Yamaha R6 first bike
Discussion
Passed my full test age 40 after riding a 125 for 2 CBT’s. Examiner asked me what I was going to go for & I said I thought something middleweight like a CB500 twin or maybe 600 Hornet would suit me fine for commuting & a bit of weekend fun. “Nah, get yourself an R1, you’ll be fine. You aren’t a kid”. My instructor backed him up “They’re addictive”.
Well having taken the advice here on board I’ve made my mind up, I’ll be going ahead with the R6, or perhaps the GSXR600, I’ll have to sit on both, the R6 is my first choice, but a couple of you have mentioned the GSXR is more comfortable, and I still like the look of them so we’ll see.
Regarding the R1, if I’m Honest jumping ahead of the 600’s wasn’t even on my mind beforehand, Reading these posts I’ve learnt more about how the R6 delivers its power, and if I’m honest I quite like the sound of the majority of the power being at the top of the rev range, and one poster went on to mention dropping the gears to overtake in the R6 rather than cruising by in the current gear in the R1, sounds more fun and engaging to me, and not to mention more confidence inspiring, is the GSXR similar to the R6 in this aspect?
Regarding the R1, if I’m Honest jumping ahead of the 600’s wasn’t even on my mind beforehand, Reading these posts I’ve learnt more about how the R6 delivers its power, and if I’m honest I quite like the sound of the majority of the power being at the top of the rev range, and one poster went on to mention dropping the gears to overtake in the R6 rather than cruising by in the current gear in the R1, sounds more fun and engaging to me, and not to mention more confidence inspiring, is the GSXR similar to the R6 in this aspect?
All 600cc inline 4s will be similar in that respect I imagine, it's just the way they deliver their power. It's horses for courses, it can certainly be engaging, but in the end I just found it tedious.
I ride an Africa Twin on the road now, so that should put some context to that comment
I ride an Africa Twin on the road now, so that should put some context to that comment
usn90 said:
Well having taken the advice here on board I’ve made my mind up, I’ll be going ahead with the R6, or perhaps the GSXR600, I’ll have to sit on both, the R6 is my first choice, but a couple of you have mentioned the GSXR is more comfortable, and I still like the look of them so we’ll see.
If you are looking at gsxr it brings the 750 into play which is the cliched best of both 600 and 1000.You aren’t going to highside yourself through a bus stop like you might on a 1000 but you’ve got a bit more flexibility than a 600.
The rush of a K4 on 750 from 9k rpm needs to be experienced. Sounds epic too if you like inline 4s.
Eight years ago when the children got much older, I got back into Motorcycling and only considered a Sportsbike. Whilst the R6 was on my list I thought it was a little extreme for road use and considered either a GSXR 750 or Kawasaki ZX6 R 636.
In the end I went for the Kawasaki as I preferred the looks (with the Akrapovic exhaust) at the time and they were winning Supersport TT’s.
In the end I went for the Kawasaki as I preferred the looks (with the Akrapovic exhaust) at the time and they were winning Supersport TT’s.
usn90 said:
Just booked a CBT, closest one was 3 weeks away.
Hopefully the wait for DAS isn’t too long.
I’ll have a look at the 750’s
Do you have any budget constraints?Hopefully the wait for DAS isn’t too long.
I’ll have a look at the 750’s
In your position I would be considering bikes with cornering ABS. If you are new to bikes and like going fast there is a reasonable chance you are going to make the odd f
k up in the first couple of years. Having the option of braking and cornering is a very good one to have. Also easy to lock the front wheel if you panic brake. So ABS is really useful on the road.There are plenty of really good bikes with the electronics.
Don’t dismiss super nakeds. For some reason insurance is less than sports bikes despite there not being much difference in performance. The wider bars and sit up position also good for riding on the road.
Skeptisk said:
usn90 said:
Just booked a CBT, closest one was 3 weeks away.
Hopefully the wait for DAS isn’t too long.
I’ll have a look at the 750’s
Do you have any budget constraints?Hopefully the wait for DAS isn’t too long.
I’ll have a look at the 750’s
In your position I would be considering bikes with cornering ABS. If you are new to bikes and like going fast there is a reasonable chance you are going to make the odd f
k up in the first couple of years. Having the option of braking and cornering is a very good one to have. Also easy to lock the front wheel if you panic brake. So ABS is really useful on the road.There are plenty of really good bikes with the electronics.
Don’t dismiss super nakeds. For some reason insurance is less than sports bikes despite there not being much difference in performance. The wider bars and sit up position also good for riding on the road.
What year R6/GSXR would I be looking from for the aids you mention?
My friend has a super naked duke, not my cup of tea, I’m quite fussy
It’s been a long time since I rode an R6, but my memory was that in the lower rev range it was like riding a 250, and then very suddenly it was like riding a 600 sportsbike. It was a bit “all or nothing”. If you can handle the “all” early on, then fine, but if you can’t, or don’t, you might find the bike underwhelming.
Someone above said his wife went straight to an R1. Ironically that might possibly be a better option, because they are plenty quick enough in the lower range and you can start to build up to the top end as you gain experience.
Just my 2p.
Someone above said his wife went straight to an R1. Ironically that might possibly be a better option, because they are plenty quick enough in the lower range and you can start to build up to the top end as you gain experience.
Just my 2p.
trickywoo said:
usn90 said:
What year R6/GSXR would I be looking from for the aids you mention
None. Never sold, I think at all but definitely not in the uk.The new cbr600 is your only option for cornering abs for anything like a R6.
How about the KTM Duke 890 R? That has it. Also a really fun bike. Same sort of power as the R6 but much more low down torque.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/ktm/89...
Although I wasn’t sure. I had a long test ride on the earlier 790 and loved it…but I found I was riding like a bit of a hooligan…it just really encourages that sort of riding (at least IME).
Of course my advice would be to get a Duke 390. New bike is within your budget. Easy to ride. Handles great. Enough power to have fun without being mental (it will get to 100). Keep for a year. Rag it. Get a year’s no claim bonus. Trade it in for litre bike (much more choice of electronics with litre bikes). Job jobbed.
Biker's Nemesis said:
Biker9090 said:
No, thank you, its made me happy knowing that I've made someone happy. https://www.1000rr.co.uk/threads/r1-big-bang-09-pi...
trickywoo said:
usn90 said:
What year R6/GSXR would I be looking from for the aids you mention
None. Never sold, I think at all but definitely not in the uk.The new cbr600 is your only option for cornering abs for anything like a R6.
carinaman said:
Biker's Nemesis said:
Biker9090 said:
No, thank you, its made me happy knowing that I've made someone happy. https://www.1000rr.co.uk/threads/r1-big-bang-09-pi...
Talking about falling off bikes, I had this brand new 150mph GPZ 900R back in 1990 and only came off it once:-
At 3mph when I stalled it pulling out of a side road, and it took me completely by surprise. Fortunately, it fell on my leg and just marked the front brake lever a little bit which polished out.
That is my only accident since 1969 thankfully.
Ride safe, you only have one life.
At 3mph when I stalled it pulling out of a side road, and it took me completely by surprise. Fortunately, it fell on my leg and just marked the front brake lever a little bit which polished out.
That is my only accident since 1969 thankfully.
Ride safe, you only have one life.
Wacky Racer said:
Talking about falling off bikes,
I was paddling my bike forward and turning very tightly to come off a kerb and set off... as you can probably guess, once the front wheel was off the kerb the ground was suddenly much further down to step on! Thankfully no witnesses though
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