Which bike?

LeoN88

LeoN88

LeoN88

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Joined
29 Jan 2007
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Ritefast HQ
So i'm coming up to doing my bike test next week which im pretty confident about after doing 5 days of training and repeating my cbt so fingers crossed all goes well. With the excitement and thought of being able to get a "proper bike" i'm looking along the lines of a honda cbr600f4 as you can pick up an 03/04 one for under 3 grand with a relatively low mileage.

But was talking to my dad the other day who passed his test circa 7-8 years ago and is trying to convince me to go for more of a sports tourer/naked bike as his first bike was a ducati 996 or something very similar and from riding that it really knocked his confidence because of the steering apparently? and all of the other variables that sports bike have? or is he just trying to persuade me off of the idea of getting one due to the performance of one? or is it more a ducati thing and there more difficult to ride than say the jap sports bikes?

So after some more looking today and browsing the mcn saw that kawasaki er-6n appears to be a all rounder. However which bikes would you recommend me looking at or should i just go ahead with my decision to go for a cbr?

Leon :cool:
 
I ride a Fazer FZS 600 (2003), keeps up with my mates cbr600 and the misses likes sitting on the back.

It is my first bike so can't compare it to anything but I thoroughly recommend it.
 
Bandit / Fazer / Hornet would be a good choice, I suspect your Dad's trying to steer you away from a full on sports bike even if it is only in looks as you could probably do with some experience on something less twitchy and or expensive to fix when you have at the least a slow slide and I expect he is worried about his son on a bike anyway.
 
Depends what you want to do with it tbh, are you planning on impressing your mates or are you into trackdays etc.

Don't listen to your dad they've passed the drive like an idiot stage lol.

The cbr is a good alrounder, if your into your sports bikes get the cbr 600rr or a gsxr 600.
 
I think a lot of it comes down to how sensible you are, a bike will only go as fast as you let it.
I know people that have passed their DAS and gone straight to 1000cc bikes.
Yes sports bikes are a lot more aggressive and the riding style and position dont suit every day riding but you can have an accident on any bike be it a scooter or a sports it all comes down to how it's ridden.

Get the bike YOU like and respect it for the first few months.
If you go for the sensible choice your'll only be selling it in six months to get the bike you wish you had at the start.
 
A CBR600F is a perfectly sensible first big bike IMO, comfortable, reliable but still plenty quick enough. A 996 is a totally different kind of bike, far more sports focused with a very crouched riding position and Italian fragility.
 
famas said:
I think a lot of it comes down to how sensible you are, a bike will only go as fast as you let it.
I know people that have passed their DAS and gone straight to 1000cc bikes.
Yes sports bikes are a lot more aggressive and the riding style and position dont suit every day riding but you can have an accident on any bike be it a scooter or a sports it all comes down to how it's ridden.

Get the bike YOU like and respect it for the first few months.
If you go for the sensible choice your'll only be selling it in six months to get the bike you wish you had at the start.
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Well said. :)

If you want the CBR600F, get one. As been said, it's more of a sports tourer than a full on sports bike. The seating posture isn't quite as raw, it's more upright. My first bike was and still is a CBR600F. It can be as meek as a 1.0 Ford Fiesta if I want it to be, yet has all the power to have a tremendous amount of fun on. That's the point, as said by famas, treat the bike with respect and know that you have 110bhp on tap and you'll be absolutely fine.

I've never been a big fan of "working your way up". Sure, I spent a year on a 125 on L plates but after passing my DAS I was recommended bikes like the ER6(I'm not saying they aren't good bikes - far from it, just not for me). I believe you should buy any bike you want - providing you have enough common sense to ride within your limits the first couple of months or however long it takes to feel comfortable. Buying a different bike because of the power, once you get used it, it almost always end up with deep regret. Just buy the bike your heart desires and be careful. All IMO of course. :)
 
^^^

+1

I did the whole buying a smaller engined bike first...had a ninja 250 for 9 months, got bored and moved up! I have a gsxr600 now and couldn't be happier.

Just remember to take your time!

A guy i know passed his test and his first ever bike was a KTM Superduke R. Mental bit of kit and he used to be really slow, but he's grown with the bike and its really comfortable riding it now!
 
From everyone's responses here you have convinced me to stay with my first decision in getting an cbr600f4 I did originally look at the rr version with the gorgeous styling and the extra power to boot but was put off with how 'raw' it apparently is. Thanks for the feedback. Are there any bikes similar to the Cbr that I should look at though?
 
LeoN88 said:
From everyone's responses here you have convinced me to stay with my first decision in getting an cbr600f4 I did originally look at the rr version with the gorgeous styling and the extra power to boot but was put off with how 'raw' it apparently is. Thanks for the feedback. Are there any bikes similar to the Cbr that I should look at though?
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar situation to you. I'm looking at the CBR600F, ER6-F and GSX650F.
 
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