I bought my F4i in '06 brand new and as my first bike. I love it and I'm glad I bought it brand new. I've done one accidental wheelie trying to show off infront of some girl with an older F4 and I'll never make that mistake again. If you're smart and very careful I don't think you'll have a problem dropping the bike. I liked the fact that the bike was brand new so I have a 1 year warranty and I know that it has never been dropped or crashed or anything like that ever done to it. I plan on keeping this bike for a LONG time and my first season having it I put on over 6k in about 4 months. As far as price I paid $8250 OTD but that was last year when '06 was the newest. I'm sure now that they are a year old you'll be able to get it for cheaper. I really like the new blue RR's but way out of my price range so I'm going to stick with my F4i for a while. =)

Mike

 

i bought my 06 f4i brand new too and it has its up sides and down sides, on the good side ur gonna get a bike that u know has no problems and have never been dropped on abused or anything like that but u can also finda good bike with low miles for much cheaper, this is my first bike too and i got the whole thing about people saying im gonna drop it at some point and i did it was stupid in a parking space got distracted and went to get off and forgot to put the kickstand down, it didnt do any damage cause i was able to catch the bike (pulled a leg muscle at the same time bike are heavy lol) but thats a perfect example of something that a new rider will do so just be prepared to probably fix something at some point on a new bike if its a first bike

 

how much experience do you have riding? A sportbike is a great bike, but in my opinion not really a bike to learn on. You really should look at buying used. The money you save you can use to upgrade your bike. I got a 2002 in 2005 and have had it now for 2 years. I paid 3500 cash for it with only 3800 miles on it.

 

Don't buy a new bike b/c when you drop it (as we all have) you will be very upset.

 

i paid 7000 for mine brand new in 06 from the dealer i could not pass it up, but i was actually there looking for a used one. whatever you decide to do good luck.

 

To let everyone know, yes this is my first bike and my only experience is two days riding course.

The reason I don't want to buy used is because I live in a city where sportbikes are high in demand and all the used bikes are either abused to hell, or overpriced.

For example:
2002 F4i witth scratches, 30k miles, owner asking $5200. I offered him $3500 cash (which is very reasonable) and he said he wouldn't take anything lower than $4800
2002 F4i with busted fairings, 16k miles, owner asking $4000, I offered him $3500 and he said he wants $3800.
1997 F3, pretty clean, low miles, owner asking $3800, but when I went there the bike wouldn't start, and even worse it DIED while it was running and the owner kept making shady excuses.
1997 GSX-r600, 50k miles, asking $3500. owner said "I crashed while I was racing and I rip on the bike daily, but I always change the fluids, this bike can go 100k miles and I won't lower my price"

And all the mature F4i owners, don't want to sell

So yea.

 

If you are careful and you've taken the MSF course you shouldn't drop the bike. I bought my f4i brand new in 2005. It was my first bike and I have not had any problems with it. Just make sure you get some sliders (in case you do drop it). Otherwise, if you are careful and you respect the bike you shouldn't have any problems.

 

I rode an old beater that I got for $500 from craigslist for a few months before I got my f4i - and I definitely was glad because I did indeed drop it. However, I love the f4i - it's a whole new animal, but I would personally not recomend jumping on one right away, spend a few hundred bux on a beater, beat on it, and then when you are comfortable grab a better bike...

 

You can be careful all you want and you can take as many classes as being offered but at some point of any rider's career the bike will go down. You don’t even have to be on your bike for it to drop; your bike can be knocked over when a car is attempting to park next to the bike. You might ended up in an accident thats not your fault Caution and experience can prevent most common incidents but not unforeseeable/less occurring things.
Point is; that the bike will go down unless you are that lucky and you will feel 5 times worse if your new bike received a severe *** kicking. Yes, by the end of the day the main thing is that you are ok However, if some minor bs mishap occurs and you drop your bike or it just falls, believe US when we tell you that you wont feel as bad if it were an older used bike.

motonewbie, whats up with the 02 for 3800? why dont you like that? its a good price at that milage and plastic damage. I hope you are not doing that newb thing and negotiating the price over email. Come to the dude and see his bike and look at the damage, then make an offer. I hope that what you are doing.
good luck.

 

DON'T buy new! Unless you're made of money...then what the hell?!?! Go for it.

I REALLY wanted a sportbike for my first bike after I took the MSF course, and I'm REALLY glad I didn't find one. There is SO much to learn for a new rider as it is, andon a full sportbike it just makes it SO much more difficult. Us riders learn something new about our bikes EVERYDAY, so don't jump into anything.

IMHO I don't think you should get a 250cc. You'll literally be kicking yourself two days after you geta 250cc. I say BE PATIENT and find a bike that you will not be as afraid to dropas a new bike. BE PATIENT and find a bike that looks good and you can resale for what you have into a few months down the road.

TIP- call back the stubborn CBR owner's who wouldn't budge on their price every week or so to see if they sold it. IF they truly are overpriced, they'll still have them for sale. They'll probebly say something too like, "I have a serious buyer(s) right now that are going to get it." Guess what, they DON'T. So, remind them of your lowest offer and wait it out. Repeat the process until one of them caves. BE PATIENT!!!!