Spending ~$6,000...

[IDrinkSoju]

Hi all,

Let me prefice this by saying that I live in Korea and the bike market here's a little different than in the US.

I have 3 choices presented to me:

a 1998 Honda CBR 900 Fireblade - 45,000kms (30,000 miles) $6,000
A 2006 (new!) Hyosung GT650R (sort of like a Suzuki SV650) $5,500
A 2002 Honda CBR 600 F4i - 20,000 kms (14,000 miles) - $6,700.

Questions:

Is the milage of the 900 too high? How long does this engline last?

How are the hondas for tall people? (I'm 6'4")

Which would you choose and why?

(thanks!)

[camthepyro]

No idea on any of those. Buuuut, I would take the CBR600.

[Ninja Geoff]

F4i or the GT650R. Probably the GT650R due to my ascthetic tastes and love of v-twin exhaust notes. Better dealing with traffic i bet due to it's torquey nature as a v-twin.

[Joe Rocket=>]

I would go with the GT650R. As for the F4i and the Fireblade they are asking way too much for those bikes. Even if the price was right on the honda's they got way too many miles on them for sport bikes.

[IDrinkSoju]

What you say makes sense... I just wish I wasn't so fixed on getting a Honda.

The thing is -- here, those prices are actually very good. Everything Imported costs WAY more than any local brands, especially vehicles. The import motorcycle market is crazy...

I've been lurking around some honda boards and the engines on the CBR seem to last for quite a long time... 100,000 miles seems to be quite attainable.

You can't even get an F4i new here. They only stock the 600RR (for $14,000) new.

I know that the Hyo is actually a pretty cool bike. But... I'd be eating a lot of resale value if I sell it later and I'd have to break it in (pain). The hondas will carry their value far better and are, I believe, the better bikes.

Life is hard!

[MotoF150]

I would pick the Honda, I once owned the 98 F3, put 18K miles on it with no problems. I would also look at the used Yamaha FZ1 and FZ6, just as fast as the Honda but with a better riding postion with lower insurance rates and at a cheaper price, dealers are selling used 04 and 05 FZ1's for $6K and seen a used 04 FZ6 with only 4000 miles for $3900. Before you purchace any crotch rocket, get a quote on insurance, some guys are paying $2000 yearly.

[IDrinkSoju]

Thanks for the advice...

I'm not too worried about insurance, actually. Insurance here is far different than back 'home' in Canada. Here I pay $500 a year for my newish car, and I've only been licensed here for 2 years. Bikes (no matter the style) are not so expensive to insure...

... which sort of compensates for the higher asking price, I suppose!

I'm leaning towards the F4i. I get to test-ride all three today.

Yamaha FZ1/6 aren't so common here, unfortunately -- what I can get my hands on here is a severe limiting factor.

[fireguzzi]

I would suggest the Hyosung, unless you are absolutly sure without a doubt that the F4i is in very good condition, in wich case I would get the F4i. But only if you are absolutly sure.