First bike

[ecstatic]

Hiya,

I'm in one of those pickles where i'm thinking hard about what my first real bike going to be. I won't lie i have limited real life experience, but i'm not stupid and would like to go for something that will keep me happy for a bit.

I'm looking at mostly 600 sports but also thinking about going for naked. But want some advice on the sports side. At present i've narrowed it down to a Yamaha Thundercat, as they seem more forgiving and feel more tourer like. However, i also got my eye on a ZX-6R which from what i hear from friends and people is a slightly less well educated choice.

I feel i am pretty controlled and aren't tempted too much to open it up. However realisticly, i'm going about this in the wrong season so I just want a bit of advice.

[strag]

To be honest, they are both 150mph+ machines that accelerate pretty damn quick. The Thundercat will be a bit more forgiving, the suspension is a bit softer and it is not as full on as a ZX6, the bars are slightly higher (above the yolks) which is what makes it feel more a sports/tourer. On the other hand the ZX is a lot lighter and will turn quicker.

You say "I feel i am pretty controlled and aren't tempted too much to open it up" which is fine, but bloody hard to do! Personally I don't buy into the get a 400/500 school of thought as a first bike. It is down to you as a rider to stay safe on whatever you choose to ride.
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carbon bling

[dew]

my post in another thread. might be helpful to ya as well:

take into a/c all the factors as below and assign your importance to it. Then people would be able to advice better and inline with what you might listen to as well:
Criterias :-

1. Main purpose for buying bike
2. Any preference faired/unfaired/twin headlight/ etc.
3. What cc you are looking for.
4. Your age.
5. How many miles you looking for in a week.
6. Preference of looks/mileage.


I passed recently and bought zx6R. Always get a grin when i go fro drive.
If you planning to go anywhere near motorway on regular basis, IMO naked bike wouldn't be a good choice.
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Theory: 34/35, 64/75 Test: 23-Oct-06 PASSED (No minors)
Current: Ninja ZX- 6R Future: ???

[ecstatic]

Cheers guys.

My reasons and answers are as follows.

1) For the experience.
2) Faired bike or naked
3) 600cc so i don't want to get bored too quickly.
4) 23 (High Insurance)
5) I won't be doing much in regards to comuting, probbaly not even 20 miles a week really. But as much riding as possible
6) I'm mainly looking at Sports or Street Fighters at present.

I think the ZX-6R is looking most appealing, being honest i'm not so worried but my self control, but more so the season i picked to start really. I would take a naked, but i don't like the idea of the motorway miles. Plus I really want to to do some race schools, by no means am I setting out to be racer, but i would like to pretend.

Does anyone know any good sites for ZX-6R info. I.E. common problems, service information and intervals?