Help needed, which 600cc bike to buy as my first bike ?

[Snakeskin74]

Hi all, i am 36 years old and have always loved bikes, but never had one. So i have put in for my theory test, and after that i will be doing a all in one weeks training, cbt through to my direct access.
So anyway all going well and i pass my test, i thought i would go for a 600cc sports bike. Now i have three in mind Yamaha R6, Honda CBR and a Suzuki GSXR, with a budget of £2500.
So which one would be the best option for a newbie, which one handles easy for a noob and which one is the fastest lol, i dont want to get something that is going to scare the crap out of me !
Please help with this, as i really cant choose between them.

Thanks Rich.

[Snakeskin74]

I forgot to mention that i am 6 foot 1, so i need a bike that is not going to be to small

[c_dug]

To be honest, coming from never having ridden a bike I don't think you would notice the differences in the bikes, I would go for which ever one you can get the best deal on, none of them are particularly "new rider" friendly so take it easy with which ever one you decide to go for
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[c_dug]

Also with the height thing, you will need to try out a few bikes to see what you fit best.

The MCN show is in the next week or so and is a fantastic chance to sit on a few bikes and see what you think. There probably wont be any of the older bikes there to try but it will give you at least an idea of whether a sports bike is for you
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Teflon-Mike]

New rider with less than three years experience.
= highest accident risk rider.
35-50 year old on 500cc+ machine
= highest risk of being killed / seriousely injured (By an order of 20x that of ANY other road accident!)
600cc Sports-Bike = highest risk of accident in 'single vehicle' scenario.

Would have liked to get to know, you, but probabilities suggest you wont be around long enough.........

A modern 600cc sports-bike is a pretty impressive bit of kit. And by 'modern' I mean anything made in the last dozen years or so.

You are looking at a machine that weighs around 160Kg, with around 100bhp on tap. Has a 160+mph top speed and can out accelerate all but the most exotic super-cars......

for less than the price of a reasonably tidy second hand ecconomy hatch-back.

But that's not the scary bit. Scary bit about these bikes is that they are SO capable, that until you are travelling at seriouely silly speeds, they dont do ANYTHING to let you know you are bing a bit stupid.

Then, when you ARE Stupid with them, thier capability is such that they will often let you get away with it.....

They encourage lunacy, and forgive numptiness, and make you BELIEVE that it is all YOUR ability, not the bikes....... and that you can do anything with them.... until you cant do anything at all.... at which point its too late.

They are not a great place to start your biking carreer, and having just established that you have placed yourself into the THREE top killer catagories....... PERSONALLY I'd suggest you re-think the notion.

If you like sports-bikes, there are plenty of machines that have similar styling, or similar performance, but are a LOT more newbie freindly.

As for the differences between the ones you have suggested..... irrelevent. They'll all kill you just as easily, and the capability they have is likely to FAR in excess of anything where you are likely to even discover, let alone apreciate the subtle differences, in your life-time, which starting on any of them, aint likely to be long.

Of all of them, CBR600F, rather than RR is the most newbie freindly, and with a healthy dose of self restraint and self-preservation fitted with your crash-helmet... least likely to hurt you so bad.

Hornet, Fazer, Bandit, all far more newbie freindly, and better places to start, with far more forgiving ride, yet performance that will still stun.

Even a litre twin, if you really have to have full-on sports bike, is more newbie freindly, despite often having more power, curtecy of more flexible power delivery and more rider feed-back.

But, end of the day, its your kneck in the noose.
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[N cee thirty]

hornet,fazer

maybe the old cbr as tef said,but then a guy i worked with had one and he was like 4ft lol
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[Rogerborg]

Agreed. You're considering bikes that can go from zero to illegal-on-any-public-road in about 5 seconds.

What you are doing is the exact equivalent of Wayne passing his driving test in a Micra then going straight out and getting a Ferrari. Then lopping two wheels off it and removing the seatbelts, airbags, roll cage and bodywork.

You'd expect Wayne to become a statistic. What makes you think you'll be any different? You really are choosing the worst combination of circumstances.

Cue the responses of "Bah, I got me a ZXZRRZRX600 without any nancy boy training and survived", then realise that you're only going to hear from the survivors.

It's your life and your call, but I would seriously suggest that you do your CBT first, and only then commit yourself. You may be a natural, or you may find that biking isn't what you imagined. Good luck with it.
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GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[pinkyfloyd]

Another vote for what Mike says here. For someone with no bike experience getting straight onto a modern sports bike is like signing your death warrent. These bikes inspire confidence because they handle so well. The trouble with that is while your smiling and laughing about how much fun these bikes are you forget to look down and realise your doing in excess of 100mph without thinking about it.

Get yourself some serious road time on a sit up and beg bike like the Fazer, Hornet, Bandit. All fantastic bikes and all capable of being silly fast. Added with your height they will probably be more comfortable to ride.

If your insisting on going for the sports look then the CBR600F or the Yami Thundercat or even the SV650 all look the part without the raw race edge that the race reps have.

You want to go for the likes of the R6 then you might as well pick a tree to ride into. As Matsprat can attest to. The R6 needs to be ridden like it was stolen. Mat has the pics of his Streetfighter'd one to prove it.

Get a tamer bike for a year or so until you get used to riding a bike. Because riding even a 125 at 50mph makes you feel more alive than driving a car at 100mph.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[chris-red]

Have a look at the Triumph Daytona 600/650. I have a Speed Four which is essentially the same bike, It is the most roomy sports bike I have sat on.

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jiLsBLaOvzE/Sl3UaWDfaBI/AAAAAAAABCk/yyNvEc68ZZA/s400/Daytona_650_Yellow_RHF_studio-2009.jpg
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[whitedevil]

First pass your test, then test ride all the bikes mentioned in this thread then test ride as many bikes as you can before you decide. Dont be in a rush to get a bike, take your time and find a bike that fits you and your riding style.

[c_dug]

I would imagine he is well aware of the statistics


As long as you are aware of what the bike is capable of and do actually take it easy to start with then you should be all right.

To be honest the suggestions of a CBR600F and Thundercat are pretty sensible, but you are still looking at 100+bhp and less than 200kg

I say go for the bike you will be happiest with, just remember it is a sports bike, designed with pretty much nothing but performance in mind. The statistics tell the story they do for a reason.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[gray84]

me and my mate both had r6's for our 1st bikes. they tought us well. in the fact we had to fight with them to get them going well. you will read that there an animal ect ect but yes we had scary moments but im still alive and been educated the r6 way a year later im riding a r1.
my mates 6" 2 and he was fine...
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Road bike - 2002 YAMAHA R6(SOLD) 2008 YAMAHA R1(SOLD) 2007 APRILIA SXV 550(SOLD) 2007 SUZUKI GSXR 600
Dirt bike - 1989 HONDA CR80sw(SOLD) 1996 YAMAHA YZ125(SOLD) 2006 yamaha yz250(SOLD)

[Snakeskin74]

Thanks for all the replies, i understand how easy it would be for me to die on one of these bikes ! I have been thinking about nothing else for quite a while, but at the end of the day i still want to ride and own a bike.
Perhaps i will go for something tamer, however all the motorcycle dealers i have been to, have all said that the bike will only go as fast as you want it to ! That said i am nervous about taking on to much, so i will have to test a few when i pass my test, and make a decision then.

[Slacker24seve...]

[Hockeystorm65]

Hi Snakeskin74,

I was in your position last year, went out looking for best 600cc bike I could get according to the experts instead of the best 600cc bike for a newbie I could get.

For all of the reasons mentioned above I would urge caution on getting carried away with yourself.

I got a Honda CBF600S and love it! I will get another bike once I have learned to ride this one properly!
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Good judgement comes from experience.....experience comes from bad judgement!

[Souleh]

Im gonna go against the lot and say buy the sports bike.

Its what you want - youre in a position to buy it and im sure at 36 your responsible enough not to be a TOTAL lark.

I got a 2003 zx6r for a similar price to yours which was the start of slightly newer bikes! (Upside down forks, radial brakes, fuel injection - etc)

Loved it, first big bike and wouldnt say no to anyone getting it as a first bike.

Its only as fast as you want it to go

[c_dug]

[Snakeskin74]

Well im looking at bikes for sale online, that are not so mental, but i have to say im struggling to see them as anything less than the sensible option that i should buy, as opposed to the bike i want to buy.

[Slacker24seve...]

[Biggelo]

Is it the speed your actually really wanting or the look? I was looking for a sporty 600 3 months ago but decided to be sensible and get a 125, and I'm really glad I did. I agree with it's only as fast as you push it, but a mistake can be magnified when you have a sports 600 compared to a 125. I'm 6ft1 and have the Yamaha R125, height wise I think I'm fine and the bike still looks sporty so I'm happy with that.

Speed wise it's only the same as like a 1.2-1.4 hatch back but as I'm learning new things and gaining experience every day I don't really care.

You could also look at the Kwak Ninja 250? it still looks sporty, will out accelerate most cars, only downside might be the size, you'd have to try it.

Of the bikes you've mentioned, I've never had the pleasure to ride any but from when I was looking into them for new riders, I think the CBR600f would be most suitable.. but what do I know!

[Souleh]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Slacker24seve...]

[Souleh]

My B1H spent the first 4 years of its life with a man in his late 50's..!

[pinkyfloyd]

You know what. Teflon Mike may go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and.... Well you get the idea.

But when you sit down and read it he does know his stuff and does have some decent advice. Go make yourself a coffee or three and sit down to read his post.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.