Not sure which forum this belongs in, so here we go. I'm looking to buy my first bike, although it won't be the first bike I've ridden. My riding experience, while short, includes an older ZX-6R, which I loved at the time, a newer ZX-6R, burnt orange color, whatever year that was, which seemed a lot torkier then the older ZX-6R and a Honda 250, during the BRC. I have a few questions for any one with constructive input.

1. When you buy a bike from a dealership, used or new, can you haggle the price like with cars/trucks, etc?
2. What is the difference between a ZZR6 and a 650R?
3. What is generally considered a good starting sport bike? (I'm not interested in any thing less then ~600cc.)

Any help with these questions would be great. Thanks!

 

Welcome to KF

1) Haggle away
2) zzr600 is an inline 4 whereas the 650 is a parallel twin
3) What are your normal riding expectations?

 

1) Sweet!
2) What about the riding position? Power? Is the ZZR more "torqy"? Is the fairing vastly different?
3) I'm not really sure what you mean by my riding expectations. As this will be my first bike, I'd like it to be something entry level-ish, but not less or more then 600-650cc. I'm not sure what kind of riding position I'd prefer. I've been told that the ZX-6R has a more aggressive, leaned over riding position whereas the 650R has more of a relaxed straight up riding position. I'm 25, so I think my back would be fine with either option. However, I've also heard stories of how people get tired of a bike not long after having it, but most of those stories were about people who started with a 250 or how a 500 wasn't powerful enough.

I guess I'm just wondering if a 650R will ride similar to how I remember the older ZX-6R I rode several years ago did. I don't plan to stunt or do any thing crazy. It'll be a daily driver, from home to work and back. As well as out to places that I go by myself, as my wife is on the fence about riding with me. Which I have zero experience with, LOL. So yeah... hope that helps!

 

[QUOTEHowever, I've also heard stories of how people get tired of a bike not long after having it, but most of those stories were about people who started with a 250 or how a 500 wasn't powerful enough.][/quote]

hmm, each bike of course will be different and depending on your comfort level, ie suspension, tires, and knowledge; will dictate if you will be comfy on that ride. For example: I am more comfortable on my EX 500 on street rides over the KZ 1000 just because I feel more agile (ie: more comfy but with less power). It is totally up to your comfort level and what you need for a ride. Good luck

 

Cool deal. Thanks for the input. I think I'm leaning more towards the 650R, but I'm hoping some people who have owned the 650R and/or the ZX-6R can give me some insight into the major differences between the two; specifically ride position and the difference in power.

 

I have a 08 zzr 600. The riding style is somewhat forward and the
seat is not that comfortable for long rides.
I considered the 650 before I purchased my zzr. It is more of a
upright riding position. But the bars suck. I wouldn't buy it because of them.
They sell aftermarket clipon style bars for the 650.
I was looking at heli bars for my zzr to raise them. But I havn't
spent the money yet. I need tires soon.

 

Hey Spins, thanks for the input. I'm not sure where I stand as of yet. I really wouldn't be riding the bike for long rides that often. Mainly to work and back and around town. I live around Omaha, NE. Therefore, I still have a couple of months before I buy a bike. You know, snow and all. If I was going to get a 650, I was going to buy new, but if I bought a ZX-6 or ZZR, I was going to buy used. Any one have any good tips for buying used bikes? Any thing to look out for? Thanks!

 

Even with a little riding experience you'll learn much more on a 250. The trick is to keep it until you get bored with it, and then keep it for another few thousand miles until you realise that it isn't in the least bit boring. Then you've got the skill to transfer to a bigger bike.

Learning on a bigger bike makes you lazy. You depend on the power as the answer to all situations and don't, as a result, ever learn how to really ride properly.

For ride to work and around town any SS bike is unsuitable. For average journeys of less than about 10 miles each way anything bigger than a 125 is going to suffer from lack of proper warm up, and if your average journey is less than about 5 miles, use a push bike. ZX6 and ZZR are unsuitable for your riding experience. So really is the 650R.

If your ego outweighs your common sense, a 500 won't be too much of an overkill for your proposed useage nd will give you a chance of learning something about riding.

Rob

 

i owned a 2008 650r and was looking for something more sporty shortly after getting it, after reading about the new 09 zx6r made the choice and upgraded with no regrets. I found the steering on the 650 to be "weird". Felt like i was always "hunting" for the sweet spot on lean in to a corner, flatter handlebars made a difference but still felt something was missing. The zx6r was what i was looking for. Plenty of power, but not so stupid i felt out of control. Handling is a dream come true. Think about turning and it does and all the mags are dead on about the bike. The 650 was my first bike, the zx6r is my second and im 48 years old. Little hard on the wrists after couple of hours riding, rt wrist in particular which will be fixed this year with a throttlemieser cruise control but otherwise i wish i had bought the zx6 from the start. The downside is the insurance cost, even me with clean record in new hampshire, it cost me 1000 bucks a year. Any other questions feel free to ask, but it's your decision and like rob said dont let ego outweigh common sense. If you go to the zx6r, you have to have a lot of common sense because the rider is the limit not the bike. You will not find the limit of the bike.

 

Thanks every one for all the input you've given. I can appreciate the logic of stepping your way up from smaller bikes to bigger. In fact, that was my plan when I first became interested in motorcycles.

Unfortunately, I'm not in a position where I can buy a bike, ride it for a year or two and then get a new one. Therefore I'm going to buy a bike I see myself learning on and keeping for a long time. I've pretty much decided on an '09 650R, black if its still there when I go this Saturday. I'm not a power hungry adrenaline junkie and because I've had a motorcycle accident in the past, I believe I'll be just that more careful this time around. Not to mention I'll be buying a brand new bike that I don't want to mess up. (It has 0 miles.) I am also married and just bought a house, so yeah... I'm going to be careful.

I plan on getting with a group of other riders and hopefully they'll have some good knowledge to pass on. Again thanks for the input every one and I'll probably be back on the boards looking for some advice on aftermarket accessories. Don't worry Rob, nothing that will add to my speed!