Ok first off I'll introduce myself, My name is Wade, I'm a Mechanical Engineering Major at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Now for the bike stuff, I used my Friends Honda 600 i think it was about a 00 or 01 im guessing, and it was alot of fun to ride, Then he ended up getting a 03 954 very sharp bike... I drove it for a bit and realy liked the liter bike over the 600. Now I'm looking into buying one personally. What im looking for is around a 00 to an 05 at a decent price. I'm wanting somewhere around a 1000cc bike preferably not much bigger and no less than a 900. So my question is what would be a good model year, IE like after a major change was made to the bike that is worth getting that year over the previous year.... Can you help me out guys?

 

01-01 929cc
02-03 954cc
04-05 1000cc
06-07 1000cc
08-09 1000cc

for some reason honda likes to switch up every two years

 

Ok so i know i want somehwere between a 01 and and 05 and by those engine sizes, any of those would work, but what year is going to be my best bang for my buck i guess is what im asking...

 

It's all about personal preferencebut since you've ridden a 954 and liked it I would suggest going with one of those. 929's are okay and really not that much different than the 954 but for some reason, I like the 954 a lot better, I'm not even really sure what it is...Just personal preference I guess. The 1000rr is also a great bike but still, I'd suggest going with the 954 since you know you like it. When you're out riding, you're likely to be able to ride a few diferent bikes, see what you like and what you don't..... This will make picking out your next bike much easier. Good luck.

 

what were the major changes in the bikes over these years? Just using this as an example I have a LS1 Trans Am, from 00 to 01 they changed the intake and injectors, but the 01 and 02 are the same.

 

The '00-'01 929 is very similar in design to the '02-'03 954. They have the same frame, the engine is almost identical (except for the displacement obviously) Basically, the 954 is a 929 with a facelift and some larger muscles.... I'm sure there are some minor thechnical changes that I have forgotten about (it's been 5 years since I read an article on either one..) butany differences arenothing the average street rider is going to notice. You really can't go wrong with either one. They both have more than enough power for ANYONE.... they are both light and nimble and they both have honda's bulletproof reliability.

 

thats what i was looking for, but what about the 954 and the1000?

 

The 1000 is a completely different bike. It's a great bike but isn't quite as comfortable as the 929/954, so in my opinion it's not as good of an all around street bike, but it is faster and handles better....and in my opinion much better looking. I doubt you will be disapointed with any of the 3.. Bear in mind that you'll have to pay a bit more for a 1000RR and it's going to depreciate. If you get a decent price on a 929/954 you will likely be able to ride it for a year and still sell it for the same ammount you paid.

 

I've had both the 954 and the 1000

1000 is faster in a straight line but slower through the turns.

Both bikes are fantastic, but honestly for a first bike you need to be very mature to start on a 954 or a 1000. You can get into a lot of trouble really easily with either throttle.

 

The 1000 makes a bit more power then the 954 i think its like 8 more hp. However the 1000 weighs 26lbs more. I am a believer in test rides though, you gotta try them both out and see what you like the best. If it went on looks everyone would have a 954