yea i think it may have beena little much, but like they said, its what its worth to YOU.
i paid 3900 for mine (a 01 F4i, 21,000 miles) in like mid january which i thought may have been alittle much, but i love my bike, and i know how you feel its my first bike and ive wanted one as far back as i can remember.
so yea you may have paid a little much... but you have your bike finally and the last thing youre gonna be thinkin about when your ridin throught the twisties is how much you paid for the beautiful machine, lol.

i dont think ull have to spend a grand on equiptment.
i have my helmet and jacket (textile) picked out and its only like $370 total
im gettin an scorpion exo 400 helmet and a alpinestars jacket... so i def. dont think youll HAVE to spend a grand on it, but you COULD if you wanted to and had it

 

You can get full gear for around $500 if you shop around.

Some posted last night were they did just that and got good stuff with maybe with the exception of the gloves.

If you do spirited rides in the mountains or twisties you really need full gear.

 

yea scorpion helmets are nice and inexpensive. i got my exo-400for 140. you can also pick up a leather shift jacket for under 200 and gloves are only round 50 bucks so you can definitely stay under 500 for your gear.

 

I got a joe rocket jacket that is silver (matches the bike, Ijust boughtthe same one) Its a phoneix 4.0. It's size large Its been worn a little but its like new $50 plus shipping if you want it. I got a leather one the other day.

 

Congrats on the bike. Everyone has different views of what a bike is worth. What really matters is that you are happy with your purchase. Supply and Demand is what drives the prices up or down.

As for a helmet, I have a Scorpion EXO 400 and got it for 149.95 and a Joe Rocket jacket for 149.99, and Joe Rocket Armored gloves, if you have 500 to invest in your protection, you will be in great shape.

 

I've been looking online today at work. Looks like a textile jacket is going to be the way to go on my budget. Thinking about a HLC helmet $190, and joe rocket $190 jacket and gloves $60. How important is good riding boots to you guys. I understand that mostly any good over the ankle boots will do. Any recommendations on brand/style? Do you guys think frame sliders are good as well. In case a parking lot drop or anything like that? Are they difficult to install?

Thanks for all the input you guys have givin'. I'm looking forward to finally riding Thursday, Friday and Saturday all day long. Here is a few pics.

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/196/p1010057ec1.jpg

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/3504/p1010058db0.jpg

 

very nice looking bike and yes frame sliders are on the top 3 first mods to do to your bike.

also i know some people will probably disagree with me but i think craigslist is a great place to find used gear. im not talkin about helmets (even though you can find great deals) because you really should buy them new because you never know what could've happened to it before you got it. but as far as jackets and gloves and boots its a great re source. i got my icon merc hero in leather for $100 . was too big for the guy and as soon as he posted it i called him 10 min later and i was on my way to grab it... why ? because it was an expensive jacket for a great deal . now my scorpion exo-700 i bought brand new for $260 and it was worth it. my gloves i bought brand new as well $60 . so all in all if you shop around you can get great deals for cheap. and if you can afford it leather is a better way to go for a jacket

 

I paid $7,000 for my 02 in september of 2006. It had 20 miles on it so that's why I was willing to pay more for it. The f4i is a fun bike and i'm happy with my choice. I doubt I will ever get rid of it. I hope you enjoy riding yours. Always wear your gear and keep the rubber side down...

 

I paid $4500, stock, 5100 miles.

 

I paid $4500 for a '02 f4i, clean title,4976 miles, and a battery tender. It's hard to base what you pay off of a forum. If you look at diffrent craigslists in diffrent areas you will realize that bikes go for diffrent amounts in diffrent areas. Just stay pleased with your purchase take care of it and keep rubber side down.
Have fun but be smart.