Got the bike...

[PacificShot327]

It's been a long time since I've been on the forum here.

I finally got my bike on Wednesday. I'd been searching craigslist for months, mostly just looking for the sake of looking. I'm a cheapy and would rather not spend a whole lot on a first bike, since I know it won't be my last, and I know I'm going to end up putting it through hell.

Most used bikes around here go for about 2k+, more often than not, +++. I found a bike going for 900 a couple of weeks ago. Of course, I clicked on the link, but it turned out to be an old 600 sport bike. I have nothing against old, and I have nothing against sport bikes, but you guys (and ladies) have all driven into my head the idea of 600+newbie=epic fail.

So I closed out the window and moved on. Well, tried to move on. I looked at it some more and decided I would just go have a look at it. I brought a friend with me who knows about bike mechanics and asked him to take a look. He did and was surprised at how well-maintained it was. So I went for it.

So now I have myself a 1994 Yamaha FZR600R. It was different from what I expected, though. The throttle seems pretty forgiving. It doesn't jump at a twitch of the throttle. Brakes are smooth and not so sensitive that you feel like you're going to fly forward off the bike. All around, it just wasn't what I expected, after hearing all the bad things about having a 600. Or maybe I'm just being more cautious than I realize - my upper back and shoulders have been so sore, from tensing up while riding. Not to mention I keep getting passed up on the highways constantly... haha.

But I still don't condone starting out on a 600 (hypocritical, yes). In fact, if finances allow, I'll probably put this one up for a bit and wait for a 250 to find its way to me. I'm so nervous BECAUSE it's a 600 (I think it's just in my head at this point), and am not riding as well as I could be. I think with a 250, I might be a little more comfortable and be able to develop the skills that I need. I can ride on the streets ok right now - I'm not a pancake yet - but I'd like to eventually get on a mountain road and ride the twisties. I think that having this bike just won't allow me to get that good, or at least not for a veeeery long time.

Anyway, there's my story. I finally have a bike. Took long enough. I'm happy, but I'm ready for something smaller, so that I can work up to something bigger. This was just a chance that I really didn't want to pass up.

And I dearly love getting waves from other bikers.

[wrecks]

Congrats on the new bike!!! Ahhhh, the FZR series. Man, those bikes were the sh_t when I first started out. I was slobbering over the FZR 400 & 600 back in the day!!! In my opinion starting out on a 600 isn't going to automatically kill you. I believe its how you ride the 600 is what matters. If you ride like an asshat you can get yourself killed on any size moto whether its a 600cc or a 50cc. The only thing I can say about a smaller displacement bike is that you can learn or re-learn the basics of bike/brake/counter-steering quicker than on a larger displacement moto. Anyways, have fun, ride safe and post some pictures of her when you get the chance. What color scheme did you get?

[PacificShot327]

Considering she was used, I only had one choice. Yellow. All fairings are in bad shape - can tell she's been down a few times (probably a few more times yet to come, I'm sure). When I get the hang of this better and feel like investing the time and money, I'm going to replace the upper fairings (I like the look of no lower fairing) and get the R1 tail conversion kit. Sorry, but I'm not a big fan of that boxy butt they've got goin' on those FZRs.

Here's a couple that I took the other morning:




As you can see, it definitely needs some work. But I dearly love it ('cause it's mine!). Even though I'm replacing the fairings, I'm going to keep them yellow (color of my aunt's bike, a sort of in-memory-of type of thing, you know?).

I can't wait for warmer weather (but this cold isn't stopping me quite yet...).

[Gummiente]

can tell she's been down a few times (probably a few more times yet to come, I'm sure).

Don't be saying silly dodo like that! Think positive.

Happy Bike Day to you!

[PacificShot327]

haha, I'm just trying to be realistic. But I'm doing the best I can to keep the rubber side down!

[Nalian]

Happy Bike day. Be very conscious of your throttle hand positioning, you don't want to accidently grab way more than you expect. The bike will probably be gentle up until it hits it's power band. I think that's a 100 hp bike if bikez has the right specs up, so that bike definitely has a lot of capability of getting away from you.

Practice and be safe!

[PacificShot327]

Seems to be a little variation among websites, but yes, around 100 hp. However, I don't think I've even pushed it over 7k rpm (and that was a rush!!!). Maybe a while from now, on a closed road and when I've had plenty of miles with this bike under my belt, I *might* see what it can do. Until then, I'm just enjoying going slow.

[blues2cruise]

Yellow looks good.

[Wrider]

Nice bike!
And yeah, wait til you hit about 9 or 10K... That'll be a rush and a half for you!
Congrats again!

[Jadien]

Happy Belated Bike-Day!!!

Like Wrider said just wait til you gain that confidence to open her up, then you might just have a rush in an awkward orifice...

Also, don't let Wrider ride 'er... Otherwise he might get pulled over....