I love the Evo, but its a ***** to park, I have to park it in a garage and take a 20 minute bus ride to work. So I'm thinking about buying a sportbike to use it get to work. I've been looking for some 2000+ yamaha and suzukis, the R6 and GSXRs something 600cc + with decent power. This will be my first bike so I dont wanna go over my head and kill myself yet.....what should I look for when buying a used bike? What price range?( mine is no more than $6000)

 

well...what happens when it rains? i'm guessing you'll take the evo then.

ok anyway...since you never owned a bike before definatly get a 600. maybe even a 750. but no more then that. you'll kill yourself. my personal favorite and the one i'll be getting is the yamaha YZF-R6 i was thinking about the YZF600R but the R6 is lighter.

 

for that matter, what happen during winter? well, it's more a nice weather transport thing......

 

I would go with a Honda 600RR or 600F4i. If you want a little more power, go for a CBR954RR. I want a 954 right now for myself. Beautiful and fast. I have an XR250R now and love it, no problems, so I know the Hondas are reliable.

 

it might just be me and dont take this the wrong way......I hate Hondas and will never own anything from them, I know they make good stuff but I just hate them, sorry. I want a Ducati 948, but thats too expensive, looks like R6 and older GSXR and in my price range. Whats the best time to buy them? I was told winter was......

 

If you are a first time rider you are going to want somthing dependable and somthing you can learn on and that would be a 500 or a 600cc sportbike. First of all any of the name brands are great bikes and all have very similar setups so you need to go sit and if possible ride and choose what you like the best. For myself I have been riding sportbikes for 9 years and I perfer the Suzuki GSXR series but that is just what I ride and my choice. Honda lacks power but the motors due tend to last and deal well with stress, Suzuki produces the most power usually but they can tend to need upkeep if they are abused especially the older models. Yamaha is just really been kicking out the cool bikes for 5 years or so like the R6 and R1 but I would recommend that you buy as new as possible if you purchase one of those models but they are all awsome rides. And one more thing once you ride a bike your car won't feel nearly as fast!

 

I just sold my bike a 2000 600 R Kawasaki Ninja.

For your first bike get a 600 - 750, -No- Bigger then that. I think personal I would get the 600 and start from there.

Go sit on a bike make sure its suites your needs and will fit you day in and day out.

Make sure you can hold the bike up and touch the ground when your stopped.

A sport bike is only good to ride on for about 50 miles then you will want a break off of it.

A regular sit up bike you could ride all day more or less.

Think about how far you will be riding it daily.

Next thing take a Motorcycle safety course. There well worth it.

This year Kawasaki 600 R Ninja came out with Fule injection on them, that made them sweet.

Last thing have fun on what every you get and learn to watch everyone around you, BECAUSE there not always watching you.

 

I'd say take a MSF course get your license, and buy a starter bike like a suzuki gs500. Its a great bike around 500cc, and has handlebars to help you get some experience before you move on to sportbikes like 600cc+, fzrs, cbrs, r6, as they are tuned for performance. The bike will cost around $1000-$3000 and they keep their value as many noobs chose it as a starter bike. You wont have trouble selling it, and getting a faster bike in the future. I do not suggest getting anything too fast for a 1st bike.

 

hi yycools,

like everyone else i would highly recommand that you don't go over 750cc. i have been riding sportsbikes for 7 years and they are dangerous if you don;t use them smartly. my choice would be the gsxr600 or gsxr750 but as we said, it is a matter of taste. go to a bike shop and look around. make sure you seat on every single one of them and you will know which one you want. basically the biggest players in the market are SUZUKI,YAMAHA,KAWASAKI AND HONDA. you really can't go worng with any of them.

have fun and be carefull.

 

I think it really depends how mature and responsible you are. That determines what you should start off with. Most people shouldn't drive anything over 125CC anyways But a 600 is definitely a nice option. If you want the hottest 600 around then you should look into the Kawasaki ZX-6RR which is not a true 600 but spanks anything close to it. I myself just got a new bike a Super Blackbird and the fuel injection is almost identical to the one on the 4Fi, which is supersmooth. The Honda would be a real nice bike around town and on the twisties. Plus you get the Honda reliability, which is almost unbeatable.
Maybe we could have a lancer/evo+bike get together sometime. It would definitely be fun to see what you guys out there ride. Enjoy and post pics of what you finally decided on buying.

here's mine Super Blackbird

 

Awww what's wrong with them?

 

Yamaha R6 all the way. Great beginner/intermediate/advanced rider bike. You'll never grow out of it. Reliable, fast, light and perfect for trackdays.

 

The CBR600 F3/F4/F4i are all excellent starter bikes. Plenty of power for a novice, and very good manners. I'd swallow the anti-Honda sentiment in this case and get one of those

The R6 and GSXR600 are faster bikes but not as mild mannered. I don't remember much about the Ninja ZX6.

Definately don't get more than a 600. They are fast enough for anything you will want to do as a beginning rider.

 

If you were buying new I'd say go for the GSX-R 600, that would be my choice, but since your buying used get a CBR 600. I don't really like the CBR's but it will be a more reliable bike, especially when buying used and you don't know how much it's been beat, Honda motors can take abuse.

Definetly get a 600, unless your 300 lbs, then get a 750 you'll need the extra power to lug your *** around.

 

the big thing is your price tag... at 6$$ you are restricting yourself to used just about. There are a few alternatives for new but they are around 6200 then there's tax+license+etc. A big factor is your weight... you need to get a bike complimentary to your body size. If you are over 200 lbs you may find that the 750's and below seem to small. Right now GSXR's are the cutting edge of speed capabilities... both out the door and after moding. They are superb in handling and power...but for your price even a new 600 is more than you would want. You'll find used GSXR's have been beat pretty hard... don't let the dealer dress up fool you. Personnally i own and love my Susuki SV650S... it was 6200 brand new but you can find them used for around 5000. The 650S has flarings giving the bike an aggressive "crotch rocket" look. The regular 650 has no flaring giving it an "old school" super bike look... like Ducati monsters almost! Both have the same power plant but the regular 650 is like 5700 brand new. They come with a 650cc V-twin putting 72wtq and 80whp down at low rpms... believe its at 4800!! It's a torque beast for a 650. I have a pipe and muffler with stage 2 motor mods. It's a friggin monster and supper light and agile in corners. I always prefer to buy new on bikes as then i know for sure about break in... beatings... maintenance... etc. Its up to you... if i went used i'd go with a GSXR for sure and kick some ***... they are a bad bike especially after moded! Good luck