My name is Genysys
I just completed the MSF course and have decided to
buy a bike. After a week of intense scouring the net,
youtube and video, i had it narrowed down to

2008 Ninja 250r
2008 Hyosung 250r
2003 Honda 600 f4i

A little about myself

I am 5'11 and around 235 pounds. So as I liked the
250s I was concerned my fat *** would be too much
for the bike which is what had me leaning towards
the Hyosung. After comparing the stats on the Honda
and the Hyosung, I have came up with the Honda is 7
pounds lighter, 4x the horsepower, 2x the torque, and
most of the power is high in the rpm band. Which means
to me if i drive it down low (6000 rpm and below) it should
behave alot like the 250 with the added benefit of being
able to go fast when i need it.

I am curious if this is proper thinking

Also I was offered a deal on a 2003 model
$3200 for a 2003 600 f4i with 14500 miles , never dropped
I really like it and at $3200 it is almost 700 cheaper than
a new 250r and still a good 200 cheaper than a used one.

So my question is , am i thinking correctly or am i better
off with the new machine. Will a 600 be too much for me
even though I am a very cautious rider (never been in
an accident in my car and have never dropped a bike)

I know this is a Honda site but i think we are all here about
the bikes and any advice would be appreciated

I promise anyone who helps will receive a friend for life
as well as a personal pic of me and the new bike.

Please hurry as I just got my check today and I am so
looking forward to buying a bike. i want to have it by
Friday so let me know!

*sorry i dont have pics up but its not my bike yet so if
i post a pic id be lying lol but as soon as he says ok
the pic is going UP

 

Hello and Welcome to the CBR Forum. Awesome that you took the MSF, Congrats. 1st off is you will drop your bike. Sorry but you will. With that said, I would maybe start with a used bike so when you do drop it. It will not be out alot. But it is your money you may spend it anyway you want.

Gear up and Ride Safe...

 

well the 600 f4i is a used bike
im 98% sure thats the one i want
just curious what others think of my reasoning
and any tips are appreciated
like things to look out for

 

Do you mean look out for cars, cause they don't look out for you...

Well If you go with the used one, then 1st thing you do when you get it home is change all the fluids. You do not know what the PO has in there, even if they tell you what they put in it. Check your brake pads, I would go over all the nuts and bolts. check the chain. lube and grease all the moving parts...

Then when you are all done there WASH IT!!! and take some pics...and post them here...

 

What he said. Welcome to the forums.

 

There's a long standing debate here. The 2 sides:

250cc for a starter bike:
A 250cc bike is far more manageable as a starter bike than a 600. Because the rider knows there are bigger, faster bikes out there they are usually less intimidated by the 250cc bike. And therefore learn faster since they push it further. And the 250cc will be more forgiving of the mistakes made. A mistake that could be life threatening on a 600cc bike may just make your butt pucker a bit on the 250cc.

600cc as a starter bike:
Depending on how fast you learn and how much you get addicted to riding, you may outgrow a 250cc bike fairly quickly. The 600cc has the most utility of pretty much all the bikes. Able to putt along on a stop sign riddled daily commute. Able to more than hold its own on the highway. Able to carve the twisty roads. And able to give you a very fun day at the track. Anyone that says there is nothing more a 600cc bike has to teach them had better be a MotoGP rider. Most people most like will never come anywhere near a 600cc's full potential period. But the 600cc is less forgiving of mistakes than the 250cc. And more than throttle control, you will have to have Ego Control

Sooo... with all that said, I'd recommend the Ninja 250r. I don't know you personally so I can't give a fair eval of your personality. When in doubt, go with the safest course especially when talking someone's health / life. You'll be a better rider starting out on the 250, learning better lessons faster. There's no debate on that. The Ninja 250r will retain its value pretty well so you won't take as big a loss as some will make out. And when you are ready for a 600cc, you can buy a newer one without the added worry you're gonna forget to put your foot down when parking and drop your immaculate new baby. Also, a 600cc is wasted in the city. Which is many new riders will be hang about for the first year of riding. The hardest turn you'll take are likely to be a 90 deg right hand turn from a rolling start. You won't learn as much about cornering and stopping on the F4i that you will on the 250cc. Not on city streets and be able to keep your license

 

Call me hard headed

I was all set to get the 250r
than i got to ride a friends
which was very nice but not as fast as i would like

and then i rode a f4i
omg

both bikes were roughly the same side but the
honda just felt right. You know how they say
the car picks the driver. This bike was talking to me

then the guy dropped the price to 2500
and i am a proud owner of a silver 2003 cbr f4i!

With insurance and a brand new helmet and gloves
I paid $3k total for everything and got to ride the bike
home

now i am sitting here with it in my living room and
im wishing it was daytime so i could go putter around
town

damn guys i swear if crack is anything like this im glad
i never used drugs!

 

Well congrats. You're not gonna hurt our feelings

What I will recommend now (and it's a really really strong suggestion) is that you supplement the MSF course with some reading.
A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding by Keith Code
Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track by Nick Ienatsch

These are excellent books and go much further than the MSF courses, both the BRC and ERC. They will explain things the MSF courses simply don't have the time to explain. And when you start to 'get' some of the things they talk about, it'll be like a crack addict being left in the police evidence room

 

Will do! I am soooo stoked
I can honestly say when i got my pilots liscence i was not this
amped. Its really weird cause im an old dude (38) but i feel like
a whole new world has opened up.
I am now going over everything , checking fluids etc my son
was helping me clean it up and he put some of his lego stickers
on his helmet LOL

 

Welcome to the site! I bet you are stoked!!
And I don't think you made a bad decision.... just be careful out there. I know how it is, just don't push it.

The F4i is one of the best bikes ever built. I would have done the same thing.