If you’re just learning and looking for something that will be comfortable on longer rides, I’d advise against the GSX-R600 or the R6. Yeah, they’re pretty (I own a GSX-R1000, so I understand Teh Purdy ), but they’re not terribly comfortable and, as others have said, modern sportbikes are twitchy, overpowered beasts and can get away from a new rider in a hurry.
My suggestion, if you don’t mind something a little newer, is to find a year-old FZ-6. It’s the little brother of the FZ-1, which is known for its comfort, attractiveness, and easy-to-handle power. It’s only been out for a year so you wouldn’t be able to find one older, but it should be a good choice to give you that sportbike feel without the newbie-unfriendly excess of power.
OK, I’m really liking Yamaha’s YZF-600R and Honda’s CBR600RR. I guess I’m also leaning toward the Katana 600 as well, except that I’ve heard that I’ll outgrow it fairly soon after learning how to ride proficiently. As for getting a smaller bike first, I would say that that would be a viable option if I had the time and money to buy a smaller used bike first.
I’m going to be transferring out of this school in the fall, and I’ll need a way to get all the way across town and back quickly and efficiently from school to work. I plan on starting the MSF course and I’ll be well on my way to getting a license in about a week or so, but I figured that it’s time that I start seriously looking at what I’m going to be purchasing and when.
And whatever I buy, it’s going to be used, I’m pretty convinced that that would be the way to go.
The FZ-6 would be an excellent choice, IMHO, although it lacks the full fairing you say you want. Less-radical riding position, and that currently-popular hooligan, naked-bike look.
Are you really set on a sportbike? 'Cause it occurs to me that there are a couple of other good options I’d consider if I were in your shoes…the Suzuki V-Strom 650 or maybe the Ducati Multistrada 620. I’ve heard nothing but high praise from guys who have bought the “Wee Strom”…apparently, it’s a hell of a bike. Not a full fairing, but good protection; it’s the SV650 motor in an “adventure touring”-type package. Good comfort and agile handling. Little weird-looking, but I like weird. More of a standard ergonomics setup, and it’s a fair-sized bike for a guy 6 feet tall. It would make a good choice for real-world daily commutes mixed with occasional longer trips.
flood, I have what is the equivilant to the 1995-1996 YZF-600 (no R), and I do 160 km round trips on it almost every day. The 97+ YZF600R is proberly even more comfortable and has a few more HP. In my oppinion it’s the perfect all around bike, it’s comfortable for long trips and plenty fast enough for the occational trackday if you’re into that.
As for outgrowing it, I doubt that’ll happen for many many years if you don’t use it mainly for a race track, it might look less sharp than an R6, but it’s still a 100HP bike and though the top HP is lower than an R6, it makes it’s power lower down in the rpm range where you’ll proberly spend most of your riding time.
Sorry for digging this thread up, but I just thought I’d update and get some feedback.
I’ve abandoned my original full-fairing plans, and just want to go with something that has a good shelf life, and will get me through San Antonio traffic and occasional 150+ mile rides reliably, comfortably, and economically.
Right now, I’m looking at a used '02 YZF600R with 3,000 miles on it going for $4,800 (the bike’s been dropped before and has a scratched right fairing, which I don’t really plan on fixing). I’m also looking at various standards–the SV650S and the FZ6 (which has a modified R6 engine, so I don’t think I’ll seriously be considering this one an option for a true novice). I’m convinced (after having seen two R6’s seriously mangled on the road this summer) that the GSXR600 and R6 aren’t for me right now, as this will be my first bike ever.
Thing is, another dealer is trying to convince me that getting a 250 would be the way to go, before I settle on a bigger 600. Would this really be a smart move? I know I wouldn’t be stupid on whatever bike I settle on, but I’m being told that the 600’s can/will get away from a rider with no previous riding experience whatsoever in a big hurry. How accurate is this? Is this true even for the “tamer” 600’s out there (SV650S and the YZF600R)?
A “tamer” 600 like the YZF600R can indeed get away from you, but so can a 250.
The 250 proberly is the better choice for learning to drive correctly and I applaude your dealer for suggesting it instead of just trying to sell you a GSXR1000 or similar. However, in your original post you mentioned trips of +150 miles and I really don’t think you’d enjoy that on a 250, while it can certainly be done, I don’t think it’ll be a enjoyable experience.
I think a touring oriented sports bike like the YZF600R is a good compromise, you can easily drive very far on it, I commute 140 miles each day on mine and while it can go stupidly fast and acceleate from just about every car you’ll be likely to meet, you pretty much have to make a choice to do something crazy.
It won’t wheelie from throttle alone (in stock trim) and compared to bikes like the R6 and R1 it has a bit more smooth power delivery, where the R6 is pretty tame in low revs and then goes totally insane when you hit the right rpm range, the YZF600R makes good midrange power and doesn’t peek as mentally as the 100% dedicated sports bikes. This also means that it’s quite good for riding around town.
Again I’ll suggest YZF600R Forums • Index page if you search a bit you’ll be able to find a lot of info about newbie riders starting out on the Thundercat.
Oh and whatever you descide on, get some good gear, I almost never leave home without full leathers, backprotector, helmet, gloves and boots.
I wouldn’t rule out the FZ6 so fast if I were you. True, it’s a modified R6 engine, but the modifications it has make it an ideal bike for commuting and mellow sport riding. It’ll have power, but the power will be where you want it–like when you want to get around something on the freeway and you need a quick burst of speed. Just like the FZ1 is to the R1, the FZ6 is designed to be a “sane” alternative for folks who want the power of a sportbike but not the uncomfortable seating position and twitchy unpredictability (at least for novices) of a true sportbike.
Yes, but with a small caveat. It depends heavily on the kind of rider you are, and only you can answer that. Just as a personal example: my first bike was a brand new Kawasaki ZX-6. The dealer didn’t want to sell it to me, and my spouse told me he (the dealer) watched me worriedly as I rode it (in a somewhat wobbly fashion) off the lot. However, I quickly acclimated to it and only ever had two problems (both of which were sort of embarrassing–I got stuck around an uphill curve because I screwed up a shift, and I fouled the plugs because I didn’t rev it high enough). But then again, I am a very careful rider and can honestly say that I’m never tempted to do anything stupid on the bike (with the occasional exception of going really fast in a straight line on a freeway or deserted road). I know my limitations and I know what I’m capable of doing. These days I ride a GSX-R1000, one of the most powerful sportbikes on the road, and it behaves like a perfect gentleman for me.
So I’d say that if you know your limitations, aren’t tempted to do anything rash (at least not until you’ve got some experience under your belt) and are confident enough to push yourself just enough so you keep getting better as a rider (since underconfidence can get you hurt or killed nearly as often as overconfidence, IMO) then yes, all three of those bikes would be fine for a beginner. My only suggestion is that you consider looking at the regular SV650 instead of the sport model as a first bike, since the S tends more toward the “twitchy sport bike” end of the spectrum. It’s not all that bad, though, and you can often get good deals on both the S and the regular model.
I fully agree with winterhawk11, it really depends on you.
Also I’m not really familiar with what kind of license requirements you have in the US. Here you go through a lenghty and costly program on a school bike, so you’re never totally newbie when you have your license.
Also I agree about the naked SV might be a good choice as plastic is so darn expencive to fix, but a fairing will likely help alot on long trips.
As for letting the bike get away from you, I’ve seen a newbie pop a wheelie on a Kawasaki KLR 250. He was about your height, a little heavier, and he didn’t stop shaking for 3 hours after he dropped that bike. Something about having his feet drag on the ground while he held onto the handlebars for 20 feet.
Just remember: any punk can go fast on a motorcycle. Even the wussiest Vespa can outgun a car from a red light.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I’ll be sure to let you all know how it turns out.
blinx, you’ll probably be happy to know that the Thundercat is the one I’m leaning toward the most. I’m just trying to find someone willing to finance my purchase, as I don’t currently have a job (and won’t till I go back to school).
winterhawk11 and Barbarian, I’m sure as hell not gonna go into this thing with a big head. I know my limitations (which is why I decided to lay off the idea of getting an R6 or something similar for a while) and won’t be pushing them for a long, long time. I have a gf (so I’m not exactly looking to try and impress any ladies or anything) and she (as well as practically everyone else that cares about me) would kill me before any bike did if she found out I was doing something stupid or crazy on whatever I decided on.
I forgot to add that the Thundercat that I’m looking at right now has already been dropped (guy turning into a McDonald’s got cut off by a car and he dropped the bike trying to manuver out of the way), so the fairing is already scratched up a bit, but not cracked. So, I’m not really worried about dropping the bike now, but I’d still have to be incredibly careful with it.
Ahh… battle scars You might look into getting some framesliders, it’ll protect your plastic, but also the exposed engine parts from low speed drops, a bike can get rather heavy when it’s almost at a standstill and leaned over a bit.
Also I belive you guys over there have some motorcycle safety course, from what I hear it’s a really good idea to sign up for.
Oh, and to finish it up, a picture of my 10 year old FZR600R: http://cze.dk/fzr.jpg - it’s basicly the same bike as the one you’re looking at, just a few HP less and different looks.
Sorry for digging this up yet again–I promise this is the last time. Well, I took the MSF course this past weekend, and have to admit that I was skeptical at first as to how I was going to learn to ride in only a couple of days (without ever having been on a bike before in my life), but I got everything that I wanted to get out of the course and passed (100% on the written test and a 93% on the riding skills test). I’m now ready to go out and ride around on some of the final choices that I’ve listed here. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on how things turn out. Again, thank you all for your thoughts and opinions.
What I find a bit hard to work out is that you mention that economy is an important part of your considerations.
New rider on a YZF600 is going to have high insurance premiums.
They are not at all economic on fuel, don’t be too surprised to get rather less than 35 mpg.
They demand reasonable tyres, and these will not last long, if you go steady you maught get 8000 miles but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Are you able to do your own maintenance, 'cause of not you are looking at servicing every 4000 miles for oil and filter changes 8000 miles for plugs etc, four plugs at a time.
You can expect camshaft clearance checks at 12000 miles and if you have been particular about oil changes then you probably won’t need extra shimming, because it will involve lifting the cam caps, which means time and money - 16 valves worth, or 20 if its the R6
Brake pads depend largely on how you ride, but dont expect much more than 8000 miles for the front, and chains and sprockets will go less than 10k if you are not religious in keeping the drivetrain well maintained.
All these part cost money, far far more than the motorcar equivalents.
Personally I would suggest that you go for the Honda CB500S, its a parallel twin, two valves per cyclinder, go for the one with the small fairing.
It will outdrag every car there is away from the lights, it is cheap to run, insurance, tyres maintenance and fuel mileage are all very good.
The clutch is light and you get a decent steering lock, the YZF is covered in plastic, one slow spill at 5mph, easy to do and very likely for any rider, never mind a newbie.
One slight spill and you are looking at a very large bill to replace damaged plastic, the CB500 does not have the same problem, it’ll fall over and not cost, you just pick it up and ride away - especially if you fit crash bars.
There is a bikini fairing version, they are no longer available new but you’ll find plenty about, ideal for commutes, they also have a surprising sporting ability when revved hard.
I have a naked SV650 as my first bike, not one person has said a bad word about it! The V-twin setup takes a bit of getting used to compared to the inline 4s, but it is much more forgiving when it comes to choosing the right gear coming out of the corner.
I can get about 50mpg (that’s British gallons, no idea what it converts to) so apparently I can do 175 miles on a full tank with easy riding, it’s a fair bit less with ‘spirited’ riding
The worst milage I’ve had is 15km per liter, that was 260km on a motorway with 160km/h. Normally I’m around 20-21km/l.
Oil change interval is 6000km and valve check every 42.000km, that might have changed for the YZF600 but I’m not sure.
I run Michelin Pilot Power on the front and Pilot Road on the back, and have put 6000km on them now without really noticable wear.
I concure that a small naked bike is the ideal for a beginner, but I just don’t think it lives up to the OPs stated requirements for longer distance rides.
), but they’re not terribly comfortable and, as others have said, modern sportbikes are twitchy, overpowered beasts and can get away from a new rider in a hurry.
