I'm getting rid of my "beginner" bike ('92 Suzuki Katana 600) and for budget reasons, I'm restricting my search to the years 2000-2003. I've found several 929RR and 954RR bikes for sale in my area, but I don't know if there's a considerable difference between the two. For those of you who own a 929RR, what's your overall impression of the bike? I was looking up general specs and came up with a claimed 150 bhp and 379 pounds dry weight, does this sound about right? I've found a beautiful 2001 929RR with 2500 miles on it for sale in my area, but the guy selling it won't let me test ride it to see if I like the way the 929RR rides, so I figured I'd come to the guys who ride this type of bike every day. I'd appreciate any comments or advice you may have.

 

i am newly back to riding and find the 929 brilliant. it is small, tractible, more power than i'll ever need, and pretty comfortable (though i have added a corbin saddle recently and it makes a world of difference).

the 929 sounds like a great deal. many prefer the 929 to the 954 though i don't have direct experience of the 954 to comment. the ride on the 929 is wonderful, supple and firm. lots of power, drive from around 3000 rpm, sweet and sharp handling (may need a steering damper is you ride hard), they look good and don't have too many gremlins (clutch plates recall, some stators fry themselves). recommended if you can get a deal on one :-)

 

the 929 is awsome ! and if homie wont let you test ride even with cash in hand then tell him to **** off .. i hate people who are like "NO TEST RIDES" well if im buying your bike and i have the cash right now you better believe im going to test it before i buy it ..

anyways the 929 has a great balance of hp and torque in a very usable platform. it does have its flawes but the good out weighs the bad .. you will be very happy with it if you get one. ive never met a 929 owner who wasnt happy with their bike

 

To throw in my 2-cents worth here if you'rerestricting your purchase choices to bikes from 2000-2003 I think you'd be very happy with the 929. The 954 had some engine and fuel injection performance improvements and though I haven't ridden one I hear it's not that huge a dealbut would be good to check with the 954 group for their opinion.

Pros:

Solid and confidence inspiring handling, mechanically reliable and plenty fast. Now 20,000 miles on the second 929 I've ownedandnever had any mechanical problem, took it in for the 15,000 mile valve adjustment and the mechanic reported everything still in spec and no adjustment was needed. Stock brakes are excellent. Still some aftermarket stuff available tojazz it up. Ergonomics are reasonable for a sport bike, mo' betta then the GSXR of that era.

Cons:

I've ridden3 other 929's and they all had one gremlin in my opinion. Some say it's fuel injection related but I'm not so sure really. Sometimes they are very sensitive from the throttle full-off position to the intial roll-on of the throttle,almost lurching or the feel of the drivelinesort of"thudding"initially into placebut only in slow around town low gear cruising, not an issue riding at pace though. It just takes some finesse of the throttle imho.

Other:

If you're a fairly conservative rider then stock form will do nicely but if you have an occasional Sunday (or more often) as a serious canyon carver or track rider you'll first want a steering damper because they will head shake when the front end gets light and touches down on irregular surfaces and secondly some improvement of the front suspension.I'm notsaying there's anythingdefective with the front suspension, it just has limitations like moststock bikes though they improve every year.I had my first 929's forks revalved by Dan Kyle for around $350.00 or so if I recall and it made a HUGE difference in handling the bumpy stuff at speed.

If you're willing toput down a security deposit incash for the total amount of the bike and you both sign an agreementthat ifyou F$#@ it up you've bought it I think the guy should let you test ride it! Good luck in your search.

 

Thanks for the replies, you've all been real helpful. I went to check out the bike last night, and the guy's going to let me test ride it because I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy it. If I do (hopefully nobody else is interested in it yet), I'll post pics of it up here because this thing is in MINT condition. He bought it brand new in '01, rode it 2400 miles, and has been traveling the last few years (supposedly) and hasn't ridden it. You can tell this thing was garage kept, there's not a scratch on it. It looks like it's never been ridden. You'd swear it just came off the showroom floor, I was amazed. I've had my eye open for a decent used bike for a while, but this thing is just like new. Hopefully, if everything goes smoothly, I'll be posting pics of my new ride within the next week or so

 

sweet good luck

 

Well I got to test ride it today and this thing is SMOOTH. I'm working out the payment details, but I should have the bike in my garage sometime next week and I'll post some pics when I do. Everything is stock on this bike, so naturally I'd like to put a fender eliminator on it and possibly an aftermarket exhaust to start out with. I don't know anybody who has a 929rr with aftermarket exhaust, so I don't really know which are good, so does anyone have a recommendation? I just want something that'll give it a little more hp and a better sound. Also, where's the best place for me to find aftermarket upgrades for this bike? And by upgrades I don't mean stuff to make it look good, but stuff like sprockets, EFI controllers (Power Commander, etc), exhaust, and things like that. I really appreciate all your help. It feels good to finally put that old Katana up for sale and know I'm getting a REAL bike now.

 

i have a full two brothers carbon fiber exhaust system and it sounds really good

 

Congrats on the bike!!929's are awesome, good choice. Erion has an exhaust for these bikes that sound awesome and a PCIII helps out a little too. I dropped a tooth on my frontsprocket, got a new chain, and a few other things from cyclegear.com. I get a discount from them but there are probably cheaper places. Steering dampner is almost a necessity on these monsters, so consider that in one of your first mods. Also, Bignibbs has a sweet Erion on here so he might be able to help you out some too.

https://cbrforum.com/m_309990/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
Here is a link to a post from a little while back with some pics. A fender eliminator can be done free if you have a dremel and makes the bike look a lot better, however purely cosmetic. Congrats again!!!

 

here is the way i have mine set up
http://www.erionracing.com/dyno.asp
......there is also a poll that was taken in here to find out what different exhausts people are running on their 929s and a few discussions about it.