After returning from a track weekend at gingerman raceway in Michigan this weekend I am forced to see a couple of really big downfalls with the F4i. I've been tracking her for two years now and there are really a couple areas that make me realize why Honda raced this model for so short a period of time (only 2 years).

1. The Drag Race - This bike is really bad out of the corners. Even with all the quick accelerating mods I've done to her she still comes up short out of the corners. This becomes very apparent when chasing into the corner. I am great on the brakes! I can out brake most guys on the F4i, and she enters the corner like a champ, BUT if I fail to make the pass in the corner then I am in trouble. At full throttle I find my adversary pulling away. I am forced again to play out the same scenario into the next corner. Constantly having to force the bike into the chase tires you out fast. There were a few times where i simply ran out of energy and was forced to back off. The bike just can't compete in the straights with even the 600's of the same era. Very frustrating.

2. Transmission and Shifter Throw - There is nothing more frustrating (or scary) than powering down the front straight and having the bike drop out of gear. It happens exclusively when I just don't quite power the shifter up as hard as I could (because I'm in a hurry, its a racetrack). The shifter seems to have an inordinately long throw. I've had the transmission inspected and it is fine. It has to do with the shift star itself. I haven't tried the aftermarket one yet but it is definitely on the christmas list.

3. Ground Clearance - I've gone through two sets of pegs and one pair of boots due to the F4i's really sad ground clearance. Even with aftermarket rearsets the problem isn't corrected. I wowed the few spectators sitting at turn two with a 3 foot spark show while going up the inside of a guy later on sunday because the bike really could use at least another inch. I couldn't imagine running the stock rearsets.

After two years of working through these issues I think I might be riding something different next year. I like the new 600rr's, but money is always a problem, as any track guy will tell you. If I can't afford a new mount I guess it'll be good 'ol F4i again next year.

 

Not a track guy but I hear ya on the long shift throw. Seems mine is getting longer and longer. I feel like an idiot when accelerating and it falls out of gear and revs like hell.

 

Definitely agree with this...on my first trackday i kept scraping hard parts rather than my knee, and it's as much as i've leaned off before.

 

Jason used to race an F4i, pretty competitively as I recall.
1. You gotta keep the revs up to get the drive. Can also be your cornerspeed is too low
2. Shift star should address this, or train yourself to use better pressure. The actions of a racer should be deliberate
3. Suspension should address this as well as help with getting harder on the gas #1.

Not to brag or anything, but I'm 6'1" and have never had a clearance issue even before my suspension. Now I'm fitting rearsets and still don't expect to drag hard parts.

Where the F4i comes up short is on the top end and acceleration. However for most, the F4i has more than the rider. My last trackday I blew by a newer (05/06) R6 and my instructor was forced to mount onto his new 848 to keep up with us.

I'm not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm near the upper ranges of my group.

You can also try some gearing changes if you need the extra acceleration. Just know that you will pay for it on the top end, so choose wisely here.

I don't mean to sound condescending but 99% of problems can be solved by the rider and not the bike. But if you're expert level, then perhaps it may be time for a new bike and some contingency money will help you pay for it.

 

I agree 100%. Rider is in most cases the problem. Not going to get into it too much but suffice it to say I've been around bike racing for a while. I would have thought that the detail in which I posted might have tipped you off to that. And yeah there's a few "A" stickers on my bike. Not to say I'm perfect, but I do believe I am outgrowing the bike. I am ecstatic you have had no problems with yours.

 

Do you have stock pegs? If not, what sort do you use?

 

I'm not a super duper fast guy but I do ride in the advanced group:

1. I haven'tnoticed a lack of power exiting turns, quite the opposite. For example, the track I ride at (PIR) has a fairly sharp 2nd gear corner leading to a 1 mile straight. One of the local track day instructors who rides an '07 600RR came up to me and said that he has to get a perfect driveout of the corner to pass me down the straight.

2. Factory Pro EVO shift kit- star, arm, spring. Shifts like buttah. I very rarely miss a shift, maybe one a day.

3. I'm running the stock rear sets with the feelers removed and rarely scrape them. I get my knee downin every turn,but80%-90% of'race pace' because I run Corsa III's.

Overall I'm really happy with the F4i as a track day bike.

 

I was looking at that factory pro shift kit, I'm guessing that before you installed it you too were having problems in the shift (why fix what ain't broken). I was a little worried about it being "clunky". Can you possibly elaborate on your experience with this kit?

To answer the other guy I run the Vortex rearsets. 1" by 1" rise and pull-back

 

Interesting. I tend to agree with the OP. Those are the reasons I sold my dear F4i and got an 07 600rr. I just couldnt get the drive out of the corners. I found that to get a good drive, I would have to have the RPMs revved up to almost redline to pass other bikes off the drive, and the damn thing was just waaay too touchy for me to have my knee on the ground and be up around 13k rpm. Now I will say, that since I got the 07 600rr, I have learned alot about setting people up for the pass coming in and out of corners. So, if I knew then what I know now, the corner drive may or may not have been a problem.

As for shifting, I had that problem as well, however I think most of mine was not having shifter adjusted correctly, and being lazy on the shifts. but, I had many pucker moments diving into a corner when I realized I was in a false nuetral. I never even considered a new shifter star, maybe I should have?

I had clearance issues until I got my woodcraft rearsets, after that I never had any problems. Ofcourse, I also feel my body position was steadily improving about that time as well. so that could also lend to clearance.

Overall I was happy with the bike, except that corner drive, but then a deal on a07 600rr track bike fell in my lap, and all said and done, I upgraded for $800. although, sometimes I wish I still had the F4i for street.

 

The F4i is known for its mid-range compared to other bikes of the same era, its weird that you cannot pull from the corners without mucho RPM. Clearence is a known problem, not a whole lot that can be done for it. I enjoy my F4i for what it is, a fun commuter bike.