I may have found a 02 CBR F4i for $3000... 13k miles. Sound legit?

 

Aftermarket exhaust and a K&N? It may not need to be rejetted but it definitely needed to be tweaked after that. The F/A mix is prolly off a bit. And could stand to have the carbs balanced so they're working together.

The off-season is on us and honestly I expect bike prices to drop lower as the cold settles in deeper. You've got a minute to figure it all out. Take the time to get your current bike running right and if you get a clear day, take her out when she's running right.

And ignore what your friends' bikes can do.

 

my f2 was set up with a two bros exhast and k&n and the proper dyno jet kit. if the jet kit was not installed , your power problem is a tune issue, your f2 should leave the sv 650. as Jules said mid range will suffer big, also are you riding in the power band? if your riding in the 4-7 k range your not where the bike pulls the hardest, does the bike pull hard after 9k....it should wake up like crazy. also a simple carb sync could do wonders on that F2, no,no,no,no do not spend$6,000 on a f4.. in my neck of the woods that will buy you a sweet 600RR in great shape. lots of examples on craigs list...LOOK...Kuro is rite , the season is in your favor...deep breath and sleep on your decision...peace

 

+1 on what Kuroshio said (and really what everyone else said, too.. buncha pretty smart folks here.. )

I would probably just sort out the F2 and ride the guts out of it. No offense at all, but 1,800miles is nothing. I've put more than that on my '09 KLR in the last 5months since I bought it (and it's my secondary "play" bike)
I still feel like I barely even know the bike. (and yugos pull away from me on it....lol)

Plus, the F2 will be cheap if you happen to dump it. I would just stick with it, put on some more miles, get to know it inside and out, and save some coin.

I understand wanting something faster, though.... I really do.
And to answer your question about the F4i...$3k doesn't sound too bad if it runs and looks good.

 

My opinion as I'm your physical profile.......with your height and weight go for the K
take time to learn it and you'll find it much more revealing as you progress in your
personal riding style and ability. If you respect it you will learn wonderful insights on
riding big bikes and you'll become very familiar with your riding envelope as you continue
to progress in experience of the bigger heavier machine.

 

I know you guys are just trying to keep this nice fellow from killing himself, but a big, tall guy can handle a larger framed and heavier bike than somebody who is 5'6". At 300 lbs, he's almost as heavy as his bike. It probably feels like a scooter to him. I've had 550's, 750's 1000's and 1600's, weighing between about 500 pounds to 750 pounds. And though all could be really really fast, I got rid of the 750's because they didn't have enough grunt for me and a passenger and I don't like wringing its little neck to get to the power. Torque is good. Lots of torque is better. It makes the bike easier to ride and MORE predictable. If you can just stay away from the top half of the rev range until you are a superstar, you'll be fine. I mean, just because a bike will do 100mph in first gear, doesn't mean you have to do that. I don't put very many miles on my bikes either. Personally, I don't think you learn that much from just sitting on the bike for a long time. I think the learning and familiarity curve is much faster if you take a lot of rides in a lot of different circumstances. I've had lots of fast bikes and powerful cars, and I have always felt like the power made them easier, and therefore, safer to ride.

 

That's the problem though: when you're new and the bike is new, that top half of the rev range can ambush you pretty quick. I think I'm taking things fairly cautiously and I've hit 10k-11k already. Felt I had to given the situation and then I only knew to do 2 things:

• Hang on
• Get back down to 6k-7k ASAP

Nevermind the temptation of flicking the wrist... just once... just for a second... I can handle it long enough to go get up to 6th and see what she's capable of....

 

It's the peaky power curve that makes a bike hard to ride for me. When I was young they came out with the Kawasaki 750cc two-stroke triple. The power curve looked like the Eifel Tower. On or Off. Scary. And a major pain in the hiney. Broad power curve equals predictability.

I've hit red line a few times on my CBR, just to see what was there. The problem is, I care so much about the machine, I'm sure I am hurting it. It just tears me up. That's why I hate having to rev the heck out of a smaller engine to get away from that Semi bearing down on me.

 

I can understand that. 1st gear is way too twitchy for my tastes and I like to get out of it as soon as possible.

But I guess I approach this the same way I did my first gun. Mine was a Taurus .380, bought ostensibly for self defense. But the reality was because I could buy one. But instead of running out and grabbing a .45 in a few months, I stuck with the .380. I took a course and practiced and figured out something fairly quick: a well maintained, smaller caliber gun in the hands of someone that knows how to use it can get the job done better than a pissed on cannon in the hands of an novice. And the cannon wielding novice tends to be a bigger danger to everyone, especially himself.

I still choose .380s. It's enough to get the job done (protect me and mine). 600 vs 1k is pretty much the same. I'm not on the track, not entirely sure a 1k would be better in twisties vs a 600 and is definitely overkill in my city (can barely get out of 2nd between lights & stop signs). And I look better controlling my 600 than a squid on a liter bike every day