those aren't showroom bikes or bodywork, regardless of class.

brand new 07.



30 MPH loop.

 

Ido agree with Slug on this one. Build quality of Suzuki's aren't that great. friend of mine got in a slow rear-end bike-on-bike accident and both bikeswere messed up pretty bad. Funny thing is, both bikes involved were exactly the same: 07gixxer600 blue/black. the bike that rear-ended the front bike was totalled, while the bike in the front had bent rearsets/pegs, broken front cowl, dented tank,etc. Not to rag on Suzuki because they are awesome bikes, but they're not as tough as honda. same would go for 750 since parts are exactly the same. 1k gixxer, i dunno.

 

Talk to JZhales...he's on this forum, he's from NC (I think close by you) and he works at a dealership, so he may be able to hook you up with some test ride(s).

Just like Slugger said, a majority of the sportbikes out there aren't made for comfort. I absolutely love my '05 600RR but for some reason Kawasaki's are more comfortable to me, but, I'm not looking for comfort. I'm looking for performance, reliability, etc.. It's all about personal preference. It's what YOU want. If the GSX-R feels better to you and you're happy with it in general, then get it. The F4I's a great bike. It's very comfortable and still performs very well.

Congrats on the kid and good luck in your decision making.

 

The RR's are great, the GSXR's are nice too. Several guys I ride with roll Gixxer's. I've always believed in and loved Honda's. Really, after reading all of these comments, here's my advice. Go with the F4i. A silver 05 will be the cheapest of the other bikes you've mentioned, you already admited that you like it's asthetics, and it'll leave the most money for your wife and kids (after it's all said and done), it'll be the most comfortable, easiest riding position for longer rides (and I rode my 07 600RR, which is supposed to be more comfortable than the 05-06 600RR's, for two 4 hour stents just recently... it's not comfortable on ones body), and it'll be a blast to ride. Everyone's right, pick what feels the best... and really, from your own words, the f4i would be the way to go. Visit the f4i section and get some more info from the good people there. Welcome to the site!

 

I agree with slugger. The build quality on the gixxers aren't the same as the honda. My riding buddy laid down his gixxer at 35mphs when he hit a dog. He had to replace EVERYTHING! 6,000 dollars damage. Yes this means the bike was totalled but he only had liabitlity so the money came out of his pocket to rebuild it. .. I was new to riding a month ago and I had my mind deadset on getting the new R6. I was fortunate enough that my dealership let my test ride the R6, Gixxer, and RR. Riding them around for 10 mins each (1/8th mile straight away, and 50 or so parking spaces to weave around) I knew exactly which one was right for me ... look at the aviatar . The yamaha completely lacked the low end power and was veryuncomfortable, the gixxer was a little more comfortable for me then both the cbr and r6but still lacked the bottom-end compared to the cbr, once the seat on my cbr had been broken end i was glad that I got the bottom-end power with the comfort now.

 

Yeah, well, I rode my Honda off the road at 60 into a sandy roadside with various small rocks and did not impact with anything at all other than the ground. Other than bruised ribs from going into a spin, I was unharmed. Bike was a total loss. Insurance bought me a new bike. The little rocks under my bike filletted every piece of plastic off the bike as it slid, and the sand caught the tail section and almost ripped it off. The magnesium crank case cover was perforated with large holes, and somehow the frame and swingarm managed to be dented. Guess those Hondas suck.

Friend of mine went wide on a turn with his Magna at like 15 freakin miles an hour on a 90 degree turn on a residential street. He claims he was not stoned, but I don't know how he managed an accident like that. Anyway, he hits this curb and the bike tumps over on its side. Somehow the frame gets bent among other usual damage to mirrors, tank, etc. Bike was a total loss. Progressive game him the cash value of the bike and he went and got himself a v-rod.

Guess those Hondas are making crappy frames since my bike bent the frame while sliding on freakin sand and and my buddies' bent the frame by tumping over onto grass at 15 mph.

These Gixxer riders are hitting dogs at 35 mph and colliding with other bikes and you guys think there should not besignificantdamage? I mean I know we all have those buddies who have hit brick walls at 100 mph and somehow, miraculously, there was only minor damage. But honestly, you guys are saying 'only 35 mph' like that is not something significant. 35 mph can SERIOUSLY jack up a vehicle. Any vehicle.

I guess this is what I get for picking this fight on a Honda forum. I am not trying to say that Suzukis are built better than or even as good as Hondas. The Honda reliability was a factor in my getting a Honda. But to treat Suzukis like they are poorly built is just not something I am going to get on board with. Suzukis are a good deal more reliable than just about anything that comes out of Europe and America. I am sticking by my original statement to the OP that a Suzuki will get him to 100K miles before needing a rebuild, and Honda will get him a good bit beyond 100Ks.

Anyway, does anybody have any consumer reports or quality data for Honda and Suzuki? Anybody got anything better than 'I got a brother who...' type of information?

EDIT: I think one point that we might be overlooking that I alluded to briefly is that if this guy is really so super concerned about reliability, I think he should put emphasis on something he can get from a dealer. I would have more confidence if I got an '07 GSX-R600 (or even a leftover '06 if he can find one) than I would getting Honda out of somebody else's garage. Of course there are exceptions, like the guy who buys one for his wife and she refuses to ride so he has to sell it with 50 miles on it or something. But as a general rule, new stuff inspires a lot more confidence than used. Yet since we all have generally good experiences with buying used bikes, whether Honda or Suzuki or whatever, that in itself goes toward saying that motorcycles are generally well built. I think if he can get a new gixxer over a used Honda he should do that. If he has to go used on both, then the number of miles and history of the bikes is going to contribute more to whether he has problems than the brand. A perfectly preserved low-mile gixxer is going to be more reliable than a ragged out Honda.

 

I really appreciate all the replies guys. I was hoping I wouldn't get flamed with my initial post. No matter how much I would like to get the Gixxer (it's just the most comfortable to me), I can't get away from the build quality issue...no matter how small it might be.This puts me back to Honda, so thenthe biggest factor is comfort since I will be doing relatively long rides and at 31 years old I'm not "broken" but I don't have the back and arms I had when I was 21 either. So, this inevitably puts me on the F4i, which I find to be very comfortable to sit on. I'm coming off a naked 599, so it will be a little getting used to switching to fuel inj.

All in all, I think I've helped myself (along with these posts)decide the F4i is probably the right bike for me. My 599 is yellow and I'd like to get away from yellow. I'll pick up an 06 Blue F4i or an 05 Silver F4i. I'll convert the tail to a split tail (no PUN intended) and throw on an HR1 slip on (which sounds KILLER on the F4i http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fguoNCI4Xs). I think this will give me the best combo for me personally. It will be enough of a "tourer" that I can do some distance comfortably, and sporty enough that I will probably never be able to ride it as hard as it was built to ride.

Ok...well....looks like the F4i is for me. Now, to find a bike to buy...

Again, thanks to all of you who posted. At least I am going to be staying in the Honda family. I do wish the F4i had the RR swingarm. You guys' swingarms are just beautiful... Oh well...I've lived with my 599's swingarm for several years...atleast the F4i swingarm looks better than the 599...

 

I was with you the whole way. The truth be told, most of us tend to exagerate things a bit to glorify our own purchases and explain why we didn't choose a different product. Afterall, if we didn't exagerate a bit it would sort of nullify the whole reason for our own personal choices wouldn't it? Besides, the gixxer forum guys have the same sentiments about Honda. I'm mature enough to weed through the bull**** and personal bias'. I'm not an 18 year old jumping on a litre bike after not taking the MSF course (no offense to any 18 year olds, just trying to illustrate a point).I'm a 31 year old guy that's been around the block, I understand where all of you are coming from...no worries.

My fear is that (this may be a **** poor example) the gixxer would be akin to a Volkswagon. Built relatively well, with nice neat little gizmos, all the cool gadgets, nice complicated newest GP-tainted engine...but prone to breakdown much faster than an engine built by Honda. I can say this after owning a VW R32 and a Honda Accord. Hope this made sense.

Anyway...guess it's really a mute point now...looks like the F4i is the bike that will suit me best. :-)

 

my buddy crashed his 750 in the trck, when he got it home the only thing holding the frame togther was the engine... but anyway go with the 05-06 rr, they are sweet. o and i love the avatar best movie ever.

 

GSXR are great bikes, no worries.

PS Get yourself of camo pants if you want to look sweet.....................