What to upgrade to?

[vladmech]

Hey all, been a bit since I've checked in here, but I was hoping to pick people's brains for some motorcycle buying advice.

I currently own a Nina 250, have had it for 3 years now I believe? Anyway, I'm finally looking to get a bit more power going on, so was wondering what some good bikes people would recommend are. I'm thinking in the 600-650cc range, probably a sports bike still, but not a super sport one. It'd be nice to have it comfy enough for distance riding, and the hard cap on price is probably around 3k.

Also how do years affect bikes? I would have no issues buying a car from say 2000, but is that getting long in the tooth for a bike?

Ones I've somewhat been eyeballing are CBRs, R6, Nina 600/650.

Thanks for any tips or advice!

[storysunfolding]

FZ6. If you want a sportbike but don't want to give up comfort, that's the way to do it. A VFR800 is also a nice deal.

The sportbikes are fun, don't get me wrong I've owned my fair share and still do, but they don't come into their own until about 60-70 mph. That is the low range of where they are designed to run. Remember, most of these sportbikes are race replicas and derived from bikes designed for a speed no less than 60 mph, with the comfort to do 20-40 laps.

[sapaul]

If you can find a good nick CBR 600, that's about the best you can get in that range.

Bullet proof engines and frankly, too quick.

[jaskc78]

in the 600-650 range, i'd be partial to either a 2006 Ninja 650 in Silver or an SV650. the ninja just because i like the color scheme on that particular year and that particular color, the SV because they're comfortable, fun to ride, great on gas, and plenty of power to break the speed limit anywhere you want to go in the US.

[jstark47]

in the 600-650 range, i'd be partial to either a 2006 Ninja 650 in Silver or an SV650.

+1, another vote for either of the 650 twins.

[vladmech]

I like the idea of a Ninja 650 because it seems to just be an upscaled 250, so has the same more relaxed seating position compared to say the 600s, correct?

How old would you guys go on a bike? Take something like this:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/1595752404.html
It's 13 years old, but has had less then 1000 miles put on it per year, and is reasonably priced. Is that something you'd consider?

[Wrider]

It's still a super sport and much less comfortable than something like an FZ6 or an SV650/Ninja 650.
The older CBRs are great bikes, but they're slow and heavy even compared to an FZ.
What kind of price range are you looking at? That could help us narrow things down for you.

[vladmech]

Probably around 3200 bucks right now. Would I get a noticeable jump in bike quality/awesomeness if I saved up to say around the 4k mark?

Edit: I'm liking the look of the FZ6, what are opinions on this guy?

[mazer]

1985 or 86 Honda nighthawk 700s. Cant go wrong, good prices. Bullet proof, and easy maintenance

[Ninja Geoff]

+1 for the Ninja 650R.