If you were me?

This will probably sound stupid and I doubt you'll actually do this, but if I were you I'd start out with a carbeurated 600 supersport like a 2000-2002 R6, ZX-6R, or CBR F4 for example. Still nice and fast, only a couple horsepower less than the 2K3 Ninja 6R and the throttle response isn't quite as touchy so there's less chance of the bike getting away from you! And if you want the R1, not only will you probably make up for the savings on the bike in insurance premiums, check out the Deal's Gap website and read about how many of the deaths and injuries from that road were from R1 riders. I don't know that I'll ever trust R1s. The new 2002/2003 models are sexy as hell but I have a friend who is a great rider who owned two R1s and tossed them both down the road and put himself in the hospital for about a month each time! But it's up to you. Just do some research and see which bike has what you want. If you're not gonna budge from these two bikes though, and you just wanna go fast, get the 6R.


P.S. YOU NEED RIDING GEAR!!!!
- Jon
2001 Candy Lightning Blue ZX6-R
"It only takes one beer to get me drunk.......but I'm not sure if it's the 8th or 9th one!"

I'd reccomend a 600 as well, the 6R is a sweet bike.
Dont get a big bike like the R1 to start..

I also dont trust the Yami's.. R1 or pre03 R6... they are way to nervous in the front end, and like to fold up in tight corners.

When I did my track day at Mosport, 3 bikes crashed.. all Yami R6/R1's.
Also at tech inspection a guy walked up and said he got serious headshake on the back straight, and 3 guys looked up and said "your on a Yami aren't ya"
The steering on the Pre 03 R6 was quick, but unstable.

Worst part is my buddy is getting an 03 R6.. but hopefully they fixed that issue, early tests seem to indicate they did.


-=Welcome To Canada=-

2002 Green 6R
1986 Gixxer 7/11

Please define 3 days riding experience. Who's bike were you riding? Where did you got riding at? What was your average speed? Was it all parking lot exersizes, or did you go out on the road? Did you ride around your neighborhood, or did you go out on the freeway? Where you riding on mostly straight roads, or did you ride through some nice twisty roads? What was your average speeds through those twisty roads? What type of bike were you riding.

Just because you have enough money to buy x bike, doesn't mean you should be riding x bike as the very first thing ever. I don't care what some people seem to think, a new comer should not buy and ride a 100 hp/375 lbs sportbike as something to start off with. Motorcycling is NOT like riding a bicycle. Its not something that you will know how to do expertly after a couple hours on a friend's bike in a parking lot.

You have lots of money burning a whole in your pocket? Great for you. Buy a smaller bike, a whole buch of gear, and put the rest in a 6 month CD. Save up more money during those 6 months, and put AT LEAST 6k miles of ACTUAL city/highway/twisty/heavy traffic action on the smaller bike, and then buy the 6r, or R6, or Turbo 'Busa, or whatever your next bike is going to be.

And if this is what thinking realistically is like to you, then I can understand why you don't like it.

Yet another open and shut case of more money than brains.
BC.


I didn't do it, I swear.
And even if I did, what makes you think I would admit it to you?

Whew! Ok good thing on that typo! Had us worried for a minute there! Anyhow, My opinion now would be go ahead and get the R6. Don't touch the bike (in terms of aftermarket performance upgrades) for a little while though. Get some riding experience on the stock bike (or however it is sold to you) before you tinker with it. The R6 is designed for the track. She's light in the front end and very aggressive. But I've seen a lot of guys tuck the front end going into turns on the street and the track. You might want to look into getting a steering damper for the R6. Also, be very careful because if you DO wreck the R6 (god forbid that happen) it's likely that the front forks will be f*cked! I looked at getting a first generation R6 for awhile before deciding on the zx6r. Two things made my decision for me: Riding position and track orientation. The R6 has an aggressive riding position which is gonna get uncomfortable fast on long trips or commutes. And the R6 was designed for the track more so than for street applications. The 6r has a slightly less aggressive or forward riding position, but the clip-ons are adjustable so your forward geometry can be changed easily. Also, the 6R was the heviest of the 600cc supersports back in 2000-2001 which made it the least-track oriented. Do I do track days? Sure. But I ride on the street 95% of the time! Anyway, the 2003 6R is a 636cc not a 600cc and it broke the 100 HP barriers for the 600cc supersport class this year. Also fuel injection usually offers very crisp throttle response which is usually not a good thing for newbies! Hopefully this helps your decision! Good luck and ride safe!


- Jon
2001 Candy Lightning Blue ZX6-R
"It only takes one beer to get me drunk.......but I'm not sure if it's the 8th or 9th one!"

Okay all, just to clear up a few things,

I have prior off-road experience, 3 days training at a driving school in car park & on road. On road speeds on straights were 110 & probably 60-80 through twists on average. I have since been off road riding every weekend since umm for the past 6 weeks (yes I know, still not much experience)and I learnt on a Harley Davidson 1200 sportster under great instructors but what my situation is:

I have a car which is getting to a point (km's wise) that now would be a good time to sell up. I'm young without a gf, live at home (therefore can use parents care if needed when raining etc) and makes perfect sense to get a bike now because I may not get this chance again later in life or maybe I will but I want to grab this opportunity now.

I see where most of you are coming from that I do lack experience but I don't see how buying a 6R would be a bad idea. The bike is as fast as you turn the throttle and yes it is a novelty but one that I'm not going to be stupid on. As I said, I'll be sticking to the speed limit just like the way I drive a car. I'm planning on getting all the equipment I can get, hopefully Kawasaki will put something into the deal if I get the 03 6R.

So that's my story.. now the R6.. people have been saying a few things about the fork seals & steering etc, I'm not feeling too keen on it then..

-=MooX=-
[email protected]

"If it's Greener, chances are it's a hell of a lot Meaner!"
'03 ZX6R

Moox, I'm in the same boat as you. I started riding last summer and true, the 6r (I personally have no experience with the R6) has more balls that I do, but if you ride sensible and WATCH OUT FOR THE OTHER GUY than you can learn on a 600cc (see www.zx6r.com FAQ) sportbike. Statistically, it's the riders with 1-4 years experience that end up going for a ride in an ambulance because they have a few thousand miles under their belt and start flying through rotaries at 100+ mph. It's all up to your control -- but you'll shed alot more tears if you crack the plastic (or your back) on a '03 zx-6r than a used bike. But for what it's worth, I'd buy the ninja.


'01 Yellow ZX-6R

Originally posted by MooX

I see where most of you are coming from that I do lack experience but I don't see how buying a 6R would be a bad idea. The bike is as fast as you turn the throttle and yes it is a novelty but one that I'm not going to be stupid on.[/br]

Click to expand...

Well, no one here really knows you except yourself so you'll have to decide if what you say is true or not. If you know deep down you are mature enough to not "test the throttle" then you might be ok. Lots of inexperienced riders will say this and on some level probably believe this. Problem is logic seems to fly right out the window when you're sitting on top of a rocket controlled by your right wrist. Something silver_6r already alluded to .

Anyhow, I've gone through a similar dilemna over the past year. I just bought an '00 ZX-6R this weekend so I'm not totally unbiased yet. Here are some things you should think about before buying a R6 as your 1st bike.

1. Twitchy handling is not friendly for new (and even experienced) riders.
2. Pre '03 R6 have a serious problem with slippage in 2nd gear which is very costly to fix. Granted it seems thus far it only affects a small percentage. But the thought of buying an R6 and having to drop $2K later on to fix a gearbox that crapped out makes me sick.
3. Comparatively high resale value makes R6s more expensive to buy than other 600s. Used parts are more expensive as well.
4. Large numbers of new/inexperienced riders wrecking their R6s makes them more expensive to insure than other 600s.
5. Due to its popularity, its the most likely to be stolen 600 (or was it the most likely to be stolen bike period?)


Of course, that doesn't deter many who think it looks the shiznit (which it does) but everyone has their own priorities and preferences. As bad an idea I think the R6 is, I think a brand new '03 ZX-6R is even worse. The main difference is that any mistake made will be twice as expensive to fix (or replace). Anyhow, don't get caught up in the hype and believe you need the newest, baddest, best looking sportbike on the market. Take it from a new owner, pull in any modern day sportbike into your garage and you'll have a seriously hard time wiping that grin off your face!

2000 ZX-6R

Just to add to it,

I bought a 02 6R brand new with very little experience.. I acutally learned on a 86 GSXR1100, I rode it around the back roads and my neighbourhood for a couple months here and there, just to get comfortable. (Yes I know it's crazy to learn on an 1100, but it made the 600 much easier I only road it a bit as we never insured/plated it, just did the back roads)

Then I got my 6R and have been fine so far. The bike won't get you in trouble, only you will by riding it dumb.

My biggest advice would be don't go riding with a bunch of experienced riders right away. They will go fast and the urge to try and keep up is huge. This is the best way to crash your bike.
I saw it myself last summer as a guy on a week old silver 6R missed a corner going WAY to fast for his 1 week of experience (and WAY to fast for even a year or two of experience) missed a corner, hit a curb, flew close to 100ft. He was in the hospital for weeks with some broken bones/concusion, and the bike was totalled.
Thankfully he had got a leather jacket that same day which prevented him from losing a ton of skin.. there was almost nothing left of his jeans.
He was probobly going around 80km/h (45mph) or so...

A couple months later he got a 2002 Gixxer 600, and dumped that too, oddly pulling to the side of the rode to stretch, he hit some loose gravel, just scratched up the fairing...


So, I'd reccomend the Kawi, simply because I think you're less likely to crash it, since it's more stable then those Yami's are known to be.


-=Welcome To Canada=-

2002 Green 6R
1986 Gixxer 7/11

I have to disagree that the bike CAN get you into trouble. Any bike with the HP and light-weight of a 600SS machine CAN get you into trouble very easily. Look at the pros who race them, then mess up regularly and have a lot more expreince/skill than you, and they are in a controlled environment where safety is a major concern, and there's no traffic or SUV soccer mom's on cell phones running lights etc etc etc Just look at how mnay young kids are killed on a "little 600" each year. Then look again to see how many of them were truly not at fault for doing foolish stuff...

Not to pick on anyone here, but anyone who's spent a lot of time on large message boards (SBN for axample) has seen EVERY noobie say "I will be mature, won't speed, etc etc". Histroy shows that just doesnt work. All it takes is ONE time for you to say...hmmm, I wonder how fast it will go? Or even if it's not you, there's the other motorists that you can't control no matter how careful you are. What happens when you give the bike a little too much throttle, or take a corner too fast, or don;t know how to do maximum braking in a controlled manner when teh first car pulls out in front of you (it WILL hapopen).

It's much easier to learn all those things on a smaller bike. Grab too much throttle on a 250 and you're not wheeling into traffic unintentionally. Smaller bikes are easier to ride as they're easier to steer as you learn things like countersteering gradually. You will be a better rider when you do move up. But I know most people don't want to hear that. And most people who have started on a 600 and did ok will not back me up either.

Can you honestly say that you've never had moments where you scared youself (for those who started on 600+'s)?