First bike: KTM RC390 vs Yamaha R6?

[talkToTheHat]

Seat on R6 is quite high. I can flat-foot my bandit, but R6 is tip-toes or moving arse off seat to get left foot down properly. I didn't really have long enough on the one i borrowed to get used to it, but the tall first gear, and stupid-high red line paired with relative lack torque at low rpm made for a bike that was tricky in stop start conditions and I wouldn't like to filter on one.

Consider perhaps a Fazer? They're not as mental and easier round town, but should be plenty fast for a first bike. Taller bars and possibility of fitting proper luggage (sw motech quicklock evo racks are easily detatched as the name suggests) makes regular longer trips much easier than messing with soft luggaage or a backpack. Whilst practical at city speeds, backpacks quickly get uncomfortable if you have a lot of stuff or at motorway speeds.

What do you need to take with you in your ride between cities?
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Bandit. does. everything.

[LIB3RTY]

I was looking at R6's too for when I finally get my license, until I ran some insurance quotes. I'm 27 with a locked shed I plan to keep my bike in and the cheapest quote I got on an R6 was £2300. The cheapest out of all the 600cc Sports bikes I tried was a 2002 CBR600F and that was £1800.

I imagine the KTM 390 will be more affordable. I ran quotes on a 2013 Ninja 300 and the cheapest was £800 fully comp if I recall, the KTM should be somewhere around that price range I suspect.

[Copycat73]

you know .. together they would make quite a "stable " each fillin the void of the other ....

R6 tearin up the A68 to Scotland .. isle of sky through Glencoe..

Ktm tearin up the roads to the lake district, Teasdale and the Dales

you should buy both
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Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[Robin_Hood]

I got a gixer 600 after I passed my test, wrote it off in a non-fault after 8 months. I replaced it with an r6 and came off it at 30-40 mph after 5 months. It cost £1400 to fix and the only damage was the head light, mirrors and fairings.

I told myself that I would be responsible and wouldn't ride it like a dick, but the truth is every time I rode it I was speeding. On the motorways I could of gone to jail for the speeds that I was doing. You get to those sort of speeds in a blink of an eye and before you know it all your motorway riding is 100+ mph.

You might be different and be able to ride within the law, but doing that on a sports bike is just boring and pointless.

I decided to sell the r6 it was uncomfortable to ride long distances and didn't fancy going to jail.

Treated myself to a Ducati diavel now ride for the most part within the limit, not sure if it is because of the seating position, the lack of fairings or the fact I don't fancy finding out how much it costs to repair it if I come off it.

Good luck with whatever bike you decide on, but don't assume that you will have the will power to control your right hand.

[talkToTheHat]

Crash bungs are your friend

Related naked bikes are cheaper to insure and cheaper to repair. FZ6 instead of R6 perhaps. Yes not quite as mad, but enough.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Bozzy]

Get yourself a cheap Bandit/Hornet for 12 months and go from there.

Although first things first - you gotta pass your tests first!
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2004 SV650S >>> 2009 Street Triple R