the F3/F4.

I'm going to look at an F4 tomorrow.. the price range seems reasonable and the pics I have look good. just shy of 19k miles.

I have heard such great things about the F3 as a commuter.. I'm really surprised that I am not hearing the same about the F4s..

 

the egros were more upright on the F3

and my bad I meant the fz6r not the yzf

But for the mileage you say you do n plan to do I dont have any issues with my F4. I've done all day rides of 300ish miles n I didnt get sore etc til the ride home, n thats the start of the season n4 I get back into the swing of it.

 

Choosing from OP's selection list & considering budget constraints, I'd choose the F4.

My 2000 F4 has been great. I use it for a daily commuter, wknd twisties/canyons, & track. Its great for trips as well. So far, its been a tank, takes everything I've dished up to it. As far as the charging system is concerned; I upgraded to the factory Honda rectifier that superseded the old non-finned version. Cost was about $80 & I've had no problems thus far.

*If* you wanted to ad another budget bike w/ same constraints, I'd recommend the SV650 as well. My wife has the SV650 & its a great commuter bike. She uses it every day to/fro work. She also uses it on wknd rides & for trackdays. Its such a versatile bike & it gets great gas mileage. Most SV's don't come w/ full fairings but the factory lower's aren't too expensive to pop on & go.

Good luck.