Looking for something bigger!

[Pjay]

[M.C]

Well on my bike (190kg) I feel very stable at low speeds, but on heavier bikes (220-240kg) I felt like they were going to fall over Also riding position can influence how heavy a bike feels.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[dylmcf]

How does the 600's compare on the highway compared to the 300's?

[Polarbear]

[Rogerborg]

[Alpineandy]

[bacon]

I'm 5ft 6, with a 29" inside leg, that's the killer!

I currently own a zrx1200, pretty heavy at 225kg, fairly low seat, but quite wide, I tip toe it with 2 feet, or flat foot one side easily.

It's been the same on all my bikes though:

Cbr600f sport 2001
ZX6R b1h 2003 - tall with a narrow seat
ZX7R - low and wide'ish seat
zx10r 2005 - narrow seat
Street triple R 2013 - low ish with a narrow seat, on the better end of the scale, especially as it's light

As a short arse you will have to get used to only having one foot flat on the ground at a time

[talkToTheHat]

80ish bhp of 600 bandit is comfortable and capable at motorway speeds, has enough oomph to roll on the throttle and and 10mph to change lanes without drama. Tame, reliable and forgiving to ride and insurers know this.

46bhp of XV535 could allegedly do 100 but beyond 70 would be out-accelerated by an average car which made motorway journeys awkward. Expect similar without the tassle jokes from a 250/300

The difference in overtakes is worth considering, say someone is doing 40 in an NSL. It's dicey overtaking on a 125, less so on an A2 bike but you probably need everything it has and longer vehicles can be tricky, but a 600 has power in reserve. The fact is you're probably going to look for an overtake anyway, so the extra oomph means you can do so with a greater margin of safety. My partner rides pillion with me a lot, she started doing so when I had the XV535 but was a very experienced pillion before that. I could feel the cringe when looking for overtakes on that bike. I never cut it fine with her on the back but I'd be looking for while and they weren't as brisk as I'd like. The bandit has enough in reserve to make my pillion feel a lot more relaxed, although the first few times we went out on it she was caught out a few times when I rolled on at 60 or so and something resembling acceleration happened, having gotten used to the 535.

An SV650 feels pretty light and has enough oomph to get out of the way at motorway speeds, worth considering if you are small, I considered one but found it felt too small underneath my 6 foot and 16 stone bulk.

There are mad full faired 600s that don't make sensible rides. Don't get an R6 unless you want a handful of track-focussed stupidity, and there are sensible 5 and 600s, and a world of difference between them. Yamaha Diversion and Fazer. Suzuki Bandit, SV, SFV, Katana (GSX600F), Kawasaki ER6 and Versys, Can't remember which hondas of the top of my head. But the power output and delivery is sensible and they make good first big bikes.

Even a 125 can go fast enough to kill you, having more oomph means you have more options to get out of trouble. I recall being told on both Bikesafe and ERS to be mindful of the rider on the smallest bike in a group being pressured to take corners faster in order to stick with a group of riders or even the normal flow of traffic.
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Bandit. does. everything.