Thinking about a 600cc sportsbike? Think again.

[Skier]

It seems there are always new riders out there who think they need the latest and the greatest motorcycle or it won't be worth their time. They have their eyes glued on a 600cc sportsbike, brand new, since they are so inexpensive compared to a new car. They figure they will just take it easy and grow into the bike.

Well, that's really not the case. Hopping on to a 2005 600cc sportsbike with little to no time in the saddle beforehand is about the same as throwing a 16 year old driver into the seat of a 2005 C6 Corvette. Only with much, much more potential for disaster.

Think you need the performance of a 600cc bike? Let's look at some numbers.

The 2005 Chevy Corvette is a superbly performing automobile. Best bang for the buck, hands down, with absolutely stellar performance. It can do 0 to 60 MPH somewhere under 4.1 seconds. It does the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds and traps at 114 MPH (1).

Let's take a look at a new 600cc sportsbike and see what it does. The 2004 Yamaha FZ6 will run you under $6500 for a pristine model. It does 0 to 60 MPH in 3.44 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds and traps at 119.42 MPH (2).

Let's take a look at another bike, the Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa will do the quarter mile in 10.3 seconds and finishes at 143.9 MPH (3). It does 0 to 60 in a face-melting 2.6 seconds (4).

0 to 60 times

Code: Select all

Corvette     FZ6    GSX1300R
4.1          3.44   2.6

So, the Hayabusa will absolutely blow the doors off the 'vette and the 600cc bike isn't too far behind. Let's make this a bit more interesting and throw a car we all know is high performance, a 2003 Porsche Carrera GT.

quarter mile time (5)

Code: Select all

Carrera GT     FZ6     GSX1300R
11.4          11.3         10.3

If you're on a bike, you're going to rip the $400,000 USD car a new one, plain and simple.

Now think about the raw power at your command. But is it really? When you start riding, you're learning a new skill set - you are not going to be perfect with the clutch, gas and brakes when you hop on a bike for the first time. You're going to make mistakes. And bikes with this kind of performance are not forgiving at all. They can throw you off in any gear and lock up a wheel with a tiny bit too much brake applied.

Remember when I made the analogy of throwing a 16 year old behind the wheel of that Corvette? Thought it was a pretty stupid idea, huh? Well, if you put yourself in the saddle of a bike that makes the 'vette look like a slowpoke, what do you think is going to happen then?

I can already here people complaining they don't want to buy a small bike and have to go slow. Well, a 1999 Kawasaki Ninja 250, a recommended learner's bike, will do 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds and do the quarter mile in 15.5 seconds. That's still plenty of grunt to get around, and you know what? You're still faster than a vast majority of cars on the road.

So, next time you think you need the latest and greatest bike, think about getting a "slow" bike. A fast car and a fast bike are two completely different animals. A fast bike is going to suck the headlights out of a fast car any day of the week, plain and simple.

Please, start small. Once you've learned how to control a 250 or 500cc bike, you can move up to a faster bike. And there is always the chance you find out that 500cc bike is more than enough power for you, in which case you've just saved yourself money, time and anguish.

Ride safe!

1: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp ... e_number=5
2: http://motorcyclistonline.com/roadtests/7k/
3: http://www.hyp4r.com/hayabusa/performance.htm
4: http://www.dragbike.com/news/features/hayabusa_tech.htm
5: http://www.supercars.net/cars/2003@$Por ... 20GTx.html

[Skier]

For the sake of information, let's look at comparative ownership costs of starting on a 2003 ZX-6R versus getting a smaller bike (a 1998 Suzuki GS500E) then switching two years later in 2007 for a 2005 ZX-6R.

Start on ZX-6R for first 2 years and keep that same bike after that:

Bike cost:
2003 ZX-6R in good condition
$5675 (KBB)

Insurance:
Progressive for a 18 year old (I chose Virginia arbitrarily):
$1047 each year (liability only) [full coverage was $7290 per year!!]

Equipment:
helmet $200
jacket and gloves $300
boots $100

Maintenance:
$400

Repairs:
Estimates on cost of one parking lot drop
One OEM side fairing
$700
One broken mirror
$120

Fuel:
for the sake of simplicity lets assume that they get the same mpg of 40 although the Kawasaki probably gets lower fuel economy and the smaller Suzuki get higher.
for 18,000 miles of riding at $2 a gallon for premium at 40 mpg
$900

Total Projected Cost of starting on 2003 ZX-6R: $10,489

Start on 1998 GS500E for first 2 years then sell to buy 2 year old 2005 ZX-6R:

Bike cost:
1998 Suzuki GS500 in good condition
$2110 (KBB)
[Sold after 2 years for $1920 (price of 96 GS500)]
Net loss: $190 dollars
Cost of 2005 ZX-6R in 2 years about the same as current 2003 ZX so: $5675

Insurance:
$498 per year [$2530.00 per year full coverage]

Equipment:
helmet $200
jacket and gloves $300
boots $100

Maintenance:
$400

Repairs:
Estimates on cost of one parking lot drop (no fairing)
One broken mirror
$120

Fuel:
for 18,000 miles of riding at $2 a gallon for premium at 40 mpg
$900

Total Projected Cost of starting on GS500E then getting 2005 ZX-6R - $8881


Difference in starting on 2003 ZX-6R for 2 years ($10,489) versus
starting on 1998 Suzuki GS500E for 2 years then buying 2005 ZX-6R ($8881)
is a loss of $1608 for starting larger if you only get liability insurance.

For full coverage insurance, difference in starting on 2003 ZX-6R for 2 years ($22,975) versus
starting on 1998 Suzuki GS500E for 2 years then buying 2005 ZX-6R ($12,945)
is a loss of $10,030 for starting larger.

In conclusion for starting smaller, you'll save $1608 over 2 years if you buy a 1998 Suzuki GS500E and a 2005 ZX-6R two years from now and better yet you'll end up with a 2005 ZX instead of a 2003 ZX in two years.

Quote from Yuns from the Something Awful forums. Quite informative.

[iwannadie]

i agree, you shouldnt go out and get the latest and greatest of anything to learn with. but it is tempting to anyone, the biggest thrill of a bike is performance over a car. and to be able to get a vast amount of performance for a bargin bin price compared to a car how can someone not Want that. any beginner doesnt know what they are getting into and can only relate the experience to driving a car. they think about how driving a dodge neon compares to a 'vette(if the even drove a vette before) and think no thing of it. i always here people brag about the performance cars theyve driven and think because of that they can handle a bike. or the people that learn on dirt and figure a street bike cant be that much differnt than a 250cc dirt bike.

however people need to realize how much performance is actually in the smaller bikes. someone riding for the first time wont have any idea how to handle the power of a tuned bike. even if they dont kill themselfs they will not tap into the power of the bike. with a less bike they can actually get a handle on they will still be a leap ahead of pretty much any car on the road. a slow bike will beat most fast cars easy if you know how to handle it.

but the bottom line is people dont understand and will want the bigger faster machines.

[Sev]

My new thing is to direct people to www.buysell.com and say, "count how many 600cc sports bikes from 2000 and on are for sale. How many have helmets and leathers included? How many have less then 3000 km on them?" Wow that is a LOT, I wonder why so many get sold like that... Maybe it's because buying a bike like that is not a good idea to start.

[JCS]

It gets better. In this comparison the FZ-6 is not considered to be a sports bike. It is marketed as a standard with a de-tuned version of the 600 sport bike. The actual sport 600's are a little faster than this.

[pyropig]

What people dont understand is that motorcycles in themselves are fast. A Kawasaki Ninja 250 will leave my 2002 dodge neon in the dust, all by its lonesome, and I can accelerate my car off the start fast enough to warrant a reckless driving ticket, and I admit it, I am guilty of speeds over 100 mph. I have wised up quite a bit, but this was when I had only been driving for about a year(been driving over 2 now). And the other thing is how fast bikes can accelerate already cruising at speed (say 50 mph) my dumb car just isnt that quick, but a bike, youd think they would burn rubber, already going that fast.

[stock28]

Anyone that has never ridden and has hopes of jumping on a 600 sport bike needs to take the MSF first. Then you will see what a little 250 is capable of when you have no experience. No, they are not fast by any means. But you will see how even they will jump forward with a little too much right hand off the line. Several people in my class dumped them in the corner by hitting the brakes at the wrong time due to too much speed. They paniced, hit the brakes, and down they went. Now this is a controlled environment at low speed. Imagine out in traffic at 45 MPH! Oh, and jeans are no match for asphalt even at 25 MPH.

[keysman]

Skier,

All I have to say is...

................

Thank you for this post. I also want to thank you to whomever made this sticky. You are doing the every new biker a great service.

[Toyuzu]

Excellent work, Skier! Now we have a sticky to lead every new "I'm getting my first bike and I want to know if an R6 or a GSXR 600 is faster" poster to. There seem to have been a lot of those, too.

[furitive_revolution]

just for info. i'm a new rider. just got my bike out the first time ever a couple weeks ago. have taken a handful of 200km+ trips. i started on a 2003 suzuki katana 600. in the right hands this can be a great starter bike. looks amazing, and has the power you could ever need for a starter. but if given to the wrong newbie who is to immature to know it's damn fast it could be deadly. for me since i have to much to lose, i ride the bike how i know i can handle it. for anyone lookin for a sporty bike that they'll have for a while, a 600 katana COULD be a good starter