ZX6R Info, Comments, Concerns, etc.

[solo440]

I know that some of you have ZX6R's and that a lot of you have been around motorcycles for a long time. My younger brother (he's 17) is wanting to buy an '06 Ninja ZX6R 636. I have already given him "the talk" about how he should at least think about starting on a 250 for several reasons (cheaper insurance, better mpg, great learning bike, etc.) however, he is convinced and has his mind set on a 600.
He wants me to go look at the '06 636 with him sometime tomorrow. So, if i can't get him a good learning bike (he has ridden dirt bikes for 10 years though, but i know a street bike is different// and he has completed the MSF course) I want to get him a safe used bike that he wants.
Anyway, so my questions are...
1. Are there any problems that ZX6R owners have that i should be aware of? Stuff that i can ask the owner about?
2. Is maintenance for the ZX6R practically the same as the 250?
3. The bike my brother is looking at is an '06 Ninja ZX6R 636 with 10,000 miles on it. It is completely stock besides a fender eliminator. The guy is asking $4,000 obo for it. Is that a good deal?
Any and all help is greatly appreciated. I really just want to help my brother get a bike that he likes and more importantly is safe to ride.

Thanks!

[austexjg]

Great bike at a fair price. As far as going with a 600 - if he has self control it should be no problem. If he gets over confident quickly, he could be in for trouble. Dirt does help, but there are no cars on dirt. The power of the bike is amazing and can get you in trouble quickly, so make sure he is at least geared up as best as he can afford, and he is okay with the consequences for acting like a fool, if that is his nature.

[Cazper]

As long as its in good shape (never been in an accident and has a clean title) $4K is a fair price. They retail for $4,655 right now in my area. The 636 is a good bike (definetely not a beginner bike) I don't personally know of any major issues with them but maybe someone else can chime in. I would ask him about service history though.
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[pjed]

Great bike at a good price. As stated, it can get you into trouble quickly...I totalled one on an intersatate on-ramp on the fourth day of ownership. Always got to treat it with respect.

I've now had a ZX600RR track bike for 5 years and have never had any issues.

[Sailariel]

That is quite a handful for a first bike--and a 17 year old. When I was 17, I bought a Vincent--got rid of it right away because it was too much bike. The 636 would blow a Vincent away.

I honestly cannot recommend that bike as a first bike.

[choneofakind]

As someone who started riding 2 seasons ago at 17, I thought I was ready for a 600 when I was looking for bikes. Right now, after riding a 1997 CBR600F3 for most of last summer, along with my 250, I can honestly say, that the CBR would have been too much for me. I had a blast on it this summer and it taught me loads, but that was because I had been riding the heck out of my 250 and had been getting lots of constructive criticism on my form and technique from riders who are far more experienced than myself and I had been trying my best to improve every time I rode.

I was able to handle the CBR just as well as the 250 and I loved it!! but I can honestly say that if I made even half of the stupid noob mistakes due to inexperience on that CBR as I made on my 250 (the most forgiving bike in the world) I would have gone down. I'm sure of it. If I was lucky enough not to be injured, I would at the very least be out a lot of money trying to get the bike back in good condition.

ZX6R's are fantastic bikes. Loads of power, light, and an absolute blast. In fact, I have a 2 friends who started out on 600's; one on a '99 ZX6R, and the other on an '03 R6. Both are fast as hell on the straights, but when it comes to actually riding the twisties, they have no idea what they're doing with setting up entrance speed, looking through turns, setting up the right line, and rolling on the throttle, until they straighten back up and rocket past me, just to do it again on the next turn. Now the guy who started out on the ZX6R is riding a 999cc Buell and it's even more noticeable because he's got the loudest bike in the pack and we all know when he's coasting through turns; we can't hear him.

Tell your brother that unless he has REALLY good control of his hormones and throttle hand and his decision-making ability while under the influence of adrenaline, stick with something that is at least a twin. If he desperately NEEDS the power for a speed rush, the SV650 is still a really aggressive bike he might like. In the mean time, have him PM me, because i started right where he is, and if I figured it out, he can too.

*edit*
keep in mind that an '06 ZX6R has oodles more power and torque than a '97 CBR600, so this is an even more fire-breathing beast than my comparison bike, making it an even less recommendable bike for a beginner. also note that, even my buddy on the CBR (friend number 1) started out on the CBR, and when another one of my friends (friend number 2) started riding this summer, he made sure that friend number 2 got a 250 because he just couldn't recommend a 600 to a beginner when my bike (a 250) was perfect for a beginner, but still agile enough to keep up when the road gets twisty. Friend number 2 now owns a green/black 2010 Ninja 250R and LOVES it with a passion.

Have your brother ride your bike and realize that even a 6 second 0-60 is still quick enough to leave a grin on your face and that the bike requires so much work from the rider that it's more fun around town than just leaving it in 2nd gear.
*/edit*

[Lil_Green_Demon]

I know of someone who thought she was ready to start on a 600cc bike. She claimed experience, too, but that experience doesn't mean sh*t when the most powerful thing you've ridden is a couple hundred cc dirtbike, you know?
She wrecked the bike within a week of ownership.

I'm not saying your brother will do the same thing, but he'd be smart to start small and move up when he's completely confident he can.
Starting on a 600cc doesn't guarantee instant death/injuries, but avoiding a 600 & starting on something smaller would be a safer bet.

Maybe you should talk him into looking at a 650R? It's pretty beginner friendly.
Don't get me wrong, any bike can bring incredible medical bills depending on how you ride it or just outside, uncontrollable circumstances (eg. A car hitting you), but I just don't think it's smart to start riding on the streets with something that does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds or hits over 70 mph in first gear alone.

If he does go with the 636 anyway, force him to buy gear.*






*No matter what bike he buys, do that.

[austexjg]

Hell, after preaching on this thread I decided for a quick ride on the ZX6R - did not even reach 7 weeks before getting a ticket for speeding.

[patw]

Originally Posted by austexjg

Hell, after preaching on this thread I decided for a quick ride on the ZX6R - did not even reach 7 weeks before getting a ticket for speeding.

Same reason I passed on one. In the demo ride, I had it up to nearly 190km/hr and it didn't really feel "right" riding it slow. Smelled like speeding tickets

[massacremasses]

I want one!!!

but I am waiting at LEAST a full year until I get one!

[alex.s]

636 is a nice bike. it would be a shame to see it destroyed by a new rider

[solo440]

Originally Posted by austexjg

Great bike at a fair price. As far as going with a 600 - if he has self control it should be no problem. If he gets over confident quickly, he could be in for trouble. Dirt does help, but there are no cars on dirt. The power of the bike is amazing and can get you in trouble quickly, so make sure he is at least geared up as best as he can afford, and he is okay with the consequences for acting like a fool, if that is his nature.

I would ask him about service history though.

If he does go with the 636 anyway, force him to buy gear.*
*No matter what bike he buys, do that.

Thanks everyone for chiming in! I really do appreciate it. I am going to look at the bike today with him. I am going to keep trying to talk him in to a smaller bike. He has ridden mine before so maybe i can get him to ride it a little more in the twisties to see that he doesn't need something fast. Although my brother is only 17, he is very responsible and i believe he has a lot of self control. However, there is something (for me at least) about getting on a motorcycle that can do 160mph that makes me want to consider going that fast just to do it (that was why i got a 250R). I'm just worried that although my brother is responsible, it just takes that one time to wreck doing something stupid to completely mess you up. MAybe i should show him a bnuch of crash videos or something. haha.
But whatever bike he ends up getting, HE WILL HAVE GEAR. I will not let him ride without it, regardless of the circumstances. I will tell him too that the 250R is a very forgiving bike. I have made some beginner mistakes and not wrecked somehow, although i have been very close and on i bigger bike i would have been on the ground. Thanks again everyone! I appreciate it!

[Sailariel]

I have always had difficulty understanding why someone would want to start out at the top. Motorcycles are to be enjoyed, and the best way in my view to enjoy them is to move up in increments.

I started out with a 200cc bike in 1958 and ended up with a 250 for two years after a 14 year break from motorcycling, and am now enjoying a 700.

I did the same thing with Sports Cars beginning with an MG Midget and ending up with a Corvette.

It would seem that the enjoyment factor would be better if one moved up incrementally.

An old fart's opinion for what it's worth.

[FrugalNinja250]

Originally Posted by solo440

...he is very responsible and i believe he has a lot of self control.

It's not about responsibility and self-control. It's about practice and experience. The problem is, no matter now responsible he is and how much willpower he has, he will make mistakes. Maybe bobble the throttle on a bump, maybe get focused on something else for a moment, all the little mistakes that new riders are known for making. With a bike like this little mistakes are virtually instantly amplified into large responses on the part of the bike. That's what it's designed to do, take the smallest inputs from a rider and produce large results as fast as possible.

Mistakes on a 250 can be embarrassing, might even lead to a crash if they're bad enough. On a modern supersport the same little mistakes can easily be fatal.

Honestly, if he wouldn't listen to my advice about not starting on a supersport bike I would refuse to participate at all in his bad decision.

[solo440]

Originally Posted by FrugalNinja250

It's not about responsibility and self-control. It's about practice and experience. The problem is, no matter now responsible he is and how much willpower he has, he will make mistakes. Maybe bobble the throttle on a bump, maybe get focused on something else for a moment, all the little mistakes that new riders are known for making. With a bike like this little mistakes are virtually instantly amplified into large responses on the part of the bike. That's what it's designed to do, take the smallest inputs from a rider and produce large results as fast as possible.

Mistakes on a 250 can be embarrassing, might even lead to a crash if they're bad enough. On a modern supersport the same little mistakes can easily be fatal.

Honestly, if he wouldn't listen to my advice about not starting on a supersport bike I would refuse to participate at all in his bad decision.

All very true. I told him this today too. I said that a smaller bike would be a lot more forgiving. However, he has decided to get the ZX6R. However, i am not going to refuse to participate in his bad decision. He is still my younger brother and i still need to look out for him. The main participation i am going to have with him and his new bike are making sure that he wears ALL his gear whenever he rides. I think that is about all i can do.

[etiainen]

Is he financing all of this?

[choneofakind]

He's going to scare himself once or twice. I've scared myself on the 250 from making beginner mistakes at the age of 17. Like I said in the above post, if I were riding that 600, the outcomes of those mistakes would have been worse than just having to take a break and calm down. This is a dangerous hobby no matter what you ride, just because you're on a motorcycle. Might was well take out as many variables as possible...

[solo440]

Just wanted to say thanks again for all the input! I really appreciate it. I continued to try and talk to him about getting a bike like the ZX6R to start on but he insisted that that was what he wanted. I think i did scare him enough into getting a good understanding of the reality of the power with a bike like that though. Which is good. However, he made the guy an offer for $3200 and the guy accepted.

So yesterday he went to go pick up the bike and the VIN number on the bike didn't match the VIN number on the title. They guy said he had never realized that before and he was going to get it taken care of.

So today, the guy calls and said he is not going to be able to sell the bike. Apparently the bike is stolen. The guy said he went to the police station to get it checked out and they said that the bike was hot. They impounded it and now the guy is in the process of prosecuting the previous owner that he bought it from. I feel kind of bad for the guy too, i mean he should have checked the VIN number when he bought it, but now he has no bike, and no money from it. He also said he put a down payment on a snowmobile anticipating the sale (not a smart move at all though).

So now, my brother is on the hunt again for a bike. Hopefully this time, he will find something with a little less power. Thanks again for the help!

And it just goes to show, CHECK THE VIN NUMBER WHEN BUYING A BIKE/CAR/ANYTHING. NEVER ASSUME IT'S "OKAY."

[patw]

Ran into the same issue when I was looking at a 1998 ZX9 for a project bike. The VIN didn't match the ownership (I checked) and the VIN indicated the bike was from 2 years earlier than the dash and bodywork indicated.

I confronted the seller about this and he immediately dropped the price in 1/2 and told me the best thing to do was just keep the ownership he had and don't bother insuring it.

I walked away and ended up with my lovely KLR instead

[Sailariel]

It would be nice if we had a tiered system like they have in Europe. You can take a literbike and put a restriction plate on the engine until the novice rider gets some experience.

Personally, I don't think that there is a bike made that can match the pricepoint, the looks, and the fun factor of the 250R

[alex.s]

i completely agree with sailariel. i started on a 40cc 2stroke, then 50cc 2stroke race engine, then 125 4 stroke on the street, then the 250, now a 600. it really makes you appreciate and understand a lot of different aspects of how 2 wheels work and where your limits are. jumping on a zx6 for your first bike will cripple your ability to learn at a reasonable pace because you have no idea where the limits of each aspect of the bike are so you are either riding it slow and cautiously or you ride it like a complete squid and will eventually crash because you (again) have no idea about limits. don't get me wrong, i'm still a total noob squid, but i'm a noob squid who respects the abilities of bikes. thinking that you can jump on a zx for your first bike shows a considerable lack of respect for the abilities of the bike.

it takes making mistakes to learn from. making mistakes on small bikes where its very easy to recover from, and the consequences are typically less is much better than making a mistake on something like a zx, where the slightest error when going all out puts you into a wall or bus or throws you up in the air and slams you on the floor shatterning bones as you watch your pretty bike slide away and flip and smash into a million little pieces.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

It would be nice if we had a tiered system like they have in Europe. You can take a literbike and put a restriction plate on the engine until the novice rider gets some experience.

I think we should have a tiered system too. It would certainly raise the skill level of the average rider and hopefully lower the number of accidents per motorcycle on the road.

Does the restriction plate just physically block the throttle from going open fully or how does that work? if it was something added to the bike, wouldn't it then be up to the honor system for the rider to not just modify/remove the restricter plate?

Originally Posted by solo440

And it just goes to show, CHECK THE VIN NUMBER WHEN BUYING A BIKE/CAR/ANYTHING. NEVER ASSUME IT'S "OKAY."

hopefully this doesn't come back on your brother it shouldn't because he didn't physically BUY the bike right?