City riding with a 600rr
 

Hello,

I currently live in New Hampshire along the seacoast, so there aren't exactly a lot of open windy roads or tracks around here. For the most part, it is average city and town riding usually cruising around 35 - 45 mph and in some parts, frequent stop lights. I commute daily to work for 30 miles.

I have owned a ninja 250 as a starter bike for about a year, and can confidently say I am looking to upgrade to the 600cc class. I've been immediately drawn to Honda's great reputation, lighter bike, and overall features / aesthetics.

My biggest question is, are there any other riders who ride often in similar conditions? Would there be many drawbacks to getting the 600rr if unable to really open it up, or is it's racing feature more of an "option" rather than something that has to be used to make the bike comfortable. I have looked at the SV650 / Kawi 650r, and they simply are not as appealing to me at the given moment.

Thank you in advance for any input!

lol i saw this on the 600rr forums lol

there are no drawbacks, but it's not really a comfortable bike.. i feel like buying one for primarily city riding is a waste of money. I would look for something less rigid, and harsh.

wont be all that comfortable in a city setting!

You won't have a problem at all, the 600rr is a great bike to ride in any setting. Don't let anybody talk you out of buying one by telling you they are not comfortable. I've owned everything from GSXR,s to katanas and even sv's and I would even drive my wifes ninja 250 to work because of the fuel economy I would get with it and I can tell you that the only bike that gets close to the 600rr is the yamaha r6 in the weight class. Go for the double R you will love it, but don't sell your ninja 250 I garrantee you will still use it for its economy(70mpg) compared to 45mpg on the 600rr, even my 900rr gets 50mpg. Johnnyh

The 600rr is the least comfortable bike I've been on. Don't get me wrong; I love riding it, but comfort is not its bag, baby

The seat is like a brick and the ergos are for a smaller framed person...but it is overall a great bike and you will not be disappointed.

haha i'm 6'2" 210lbs and I can definitely vouch for that :icon_violin:

I'm 5'8 145 and I have no idea what you're talking about... haha

I have a Ninja 250 and an '09 600. If you are only going 35-45 with frequent stops commuting I would recommend just staying on the Ninja. If you do actually get out on the highway and need to go over 60 in traffic I would consider the 600, or something else bigger. The Ninja is an awesome little bike for puttering around town but I found that it didn't have enough juice at the high end to compete with the traffic on my commute. The 600 has more than enough and for me ( 6ft 220) however I do find it frustrating when driving in traffic. The throttle is VERY touchy compared to the Ninja but you can get used to it pretty quickly, just be ready for some jerky starts the first few days. It also gets host fast when it sits. I live in Dallas so the weather is way different but a 90 degree day stuck in traffic at the end of my commute I was hitting 240 which is less then comfortable to sit on.

The 600 is also the most comfortable bike I have found for me. I do have shoulder issues so getting my hands up high on a cruiser or sport touring style ride causes issues for me. The 600 is bent over but nowhere near as aggressively as some other bikes. So I personally love it.

caspian is right. i had a ninja 250r and traded it in for a cbr 600. in the city the ninja was fine(30-50mph), but at freeway speeds it was real bad. i had a hard time maintaining 70-80mph. you will love a bigger 600. it has all kinds of passing power. for some reason i feel safer on it on the freeeways compared to the 250.
if you're just using the bike for commuting a different type of bike may suit you better. i have the need for speed and thats why i got a 600. remember sportbikes aren't designed for comfort, maybe a shadow would work?

I love my 09 600rr. It is more comfortable than my old F4, but all the sport bikes I have rode are not really comfortable....I have rode a few cruisers and they are comfortable, but I still love sportbikes and until I can have both a sportbike and a cruiser I will be sticking with sportbikes.

I put 40,000 miles commuting on a ninja 650 and they're great for that. I got my 09 600rr after my commute went from 80 miles round trip to now it 14. I LOVED my 650r but i wanted better suspension and handling as i ride in the north ga mtns alot. I can tell you for me at 6'2 and 230lbs out of all the 600's the honda is the most comfortable. These bikes are made to run and every once in awhile you'll need to open it up. But imho they are not as useless as a commuter as most think. i love my rr and i'm glad i got it. you'll get used to the seating position just remember to grip with your knees and that will take your weight of your wrists. But also remember if want a 600 buy it and try it if it doesnt work out for you just sell it or trade it and get something else! if you do get a 600rr, for me the best way to secure cargo is use 2 cargo nets, 1 under the back seat and then get some spring loaded clips and hook them together it works great!! good luck with your decision!!

I have a 06 F4i (nana seat) and tried my friends 600rr. Between the two the F4i is more comfortable slighty. The banana seat gives you more room to shift around. And the grab bar is handy for twist stretching at lights :p But when going back and forth to work, I do feel like even the F4i is sulking a little. Just a tiny bit upset of having to do stop n go running, barely getting out of 2nd gear.

I'd say based on your experience a Fi 600 (2001+ F4is & 600rrs) is a good idea because likely you'll soon start feeling the itch. And then you will go out and find twisty roads to hit. The Hondas are extremely versatile. Both bikes can handle a daily commute easily, almost too easily. When its time to hit the highways, they'll be in their comfort zone. Into the twisties, the 600rr will begin to outperform the F4i (given equal skill on them) imo. And if you go to the track...

Well, if I could tolerate hearing my girlfriend whine about another bike I'd get a 600rr for track days

I ride my friends harley and other types of bikes all the time and use my 08 600RR for both daily commuting to work and cruising highway and back roads on weekends. 6ft 170 lbs and I have no comfort issues, especially since the seat has been broken in. Given the crusier is more comfortable, it just isn't as fun for me as a sportbike. Try riding different types of bikes (if possible) and see which fits your needs best.

Woah wait, NH seacost and you can't find nice roads? I do believe your not looking hard enough, I live in southern Maine and Usually ride down into NH or far North into Maine for Riding, I've seen many great roads in NH Just have to go find em. Either go North into Maine or go West they are there. I know a guy who travels stop and go to work every day on his 1000rr on Rt 1 and he says it only get a little uncomfortable, I've never had a problem with the F4i in more city like areas like Portsmouth and Portland.

my first bike was a ninja 650r not a bad option more comfortable then being hunched up on a super sport for driving a 30-45 min commute to and from work in the city... and a few grand cheaper, still tops out at 140ish rather than 160 but from what ur doing it dosent sound like u need a 600rr inless your trying to get some ass but even then the 650r is a respectable bike

what do you all think about a two hour highway ride on the RR? i live 2 hours south of my family and have been looking at the F4I's and RR's for quite some time

Ive done around 5 hr HWY rides with out much problem at all 2.5 hrs there took a 45 min break and 2.5 hrs back.... I've done city group rides that have gone from 7 PM to around 1 AM with no problem at all, and of coarse back road/twistys for hrs on end. I've found that its a pretty comfortable bike yes it may be more so on a more up right bike but its definitely due able. It may be worse for taller folk's being hunched up and all but for me being 5'8" i have no problem at all going for 5 hr rides...

I say go with a more up right/cafe racer bike if you're that worried about it. They're still fast enough, more comfortable and you can still get ass with them. After all, doesn't sound like you plan on doing any twisties or highway riding