gsx 600f handling question

[nick605300]

is this bike a "heavy handling bike i had to really push on the bars to get it to lean and it almost felt like the bike was fighting me ...
is this normal i know the katana guys can tell me i just bought the bike... thanks

[McGee]

Should get a GSXR if you want the bike to handle.

LoL i test rode one before my Gixxer they seem to be abit lumpy and a bit heavier than the Gixxer. And naturley there not gonna handle like a sports bike are they and dont expect fantastic qualities either.
____________________
◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►
Its pronounced Jixxer!

[colin1]

I recently passed my test and test rode a few bikes

the gsxf 600 handled about the worst of the lot

but as long as you got it cheap that shouldnt matter too much

they are ok in straight lines and the engine has plenty of power for overtakes even if its not as good as a proper sports 600
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[Davo]

I've had one of these follow me on a track and he didn't appear to have any problem going around corners. May be worth double checking tyres are at optimum tyre pressure.

[colin1]

a good rider may be able to keep up but it doesnt mean the bike is easy to handle
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[nick605300]

I realize that this is not the worlds greatest bike but i like the looks and to commute to work and the rides on the weekends this will work great i agree that the tires could be the issue...

[colin1]

even if the tyre pressure is as it should be, if the tyres are worn without the bike being leant over much, the tyre will square off making it harder to lean over

i doubt its the tyres but you will get used to the handling
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[sickpup]

Shouldn't have any handling problems at all if the bike has decent tyres at the right pressure.

As these are budget bikes people tend to fit budget tyres. Not sure what the later ones take but the early ones take cross ply tyres, use Bridgestone battleaxe BT45 on the front and an Exedra rear and you should be fine. Never use an exedra front on these.

[bazza]

Probably better off with BT020s for mixed use. As for handling, you don't want a twitchy, oversensitive sprots bike for commuting.

Unless, of course, you intend spending your time in BCF alternating between posts about your bike's fantastic performance/fantastic handling/fantastic race can/fantastic tarty anodised {$PART_NAME} and posts about your latest crash/near crash/big off/little off/encounter with dozy driver/persecution by police/wheelie/stoppie/dog-poo-avoiding manoeuvre/caught in rain horror story, yadda, yadda, ad infinitum...

In which case you need to get a gixxer thou ASAP.
____________________
"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[colin1]

personally id have a big scooter or trailbike for commuting but each to their own
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[bazza]

[Bendy]

Might be worth checking the suspension settings, you never know if a previous owner has decided to have a fiddle.

Haynes etc should tell you what the standard settings are meant to be, if you're bike's not standard then try returning it to the standard settings then making your own adjustments.

[colin1]

im a test pilot who tested out bikes for commuting and bought a big scooter for commuting type stuff

for commuting i tried a freewind,gsxf600,dominator,yp250 and burgman 400. i liked the yp250 best as it is nippy and agile with just enough power to pull away nicely but still be economical to run

i have yet to decide on what fun bike to get to replace my rs125, if i replace the rs125 at all
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[bazza]

[Ichy]

What year is the bike? Because of the build quality the rear shock can wear out fairly quickly, luckily its easy to replace, a few other bikes share parts. Same with the front end, changing the fork oil and replacing with 10 or 12w stiffens it up a bit without spending much. There's a post somewhere on setting up the suspension and its worth the effort. If your considering changing the tyres then BT45's or Lasertec work well, roughly £150 a pair fitted.

Not sure how much experience you've got, or what bike you've moved from? I tended to have heavier bikes in the past so the GSX600f didn't seem to bad to me and I have on a few occasions ground out the foot pegs without any concerns. Guys I've swapped bikes with have mentioned that it feels top heavy which has stopped them leaning it over, all down to confidence.

Bike is fine for commuting, reliable with plenty of torque and easy to filter with experience. It will never be the fastest on the road but once you get used to the poor brakes and the noises it makes it can still be fun trying to beat all the sports bikes.

At the end of the day its a bike, its yours, enjoy it.

[colin1]

[bazza]

[colin1]

i know some ppl dont wanna be seen on a scooter and for a while it made me wonder if i wanted one.

If i had decided I wanted the image of a bike for around town, I would have had a big trail bike like dominator or freewind.

They handle really well at low speeds, are the comfiest bikes I have ridden. The only thing that put me off was no fairing so not comfy on the motorway and not as economical as the scooter. The dominator handled better than the freewind but had annoying vibration.
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[bazza]

We have different criteria; I need a bike to commute, tour 2-up and occasionally hoon round the wonderful Welsh roads. This means:

a. Compromise and get 1 bike to do all 3.
b. Buy a different bike for each activity.
c. Buy something which is good at one thing and crap at the other 2.

I chose a.
____________________
"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[colin1]

i know u love your gsxf600, but you could try a thundercat if you ever fancy a change

i think you would find it can do everything your gsx600f can but a bit better IMO (if im honest a lot better)

vfr750 is also good if you fancy something more comfy for longer distances

you can get either for £1500 both the same insurance group

i am tring to think of this not as dissing someones bike, but broadening their horizons
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god

[McGee]

If i had to get around cheaply and not be botherd if it got stolen wrecked etc.


I would get a scooter
____________________
◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►
Its pronounced Jixxer!

[sickpup]

[Zimbo]

If the bike is difficult to deflect from a straight line and the tyre pressures are to spec, it's a case of altering the steering geometry, either by raising the back or dropping the front, or probably both!
Adjust the rear preload to compress the rear shock spring a little more, this will raise the back end a little.
Slacken off the front yoke pinch bolts and drop the bike at the front so you get a bit more fork leg showing above the top yoke (say, 10mm extra). Adjust both the same, and make sure the weight of the bike is supported so it doesn't drop all the way down the fork legs!

You should find the bike turns a lot easier aster that.

[bazza]

[colin1]

I had a 98 r1 for an hour and that handled better than a thundercat
only £2500 but Im not sure I shd get it as a first bike although I loved it more than anything else I have tried out.

you cant know whether the thundercat is better or not unless you try it, or by how much

the good thing is whatever you try after the gsxf600 will feel better

in the same way that everything i try after my rs125 feels powerful

if you love your gsxf600 then its not like you have to get a better bike, but there are better bikes be it 600 or 900

it could be that as im used to a rs125, i prefer something thats agile so its a style of ride preference as i know some people prefer something that feels solid and stable

I would say if you do get another bike at some point, its worth doing a few test rides

i know ppl are shy about doing test rides but I think they are invaluable
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god