Thinking about buying a new to me bike, i want something with a little more juice than a katana, right now im considerin a gsxr 750, anybody got any other suggestions that would be in the middle in power, im not the smallest guy, so a little extra juice shoudlnt hurt me too bad, but a literbike will kill me.

1/23/2007 7:27:27 AM

how long have you been riding? how many miles have you clocked on the katana? what's your budget for a new bike?

1/23/2007 7:59:58 AM

busa ftw

1/23/2007 8:05:57 AM

about 3k miles since late october, started ridign mid october. 5-6k max pref lower, but want relaibility not problems

1/23/2007 8:22:34 AM

gsx-r 750 is a rocket. leaps and bounds more than your katana, and only fractionally less performance than the liter machines. mine would pull throttle wheelies (no clutch) in 2nd gear at 80+ mph, and carry them to 110-115 when 2nd gear ran out (i usually couldn't make the shift to 3rd in a wheelie). if you gas it hard in 1st, the front will come up as soon as the tach hits about 8k or so.

if you've only been riding for 3 months and 3k miles, you have absolutely no business whatsoever with a GSX-R 750. I wouldn't even entertain the idea at all.

for your experience and your budget, I would get a 5-8 year old 600cc machine (GSX-R, R6, F4i, ZX-6R...the pre-636 model especially would be a great bike for you, and prob wouldn't cost too much). make sure you save enough money for a set of leathers and good sportbike gloves.



buy Twist Of the Wrist II by Keith Code. quick read. will help you a lot.

1/23/2007 8:31:43 AM

I rode two months and about 1,000 miles on my GS500e, then upgraded to an '03 CBR600RR. You CAN do okay on a sportbike without years of experience, if you have restraint. At the same time, I highly recommend a 600 rather than a 750. You don't need the extra power, trust me, Duke is right in that respect. I know plenty of big guys that are happy on 600's.

A note of caution though, I know plenty of people that have fucked themselves up on 600's and even 250's because they ride over their limit. You can kill yourself on a 50cc dirt bike if you're dumb about it. If you know you can't handle a 1000cc, a 600cc isn't going to save you either, only learning restraint.

Go for Fuel Injection, it's wonderful. That means F4i or 600RR for Honda. I'm not sure what years the other brands picked it up, but I think it was '02 for GSX-R600's if you like them.

1/23/2007 10:18:06 AM

Im all geared up, I just want somethign I can grow with, my katana is a 94 model with carbs and its fun, but I want something a little newer (just broke up with GF trying to find a toy i guess).

1/23/2007 10:58:50 AM

Listen to Duke, he helped me out when I started out and definately read Twist of the Wrist book. Well worth the read. Also, I would ride at least one season in spring and/or summer before you get a new bike. You should at least get comfortable with the katana before you get a new bike. Even though they are heavy, you still can learn a lot from it before going bigger, better, or newer.

F4i's are one of better upgrades since its still n00b friendly, but you can still grow with it. If you want some fun, sv650s' are great bikes. May not be fast going straight compared to 600 or 750's, but it has torque, and torque can be just as much fun specially in curves. V-twins pulls hard and sound great too.

1/23/2007 11:08:44 AM

Quote :

"I'm not sure what years the other brands picked it up, but I think it was '02 for GSX-R600's"

Gixxers had fuel injected bikes since 1998.

1/23/2007 11:09:05 AM

^ gixxer 600's didn't get fi till 2001. 750's had fi in the previous models.

1/23/2007 11:10:01 AM

newer 600's, esp. the R versions, still scare the shit outta me

1/23/2007 11:27:21 AM

yeah.. cause you've seen 3 of your friends flip out on them...

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 11:29 AM. Reason : RR, R-6, GSX-R...]

1/23/2007 11:28:48 AM

yeah, i'm looking at getting my 4th bike (after riding probably 15-20k miles on easily over a dozen different motorcycles), and I decided a while back to go back to a 600.

i think i'm gonna get a Triumph Daytona 675, which is a "cheater 600", but still a middleweight. Literbike power is a cool novelty, and fine on a daily driver sportbike, but when it comes time to get serious on a twisty road, I find that I have more fun on a 600-class bike than anything else.

1/23/2007 11:44:17 AM

^ Duke, make sure ya sit on one for a while in the dealership, even if they look at you funny. I love that bike (it's my favorite new bike, really), but my friend has one that I got to sit on for a while and it can be really uncomfortable if you're not just the right size. I don't mean just the seat is hard or you're leaned too far forward either, I mean "jams your nuts into the tank so hard that you won't need a girlfriend" kind of uncomfortable.

They sound AWESOME with an aftermarket pipe though, and from what I've heard and seen handle really well.

1/23/2007 12:20:56 PM

a 600 is going to feel like a rocket ship compared to a shit-tana and it will handle A LOT BETTER as well along with better brakes etc etc.. definately get fuel injection. and dont get an older gixxer they handle like cows.

buy my 600rr 03 with a 06 front end for 5 grand. nuff said


i might get a 750 just for shits and giggles.

1/23/2007 1:09:28 PM

^your bike has about the same resell value as my RR...

1/23/2007 1:42:33 PM

^whatever you need to say in order to make yourself feel better each day. lying to urself is fun!




[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 1:55 PM. Reason : .]

1/23/2007 1:51:53 PM

of the new 600s 01 and later whats the best for each year? not just speed thinking maintaince and handling,

ie if GSXR was a dog in 01 tell me
If R6 was awesome in 02 tell me.

1/23/2007 2:32:41 PM

they are all pretty much the same. r6's tend to have more power up top than the rest (5 valves per cylinder). but are a lil gutless down low. pretty much get what you like in the looks/price department bc they all perform about the same.

about maintenance again all the same. for r6's fuel injection started in 03. prior to that they had second gear issues. in 03+ they fixed those issues.

gsxr 600's were fi in 01+

honda f4i's started in 01+

honda 600rr's started 03+ the 600rr handles better than the f4i has better brakes, better more built up engine with lighter internals, and a lower center of gravity. although it is more uncomfortable for long trips etc.

636 ninjas were made 03+ I dont think they had fuel injectin prior to that in their 6r's. i saw a 02 for sale that was still carb'd.

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 3:13 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 3:13 PM. Reason : .]

1/23/2007 3:10:18 PM

any will be a big upgrade from a katana

1/23/2007 3:36:14 PM

Quote :

"anything will be a big upgrade from a katana"

1/23/2007 3:42:12 PM

RC51..would that be like asking to die?

1/23/2007 3:51:03 PM

unless you own a salt flat, you're not going to outgrow a late model 600cc sportbike

1/23/2007 3:57:58 PM

Quote :

"newer 600's, esp. the R versions, still scare the shit outta me "

that's why you keep buying old pieces of shit.

and quit talking shit about katana's. i wheelied the living shit out of mine.

i'd get a 600 if i were you, however that depends on how you ride. if you plan to ride the living shit out of the bike, get a 600, since you are relatively unexperienced and you'll have to get used to the power band (if it's FI). if you plan to be an ocassional weekend rider with a few random speed bursts every now and then i dont see why you couldn't get a 750

1/23/2007 5:46:49 PM

if you're gonna ride it like a pussy, you have no use for the 750, and it's just going to cost you more. if you're gonna ride it hard, a 750 is going to punk you if you don't have a little more experience in the saddle of a sportbike.

Quote :

"RC51..would that be like asking to die?"

I think it would be actually a little less powerful (at least when you consider its brick-like weight) than the GSX-R 750. great chassis from what i hear, and monster machine if you dump a zillion bucks into it to really unlock its potential...but it isn't really a big bang for the buck performance bargain.

I say get an F4i, GSX-R 600, or pre-636 ZX-6R, although a good deal on an R6 or 636 would be ok (they're just a little more lively in the handling dept, vice the better stability of the F4i or GSX-R).

1/23/2007 5:57:21 PM

Quote :

"unless you own a salt flat, you're not going to outgrow a late model 600cc sportbike"

You can outgrow a 600cc sportbike by taking it to the salt flat? wha? Its not that outrageous to outgrow a late model 600cc sportbike... but you'd prolly need enough experience for a few years and tracking it everyday...

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 6:14 PM. Reason : ]

1/23/2007 6:14:05 PM

my 600 still surprises me to this day. they are fun bikes and not so bad on insurance compared to 750's etc.

1/23/2007 7:05:53 PM

one bad thing about getting a nice clean bike... it might get stolen...

1/23/2007 7:34:39 PM

i loved my f4 compared to similar models i've ridden. it was a perfect mix of comfort for longer rides/commuting and performance for play time. other bikes will outperform an f4/f4i, but they're hard to beat for an all around 600cc package. you have to be mindful of the low peg height when you're really gettin it, but it's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

1/23/2007 7:53:08 PM

^ not to mention its been built since 1999 and there's a lot of used/oem parts and aftermarket stuff for it. design of it did change, but it was just cosmetic. Good all around bikes.

1/23/2007 7:58:54 PM

^^ dont accept advice on bikes from this handicapped man

1/23/2007 8:14:56 PM

aren't we all just a little bit handicapped? I know you are kyle...

1/23/2007 8:18:24 PM

this is true I'm probably the most out of the bunch

1/23/2007 8:48:28 PM

^yeah, but your taking pills for that... some of us aren't as fortunate.

1/23/2007 9:08:41 PM

ngr plz. just because i'm a magnet for cagers...

1/23/2007 9:08:55 PM

i went off the pills on saturday, i was bouncing off the fucking walls it was hilarious i couldnt concentrate on anything. i was also very irritable.

1/23/2007 9:18:16 PM

how does that differ from any day of the week? We can't tell when your on or off the pill... I think your rents give you placebo's...

1/23/2007 9:23:33 PM

sounds like it's a pregnancy pill the way ur saying it

1/23/2007 9:26:11 PM

its sugar... your getting gypped

1/23/2007 9:27:03 PM

1/23/2007 9:39:16 PM

Quote :

"that's why you keep buying old pieces of shit"

hey at least i dont invest hundreds of dollars into decals to go on my pieces of shit like you did on yours

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 10:37 PM. Reason : cause i know it still a piece of shit and i love it w00tw00t]

1/23/2007 10:37:07 PM

OH SHIT SOUNDS LIKE A JBAZ TOYOTAFJ40S OLD SKOOL FIGHT.

IGOR VS. VLAD ROUND 1 IGOR

1/23/2007 10:52:12 PM

shit that wouldnt even be a fight, that would be a murder

1/23/2007 11:23:58 PM

are you two actually still friends? sure as hell doesn't sound like it most of the time.

1/23/2007 11:24:08 PM

igor and vlad or jeff and i? i think jeff and i are still friends. who knows he'll prob run me over in his mom's suv tomorrow while i ride to class.

1/23/2007 11:26:34 PM

cbr600

any yr

1/23/2007 11:44:40 PM

^^no, i know igor and vlad are. you and jeff. you two bitch and bicker like you used to be bf and gf or something.

1/23/2007 11:47:09 PM

its called the internet fool. Learn it, use it, play it. Its fun to be total asshats online... Trust us, when we get bored, we do it just for fun on various internet forums. LOL People think it would lead to one of us dead in an alley way with it being reported on the 6 o'clock news... We ain't Vlad or Igor, we aren't serious.

1/24/2007 12:08:35 AM

I think im goign to check out a 600rr, i want to go and really sit on a few bikes to see if i could really handle sitting on them for mor ethan 30 minutes (want somethign that if i want to i can drive to greenville or the mountains.


Any advice on cutting wind noise on the highway, its killing my ears.

1/24/2007 10:28:39 AM

thosegay doublebubble extre tall windscreens possibly even witha clip-on wind deflector on top

1/24/2007 11:54:41 AM