Passed DAS, seeing ZX6R tomorrow. Nuts?

dubcat

dubcat

dubcat

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Hi, as i posted recently I passed my DAS a couple of weeks ago. I have no other biking experience. I've wanted a super sports bike for years. Not because I need the power or because I think I have the skills to get my knee down but just because i think they are f'ing cool as f :) My two favourites are the zx6r and cbr-600rr in the mid weight section.

I was originally planning to go for a naked bike that i could drop (i.e. a cheap hack) without worrying too much about the cost of repair. This soon morphed in to a naked bike that was more sexy (triumph street triple, ducati monster) because bikes do not cost 10's of thousands of pounds like cars do. This now has in turn morphed in to the super sports bike itself and i am off to see an ebay zx6r (p8f 2008 model) tomorrow.

I woke up this morning and paniced. I don't know how i went from cheap hack to super sports bike in the course of two weeks. Can someone confirm that i won't die by just looking at a zxr and that this is not a completely insane choice?

If it helps, i'm 42 (so mature), have two kids and am therefore sensible, and do not think that i am made of titanium and know that i am soft and squishy (i.e. i have a sense of self preservation and know what pain feels like).

ps. I know the CBR600F is probably the right bike for me but if i buy one right off the bat i'll always wonder if i would have enjoyed the super sports bike more.
 
As has been said many times before on this matter. The bike will only go as fast as you twist your wrist. It is your self control that will determine whether or not it is a bad idea to get a super sport.

I got an SV650 after passing my test, I was bored of it in around 6 months. I like the feeling of acceleration that you get on a bike so I wanted something with more power. I suspect if you are of the same mind set then getting a lesser bike than what you actually want will lead to you wasting money by wanting to quickly upgrade if you buy a bike like the 600F.

Having said that, there is a chance that you will drop/damage your bike the first months of ownership. I'm not saying it is certain, but if you do get the Kwak, then probably best to have a bit of money set a side to covering the repair/replacement of various bits.

If it helps, i'm 42 (so mature), have two kids and am therefore sensible, and do not think that i am made of titanium and know that i am soft and squishy (i.e. i have a sense of self preservation and know what pain feels like).
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To me this statement is a bit irrelevant. I can't imagine you are buying a bike because of it's safety features. To me you are buying one because you like the image and most likely the performance which of course are decent reasons for getting in to bikes. Don't kid yourself out of the fact this hobby/sport is going to expose yourself to physical injury.

Personally I would just get the Kwak, and just make sure you have some self control.
 
Are you going to be riding it through the winter or are you just looking to buy something to use in spring? Inexperienced rider + sports bike + slippery roads doesn't strike me as a great idea to be quite honest, you don't have to be riding fast at all to come off if road conditions are poor. FWIW I'm the same age but have had a license since I was 17, and still managed to have a "moment" this weekend due to slimy, salt laden roads.

The other aspect is comfort; the CBR600F will be somewhat easier on your back and wrists than a supersports 600, and to be honest they don't give much away in terms of performance.

MONOLITH said:
As has been said many times before on this matter. The bike will only go as fast as you twist your wrist. It is your self control that will determine whether or not it is a bad idea to get a super sport.
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And as I've said many times before, I think this argument is completely flawed when applied to an inexperienced rider.
 
Thanks guys. This has helped and also echo's what i have heard elsewhere. It IS about the image and the feeling of acceleration more than it is about racing performance. I feel i have a good level of self control - every since i smashed my arm up snowboarding (have a big rod up the middle of it now) and even more so since my twins were born 4 years ago I have become far more conservative than I used to be.

I'll sleep on it but thanks for taking the time to reply. And I do totally see why age has nothing to do with it really.
 
dubcat said:
If it helps, i'm 42 (so mature).
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Pfffft utterly meaningless, ive come across far too many 40+ born again bikers & first time riders who rush out & buy a sports bike, completely unprepared for just how fast a modern sports bike can accelerate, they then promptly panic & get themselves into trouble.
 
All i would've advised getting is something cheap to buy, easy to maintain and something you wouldn't miss if/when you dropped it.

This doesn't mean it shouldn't be an older ZX6R though :p
 
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And as I've said many times before, I think this argument is completely flawed when applied to an inexperienced rider.
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Really? I think it is a bit of a sweeping statement to tarnish all new riders with the same brush. It is self control, and knowing one's limits that will determine how they ride. If you are inclined in a way to ride like you're on a race track all the time, then experience will teach you a lesson, whether that lesson means you change how you ride is down to the person.
 
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After I passed my test I bought the mandatory SV650 and found it difficult to ride, was just too snatchy for my liking so I sold it and bought an 2010 ZX6R which was much, much easier to ride. Sure it has more power but only if you rev it so if you keep the revs down it's a pussy cat.
I say go for it!
 
My first bike was a 2007 gsxr600... which I crashed on the first day haha.

Would I change anything? No. Go for it and enjoy it.. just be careful :)
 
i went with the street triple r as first bike against most peoples advice, now, as i first bike i think i spoiled myself.

it was a very easy to rise bike, awesome fun for everything i have used her for and most importantly she has grown with me.

in hind sight, maybe i shouldn't have bought brand new and gone for a model with a year or two on her as i dropped her 3 months in and to repair it 'cost' me £700 (i used it an a bit of an excuse to upgrade the broken parts) the tank still isn't fixed properly, i used carbon protectors over the dent.

power is not the problem, know where and when to use it is. take it slow, open her up when you can see far enough ahead and know the roads are dry/grippy.
 
MONOLITH said:
Really? I think it is a bit of a sweeping statement to tarnish all new riders with the same brush. It is self control, and knowing one's limits that will determine how they ride. If you are inclined in a way to ride like you're on a race track all the time, then experience will teach you a lesson, whether that lesson means you change how you ride is down to the person.
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It's got absolutely nothing to do with self control, and everything to do with inexperience. When you have a powerful bike, clumsy throttle control or the panicked application of extremely sharp brakes will often have far worse consequences than on a lower powered bike.

This could all happen at quite low speed with the rider being otherwise restrained, and these are the things that are far more likely to happen rather than a new rider simply pushing too hard which is why "The throttle goes both ways" is a load of horsecrap IMO.
 
I'm 25 now, my first bike was a '97 zx6r I got it the day before my test, perfectly fine as first bike as long as you're not stupid on it. I managed to drop mine on a very low speed roundabout, nothing to do with the power of the bike I just put it down to inexperience on a slightly wet roundabout.
 
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It's got absolutely nothing to do with self control
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We're clearly not going to agree on this.

When you have a powerful bike, clumsy throttle control
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I'll concede on this point to a certain extent. However I would say that clumsy throttle, on an SV650 would probably cause more issues than on an R6 (which has more power) as the power is likely to be more available on the SV in the rev range of normal road riding. And yes, I have ridden both bikes so it is not a speculative opinion. Of course if you are in the top end of the revs the R6 would react harder.

panicked application of extremely sharp brakes
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While I do agree that the consequences of braking hard could be exaggerated by having a more powerful bike, hence you 'could' be going faster when you do snatch the brakes, surely the speed at which you are travelling when you do is determined by how fast you the rider want to go. Someone having control and riding a ZX6r at the speed limit in my opinion is hardly more likely to injure themselves than someone doing the speed limit riding an NC700 or some other machine of similar performance.

Anyway OP, sorry to derail your thread. If and when you get your new bike be sure to post it up in the new thread section.
 
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Just take it steady for a couple of months, i assume you have driving experience from a car, so know how unforgiving winter can be. It's a lot worse on a bike.
 
MONOLITH said:
I'll concede on this point to a certain extent. However I would say that clumsy throttle, on an SV650 would probably cause more issues than on an R6 (which has more power) as the power is likely to be more available on the SV in the rev range of normal road riding. And yes, I have ridden both bikes so it is not a speculative opinion. Of course if you are in the top end of the revs the R6 would react harder.
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Balls^
I have an SV650 and owned 3x ZX6Rs before that and also own a CBR1000RR superbike for racing. The SV650 wouldnt pull you out of bed, it is very safe. Thats why its so easy to insure.

I do believe aslong as youre not a clown on a 600 you'll be fine. Treat it with respect as it's different to anything youre used to. In a few weeks you'll be grand and wondering what the big fuss was all about!
Theyre not fire breathing monsters, they just take a bit of getting used to coming in as a beginner.

Go try the bike, if it feels good- buy it.
 
You'll be bored with a tame bike after 3 months and wish you hadn't bothered.

Take it easy out there fella, the roads are shocking at the moment.
 
ZX6R was my first bike as well after passing my DAS a loooong time ago. Take it steady and you'll be fine. Great road bike.
 
Follow your heart, I'd never ridden a bike before passing DAS in 2007, and jumped straight on a 636 ZX6R :D

It'll have the same risks as any other bike tbh, so make your own call, or you might regret not going for what you wanted...
 
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