Rode my first 600cc sportbike!

[GeorgiaHooligan]

The clouds parted and someone let me hop on their awesome cbr 600. Finally! Im still smiling, iv gots to get one. It was like night and day compared to the 250 but smooth. I love my 250 but I see a 600 in my future (this year hopefully).

[GeorgiaHooligan]

Anyone else remember the first time they rode a 600cc sportbike? if so, Id like the hear the story.

[phr3ek]

rode a 2004 636 home about 7 weeks ago

twas fun, had a hard time balancing it at a stop since its significantly higher than the 250
the ohlins suspension was awesome and couldnt feel the road reflectors at all
when traffic started lifting up, i steadily opened up the throttle
i couldnt feel the wind blowing me hard like it would on the 250 so i though i was going slow
i looked down at the gauge and i was going 120 mph

definitely a different kind of bike, especially with the aggressive riding style
i could almost see the front of the windscreen the way i was hunched up and over the tank

edit*
actually my first 600 ride was my friends f4i....
but it was roughly the same experience
only difference is that i kept sliding on the seat whenever i opened up the throttle
and i was spread eagle on the damn thing

[rockNroll]

A friend of mine had a ZX6R. He wanted to ride my bike up Caesar's head so we swapped bikes for the run. The ZX6R was kinda fun but a little underpowered and his suspension needed attention.

[rousp]

At driving school my teacher had a 600 Ninja, so yeah, I can remember my first ride quite clearly, it was in fact the first time I was in control of a bike.

He had a saying: If you learn to ride on a sportsbike, you can manage anything. If you learn to ride on a cruiser, you can ride a cruiser.

[DarC]

An R6 was the first street bike I ever rode. It was like being a laser beam compared to my jerky dirtbikes. Now taking my first ride on a liter twin was something amazingly wonderful...I try not to get hung up on the awesome feeling of acceleration. You get used to it and only want more, which inevitably leads to either trouble or very expensive power seeking modifications.

[blubyu]

Be careful....all the haters on the forum are now going to come out and tell you that you obviously don't have enough seat time to handle a 600. That there is nothing you could ever need then a 250......

(posting this from a starbucks on my '09 CBR. And yes I still have my 250 that I ride every other day )

[GeorgiaHooligan]

Awesome stories! The cbr was smooth , I could feel the power reverberate through the bike just reving it a little. I just took it down the block and back , but it was sweet. Iv been riding the 250 for 2yrs and a few months and love it but the 600cc was a different world . One of those days I'll never forget.

[bob706]

I got to demo a R6 a while back. Tons of power but too uncomfortable for me.

[Boom King]

How's the seat height on the CBR compared to the 250?

[GeorgiaHooligan]

Im about 5'9-5'10 with short legs and on the cbr I could get half of each foot down. Higher than the 250 not as high as a r6. Iv sat on the r6s at the dealership and was on tip toes.

[GeorgiaHooligan]

The ergonomics though are totally different. The cbrs seating position is alot more aggresive.

[nebraskan]

the first street bike i ever rode was a 6r. i was an idiot, had no gear except a helmet, and did mulitiple 130mph runs in shorts, a cut off, and sneaks

[phr3ek]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaHooligan

Im about 5'9-5'10 with short legs and on the cbr I could get half of each foot down. Higher than the 250 not as high as a r6. Iv sat on the r6s at the dealership and was on tip toes.

r6 has a stock seat height of 33"
everything else is at 32" or less

Originally Posted by nebraskan

the first street bike i ever rode was a 6r. i was an idiot, had no gear except a helmet, and did mulitiple 130mph runs in shorts, a cut off, and sneaks

you shouldve gotten a busa

[randomwalk101]

I own both 08 250 and 07 600rr. Power off 600 is excessive and addicting. You've got to respect it and control yourself or you'll get yourself in a whole lot of troubles ...more than you may want.

[backinthesaddleagain]

First ride on my 600 turned to rain on the ride home from the dealer so definitely a slow and steady ride.

[Green Streak]

My first streetbike was an 86 Ninja 600R. So I learned to ride on a 600. I grew up on dirt bikes, but it still took me while to get used to all of that extra weight and power. I had friends that all had been riding street bikes for a while and they imparted their experiences/misfortunes, so I had the benefit of avoiding most of their mistakes. It helps to listen sometimes.

[sombo]

Ok, technically the Yamaha FZ6R is a sportbike even though it's not a supersport like most of the others you guys are talking about. However, at the Daytona Bike week I demoed a 2011 Yamaha FZ6R. Such a sweet ride, smooth suspension, smooth power delivery, a power band similar to the 250 (meaning you get most of your hard on power higher in the revs), very comfortable ergonomics and seat, just an all around great do-it-all bike. It uses an older version of the R6 FI 600cc I-4 motor that's been retuned for lower torque and less top end power so it is better for in-town driving then the R6. Seat height is around 32" and the seat is shaped nicely to make it very comfortable to ride.

After demoing that and the ninja 650 I hate to admit it, but I liked the Yamaha a lot more and plan on adding it to my stable in the future.

[Liber]

When I was first toying with the idea of getting a bike back in February I talked to my cousin who swares by Yamaha. He told me to get an FZ6R as my starter bike. Thankfully, I was well aware of his riding "experiences" and didn't let his intelligence(or lack thereof) trump mine.

I have fallen head over heals for my ninjette and can't see myself ever getting rid of it. That won't preclude me from buying a bigger bike later on. I've heard lots of great things about the FZ6R and I can't wait to try one out. I sat on a cbr600rr at the honda dealer where I got my ninjette and it seemed to fit my long legs better than the 250r. I didn't get a chance to sit on a 650r. By the time I get around to buying a bigger bike, there's no telling what new features will be available.

[thurt88]

I was looking for another bike on Craigslist and found a CBR but it was an hour away. I went to go look at it and I ended up buying it. My first ride on a Super sport was an hour on the highway. It took a minute to get used to the riding position (I am old, pushing 40). I remember hitting that highway ramp like I do on my ninja and saw cars just whizzing behind me and my front end came off the ground. I looked down and seen my speedo said 102. So yea, quite a bit more power. It gets roughly the same gas mileage as my work car so I still use the ninjette for going back and forth to work.

But on the weekends..............

[scotty]

I got to ride my buddys GSX-R600. It was sweet. Lol. I really liked the power it had. Way differnt than the 250. I didn't like how far I had to lean forward, and it seemed like it was hard to turn the bike compared to the 250r.

[GeorgiaHooligan]

Sweeeet Cbr Thurt88

[geeker]

A buddy from work let me ride his 07 CBR 1000RR last week. Thought I was going to piss my pants. But it was awesome!

[shanesalty]

I am hoping to upgrade in the near future. I don't think there is any practical need for anything bigger than a 600 but then again you could say the same about a 250. I am in love with the 2011 GSX-R600. If things go right I hope to have one by the end of the year if not sooner. Unfortunately they have a bad rep for squids riding them.

On a side note I sat on a R6 at a dealer and it fit me like a glove but I do not like how all the power is on the top end. If the Yamaha had the Suzuki or Kawi engine I would be in heaven.

[clintalmighty]

Man, I can't wait until I can ride a 600 for the first time. I don''t know anyone who has one. The only other bike I have ridden other than the ninjette and the MSF bike was a 1400cc Harley, so... I need to make friends with a 600 rider so I can test his bike out

Keep the stories coming guys

[jstrain]

I started on a 600cc Honda Shadow cruiser, then moved up to an 1100 cruiser and rode that for a couple years. I actually moved into sporty bikes with a Triumph Sprint 955cc. Had two of them for awhile.

My first 600 SS ride was a Daytona 675. Even though I had a bunch of miles on a larger engine, that 675 was sooooo sweet. Felt so much lighter, flickable, and when it hits 8k... It just takes off and makes the most amazing sound you can imagine

I wrecked it at the track, but I definitely plan on owning another one someday. I'd say it's my favorite bike out of all the ones I've owned.

[Bo0stZomb13]

The first street bike i ever road was a buddys 99 busa. It was big heavy and sucked. To ride in traffic. But was fun was **** on open roads. Road it for a couple years acctually. He was scared of it so i trade him a car for it. I grew riding dirt bike so knew some what about how to ride. It left in 2003 and didnt get another bike till the ninjette. I will say i love the ninjette WAY more. Doesnt feel like im always gonna drop it and i can actually corner on it lol.

I got to ride my friends 650r didnt like it at all. Have ridden a 06 636 and a 09 zx6r loved them both. Ill be getting on after deployment. Keeping ninjette for my wife.

[Jinx250]

Originally Posted by blubyu

Be careful....all the haters on the forum are now going to come out and tell you that you obviously don't have enough seat time to handle a 600. That there is nothing you could ever need then a 250......

So, just because someone has advice to offer that is different from your own or the OPs they're haters? That's a pretty silly thing to say.

I think most peopel who advocate getting a lot of seat time on a 250 (like me) could give a **** if someone wants to "upgrade" to a bigger bike. But, as far as I can tell, you're the only one that went down that road in this thread...

To the OP - if you dig the 600, but didn't love the seating position, the F4i supposedly has a more upright position.

[clintalmighty]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

So, just because someone has advice to offer that is different from your own or the OPs they're haters? That's a pretty silly thing to say.

I think most peopel who advocate getting a lot of seat time on a 250 (like me) could give a **** if someone wants to "upgrade" to a bigger bike. But, as far as I can tell, you're the only one that went down that road in this thread...

To the OP - if you dig the 600, but didn't love the seating position, the F4i supposedly has a more upright position.

He was being sarcastic. Alot of people (on this board and elsewhere) say that you don't really need anything bigger than a 250, you just want something bigger. Guess what...you don't need a motorcycle period. We all ride for fun (yes the economical benefits help these days with gas prices, etc) but at the end of the day we ride for the thrill of it. (Yes, i know some people here have a bike as there only transportation, but you still love to ride for fun). If you can afford a 600, go for it, and have fun.

Ride safe guys

[FrugalNinja250]

Originally Posted by clintalmighty

Alot of people (on this board and elsewhere) say that you don't really need anything bigger than a 250, you just want something bigger.

Not quite true. Most people that advocate starting on the 250, in fact all that I've see weigh in on the subject in the last three years, don't say "you don't need anything bigger than a 250", but rather say that starting on a 250 allows building riding skills and committing newbie mistakes with the lowest risk of injury or death. And that is true, because the one thing the modern supersports bikes are known for is being very intolerant of the kind of braking, throttle, and steering mistakes that new riders are most likely to make. Anyone could start out on any bike they *want*, but it's generally considered a bad idea for several reasons to start out on a larger displacement high-performance bike.

[coondog]

I had ridden yamaha 175 and 360 enduros on the streets in early Fl. and actually had a 4-stroke honda that was waaaay ahead of its time and got chewed up and spit out (250 or 350) and I didn't keep it. I moved to Boston near where I went to college and bought a CB750 unaware of bikes except how to ride them, not knowing I had a piece of history. I bought the size due to commuting to R.I. on weekends, I rode within my skills so all was fine. Finally one night going back to beantown late I was traveling faster than ever before on a motorcycle but the roads were clear and all. I went to pass a tractor trailer and wanted to make it fast so I goosed the throttle good. This is when I discovered the history altering phenomenon of the Honda. I almost slid off the bike as it rocketed forward, I think some **** plugs may have had an effect on the pause as well, but shitting my drawers was moot at this point. I took out the bikes manual which i never looked at and saw it assumed you were traveling at 135mph for a pass or something. I think I felt faint. End result was joining the Wollaston Beach boys outside town with their sportsters, all I had changed was the starter (aftermarket) as you could steal them with valve stem guages, OH YEAH Macho Man.

[Toly]

I haven't ridden that much, but here's how I see it now... If you're ham-fisted, you should not learn on anything bigger than 250cc, or you'll kill yourself. If you've got good, smooth reflexes and gentle touch, you can learn on 600cc bike safely. Just your progress will take three times longer.

[jstrain]

Originally Posted by 09special

i will be upgrading to a 675 in the very near future =))) cantttt waitt!!!

You won't be disappointed! The noise that triple makes is exquisite