I just upgradded from a 2004 silver Ninja 500 to a 2006 yellow f4i and i agree with what everyone is saying.
It is a very big differance between the two bikes. The f4i has almost twice the horsepower 54 hp for the Ninja 500
and 100 hp for the f4i + or - depending on who you talk to. So good luck with what ever choice you make.

By the way my Ninja 500 is up for sale.

 

So i just moved from a 2002 buell blast with i think 30hp to a 2002 F4i...

will i notice any gains from moving up like this???




lol...

 

[DISCLAIMER - I AM NOT ADVOCATING ROAD RACING, OR RIDING IN AN UNSAFE MANNER ON THE STREET. IF YOU
REALLY WANT TO GO FAST, GO TO THE TRACK - THEY'LL TEACH YOU HOW, AND THERE ARE NO SPEEDLIMITS]

If you've ridden the blast and learned the fundamentals then you'll be in a good position to ride the F4i...

One more comment - don't just think about how fast a bike is in terms of horsepower and speed, consider how much of the bike you're able to use.

Once you were comfortable on the buell were you maintaining more corner speed? Were you on the throttle on corner exits? Were you able to break solidly before entering a turn? Did you manage to use your body weight to stabilize and hold a line?

I'm asking how much of the bike you were actually using.

I've seen alot of people that buy a bike and don't actually learn anything. They slow down ages before a turn. Wobble around the turn correcting the line all the way through, typically turning in early, getting too tight, widdening the line and running out wide, only to have to correct again. Then when the road was straight they'd grab a mitt full of throttle and repeat. This type of ridding has no skill, and no room for error - and as I was suggesting earlier isn't using much of the bike. Worse still, they feel like they're going fast and feel like they're doing it right. They don't learn anything as they ride about like this.

If you FORGET about going fast in terms of mph, and focus on being smooth and learning to go quickly without the horsepower, then you will be much much better off when you actually get some horsepower.


So to answer your question - you'll certainly notice the extra horsepower, extra stability, firmer brakes and more positive response... my question to you is, after riding the buell do you feel like you've learned enough to be able to use these features well? IF you have put the miles on and learned a few things - then almost certainly. Give it a few weeks and I'd be certain that you'd be better off than the guy who spent the whole time on the 600.

--

Here's another way to word it. Being smooth pays. On a low hp bike there is no way you're going to be able to 'catch up' after slowing down too much for a turn - you're forced to learn that if you maintain a bit more corner speed then you'll not have to catch up as much and that you'll be a better setup to travel the straight at what ever speed your heart desires. A larger bike won't as obviously punish you for slowing down too much for the straight, as it will very quickly get you back up to the speed you wanted to be going. You'll still loose a few seconds, but you won't notice them as much, and won't feel the need to learn to correct this mistake.

Being smooth means, braking as little as possible, and getting on the throttle as early and gently as possible. Exit throttle position is up to you.

 

My reply was a joke, of course i'm gonna notice a horsepower gain!

But, in reply to your message, I have taken the MSF basic riding course and let me tell you, it was worth it! I practiced things I wouldn't have normally practiced and I learned the correct way to do things!

One of the basic riding things I found so amazing is the fact that if you look where you want to go, most likely you'll get there. If I focused on other things, I'd have to really wobble/carefully progress my way through corners and such but if i just looked where i wanted to go and kept my head up, i got there and it was cake.

I'm not saying I'm a pro or even a seasoned rider or anything, I'm just saying I took the class, scored 100% on everything and learned a lot.

I know it will help in my riding!

 

You're just being difficult... that's ok - I'm being a bit of pain too.

I guess what I should have said after all my ranting like a loon - work on being smooth and not being fast, fast is a biproduct of smooth. Alot of people work on being fast and never get the smooth part, as a result they'll never be smooth or fast. Starting small helps people work on being smooth as if you aren't you won't be going anywhere fast.