RE: first bike
 

Point well taken! Kitten is right, if you have never ridden any bike before, just be careful on the F4i. Granted its only a 600 but this biach moves out. If you get the bike just take your time getting used to it. And remember there is a big difference between feeling comfortable and too comfortable or cocky. Just be careful and have a good time with it.

RE: first bike
 

+2
I had to fall twice before I realized that my tires were 5 yrs old and needed changing :(

RE: first bike
 

+1 exactly, this is my first bike as well, but ive ridden bikes before etc, for someone whose never sat on a bike before in there life, then ya maybe a 600 is pushing it a tad? end of the day its about not being cocky/ speeding etc, get used to the bike! its what i plan on doing. Cant wait to ride;)

RE: first bike
 

compared to the newer 600s, f4i is a better first bike, but still lesser of 2 evils...
great first bike is like a 250 or 500...not a 600...or at most, an sv650 or something.

f4i was my first bike...i got stupid and crashed...lesson learned...
it does depend on the rider more so than the bike for most occasions, but those aren't ever the instances that get you into trouble, it's the 'oh $#it" instances...where noobness + power = disaster...so you get fubared less or not at all with a smaller bike.

8K is decent mileage...as long as the bike is kept well...you shouldn't have much issues.

RE: first bike
 

Well guys thanks for your insight, definitely appreciated.
I have ridden dirt and quads quiet a bit in the past so gear manipulation and weight shifting i am familiar with. I am going to look at it tomorrow and if everything checks out right, ill take it home.
Ill let you know and post pics later.

RE: first bike
 

8000 miles is nothing on an F4i.... these things are built like friggin tanks!! Trust me on this one ;) Pushing 123k on mine and still going strong.... as long as it's taken care of it will last a long long long time

F4i was my first bike too.... like others have said, while it may not be as good a starter bike as others (250, 500, ect), of all the 600SS bikes out there F4i is probably one of the best to be used as a starter. It's not slow by any means, but definitely one of the most forgiving. As long as you've got some good common sense and don't ride like an idiot, you'll do fine with an F4i as a first bike

RE: first bike
 

ya thats not high mileage at all my buddie's dad has an f4i that has 50k on it and it runs just fine.

RE: first bike
 

remember it is a HONDA and as Jared's stats show 8k is barely into the "break-in" phase.... although typical break-in is 600-2000 miles.

just keep it well maintained and it'll treat you right, the YZF600 I had b4 this had 29k when I bought it and of course I was an idiot and got it from a stealership and paid more than it was worth, but had the "luxury" of getting a 6month no interest/no pmt loan, a 1yr warranty, and GAP insurance which kept me from needing collision+comprehensive which for $400 one time pmt was a lot less than the $1400/yr it would've been for full-coverage vs. the $240/yr I was paying for just liability.... unfortunately I only had it for 7months b4 some idiot pulled out in front of me and bike got totalled, I was fine though... a testemonial for wearing your gear!!!

so now I'm on bike #2 the F4i and have done about 200miles in the 2weeks I've had it which has been maybe 4-5 "riding" days, since this "wonderful" Chicago weather which says there might be SNOW this weekend... it's freakin April!!!! And oh yea, it's like 60 today...

funny thing is with the YZF I wouldn't let a lil' thing like rain or even snow(only did this once and it was maybe 1") keep me from riding, but the F4i is just too cherry for me to put it through the elements... yet [sm=devilgrin.gif]

RE: first bike
 

Like all the others have said, it's 90% rider intelligence / non-dumbness ;-) and 10% machine.

This has been debated over and over again, I am part of the school that says you can even start on a liter bike as long as you have a LOT of self control. F4i was my first bike (after spending 1 month on a beater 550 just to learn) and I don't regret it at all.

I plan on keeping this bike forever, even when I stop riding it will still be fun to own and will make my garage look cooler ;-)

RE: first bike
 

So i just drove off the lot and love it... The temp is running about 200 and as high as 225, is this in the normal range? i dont knwo why, it seems high.