Hello, I'm a new rider, and I'm making this post because I want to ask if anyone regrets starting off on a 600cc SS motorcycle. Although I LOVE my new cbr600rr I regret buying her so much and wish I could switch to a smaller bike. PLEASE IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A NEW RIDER AND YOURE READING THIS, PLEASE do not buy a 600 for your first bike. The bike is absolutely terrifying, and is NOT meant for a beginner rider like like you and me. Please, please, please do yourself and your loved ones a favor and buy a lower displacement bike. Again, I regret this bike so much! Please don't make the same mistake I did!

I ended up with this 600rr because I found it on sale(cost $600 less than the cheapest ninja250 on craigslist!) and if I could go back, I would have grabbed the ninja 250 for $2400 instead. The cbr600rr is just too much. The bike is not something to learn on, it's Absolutely terrifying and leaves almost margin for error. Every time I ride this bike, I feel like I fighting for survival. I'm always focused on throttle, clutch, and braking control, rather than enjoying the bike or watching for other hazardsand cars on the road.

But I can't lie, I do feel "cool" because I've started out on a 600, and I can't lie that my ride looks super sweet as I look at it before every time I ride it. But, as a 19 yr old kid who dreams of taking the bike to the track and racing one day, this bike is certainly the wrong bike for me(for now).

As much as I do my best to respect the bike, I "ride within my limits" and I'm not "crazy with the throttle", I've learned within these past two weeks of owning this bike that there's much more
Factors in learning how to ride a bike safely and responsibly.

Man, I wish I could ride a ninja 250 so badly. I should have listened to everyone on the forums, I'm sorry I didn't listen. Please just pray that I won't get hurt or run into any tough Situations. please if anyone, even one person, reads this post, I'd be grateful.

And please, please, please, if you know someone who wants to start riding, make sure they start out on a smaller displacement bike! I don't want anyone else to ever go through my first motorcycle experience! I am NOT, I repeat, NOT enjoying my first motorcycle experience at all!
It's past midnight at the moment, and I just can't fall asleep because of how much my bike scares me!! Ahh! If anyone reads this post, thank you so much!

 

starting out on a 250 is the best, but i wouldnt say that 600 is a nightmare like you are suggesting. we are talking about a motorcycle right? not a rocket ship?

if you cannot handle the 600 right now, i suggest you still keep it and get a 250. cuz you will get bored of the 250 in less than a month ^^

 

This is strictly on a per basis opinion basically.

Your quote "I'm always focused on throttle, clutch, and braking control, rather than enjoying the bike or watching for other hazardsand cars on the road. "

Good, you should be always focused on that. One thing you have to remember though is that YOUR in control of the bike, not the other way around. Riding a 600 is no joke, and should never be taken lightly or underestimated. THat is true if you are a novice or expert.

In no way am I telling you to sell the bike, but you have had it for 2 weeks. Have you taken any rider saftey classes? Perhaps you can take some more training or do some riding skills practice in proper areas? Everyone learns at a different pace, and your experience may be different than someone elses who is just starting out. It should always be a pleasent experience riding a bike. 2 weeks is no where near long enough of time to be feeling comfortable on the bike. Get with an instructor to help you build riding confidence. It always takes time to build this and without the proper time you may be setting yourself up for a bad situation.

You know its ok to be scared. Being scared though can make you hyper-aware and in turn can cause you to overthink one thing, whilst possibly overlooking another. There is a chain of things that need to be thought of in a proper order when it comes to operating a motorcycle. You need to try to focus on specific aspects that concern you. If you are worried that if you crank the throttle you are going to wreck well you should be. Understand and know that these bikes are not a game and very powerful. But it is YOU that is in control of that power.

You should only worry about what is right for you. You can get yourself just as jammed up or hurt riding a 250 or a scooter. These machines can do amazing powerful things, but it all comes down to the fact that again, YOU are the one with the control, and it is very important to make sure that you maintain that control throughout the whole learning process and beyond. From the time you sit on the bike, untill you get off it, you always have to maintain that control. Good luck.

Again, I am not saying you should sell the bike, or keep it for that matter. Do what is right for you. But if you practice proper riding technique coupled with awareness and responsibility then skills and confidence eventually do build and you will find yourself enjoying your experience more. I cannot really emphasize it enough.

-Poss

 

+1 I definitely recommend a rider safety course. Being nervous and respecting the bike is different then being petrified of it. I started on a 600 when I first started. I was scared, but I loved it. Mainly due to a riding class I had to take. They put us on a 250 for the weekend. Let's you learn the basics and are more forgiving. After that I went to school parking lots on the weekend and rode all day, in first. Practicing throttle, braking, and stopping starting. Only you can decide the best route for you to take from here. I'm not going to suggest either direction. I will tell you with saddle time and common sense, it will become easier and less scary. And stay away from traffic for a bit. The whole, there's nothing here I'm just standing at a stop light, threw me off for awhile. Just wasn't used to it. Just be safe, and take your time.

 

There are 600's and then there are 600's, they're not all equal.

The clue is in the 'RR', which stands for 'Race Replica', this means it's a performance focused machine, very sensitive to both steering and throttle input.

It doesn't mean you can't learn on this bike, but it will require a greater level of care until you develop your riding skills and as you have found, it's not a particularly relaxing experience.

If you've only been riding a short time, then you could gain a lot from doing a rider safety course, it will help you come to terms with the abilities of your bike.

 

I don't regret starting out on a 600 at all. I started out on an F3, so it wasn't quite the RR that you have, but still it had a lot of power, probably only down about 5-10hp from the RR up top. I took my time, and the first time I really "got on it" was probably 3-4 months after I got my license.

If you're terrified of your 600rr, get off of it.

But I do have to ask, what aspects scare you exactly? Under 9k rpms, the RR is a pretty, relatively tame motorcycle. What mods does your bike have? Does it by chance have a quick-turn throttle or something that would make it harder to control the throttle input?


I've shown the Power curves and dyno graphs before, mid-range on a 600rr and an SV650 are about equal. The ergo's and steering geometry are more forgiving a standard (like an SV), but with how much you should be "pushing the envelope", you shouldn't really notice the difference as quickly as a faster rider would... You shouldn't be braking as hard, you shouldn't be riding as fast, and you should be riding far enough ahead of yourself that you considerably limit the possibility of getting into emergency braking situations.

And unlike the "internet majority", I think starting a 250 is NOT beneficial compared to starting on a 500, or 650 if your intentions are to step up to a race replica someday. I think the best option , though, is to start out on a less powerful 600 I-4 like a bandit 600 or hornet 600. They have forgiving ergo's, and you'll get used to the I-4 "screamer" engine's power band all the while having a forgiving motorcycle still. They're comfortable, economical, and very cheap.

 

Thank you for the replies guys! I'm really glad I got a lot more replies than I expected!

jpan, that's true. I hear 600's aren't as bad as I'm making them out to be and are considered "intermediate" level bikes. hmm.. who knows maybe riding doesn't come as naturally to me as others

Poss, thank you for taking your time to write up some words of comfort! Yes, I did take a MSF course but I don't think my course prepared me well enough for a 600. I practiced on small 125's and they felt like pedal bikes to me. So easy to work with, and plenty of fun in the parking lot. my cbr600 is just a completely different machine

hawk, thank you! Im happy to hear that I can still learn to ride with this bike. I love everything about it, it's just the fear of seriously messing something up and hurting myself that takes away from my whole expirience haha

Conrice, This bike has been raced on the track for a few years. I was told that there are some track preformance mods that's supposed to make the bike quicker on the track. I don't know all the details right now but the original owner has offered me to stop by one day and he'll inform and show me all the aftermarket parts on the bike. There are two things that scare me most on this bike, and that's turning and the throttle. I like to think I'm doing a relatively good job with my throttle control but every once in a while i'll either release the clutch too fast or chop on the throttle accidently and it scares the living jesus out of me haha.

Another concern that scares me is actually taking this bike onto the main street. I live in a small neighboorhood that only has one road to enter/leave the neighborhood. It's a 55 mile road, and every car litereally goes at least 65 on this road ):
I don't know how i'll be able to actually take the bike onto the road cause the cars scare me. someone suggested to me to do my first ride late at night where are like almost no cars(like at 1am) I can see how this will work but I'm still not too sure if I want to ride that late at night.

Sorry for ranting on so much ahhh. we'll see where i am in these next following weeks

 

maybe riding doesn't come as naturally to me as others

This. Riding motorcycles is not for everyone. Don't force yourself to do something that could get you killed.

There is a learning curve for everything. Motorcycling is no different. In time, you will find yourself getting more and more comfortable...or you won't.

Relax, but stay alert. The bike knows what to do; it was designed for it. You are not.... It takes training and comfort to become one with the machine.

As far as the mods on the bike go, you better find out what your riding and what condition it's in. This should have been done before ever putting your leg over it. Even the most experienced rider won't ride on a bike in unknown condition, unless you're trying to end up on youtube.

I'd bet the sprockets have been changed. While you're learning, maybe put the sprockets back to stock or go with a bigger front/smaller rear set up. This will reduce the torque a bit until you get the hang of it.

 

Undo the two screws on your throttle, take the top part off, and take a picture of it. Look at the housing and see if it's been dremeled at all. If it was a dedicated track bike, I wouldn't be surprised to see an R6 throttle or something on it that makes the throttle a 1/6 turn. That, on any bike, would be bad for a beginner. And demon is also right about sprockets. Like he said, you need to figure out what you're riding - now.

TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR BIKE AND START POSTING THEM - WE CAN HELP YOU FIGURE IT OUT

But I have to be honest, riding on the road shouldn't scare you. If it does, you need to reconsider riding. Cars are a constant condition that will apply to almost every single road and will be something you deal with every single time you thumb the starter. I don't want to sound like an *** - but if you think that cars going at least 65 (10mph over the speed limit) on that road is any sort of concern, what are you doing with a sport bike? It's okay to be a little unsure or anxious for your very first ride onto the open road, but to not understand how you'll ever be comfortable about it is not okay for any rider. And your bike can do that speed in 1st gear completely stock...

Have you taken the MSF, yet? Do that before riding that bike one more time.

 

when I got my first motorcycle, I just took it to a parking lot after hours, just like gtcole did. I just tooled around there until I got a feel for the friction zone, and I learned to turn. After that I had maybe one more day of struggling to ride, then its been nothing but a good time riding. I admit I had a much more forgiving bike(85 Honda magna v30), but time and miles are the only way to get better.