Hey whatz up to everyone!! I am new to the site and new to street bikes. I saw my 06' silver 600RR in the showroom and almost needed a napkin!!!!! I can;t wait toride it, but..... This is myu first bike and I really ohly having riding cred. with dirt bikes. I am 5ft. 3in. the bike has to be lowered 3inches. Will I be alright with this bike being ny first?? The dealer pissed me off because he wanted to prursuade me into the F4i he told me the F4i was like taming a squirrel and the RR was like taming a wolverine, needless too say I still got the 600RR.Any input or tips is greatly appreciated, awesome to see so many of us ladies ridin' these bikes. [:@]

 

As long as your careful you should be fine. I would suggest taking a bike course though, just cuz i wouldn't want to risk having anything happening to the '06 being ur first bike. but with ur experience with dirt bikes u might be fine.

 

CBRchica pretty much nailed it, just respect the throttle take the saftey course and don't try to do too much all at once. Good luck and a great bike choice!

 

I agree with the salesman at your dealership - the CBR600RR is a bit too much for a newbie street rider. BUT, since you've already gotten it, there's no turning back.

As the others have said, DO take your MSF course before you even attempt to ride that "wolverine" on the street. And then once you DO pass your course, plan on spending plenty of time practicing in parking lots. As my MSF instructor told me, passing the class doesn't mean you're qualified to ride on the street; it means you're qualified to ride in parking lots.

Respect the bike -- the bike you've chosen is QUICK, and very responsive... respect it, and she'll treat you fine.

As for the bike being lowered 3", you might want to look into some good riding boots (SIDI has plenty of nice styles that can give you at least a couple of inches) that give you a bit of a "lift" so you don't have to have it quite so slammed. Lowering the bike will alter the bike's handling, and you'll lose some cornering ability. You can also look into shaving the seat. If you can raise your bike back up at least part of the way, she'll handle a lot better.

And finally, GEAR UP. If you haven't already done so, plan on investing between $700 and $1000 on some good quality protective gear. Look for Snell AND DOT approvals on your helmet, and CE protection in your jackets. Gear is expensive, but skin grafts are even MORE expensive -- consider it an investment in your longterm safety.

Good luck! And enjoy! Here's to many happy miles with your new toy!

 

I don't like lowering bikes. I'm .5 inches shorter than you and love my F4i. I like the looks of the RR, but it's too high for me and the riding position doesn't make me that happy! Good Luck with it, but I just say take the bike to a suspension shop who will adjust the bike to your weight. I did that and my bike rides so much better.

 

welcome to the site-

i'm not going to repeat anything-just that it's good advise.

as far as what the salesman/dealer says..........here is a short story for you.

i was at a local dealer last week, just browsing around. i saw a man and a woman looking at a suzuki hayabusa 1300. the woman wanted a helmet, and i assumed that she was taking a test ride- on the back.

well, they gave her a helmet, and she got right on that monster and tore out of the parking lot. i was impressed to say the least!!!!!!!! and i felt a bit embarressed assuming she was going to be a passenger.

so, that being said., you are the only person who knows your limits, not a salesman. so, take your time, get used to the bike and you go girl!!!

 

Ditto on what everyone said....gear, classes, practice. I even took Reg Pridmore's CLASS, which was great.

What kind of dirt bike and for how long? I have an '04 Honda CRF250x too and love the dirt.

Didn't like having my F4i called a squirrel tho!!!!

I'm not quite 5'3", had mine lowered by a race suspension shop in the shock internals, shaved the seat plus added an inch to my boots. I can touch solid ***** of my feet, have ridden bikes that were too tall for me and feel strongly that being able to touch firmly has made me a better rider. This is my 5th street bike (riding since 1976!). I suppose if you ride hard at the track you'd want every bit of your suspension, but if you're a LOT smaller than the engineers designed the bike for, I don't think making it fit you is going to harm anything. Just be sure to have someone do it who knows what they're doing and keeps the whole thing in balance.

-Susan
'04CBRF4i