Anyone have a sport bike?

[carnut169]

Always love riding bikes and will have one at some point....

Went to the local Honda dealer today and looked at the new 600F4i.... what a bike! $8200 new, 0-100-0 in under 6 secs! They had a used one w/ 2,000 miles for $7200.

Question is do you think thew Honda is a good bike and what else do you think I should look at?

[Rot 911]

Sean, if you are looking at the 600cc range, the Honda is the "Porsche" of that group, although any of the 600 bikes are a good bike. However, the Honda, in stock form is ready to go right from the street to the track. Keep in mind that this is a true sport bike, meaning very low handlebars which makes for some tired wrists, back and shoulders on long rides. I have a Honda Interceptor which is still fast, but has a more upright riding position.

[71T Targa]

I've had both the VFR and the CBR and would say that while they are both great bikes, the CBR kicks but. It's just so much quicker, tighter, and lighter. Toss it on a corner, grab some gas, and away you go.
Just watch out for the white lines though. I was following a guy down an off-ramp and we were hitting it pretty hard. He starts to tighten the corner up a bit and hits the painted white line on the inside of the lane. Laid it out pretty good there...
Now I'm older and wiser and don't do that kind of thing.

[motion]

I have a Ducati Paso, all red of course

I would recommend the Honda 929RR. Same size as a 600, but with lots more hp and torque. The 600s are just not made for any hwy duty at all. You need something with more legs.

[jpachard]

I have one word for you. Ducati. This is the "true" Porsche of sportbikes. I have owned several Hondas, Kawi's, BMW's etc. and the Ducati took the cake. Unbelievable torque, lightweight and a sound like no other...If you look at both companies they have many things in common too, small production, a passion for performance, and winning streaks a mile long...It's no wonder Honda has a bike nicknamed the "Ducati Killer" they even changed there format of engine because of the sucess Ducati was(and is) having against them in World Superbike. If you are loking to get a first bike however, I would get something like a Kawasaki EX 500, the older Honda Interceptors are excellent too. Easy to learn on yet still plenty of bike once you get the hang of it. When you own a bike, it's not a matter of if you are going to go down, it's when.

Cheers, James

[BlkBird]

Anybody want to hear about the virtues of Harley Davidson? No? Okay I will try and catch up to you at the next gas station. Or maybe when you guys break for lunch.

But I do like the Honda machines. Bullet proof motors!

[BoogieOnSkis]

I agree with C.H.

Honda is very good at building/designing motors and designing a comfortable center of gravity.

Biggest drawback of honda: All the plastic Japanese "chrome" garbage. Replace it with quality aftermarket parts and you have yourself an excellent bike.

[Eric Coffey]

Another Honda drawback: The seat is barely more comfortable than sitting on a piece of wood. IMHO, the only Japanese 600cc "4" worth anything is the Suzuki GSXR600. Also IMHO, all of the Japanese bikes lack a certain amount of character and style. Ultimately, you cannot beat an Italian V-twin (coming from an owner of a modified Ducati 748s). Once you hear the rumble of a Desmo at full tilt, you will never go back!

[PORSHIN]

I have owned Honda mc's for years and the best things about them are dependability and consistancy!

[Jim T]

I've had a bunch of Japanese sports bikes.

Honda CBRs, Kaw. Ninjas, etc.

They are great, IMO. I usually buy them when they are around 3 years old with very low miles (around 2-5,000 miles), drive them for a few years and sell them for the same price.

Ducatis are of course really neat bikes, but for reliability, cost and overall fun, the Japanese sport bikes are hard to beat. You really just can't go wrong with them.

I've had mostly 600s, but I agree with the above, if I were to ever get another one, I'd look for a 900 or larger.

[carnut169]

Sounds like a mixed bag of opinions... what else would anyone expect! I really do like the Ducati, but a new sport bike appeals to me more than a used one and the Ducati's are out of reach.

I do agree that the seat on the CBR was rock hard- but I thought the seating position while not as comphy as a cruiser was still not bad. On the two Ducati's I have rode (here at work in the parking lot) you seem to be laying on the gas tank- seems like it would begin to hurt on a longer ride.

Freefly- why do you think Suzuki builds a better motor?

[carnut169]

This is the bike I am considering:

Hondas are well, the Honda of bikes. In motorcycle terms they do everything well and are extremely reliable. I wouldn't recommend any 600 for highway though, they are built for the track. I had a GSXR-600 and it was painful on long trips and was really only comfortable under hard acceleration and going down into corners. Accelerating never lasted that long b/c before you know it you hit 4th and your more than doubling the limit.
Then I bought a Triumph T-bird Sport with racing pipes, cannot beat the triple sound! put on 20K in a year, then I sold it, then I cried.

Now it will me a Ducati or BMW, depends on my mood.

But if it's a first bike make it a good old Honda.

[slammed1000]

me personally, i would buy a suzuki gsxr 6,750,or 1000. if you are looking for power,handling and price you cant go wrong with a suzuki. as far as a 600f4i going 0-100-0 in six seconds"no way" in the world. my 1000 does the 1/8 mile in 6.48 seconds at 117mph and most 600's do the eighth in 7.5 seconds at 100-105mph so 0-100-0 should take about 10 seconds. i am a sportbike nut along with porsches and feel you cant go wrong with the honda do to its reputation but dont expect those numbers to be true on the performance end. no true sportbike is going to be comforatable so chose the best one that fits your budget and style. just my 2cents

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Foofoo's got it right--the snarl of a triple just gives me goosebumps.

Someday I'm gonna get my priorities in order and get me a Daytona 955i.

[radcon]

A few things to consider when comparing a japanese bike to a Ducati. The typical Ducati sport bike(748 or 996) will be 1.5 times the price of the comparable Japanese bike, will have less horsepower in stock form(but the v-twin Ducati has great torque), parts will be more expensive. If you're looking for status, buy the Ducati. If you're looking for reliability and reasonable ownership costs, buy a Japanese bike. I think a good analogy for this comparison would be buying a Ferrari vs. a Porsche.

[motion]

Hey - you can score a 2 or 3 year old Ducati 748 for around $7-8k. Ducati owners are fanatical about their bikes, and you'll be able to find one with low miles in perfect condition. I'd rather have the Ducati 748 then 10 ricer 600s. And I've owned 'em all at one point or another during the last 20 years plus of riding (and totalled em all). The Duck has the soul, just like the Porsche. Ok picture this: Sell your P-car and buy a Honda S2000. Think you'll be happy with it? Didn't think so.

[rstoll]

Too old now, but only 20 yrs or so ago, this was my fun.

[NYSCAR]

What are all you crazy people talking about!?!?! Those 600cc sport bikes are BOLTS OF LIGHTNING. The 600's are lighter and handle transitions a bit better than the bigger bikes. I personally like Yamaha, but it's all a matter of taste really. I suggest picking out the class of bike you want and trying several brands out (honda, yamaha, suzuki, ducati). Oh and I personally consider the Ducati to be the 'ferrari' of motorcycles rather than the 'porsche' of motorcycles

Brad

[R22tech]

Call me a "wuss", but I'm actually afraid of these machines you speak of! However, I've always wanted one. I used to race B.M.X. as a kid(that's bicycles-no motor) and on occasion road YZ80s and 125s on the dirt track. I've riden a bike like RSTOLL's on the street and felt REALLY uncomfortable about my life. And I find it difficult to keep the bike up when I'm stopped, and I'm in good shape! (it could be because on most bikes I have to tilt to the side to get my feet to touch the ground: I'm 5'7".) How does one learn to ride these bad boys without getting killed? I'm pretty good on those little dirt bikes, but these street rockets are a totally different ball game.