Anyone here know bikes??

[ethirtydavid]

1996 FZR 600 Yamaha


What do you have to say about this bike?

[z31maniac]

Way old technology, crappy suspension and carb's.

Sportbikes evolve much, much faster than car's do nowadays. Will it still be decently quick and handle well, yes.

You're obviously looking at this bike because you're on a budget, so if its in good condition and you like it, go for it.

Budget about $1000 for quality gear (helmet, gloves, boots [I would go with full race boots like Sidi Vertigo Corsa's and the similiar, yes pricey and not the most comfortable to walk around in, but will keep you from SCREWING your feet up in a wreck], armored jacket)

And take the MSF course and learn at your own pace. Trying to keep up with experience riders when you're a newb will end up with you in the weeds.

[Mtriple]

Way old technology, crappy suspension and carb's.

Sportbikes evolve much, much faster than car's do nowadays. Will it still be decently quick and handle well, yes.

You're obviously looking at this bike because you're on a budget, so if its in good condition and you like it, go for it.

Budget about $1000 for quality gear (helmet, gloves, boots [I would go with full race boots like Sidi Vertigo Corsa's and the similiar, yes pricey and not the most comfortable to walk around in, but will keep you from SCREWING your feet up in a wreck], armored jacket)

And take the MSF course and learn at your own pace. Trying to keep up with experience riders when you're a newb will end up with you in the weeds.

+1 With that said, my first sport bike was a 93 FZR 600 that I bought brand new. Overall, it was a pretty good first bike...

[Erik]

yeah, I'm seriously also considering a motorcycle right now...

That's some good advice right there.

[Kilomph]

You can also look at SV650s, Ducati M750/900, and Ducati SuperSport 750/900 (closer to an FZR600). Ducati 900s are equivalent to the sv650/s in terms of speed/power, and if you can do basic maintenance on an E30 like valve adjustments, t-belt, etc, Ducati upkeep is very very easy.

[z31maniac]

^I would not suggest a Ducati unless its '07 and up, horribly notoriously unreliable bikes. Ducati's are like British sports cars, you've got to WANT to own one to put up with the "eccentricities" ie problems.

SV650 would make a great starter bike, however, the suspension is only adjustable for preload, being able to adjust the comp/rebound as the track changes and fluid gets worn out is a huge help, its also nice on the street as you can dial in some more comfort. You can swap on a Gixxer shock and forks, but at that point you could have just bought something else.



Oh and if you buy the bike, its basically gauranteed the forks are going to need to be freshened and the rear shock fluid changed. If your handy with tools, the parts are CHEAP, if you have a shop do both, still shouldn't be more than $375-425.

[silversleeper]

Everything said in this thread is great info for a first timer. (minus the Ducati part)

As far as bikes go, def spend a couple grand more and aim for a 03+ bike. Something FI should be great.

As for start bike recommendations, YZF-600R/CBR-600 F4i make great starters. Or just jump straight onto a nice supersport 600 like a R6/600RR/GSX-R600.

I can't judge riders over the internet, but I def think a good rider is an individual who can read-ahead really well, think quickly, doesn't panic, and doesn't hesitate.

The worst thing I've ever seen is a nervous person on a bike. They get all twitchy in certain situations, thats scary as fuck.

I just picked up my second R6... mainly for commuting/gas savings. I wanted to shoot for a Yammy Warrior, but it was a little too much money for the moment, as my car has been getting the "special" treatment lately.

[hugh jass]

^I would not suggest a Ducati unless its '07 and up, horribly notoriously unreliable bikes. Ducati's are like British sports cars, you've got to WANT to own one to put up with the "eccentricities" ie problems.

SV650 would make a great starter bike, however, the suspension is only adjustable for preload, being able to adjust the comp/rebound as the track changes and fluid gets worn out is a huge help, its also nice on the street as you can dial in some more comfort. You can swap on a Gixxer shock and forks, but at that point you could have just bought something else.



Oh and if you buy the bike, its basically gauranteed the forks are going to need to be freshened and the rear shock fluid changed. If your handy with tools, the parts are CHEAP, if you have a shop do both, still shouldn't be more than $375-425.

Ducatis are not 'horribly unreliable'. They get that reputation because cheap pukes buy them, don't take care of them, things break, and then the pukes blame italian engineering. I've owned a 01 996 and an 02 Supersport and both were just as reliable as any Japanese bike I've owned. Ducatis cost more to maintain and the service intervals are pretty close (at least on the 06 and older bikes), but they are not unreliable if you spend the money and take care of them. The 2v air cooled motors found in the supersports, monster, etc are super reliable.

And for the OP, if you've never ridden before, an FZR 600 would be an ok bike, but make sure you find one that has been taken care of. A $1000 FZR with 30k on it would be like buying an E30 with 300k on it. YOu wouldn't buy it without receipts, would you? I would recommend a naked bike like an SV650, Monster, or even an older HOnda HAwk GT if you can find one. Don't buy something with fairings because they will get all scratched up the first time you dump it in a parking lot or at a stop sign.

[Skoobeesnak]

Ducatis are not 'horribly unreliable'. They get that reputation because cheap pukes buy them, don't take care of them, things break, and then the pukes blame italian engineering. I've owned a 01 996 and an 02 Supersport and both were just as reliable as any Japanese bike I've owned. Ducatis cost more to maintain and the service intervals are pretty close (at least on the 06 and older bikes), but they are not unreliable if you spend the money and take care of them. The 2v air cooled motors found in the supersports, monster, etc are super reliable.

And for the OP, if you've never ridden before, an FZR 600 would be an ok bike, but make sure you find one that has been taken care of. A $1000 FZR with 30k on it would be like buying an E30 with 300k on it. YOu wouldn't buy it without receipts, would you? I would recommend a naked bike like an SV650, Monster, or even an older HOnda HAwk GT if you can find one. Don't buy something with fairings because they will get all scratched up the first time you dump it in a parking lot or at a stop sign.

I completely agree with this guy. I have an '06 Monster S2R 1000 and have put on over 8,000 trouble free miles in the last year. I would stick to something simple that you can work on and other than the Desmo valves which were a new concept to me, they are very simple bikes if you get one of the air cooled 2 valve models. Plus they sound like nothing else and I love the way my bike handles. I would look for a used monster, I picked mine up with 800 miles on it when it was only a year old for about 3K off of new retail.

[z31maniac]

^I'm sure the OP can't afford a slightly used Duc if he's looking at a 12 year old Yamahammer. And by afford, I just don't mean purchase price, I mean the maintenance and consumables as well.

Ducatis are not 'horribly unreliable'. They get that reputation because cheap pukes buy them, don't take care of them, things break, and then the pukes blame italian engineering. I've owned a 01 996 and an 02 Supersport and both were just as reliable as any Japanese bike I've owned. Ducatis cost more to maintain and the service intervals are pretty close (at least on the 06 and older bikes), but they are not unreliable if you spend the money and take care of them. The 2v air cooled motors found in the supersports, monster, etc are super reliable.

They are maintenance heavy vs the jap bikes, I would only buy a Duc if I bought it new so I KNEW FOR A FACT all the maintenance was always done, I'm actually looking at trying to get an 848 next year.

So like you said since MOST don't maintain them, its not a risk worth taking at least not for me. And a new rider is going to want to hop on the bike hit the starter and learn how to ride, not worry about maintenance.

Out of curiousity how many miles did you put on those Ducs? I only ask because I had a friend who had bought a 748 new in '02 and that bike gave him nothing but problems from day 1.


I put 25k on my '04 R6, getting ready to sell it, and it still hasn't needed anything more than plugs, oil and brake pads. Still doesn't even need to have the valves adjusted.

[hugh jass]

^I'm sure the OP can't afford a slightly used Duc if he's looking at a 12 year old Yamahammer. And by afford, I just don't mean purchase price, I mean the maintenance and consumables as well.



They are maintenance heavy vs the jap bikes, I would only buy a Duc if I bought it new so I KNEW FOR A FACT all the maintenance was always done, I'm actually looking at trying to get an 848 next year.

So like you said since MOST don't maintain them, its not a risk worth taking at least not for me. And a new rider is going to want to hop on the bike hit the starter and learn how to ride, not worry about maintenance.

Out of curiousity how many miles did you put on those Ducs? I only ask because I had a friend who had bought a 748 new in '02 and that bike gave him nothing but problems from day 1.


I put 25k on my '04 R6, getting ready to sell it, and it still hasn't needed anything more than plugs, oil and brake pads. Still doesn't even need to have the valves adjusted.

I didn't say most don't maintain them, I said that 19 year old cheap pukes buy them, beat the shit out of them, things break, and then they bash them on shitholes like gixxer.com and say shit like 'ducatis are overpriced garbage'.
most ducati owners i've ridden with on the track and street can afford to maintain their bikes, and do so. otherwise they would have bought an rsxr61000zx6.
would i buy a used duc, absolutely, so long as all the maintenance records were present.
i put 8000 miles on my 996 without a single problem. same with my supersport.
for the record, i now have an 07 gsxr 750 for track duty. why? its a lot cheaper to run than a 996, and less expensive if (when) i crash. if i didn't have a child, mortgage, car habit, i would have a 1098S in the garage and would do all the trackdays i could.

[z31maniac]

^Word to all that.