hey im 20 yrs old living in the great state of nj and have been interested in getting a bike since i got my license. I've been throwing the idea back and forth now for the 3 yrs and i finally want to buy a bike preferably a CBR600RR. Just a few questions though before I jump into anything. What is defined as "new bike", 2000? 2001? 2002? or just 2006 and soon to be 2007's?, which will be arriving in the dealerships shortly? What kind of helmet and gear is accepted as good? What's the difference between the F4i and CBR600RR? Is the 600cc a good starting power or should I go lower? I have no real experience on anything with 2 wheels just my atv. Sorry for all the noob questions but I am stuck in a rut and I think people here will be able to help me out more then just the salesman. Thanks!

 

Thats a WHOLE lot of bike for a first. Not that you can't handle it.... maybe you can, but seriously consider going w/ something w/a lower pwr to weight for your first. CC's don't matter as much as pwr/wht. Lots of peeps havin good luck w/ninja 250's as a first, but it doesn't have to be s/thing that small, its just a good one to get use to the sportbike feel, and kinda hard to get yourself into too much trouble w/it. You prob don't even want to be thinking about new for your first either, unless you got mad loot to throw away. Get s/thing on the cheap side to learn on and save the $$ for when you figure out what you really want cuz its real hard to know that before you even get started. Lots of good stater bikes out ther for 1-2 k, and if /when you put it down, it won't hurt nearly as bad !! Most of em, you could learn on and resell it for as much/close to what you paid. Don't worry about how it looks either. I know its way tempting to get the badest bike you can afford, but resist that temptation if you can, for as long as you can. Shop for gear by price. Most of it is good, but you can tell (most of the time) by what it costs. A $100 helmet is not a good one, you know ? Like e/thing else in life, you get what you pay for. Don't worry about asking "noob" questions man..... thats the point of a forum like this. Anyone who calls you out as a noob for asking questions isn't here to help you, just getting some frustrations out from having little/no power in thier own life.

One other quick note is to shop for a bike you like, then check insurance before you buy. There are some pretty cool sportbikes out there that don't have full fairings, and that makes a HUGE diff in what the insurance will run you.... esp at 20 years old !! I started on a yam seca II cuz the rates were way lower that a full fairing bike, and still scared the sht out of myself plent of times on it.

 

When I was first learning to ride I got a 225 CC bike, but how I did regret that after like 3 months it got sooooo boring. If I did it over again I woulda just bought a better bike but your right about it costs a lot of money for a good one, but why spend more on a lower cc one then go to a 600 3 months later.

Just my 2c everyone has their own opinions. I still am looking for my first cbr bike but i still am trying to get the price i wanted as well.

(on the other hand it was a good idea to start small to learn, but it's hard at the same time to blow all that money away only to hate it 3 months later or something lol. So there's 2 sides to it really)

 

If you take it easy you can start on a 600 without killing yourself, but you'll probably become a better rider faster on a less powerful bike you can push yourself on a little more. Especially this time of year, you can get an excellent deal on a used bike. The 500 Ninja and the Suzuki SV650 both have plenty of power for street riding, but a little gentler than a CBR. And if you buy used, you can ride it for a year(or more) and then sell it for close to what you paid. These bikes are always in demand because there are always people getting into riding looking for the same thing. Or if you have to go right to an inline 600, get an F3 or F4 for $3,000 or less, buy and wear good gear, and take the MSF course. Actually, I would recommend you do those things in the reverse order, except that I doubt you can find the MSF course being given anywhere in NJ until at least March.

And I don't necessarily agree that more $$ is better for helmets. You definitely have to be sure that it's DOT and Snell certified, but mostly the more expensive ones are lighter and quieter and have flashier graphics. You can do well on used jackets, boots, and gloves that people have outgrown or don't use any more because the colors don't match their new bike, but buy your helmet new, since even an impact as gentle as falling off the bike seat onto the ground can weaken the helmet and you don't know a used helmet's history.

Have fun and ride safe.

 

thank you everyone for all of your help. i guess i have a lot ot think about now for what size i want because i don't want to outgrow my bike but i also don't want to hurt myself. I will definetley take the advice for the helmet making sure that it is DOT and Snell approved being that it protects the most important part of the body haha. But one last question, what is the difference between the F3, F4i and CBR 600 RR's? Is there a difference? Thanks

 

not sure about the F3 and F4i, but the whole difference between the f4i and the rr is that the RR is more of a racing bike. The handlebars are lowered more and aren't as high up as the f4i so the comfort will naturally be less. On the otherhand, the RR does have that non bannana seat which is a lot cooler than the newer f4is. But I prefer comfort > looks here so.

 

Your gona kill yerself[:@] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! baby steps grasshopper [8D]

 

Even though everyone has probably already told you the differences, there have been numerous threads on this subject, so if you look at the top of the page and click "search", type that **** it and you'll come up with a bunch of threads, all kinds of pros/cons for the f4i and rr. Good luck and welcome to CBR Forum!!
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ok i will do that, it will make my life easier and less that you have to type haha..and thank you for those words of encouragement master

 

ok i just looked at the past posts, they were from 2005 mostly and the main difference that i found were that the f4i is more comfortable and a little slower than the rr and i guess i just really have to think about if i am planning on driving more then an hour and want comfort i should go for the f4i. But on the other hand if i want to sacrafice comfort for power and more aggresive styling i should go for the rr. Should i take into consideration my height, i'm only about 5'6. will that affect the comfort level more on thr rr if i decide to go with the uncomfortable more power choice?