I am fairly new to the bike scene. about a month ago i bought a 94 yamaha seca. (picture attached below) the bike is strictly a learner bike and i should be upgrading in about 2 months. i wanna buy my new bike in cash so i need some time to come up with the money. But im not quite sure what bike i wanna spend $8-10k on. My buddies are all about R6's and R1's but i want to know more about the other bikes out there. Why did you guys buy the CBR? Why not by an R6? Was it the styling? Was it the performance? Give me some ammo to go back to my buddies with. When they talk **** on Hondas what can i say about the R6 that will make them shut the fu<k up? The CBR also appeals to me because its seat height is 1" lower than the 2007 R6. and being 5'6" thats a plus.

My bike (sorry for the large size):

 

Nice looking street fighter.

Ok, where to start... Honda by far has one of the most, if not the most dependable names attached to engines. If you look around, they all cost about the same but you'll see more older Hondas on the road than the others.

People hold on to them longer.

They don't leak fluids like Harleys ( I noticed the Harley decor on the walls)

I've always had Hondas, but ride all of the other bikes to compare. Hell I even have a ZX6 in storage, from 1986, but's it there.

I'm a bigger guy, 6' about 220 and still went with a 600 cause I don't feel the need for the liter bike. I wouldn't mind having on, but can't justify the insurance being double with a clean record. I get few chances to run my 600RR to potential so the liter bike would be mostly for show. I may grow up one day and buy one. I've spent seat time on an R1 2005 model and didn't see the need. I know side by side the R1 with the same rider would take a 600, but I watched the R1 get it's *** kicked (several times) by an 01 GSX 750.

I've rode the ZX 636, R1, R6, GSX 750 and 600 and many more... just like the RR better. I have never had the pleasure of the 1000RR or the F4i yet, but the F4i will be soon. I'm riding with a F4i now and once we spend more quality time together, I'll offer a trade off to compare for a few miles.

 

I get this question all the time, and I always give the same answer.

Out of all 4 of the big manufacturers every bike excells in 1 dept more then the others. The CBR dosent excel in any area better then the competition (power, handling, suspension), however it does EVERYTHING exceptionally well. Most well balenced machine out there. Not to mention championship winning bikes with Honda reliable build quality.

And its not just the RR, the F4 and F4i are just as well balenced. All very good bikes however the styling of the RR just made me drool, lol

 

Thanks for the reply's guys. All the info helps, and im sure there are some cycle magazine articles out there that compare the two. Anyone else have comments?

and the Harley guy is my pops. this is what the bike looked like before it met my jigsaw:

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oh, and if your looking for more info on the RR and are not there yet join us over at 600rr.net [8D]

 

iHeart510,

That's a nice looking bike you got there. I ride a 2004 CBR1000rr, but I just appreciate nice looking bikes. In any case, here's the scoop in my humble opinion.

I've done some reading on the supersport and superbike shootout that compare the 4 Japanese brand of sportbikes. I chose the Honda because it has a reputation for quality and reliability, and performance. I don't need to say much about quality because we all know what that means. As far a reliability goes, I wouldn't say Honda is perfect, but I would say they are far better than the other 3 brands. I don't want my bike spending time at the shop, I want it to spend time in the canyons. It's a probabilty thing. By going with a CBR, your chances for ending up with a solid sportbike will be greater than with the other 3 brands. This all has to do with Honda's committment to engineering and performance. I am not saying the other companies don't have engineers. I just think Honda's engineering program is better. Just look at the MotoGP results. Honda kicks butt. The only reason Yamaha is winning is because,... can we all say, "the rider".

In terms of HP, I personally would choose GSX-R1000 IF I was ONLY looking at engine HP. In 2004, it had a nice smooth HP-RPM curve. The Honda follows a nice smooth HP-RPM curve also, but it's about 2-5 HP below the Gixxer. Check out http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/100...utDynoHP_2.jpg . The Yamaha was all over the place and produced far less HP than the Honda. Sure it revs higher, but it only produced 1 to 2 HP more at those higher RPMs. The Kawi is just not worth it.

Performance in a sportbike is not just about HP or Torque. It's about how the bike handles overall as a sportbike. It's about how it brakes, accelerates, and handles in the CORNERS. Yeah, speed is important in the straights, but race tracks are not built to really take advantage of top speeds. I bring up race tracks because that's where street legal sportbikes get their inspiration. In the canyons, it's the same thing. When you're going through the canyons, top speed and HP is the last thing on your mind. In the twisties, it doesn't matter whether you're on a 600 or a 1000. What's important is traction, stability, throttle, and brake control. These are skills that have a lot to do with the riders experience, and to some extent the overall performance the bike. I chose the CBR because all the testers said it was the most stable bike in the corners. Some say that the CBR is for newbies BECAUSE it is so stable. That's nonsense. A bike's ability to be stable means the rider has more time to focus on other aspects of taking the corners. You're not fighting to keep the bike in a certain line. Why are the MotoGP bikes the most high tech. It's not becaue the riders are newbies. It's to give a rider an edge over other riders. Stability in a bike is a reflection of it's technology. It's just that simple.

Lastly, regardless of which sportbike you choose, they all have too much power for non-racing applications. So, don't let HP be your reason for choosing one bike over another.

 

iHeart510,

I forgot to mention. Make sure you save about $1500 for accessories. I don't mean exhausts, fender eliminators, etc. I mean a nice helmet, good leathers, gloves, and boots. If your not pushing the bike through canyons, then a good helmet, a good leather jacket, and leather gloves would be fine, but if you are planning on taking the twisties, then I highly recommend you get a one piece or two piece leathers, competition boots, and a back protector.

 

I've been a Yamaha guy for a long time, in the dirt. On the road its Honda for me. Alot of guys say the R6 has WAY more power, ive yet to see the diff. Honda's WILL definitely outlast all other bikes period. They handle excellent and if you know how to ride it, the power is sufficient. I set my bike next to two newer bikes 06' 636 and 04' r6 and mine looks the newest, and styling, omg makes their bikes look kinda old fashioned and bulky..imo.

 

when i was looking at the bikes i saw a honda and i LOVED it. even tho it had less power and was a little more $$$ i still bought it. only you can chose the bike you want.

 

Thats all taken care of, but i appreciate the comment man. Before i rode the Seca for the first time i went to the Dainese store and bought a Bora jacket and leather riding pants as well as some bad *** titanium knuckeld gloves. I also picked up a pair of perferated Alpine Star racing boots and a black Arai 'tommy gun' Helmet...i wish $1500 was all i needed haha.

Jacket - $875
Pants - $450
Helmet - $700
Gloves - $200
Boots - $300

total = $2500 = the price of the Seca = ouch

at least i'll have skin left when i crash...thats more than the guys riding with t-shirts and jeans can say ; )