I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I've been on the market for a new CBR and have fallen for two. The first is an 03 CBR 954RR. It has 23-24k miles. They're asking 4300 but I can probably get it dropped to 4k. The second is an 06 CBR 600RR. It has 19-20k miles. They're firm on the 4500. I'm not huge on power and all that. I just want the most reliable and easily maintained bike. Though I have to admit ... The rarity of the 954s is appealing. Ill post a picture of the two. I would post the craigslist link but I'm not sure what the policy is on that.

 

 

954 all the way.


it's a titanium edition. people get surprised when you tell them its a 2003. they usually think it's brand new.



the 954 isn't like a literbike as far as power goes. it's more like a 750. it has about 20 more hp than the 600rr, but it feels like a 600. sportrider or motorcyclist or one of the magazines tag lined it as "a 600 with the ***** of a 1000"

 

Yeah the more I look at the 954s, the more I love them. You just see the 600s all over. I just don't want to be in over my head in maintenance when the time comes. As long as the parts aren't ridiculous in price and its pretty basic maintenance, ill be fine.

 

just talk to the guy. you should be able to discern whether or not he kept up with the bike pretty easily. a quick way to tell is to check the oil level and check front tire pressure. bikes burn off oil and temp changes and riding bleed pressure out of the tires.

 

Will do! Thanks for all the info!

 

good luck

 

The 954 looks like stock, well maintained bodywork which makes me think reliable. The 600 looks like a kid dropped it and had to replace all the bodywork so he went with cheap paint/plastics with stickers on top.

 

What is considered high miles for a regularly maintained 954?

 

if it's maintained, i'm not sure there is a standard high mileage... maybe 35k, 40k miles? maybe more... i ran my 954 hard. it had lots of mods. i constantly screwed with the fuel (pciiir) and ignition... all with 25k miles (the motor had been in a few bikes - so i'm not quite sure exactly how many miles ended up on that motor)


but i maintained it. i changed the oil often, checked the plugs (mainly to see how my fuel was), etc. it ran like a champ. it never broke down on me, and the guy who bought that bike with that motor was a mechanic who said he thought it was in great shape. i still maintain contact with him and he tells me about how strong the motor behaves


so like i said, if it's maintained, i wouldn't worry about the mileage.

i tore apart a 954 motor that had a blown tranny with severe piston slap that had roughly 18k on it and it's now the motor im building for my fighter...


it's all in how it's been maintained. check the oil level. ask him how often he maintained it. watch it start up (from cold). watch it go through the whole heat cycle. make sure it gets up to 220 and then cools back down to 214. make sure there aren't any noises, etc.


edit: txsmainevent/pimpina954 is a member here who got rid of his 954 - and i believe he had somewhere around 35k-40k on his. he had no issues with his motor. it ran like a champ. his bike had gone through many transformations. do a search on this forum for him and his bike. there's also a mileage thread in the 954 section