First bike: KTM RC390 vs Yamaha R6?

[en_garde]

I'm getting my first bike (I specifically want sport) and decided I fancy these 2 most:

1)KTM RC390 (Figured I can get used for about £3k)
2)Yamaha R6 (about £4k +500pa on insurance compared to KTM)

I need the bike for two purposes:
1)drive around London (mostly)
2)drive between cities maybe once every 2 weeks - say 100 miles

Which one would you recommend? Things I worry about:
--Will I kill myself on 600cc? Too much for starter?
--Repair cost - I'm likely to drop whatever I get, how does 2007 Yamaha repair costs compare to that of 2015 KTM?
--Which of the two more likely to be stolen? (one is newer, one is bigger)
--Yamaha will probably have some 15k mileage on it. Is that a problem? (I'm in UK)

[owl]

how old are you?
how big are you?
what license?

a/s/l?
____________________
Observation is the greatest source of wisdom.

[Paris2]

--Will I kill myself on 600cc? Too much for starter?
I personally believe it's too much yes.
--Repair cost - I'm likely to drop whatever I get, how does 2007 Yamaha repair costs compare to that of 2015 KTM?
Wouldn't know. Try not to drop either
--Which of the two more likely to be stolen? (one is newer, one is bigger)
R6 will get stolen quicker I'd suspect. They'll rag it, then they'll dump it.
--Yamaha will probably have some 15k mileage on it. Is that a problem? (I'm in UK)
No

They are two incredibly different bikes though, only similar in looks/style. You'll need to decide for yourself why you have narrowed it down to these two.
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Current Ride: Daytona 600

[owl]

[Rogerborg]

I'll do the Tef bit: get your licence first, then your security, then your gear, then think about a bike.

As above, you're comparing two very different bikes. All they have in common is the number of wheels and that they have fairings.

That said...

You'll be doing your training and tests on a 595cc+ bike making 40kW+, likely a twin or IL4. Once you're used to that, stepping back down to a 373cc single making a claimed 32kW may be a bit too much of a retrograde step.

Granted, it's a lightweight bike that looks like an absolute hoot, but it's also got a tiny 10 litre tank, which would get on my wick pretty quickly as a commuter.

The R6 is all about the top end, like Kate Upton. Using it as a commuter would be like getting her to do your dishes.

Why not an ER6F? Or an SV650S (plastic one), or a CBR600F, or a Daytona?

Far too early to decide, as you don't have a basis for comparison. Horse before cart, get your licence, figure out what you like and don't like about the training bike, then go and test a few.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
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

[Conzar]

KTM

R6 is thief magnet
R6 is going to be pricey if you drop it

KTM would be more suited to city riding and so much better on fuel
KTM will be more user friendly for yourself and building riding experience
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[tom_e]

Get a ZX-10R. Makes about as much sense as deciding between those 2.

[en_garde]

[en_garde]

[en_garde]

[tom_e]

[Paris2]

IL4 and Single will ride very differently.
An IL4 will generally rev much higher than a single or a twin, so they need to be pushed more to get them going.
This is especially true of the R6, which is famous for top end only.

The main difference between the two is the engine. It's the equivalent of getting out of a Fiesta and into a Porsche, expecting them to drive the same.
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Current Ride: Daytona 600

[Conzar]

If you're asking strangers on the internet if you would kill yourself on a super-sports bike then it seems to me that you don't even trust yourself, so yes there might be a chance you will kill yourself.
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[owl]

I suggest doing a bit of research yourself, although I'm guessing you won't which is why you are asking us for the answer

Also try before you buy, book some demos in with the dealers and figure out what you like, please don't buy a bike solely based on what it looks like.
____________________
Observation is the greatest source of wisdom.

[Val]

[quote="en_garde"]

[Rogerborg]

One of the joys of bikes is the variety of how they ride. The raw numbers tell you very little about it. You really have to ride them to find out - this is a good thing, it's part of the fun.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
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

[B5234FT]

Commuting, new rider, London, focussed and expensive sports bike...Why?

If I really wanted a sports bike I'd be buying an older but well cared for zx6-r or CBR6 but really, I'd want none of the above and something far more upright for that sort of use! I'd also want something less attractive to thieves and less expensive to fix in a spill

[Paris2]

With £4K to spend and the need to commute in to London, I'd be tempted to get two bikes

£2K will buy you a decent older sportsbike (zx6, cbr6), and likewise it is a decent budget for a commuter thieves won't look twice at, and is cheap to fix. (Bandit, CB, ER).
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Current Ride: Daytona 600

[NJD]

[Alpineandy]

IMO;
1) First big bike, spend a max of £2.5k.
a) You won't know what qualities you really want and/or need until you've used a bike for 6-12 months.
b) Within 6 months you'll start looking enviously at different bikes (we almost all did/do) although you may keep what you get, it's more likely you'll change provided you're not handcuffed by a finance deal.

2) Having lived in London for ... ever until recently, I've never been a regular commuter but always used bikes in town.
I have heard of people swearing that sports-bikes are great for heavy traffic but personally I've always thought they were bad for that job.
The seating position makes good vision difficult in traffic and good vision/planning is what makes a quicker journey and more importantly, a safer journey when the traffic is 'London' heavy.
When I had the choice between a sportsbike and 'something else', I pretty much always used the 'something else' bike.
I'd suggest you look for something a bit more upright than a sportsbike for city commuting as your first bike and reconsider after 6-12 month...
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The above comment isn't necessarily the truth and anyone that says it is, is only correct if it's the truth or they're bigger than me.

[DylanMitchell]

I would have gone for Yamaha R6!
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Texas Used Bikes

[Tdibs]

Look at insurance for both, I would assume they are both pretty expensive if its a fist bike.
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[notbike]

R6 coz i have one

INB4 TEFLON-MEEF. Tl;dr r6 bite you in the arse dont get it yet

Edit:

Actually I won't be a lazy cunt, let me elaborate.

Don't get an R6 as a first bike if you're new to biking. I started on an R125 for 6 months, then a Ninja 300 for 2 and a bit years, now I'm on an R6 and I feel like I would've binned it already if I hadn't made mistakes on the other bikes first.

I'm glad I didn't(couldn't anyway) get an R6 as a first bike.

The best way to describe the R6 is razor sharp.

Throttle comparison...

The R125 was very sluggish, you could whack the throttle open to FULL and the engine would try to "catch up" to how wide the throttle was open. I.e. if you had it open half way or fully it would accellerate at the same slow rate.

The Ninja 300 reacted more to throttle but it would still find itself catching up if you fully opened it.

The R6 reacts instantly, and I mean instantly to throttle input. (fucking, how do people ride 1000s?) Down low its a bit tame but the fact it spools up so quick when the clutch is in makes it tricky when learning to pull off at first. If you're new, this WILL catch you off guard at some point with your untrained throttle hand.

The clutch also feels different on the R6 vs the ninja (obviously), because the biting point feels much shorter. The R125 had a short biting point but thats fine cause you can rev the titties off it without it looping on you.

The Ninja felt like you could let the lever out and the biting point would last slightly longer so you'd have less chance of stalling it or looping it if you whacked the throttle on violently.

And also the brakes feel STRONG on the R6. Stronger than on the XJ6 I rode for my tests. You don't want that when you haven't practiced E-stops on a big bike.

I already had one minor fuck-up mistake even after couple years of riding like a loon. Going 15mph in car park, some speed bumps, clutch is out in first gear which would be fine on the Ninja.

Went over speed bump as normal, wrist jerked (didnt anticipate this) and throttle whacked right on, lurched forward, grabbed brake, oh fuck thats TOO much brake, let go of brake, revved it again fuck sake, look like a total wanker. Compose myself, ride off quickly.

Sounds funny but if I was a total n00b I would've probably either:
Held onto the throttle for dear life and sped up, consequently shitting myself and binning it.

Mashed the front brake even harder if that was my go-to untrained reaction and lost the front/binned it.

Or neither of those and just be an idiot/lucky.

Don't get the R6 yet, learn those dumb noob mistakes on a forgiving bike like the ninja, which won't suddenly rev up when you jerk your wrist accidentally.

Go for the RC390 first. Rode the Duke 390 though and if the RC is anything like it, thats a torquey bike and lots of fun. It can power wheelie in first.

[SophR so good]

Meef, you know you can change where the bite point of the clutch is yeh?
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You win again, gravity! - Zap Brannigan, BCF BBQ 2016

[notbike]