Hey guys,

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Dean, am 22 years old, and I am looking to get my first bike . I have done a lot of research both here and on other forums. I have narrowed my bike choices down to 2. They are the Honda CBR600F4i and the Yamaha YZF-R6. I know this will be my first bike and a lot of people recommend starting with a 250, but I am pretty sure I will get the hang of either bike. I'm not out to do stunts, modify the bike, or anything of that nature. I just want to ride and keep it stock and clean!

1) Now I know you guys are all Honda owners and would recommend the F4i, but which one is better? Any reason why I should get the F4i over the R6? I'm leaning more towards the F4i based on the "comfort" and commuter aspect (my Z has bad gas mileage).

2) I know the F4i was produced from 2001-2006. Is there any reason to stay away from certain years? For example, is there significant changes from the 2004 model compared to the 2001 model?

3) I've been trying to find as much as I can about maintaining a bike and all I found from searching here was that you need to maintain your bike well "and it will last you over 100k miles." Well a little bit of exaggeration, but can you tell me if bike maintanence is difficult or it must be serviced at the dealer? I'm pretty handy at working on cars so hopefully I will be able to do all the oil changes, chain lubes, etc?

Any help is appreciated guys. Right now I have been trying to sign up for the bike class at many different locations around MD but they are booked for the rest of the year . I'm still trying to learn as much as I can and plan to be an active member once I actually get the bike.

Thanks,
-Dean

 

Ok, I went back and found some more helpful info on here. According to tahoesc, oil changes should be done every 3-5k miles with regular oil (not synthetic) and lube your chain every 500 miles. Do you guys recommend synthetic or regular oil is just fine? Are these maintanence supplies available at your local auto zone or advanced auto parts? Also found that you should put a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in your tank every 1k miles and the fuel filter should be replaced every 10k miles, is this correct?

 

hey Dean welcome to the forums!! :-)

Thats quite a comprehensive introduction there :-) ... anyway on to some of your points, you cant really go wrong with any CBR600 subject to the usual care and checks when buying ..they are all excellent bikes in their own right, the 600F4i is a superb bike and those that own them rate them very highly ...all CBR600s went from steel frames on the F1, F2, and F3 models to alloys frames on the F4 onwards bikes so are a bit lighter ... now F4i versus R6 .. well I am biased to Hondas plus the F4i is going to have the comfort factor, I do know one thing though ...the Honda bikes are always better finished in general than the other manufacturers, everything about them from plating finish to paint just seems thicker and longer lasting ... I know Yamahas of old could get quite tatty quickly if neglected.

I do have to say for the road a good F4i is going to take some serious beating as an all rounder for comfort, finish and performance ... I would love an RR as my next bike but I am getting on a bit and an F4i might be more comfortable for me so may well consider one myself in the future ..

Maintenance is also straight forward ... it is on my F3 and I do it all myself, the basics like oil/filter .. air filter ..plugs ... fuel filter ..I have had no problems with ..adjusting the valves shims at higher miles will obviously be more involved but I have heard they rarely need doing anyway at the prescribed maintenance interval .. I know if mine ever need doing I will simply read up and do it myself because its labour intensive so will save me a fortune getting a dealer to do it ...


I hope some of the above helps :-)

Here is the F4i forum ...

https://cbrforum.com/forumid_8/tt.htm


For fun and chill out times hit Off Topic :-)

https://cbrforum.com/forumid_3/tt.htm


Jules

 

buy the r6 03-05

 

Welcome to the board! Don't know what his problem is[sm=funnypostabove.gif] . Sounds like you know what ya want ... F4i. Great all around bikes. Not that the the yammie isn't a cool bike but they are a bit harsher. Cool lasts about two weeks, comfort lasts a loooong time.

A couple of things ... run the synthetic if you want. I have yet to see ANY real studies showing synthetic is bad for your clutch. Usually its a "I heard it's bad" or clutch is slipping ... didn't mention that they had been hell on the clutch ... synthetic can make a slipping clutch worse but will not cause a good clutch any problems. I have run Mobil1 red cap in my bikes since it came out ... over 100K miles and every time I take things apart it amazes me how clean everything is.

Second ... you will mod your bike. Whether it's a honda or a yammie It's like the law or something.

Good luck on your decision.

 

Hey chief, let me know where you are in Maryland and maybe if you get a bike before Christmas I can show you some back roads.

Anyway, either bike is fine, what I would do is check Washington DC and Baltimore local Craigslist.org. I checked there today and since it's September everybody is going ape-**** trying to sell their bikes. It's the perfect time to buy. Just go look and hopefully a few nice guys will let you test ride.

Although unless you already have your license they may not want to. Usually nowadays most people want cash or a certified bank check (much more secure) in hand before they let you test ride. I did that for the last couple street bikes I bought, as, buying a new one from the dealers (especially in overpriced Maryland !) ... you can't tell what you're getting besides sitting on it in the showroom... plus you're pretty sure to be missing more than 10,000 from your bank account or looking at a 4 year loan.

And just so you know, dealers will not let you test ride anything, even if you had a motorcycle license for 50 years, it's not something they carry insurance for... unlike car dealers.

So any questions let us know... we're all here to help. Good luck with your search.

Oh yeah... i guess part of it depends on where you live and riding conditions, but, if you live near me with all the damn stoplights, (unless you live way out or only plan on riding interstates God help you) change the oil like every 2,000 miles, I don't care what anyone else says. These engines (especially newer 600cc bikes) run high RPM's and beat the hell out of the oil. And I run semi-synthetic Spectro Golden 4 10W40, very good stuff, a little pricey but I know you want to take good care of it. Lots of other good motorcycle oils out there like Amsoil also. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find lots of different brands to choose from, but those are usually in the top 5 choices.

 

Good to know you've done your research. In my garage is my 2002 F4i and my roomates 2007 R6. I have ridden both and belive me the r6 out performs my baby. But not in comfort. I would not trade him for my bike.The R6 will respond faster just due to the fact that its more race inspired. But as a guy on his first bike as well, the F4i will do more than you want it too. (140 before you knwo it and you can get that wheel in the air faster than you can pucker your butthole)

I would say find one in good condition pre-2003 becuse of the split tail (just because its prettier)

If you are mechanially inclined, at all, you can do all the maintence. Oil changes are easy as in a car except you have to pull some farings. I owned mine for 2 weeks before i pulled it down to the frame and broke the block apart.

Air fillter is just about 12 screws, all but4 of which are in the air box(just philips). Chain lube its just adding chain lube, no worries.

Good luck, buy gear and wear it.

 

Thanks guys and Jules. I appreciate it. And Yam93, I'm from Rockville (Montgomery County, MD).

 

If you haven't already, I'd be sure to go to a dealership that has an f4i and an R6 in stock. Sit on both of them. Put your hands on the grips and your feet on the pegs. You may like one over the other. I like the look of the R6 better, to be honest, but the F4i just felt better to me. I ride to have fun, not to be seen, so I went with the F4i. BTW, the looks grew on me. Anyway, both are solid bikes and it's difficult to go wrong between the two.

The more comfortable bike is probably best for the a beginner. Especially when you're starting-out, you need to be concentrating on staying alive with all the crazies on the road. I've lived in the DC area.. I know how people drive around there. A more race-oriented bike will likely keep your hands busy just keeping the bike in-check, when you should have your attention focused on the road. Plenty of people have started fine on a modern 600cc bike, but you might be wise to look for a smaller bike like a 500, 250, or a 650 twin (SV or Ninja). A smaller, cheaper bike will leave you with more $$$ to purchase quality riding gear, too. There have been heaps of threads about 'best beginner bike' etc, but just take advice and stay safe!

 

Hey ZleeperTT - I seem to recall your name from tt.net? Mine was Seafordguy as well over there.

I am sure you were on there actually. I used to frequent the site, had a Slicktop, a slightly wrecked 2+0, and a TT for a while but ended up selling all three at some point about18 monthsago to come up with money for a boat purchase.

Haven't been back to the site one time since unfortunately.

Nice to see you here - I just got a bike myself, but mine needs a weekend of TLC.... You still have the Z??