Good post Niscur23 !

 

Sorry niscur23, but are you sure that Ergos are the same ?

Is not the Suzuki riding position so much radical or it seems to me ?

Cheers

 

Charlos, I know you didn't say you didn't respect it. How about rephrasing the '01-03' f4i as Honda's 'older' all out 600 cc sportsbike before the 600cc RR came out,

 

if you get a 600 sportbike without taking the msf i'm gonna cry

 

You would thinnk that it would be, but the clip-ons on the new gixxer fell much higher then the current 2006 600cc class. And I feel like I sit in the bike like my f4i and not on top like the R6 RR 675. I judge comfort by the pressure put on my wrists and while the K6 is a little more forward leaning, it is pretty darn close to the f4. Combine a good seat with adjustable rear sets and the new gsxr is just as good.

 

If you ride a 600 hard (ie take it over 6 or 7 grand) then it becomes a monster... yesterday I was out having some fun on my pokey slow old F4 and lifted about 4-5 small power wheelies coming out of turns... these were power wheelies. She came up because I was giving her full throttle out of the turn.

The point is - a new rider could never have controlled that bike in that situation. The next turn comes so fast when you're on the throttle that you had better be ready for it. You had better know what the bike will do when you come off the throttle, and you had better know how much brake you can use and how late you can use it.

Ever new rider says - I won't push it. Every new rider doesn't for the first week. Then they start to get cocky, they KNOW what they're doing. Then many new riders come out of a corner, or down a straight - wack the throttle (the easy part) and get scared. They're flying down the road and a turns coming. They panic. They don't look into the turn. They either look straight and fly into the ditch, or grab a mit full of front brake a lowside into the ditch.

A 600 is not a beginner friendly bike. A beginner can ride one. Some beginners get lucky, although more beginners will get lucky on a more appropriate beginner bike. This kind of horsepower IS NOT FOR A BEGINNER!

So take the MSF - learn how to properly handle a bike, learn how to 'lean' (countersteer), learn how to brake and learn how to do emergancy manoveurs... if you don't learn in a course you may have to learn on the street and it just isn't something people can do perfectly the first time.

Get gear. Wearing gear will make the accident hurt less - PERIOD. I've walked away from some spectacular crashes.. infact JR brought my old gear and they're on display at a dealer somewhere in Canada.

Get a beginner friendly bike. Don't dismiss the 250/500's as slow bikes - they're faster than any car you'd have used when you got your licence and they'll safely let you into the MC world. You still have to respect them, however, you can learn to push them harder after a few thousand km... going fast isn't the be all and end all. Even if it were, the trick to going fast is maintaining corner speed - something a 600 will never teach you in real life. I've ridden with alot of straight away kings - corner like a granny and speed down the straights - you'll never be fast that way. Learn to corner with speed on a smaller bike.

Woot.

 

Woot,
I liked what you had to say. I got a 600 as my first bike, and have done pretty well. I am getting better in the corners, but they are definitely the weakest part of my riding to date. I think I get a little overwhelmed/excited by the power, and have less urge to practice the fundamentals...ultimately dangerous. Gotta walk before you run.

 

You guys are right and i respect ur experience and advice. What is a good 250-500cc that is made by Honda in past years? The reason i want a Honda is because i want something that is reliable and i know from experience with cars that Honda's reputation is the best. I am looking for something fully faired of mostly faired.

 

Are you saying that I'm just lucky that I'm alive and haven't crashed yet?

Crashing Statistics

With those odds at 50% I think I'll stick with going brand new 600 since my friend has crashed up his gsxr 600 several times enough for the both of us and even totalled out his bike and rebuilt it. I say get what you want. =) Heck go for the brand new bike because it's new and you have a warranty. If you want used I have an '06 F4i Blue/Black with 5k miles on it I'll sell you. I want an '07 600rr!!!!!! They finally have it in blue. =)

 

Kawi makes a rock solid 250 - I've got friends who've logged 100,000 miles on ONE bike... if you want I can refer you to his bike report, but be warned it spans 8 seperate threads.

The ex500 I have less experience with... but I don't doubt it's as reliable.

The gs500e/f I don't really know.

The thing with the ex250 - you can buy one for less than 3500 new, and a used one for 1500. You can ride it for 2 years, and sell it again for damn near what you paid for it. If you do total it, it's much less of a hit - you lost ~2000 instead of 8000. Gas is dirt cheap, insurance is cheap and it's alot of fun. Heck, I've got friends in the California 250 production class - they have a ball - cheapest track bike you'll ever get.

If you do decide to keep it - you might get 50-100,000 miles out of it... those will be the cheapest miles you ever logged. At any point you can sell it and get most of your money back... and at that time you'll have saved up enough extra to flat out by your shiny new 600.

And **** on the next person who say it's a girls bike... it might not make 100hp, but it's fun and it's on two wheels. After a year on that you'll have ALOT of road experience that will transfer to the 600... infact many people beleive that if you start small you'll be a better rider than one who started large... how many of your favorite racers started on the 600rr?

Can't beat that deal... not even Honda could.
Woot.