as all on here have said, go the 600. i can tell you from owning a 929 myself for the past 7yrs that it will be too much for you, especially being a new rider. i started on a 600 back in 2000 and owned it for 4 years before moving up to the big toys. and i am glad i did, just for the experience you get and you can learn more from a 600 in the begining and get your road skills. personally, going from the 600 to the 929 was a big step and i had to learn how to ride all over again, but once you do and you learn the bike you will be better for it.
and your size doesnt matter either, i am a short 5' 6" and weigh 176lbs and i have no trouble at all.
i think its wise you get the 600 man, just for the learning ability you get from it.
hope i helped you some what.

cheers

 

There ya go ,,straight from someone that owns a 929 .
Nice post Micko !

 

I'm going to look at a 2006 CBR600RR with 1,800 miles on it on Friday. He is asking $4500. Definitely going to jump on this one... I'll post pics if I end up riding it home

 

Now, as for gear... I have heard Arai is the way to go with a helmet. What about jacket/gloves/boots? I want to have everything by the time I go see this bike in case I ride it home... It's about 1.5 hrs away from me.

 

Take a look in the Riding Gear section... Riding Gear - CBR Forum - Enthusiast forums for Honda CBR Owners You'll find about every viewpoint on gear you can imagine. ;-)

What I'll simply say is this... Buy the best quality gear you can afford. Prepare for the crash, whether it actually ever happens or not.

There are many quality helmet options; Arai, Shoei, Suomy, Shark, AGV, etc etc etc. Best thing to do is to go try on as many helmets as possible. Example: Arai & Shoei fit very differently from ea other as far as head shape goes. Have a sales rep tape your head to get your size & then try on appropriate sized helmets in various brands.

Try on different jacket/gloves/boots as well. If you're not sure on those items yet, don't sweat it. You can wear something you already have to ride the bike home. As long as you have a good helmet, you can wear a leather jacket you already have, use some leather work gloves, & over-the-ankle boots, to ride home. Then, make more informed choices on those items later.

Hope the bike your looking at is a good one. Good luck.

 

Arai is an expensive helmet ,,but the best in my opinion . Shoei & Bell are really good too . I owe my life to a Bell star ll helmet . Comfort and protection are #1 , wearing something too heavy to make your neck hurt / ache isn't any good so keep that in mind . a mesh jacket ,,like rocket ,, is great for warm days , and semi leather or heavy cloth for the colder times . Scotch guard protected jackets for rain,,if you have to ride in bad weather. I drive my truck on those days ,, but sometimes the unforeseen rain cloud happens .
There is so many riding gloves out there , , I wear honda racing gloves , but alpinestar , Fox , and Gearne gloves are good . Footwear is a bit more on what you are comfortable in . Some like to wear regular everyday sneakers (not recommended for protection), or semi construction boots ,, but something that covers your ankles is better, providing it doesn't hinder your braking or shifting .
I wear black military / police jump boots that have the comfort of a sneaker & the protection of weather and foot / ankle protection . It all depends on how much you have to spend or afford as to what level of protection you will have. With me being on a single parents budget , I could never afford an expensive helmet , but I do wear a Sox , and a HJC , and a Shoei , the Shoei & HJC give me a neck ache after about 2-3 hours of riding , the Sox is light and comfortable but has a bit more wind noise compared to the others . Check online to get ratings on the headgear your looking for.
Shop around ,,visit bike shops and fit test some that are right for you.

 

Here is the bike I am going to look at today.

05 cbr 600rr for sale

Any positive or negative comments / criticism is appreciated!!! This will be my first bike, so I need any and all comments!

 

welcome to CBRF

 

Ended up buying this one. Absolutely love it. I am in shock at how freakin' fast this thing is! I rode it yesterday for about 2 hours and never went past about half throttle / 8k rpms. Even THAT is ridiculously fast!!!!

List of things to do:

New exhaust (very ****ty weld job done to the exhaust currently on it)
Frame sliders
New grips
New seats
New windshield (he spray painted it black )
New tires (about 40% tread life left...)

I will take some pics tonight of my new baby =]

 

good to hear you got it man, and a good price too. just remember what i said in my post at the top of this page and just take it easy and learn the bike before you start doing anything dumb!!!

the speed of these newer 600's is awesome, they are not to far behind me on the 929 till we get about half way through the race, i start peeling on them at this stage. they most certainly are not slow. keeping up with me on the twisties is even pretty easy for them, but then some part of that comes down to skill.

i really hope you enjoy your bike man, you seem like you have your head screwed on the right way so thats a plus for you. if there is an advanced course you can do over there, it would be a wise idea to do it as it will assist you in more ways that you can imagine.

good luck with it and keep those wheels on the ground!!!

Micko