I'm on the verge of purchasing my first bike and am considering a 600f4i to take me under its wings. I've never ridden a bike but bear in mind im not a moron, I'm 26 years old and have been working as an ambulance driver on the very crowded, cuthroat freeways of phoenixAZ. I have been in just about every traffic scenario imaginable, have never been in a collision, and am confident in my ability to avoid most accidents. With that in mind I plan to venture into the world of sportbikes and have my eye on the 2006 cbr600f4i. I've heard mixed reviews about whether or not its a good starter bike. I plan to start out very slowly (MSF of course) and plan to teach my self along the very quiet and isolated neighborhood streets of AhwatukeeAZ. Has anyone got any suggestions about this bike and the novice rider on top of it?

 

WHile the F4i certainly makes a good starter bike, all of your experience and skill in avoiding accidents will mean almost nothing when you get onto a bike.

Take an MSF course.

 

Squire is right, it is a very different skillset to ride a bike. I never rode a bike until last Novenber (MSF course), then I got an 06 F4i. It is a very easy bike to ride and learn on. With that said, it is still a very powerful bike with amazing brakes for us newbies to handle, especially in abnormal situations. If you respect it and take it easy, you will be fine.

Just remember that as compared to an ambulance with sirens and lights blaring and flashing absolutely NO ONE will see you. Good to hear you are going to take the MSF class, you'll learn a lot of stuff in a short amount of time.

 

I started on an 04 f4i and I loved it and still do! I am glad that I started with that bike in lue of a lame ninja 250 or 500 which lots of people were suggesting. Buy smart, ride smart, have fun!

 

The ninja 500 isn't that lame. I am using my buddy's to get ready for my road test and whatnot and it's a joy to ride. It's looks may not be that of a high end sports bike but it is built well and runs well. The color is gorgeous as well. As for the F4i, it was my cousins first bike, grantit he'd been around the block once or twice on a cruiser but still. It's a fine starter bike, provided you are a good starter for it. I guess when it comes down to it, it's highly dependant on who is starting with what.

-Berg

 

In my view a 600 is not a beginner's bike, end of story. You could be the best driver in the world, but the biggest danger of crashing or dropping the bike as a beginner will come from your lack of experience in handling a motorcycle. The people who crash coming out of the dealership or within the first month of buying a shiny 06 aren't necessarily stupid, just unprepared. The chances are just much more in your favor if you start out on a 250 or 500, and you will end up being a much better rider when you get a 600.

And to the guy who said Ninja 250s are "lame," no offense but you don't know what you're talking about. I rode a 250 for 5,000 miles and they are great little bikes, a better value than anything comparable on the market. They're just not for posers (usually riding gixxers) who are more interested in looking cool than riding well...

 

I started on an F4i. I think it's a great starter bike. It's not TOO big, nor does it have TOO much power. As you gain skill and experience you can add some basic bolt-on parts to increase performance. The problem is that anything with a smaller engine than a 600 is a waste of money IMO. In a year you'll be looking to upgrade anyway.

A rider safety course is a must. I also disagree with most of the other opinios about safety on motorcycle vs a car. The same principles of defensive driving apply to riding a motorcycle just as they do when driving a car. The difference is that you must amplify these principles and be more careful due to fact that a motorcycle crash is more likely to result in an injury. As a result, you have to do more more more to avoid accidents.

There's no accident involving a motorcycle that the rider of the motorcycle didn't share responsibility. If you were in a wreck at all you weren't doing enough to protect yourself. But other than that, you should check your mirrors and signal when you change lanes just like a car. You should check an intersection before you pull out, even if you have the green light, just like a car. You shouldn't hide in someone's blind spot, just like a car. And most of all, never NEVER NEVER assume that other drivers see you, because they don't.

These principles aren't unique to motorcycle riding, however they are more critical.

 

here, i am in the same boat, and asked the question in this post below. it has a whole lot of valuable information from other riders. check it out...
https://cbrforum.com/m_81292/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#81292

 

I think that with the right attitude, the F4i makes a good starter bike. What I like about it is that if you keep the revs under a certain point, it will be fun but is quite the ***** cat. With stock gearing, once you start to go over 8 grand, and especially past 10000rpm, that's when all hell breaks loose and the bike takes off like a scalded ape.

If you can resist the temptation to jump on the throttle until your skills improve, you should be fine.

I learned on a new '96 Seca II. Quick enough to be fun, but not enough to get away from you, but keep in mind, any bike can kill you. A scooter hitting a parked car at 50mph can kill ya.

But I put about 26k on the Seca II and then took 3 years off from riding. When I came back to it, I looked at several bikes. R6, 600rr, F4i, FZ1, and an R1. I stayed away from the R1 because I felt it had too much power. In my hands, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. I saw myself in a turn and feeding just a tad too much throttle and having the back end tear loose and sending me onto the pavement.

The FZ1 was heavier than I wanted and had no FI. Had I known that the '06 was gonna be aluminum, more aggressive and have fuel injection, I would have waited.

So that left me with the 600's. The F4i had the best feel to it. Was comfortable. Not as cutting edge, but hey, a few years ago it was a world-class supersport with many titles under it's belt. So I went with it. Only regret is that I think I am now ready for a tad more power, but let's face it, the thing hits triple digits in the blink of an eye and handles very well. It has a 373 pound dry weight which is less than that since I ditched the huge stock can and went with a Yoshi carbon fiber can.

It's a great bike, but it is tame down low when you want it to be, but the power is there on top when you want to rip it up. And doe to it's nature, there is a nice buffer between, unlike the R1 which goes from strong to fuggin insane like the flick of a switch.

Just start out slow and you will find that the F4i is one of the best streetbikes on the market.

 

Glad to hear from someone who knows a little about these f4's. Sounds like I'll need to keep it under 8 thousand revs until I get to know what she can do. Lucky for me MSF training campus is just down the road a few miles (Phoenix pretty much rules!)

[IMG]local://upfiles/7043/87FC89E60E6F4915AA0A6F657C0057DB.jpg[/IMG]