Wait a second guys. Don't consider this bickering. It's just that you guys are taking my topic way off on an unnecessary tangent. My sister can ride the bike. I don't need you to convince me of that. Her last bike was a 97' f3, and she could ride the bike. But she came to me and said that she would like her next bike to be a little shorter and lighter. Mostly shorter, because she could handle the weight better at a stoplight. But she will not sacrifice the serious sportbike look. Like I mentioned she looked at the cbr400rr because they are shorter but oddly enough they are like 40 pounds heavier than a 600.

Sirlimpzalot, sorry for the remarks. Don't want to turn this topic into a bunch of bashing.
A couple things that would be really helpful is helping me find out what the lightest full exhaust system is.
Lightest and best quality body kits. I have a hard time finding bodykits on the internet.
Is there a lighter swingarm that can be swapped onto an F4, F4i, or 600rr. Or even aftermarket because I can't find any aftermarket swingarms ( stock length) on the internet.
Also lighter subframe would be great.

I know about the unsprung weight and rotating masses, but I look at it as taking weight off the bike wherever.

Also about the front suspension, I know that you can slip the tubes up in the clamps (but how much, i heard not much). And I also heard that you might have to go inside the fork and cut the spring or something. And also revalve the shocks, but i hope not that because I don't know how to revalve.

 

OK OK..I am not taking it as bashing at all..
but as you are probally finding out, there are no alternative swingarms for sportbikes that are lighter than the stock one. the same goes for subframe, unless it is a racing subframe and not gonna work with tailights and such.


The bodywork..any aftermarket stuff will be lighter, cheaper, and will not fit as well as the O.E.M. stuff ( no matter how much they claim!!) I have seens dozens upon dozens of fairing kits and nothing compares to the quality of the original equipment.

Lowering links are an affordable way to make it shorter and sliding the fork tubes up is the way to lower the front...there is a sub article in the lastest Cycle World where they compare the 600's ( has a silver CBR600RR on the cover with a guy hunkering over the bike trying to launch it down the dragstrip) and they take STOCK 600's ( ZX636 and a R6) and get it into the 9's in the 1/4 mile!!. They explain what they did ( pretty much what I said)

 

Yeah, I think Sirlimzalot has a point about reducing weight... if there was any economical way to reduce the weight on a new 600 'R' bike the manufacturer would have done it... think about it, they all know that we read all of the bike rags that hit the news stand each month and when they do the comparison test we all go gaga over 5lbs or 2hp--why do you think that they redesign these bikes every 2 years or so...

anyway I believe the swingarms on my 600RR were aluminum, as was the frame, and you are not likely to find anything else as strong as aluminum that is lighter (that doesn't cost a small fortune and is practical for the street)... you can definitely save a couple of pounds with a race exhaust (most of the can, not the manifold--so you may just want to do a slip on), I saw a list of exhaust weights somewhere for the 600RR and I think the Jardine was the lightest, but I may be wrong, I will try to find it...

you know, the F4i and the RR are both quite a bit lighter than the F3 was (it had a steel frame) and she may not find it to be too heavy... have her ride it before you do anything that she may not like in the end (I know my girlfriend always hates the way my exhausts sound!)

be careful with lowering it, I have heard from a few people that CBRs do not respond real well to lowering (read, scary handling), but I have never ridden a lowered CBR so I am just talking out of my a$$ a bit on that...

 

2002 NINJA 250R
With a high-output engine nestled in a lightweight, compact chassis, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R sportbike makes a perfect starting point for budding motorcyclists.

c-ya

x

 

I'm thinking that she will be better suited on an F4 or F4i, do you agree? So if that is the case she will most likely get something around the 02' year.

The RR's are about 9 lbs lighter from what I found. Where do they shave the weight from f4i to rr. Are parts swapable from rr's to f4is