Is this bike too much for a semi beginner?

[Facington]

I just recently bought the F4i, and by buddy got the RR. I am also a novice rider. The F4i is a lot more comfortable than the RR. More of an upright position that saves on back ache. RR is also definately more touchy. I didnt' feel like i was in total control when taking around the block.

the F4i is definately a supersport bike that should be feared and respected, as everyone has already quickly pointed out, BUT its not as impossible to ride as everyone says. I bought it with my only experience being the motorcycle safety course. I am still riding very tentatively as i am getting used to the bike. Personally, i think the bike is very easy to ride and control. As long as you don't act like an idiot and try to do wheelies on day one or break the sound barrier, i think you will be happy with this choice. OBVIOUSLY, this does not account for other bad drivers, and yes, as everyone says, if you have too much bike that you can't control well under you, you will make a bad brake or bad wrist movement and... well you know. And when i say you, i mean me, because i am essentially in the same shoes you are, just i was in them about 3 weeks ago.

I love my F4i. I recommend it. Comfortable. Looks awesome. Easy to ride. I'm obviously a new rider, so take my 2 pennies with a grain of salt, the old heads on here have much more experience and knowledge than myself, but in the end, its your decision. Good Luck.

[Wizzard]

No offense intended , but I think that if you have to ask , then more than likely it is still way too much bike for now . Take the good suggestions made with your safety in mind and follow them .
And remember that Gray-haired bikers don't get that way by pure luck.
Kind regards, Wizzard

[swatter555]

There is no easy answer to that question. Some will tell you to minimize your risks when your learning to ride, good advice. When they tell you to minimize risk, they mean take it easy, take the MSF course, and do not get a super-sport. Overall, it is certainly good advice.

If you can afford to fork out 3k in cash for a used bike to learn on, then I would suggest that. If you can do that, a ninja 500 or a SV650 would be great.

On the other hand, if your like most of us, your bike will be financed. If that is the case, you need to think a little harder about a bike you wont mind having for a few years. The SV650 is a good choice all round: good looks, decent power(for a beginner), and its forgiving. I have a brand new SV650S and Im also a beginner, so I can speak confidently on that issue. Except the first hour of riding on it, I have felt in complete control 95% of the time. There are some down sides, though. Im am pretty sure I will outgrow it in 6 months to a year, if not sooner. I guess, that is a downside a beginner cannot get out of... safely.

At the same time, Im glad I didnt seriously consider getting a super-sport. Reason 1: I dropped it once at a standstill. If I had a full fairing bike, I probably would have caused a good bit of damage. Reason 2: the throttle of a super-sport would just be too touchy to be comfortable on while learning.

You have ridden a bike before, so its not likely you will wheelie and flip the bike the first time you get on it (speaking of a super-sport). At the same time, you will leave yourself less room for mistakes when you learn on a super-sport. And that could mean serious injury. If you have your head screwed on straight, and your aware of the risks, get the bike you want. I asked myself if jumping straight into a super-sport was worth the increased chance of injury while I learn, I decided no.

On the other hand, dont start too small like some would argue. If I would have financed a ninja 500 or a gs500f, I would probably be regretting that decision, just a month later. With my experience on an SV650S, this is a great learner bike for someone who is 6'2, 230 lbs. If your smaller, then maybe a ninja 500 would be a good size.

If your going to finance it, go with what your gut tells you. On the other hand, if you are injury prone, have tons of speeding tickets, at fault accidents, and have a cell phone attached to your ear in your car, then ignore your gut and get a ninja 500.

[Newrider42]

Thanks for all the input. Since I don't plan on getting one until next year, I will probably get a cheapie bike this year and get caught up with my riding skills. It would kill me to drop a new bike.

[swatter555]

I used to have a Honda Interceptor 250 early 90's model about 3 years ago. I had it for about 2 years but only put around 600 miles on it. I was fairly comfortable with riding but sold it for a boat. Now I want to ride again and think I would like it more if I had a decent one, one with a fuel gauge and that hasn't been turned over three or four times. I want to get a Honda CBR600 F4i. Is this too much for somewhat of a beginner? The other model I am looking at is the CBR600RR. Any advice?

Neither of these is good for someone who put 600 miles on a bike 3 years ago.

Bo back and look at the stickies. You would still 'qualify' as a beginner. An SV650 is on the tall end of 'borderline' because it has a touchy throttle and VERY sticky brakes. You can too easily goose the bike right out from under yourself, until you learn good throttle control. Go used and small to get comfortable with the basics... in 6 months you can sell it for what you paid (and a used bike is waaay cheaper to insure) and buy the CBR you're trusting after.

P

I can only envision really rare circumstances in which the stock SV650 could wheelie and throw you off. Short of opening the throttle all the way and letting the clutch out fast(on accident), it would be hard to do. If a person has zero experience with the concept of a clutch, I would bet any bike could hurt them.

[Lion_Lady]

IT isn't as hard as you think... if you've got your wrist high and lose focus, or your balance, you drop your wrist and there goes the throttle. WHAM! the bike is up and away, and you're on the pavement wondering what happened. Hopefully, not badly injured.

Someone posted about doing exactly that on an SV650. Bent the front rim (among other damage) when the bike landed on the curb.

Chosing an SV650 as your first bike is like taking a thoroughbred racehorse out for a 'walk,' they're both sensitive and tuned to GO which requires a great deal of focus and restraint to keep under control.

P

[Sev]

I've been putting a lot of thought into this lately. And the honest truth is that I do believe that it is possible to go out and learn on a 600cc supersport. BUT, BUT the problem with this theory is that you need to pay a lot of attention to your bike. More then you would on say, a ninja or rebel or even a savage. You need to focus on smooth clutching, careful throttle application, and when coming to a stop you need to keep that tippy (top-heavy for good cornering) beast upright. All of that is tough to do on any bike, but the more powerful and top heavy the bike is, the tougher it is to do. And subsequently the more attention you need to pay to the bike.

Paying attention to your bike isn't a bad thing, if you're the only one on the road. But as soon as you get other vehicles involved then you're asking for trouble. You're small, quiet and generally tough to see. In most cases of accidents involving bikes and another vehicle it is the result of the cage "not seeing" the bike. So it's your responsibility to keep your eyes peeled for the car that's trying to hit you. A momentary lapse in attention can have pretty bad consequences for you.

I know that when I first started riding a Suzuki Savage, I refused to ride during rush hour, I stuck to back roads when possible, and generally avoided traffic. I needed to learn what the bike was telling me, so I wasn't always paying as much attention to the cars around me.

When I switched bikes to the Honda 599 I was even more careful about it. One of my most stressful rides in the first 400km was at 3:20 pm just around town. School lets out at 3:20 and suddenly there were several thosand 2 legged moving speedbumps running around. Needless to say I got home as fast as I could.

[iwannadie]

learning on a 600/super sport is do'able yes. but whats the added benefit or reason or even a need to do so? no ever comes up with a solid reason why they need to learn on an R6 instead of the ninja 250/500.

usually they bring up comfort which i say is BS, looking at the dimensions shows all these bikes are pretty much the same(seat height). sitting on them will show you how the r6(any super sport) has a much more aggressive ride position laying you on the tank. i cant see how laying on the tank with handle bars below your seats level, your feet a few inchs below and almost behind the seat is comfortable because your taller? to me the supersports are ment for smaller people to ride on. look at the racers they are all short guys(from what ive seen). Valentino Rossi is 5'9" tall... you cant say your 6'3" so you need an r1 because your too tall for anything else. it doesnt work that way(unless its a cruiser but even then its BS).

saying the smaller(cc engine) bikes feel like toys isnt enough of a reaon. guess what its not the bike youll be on forever its to learn and teach you with, then you get rid of it in a few months.

being stuck with the bike isnt going to happen, buy it and turn around and sell it off for almost what you paid for it within a year, you cant claim finacial reasons for it. if anything buying the smaller cheaper bike will leave you more money for gear now.

this is all besides the fact they are very powerfull and very touchy. why try to learn on something that reacts to your very slightest of a move? what need could you want for that much distraction while out on the busy roads?

someone pointed out all the work you can do to limit the revs etc. but then you basically have a de-tuned bike with just as much power as the recomended learner bikes with the added costs of doing all this de-tuning the retune when you think your ready. also the bike is much higher/top heavy. with touchier controls that might over whelm a new rider.

then of course is the cost of repairs. you drop your nice shiney new supersport and ruin the plastics your out a load of cash or stuck riding around on a horrible looking bike(and most likely the reason you got it was because how it looked). if you get a learner bike chances are its already scratch up or cracked whatever. if you add some more so what the next guy in line wont care and be fine with some age showing on it.

i just want to know the Reason for starting on a super sport, then maybe i can understand why people think they want to.

but whatever, maybe my spelling was too bad to make my point again i dunno. but i will laugh when i see some kid on an r1 stailing out at every light because he cant handle the bike, or the kid that has dropped his brand new 10K$ bike because he didnt know how to handle it.

[BuzZz]

Had my fill of this arguement going round-n-round months ago(not that it should not be discussed, just that my head is sore from banging it against the wall...wrecked a good helmet too.... ) but.....

I think most people can learn to ride on most any bike. The "I will be careful...... I'm not a squid...." arguement, is a moot piont. Riding in normal circumstances is one thing, it's when you hit a patch of gravel, a car cuts you off, a kid jumps into the road or something requireing learned reflexes comes at you that a highly tuned sportbike will give you grief. Or a big, heavy cruiser.

But really, it's your call. Your the one on the pionty end of the stick. All it means to me when a newbie wipes off cubic yards of his own skin, is that my insurance rates go up.....

[iwannadie]

Had my fill of this arguement going round-n-round months ago(not that it should not be discussed, just that my head is sore from banging it against the wall...wrecked a good helmet too.... ) but.....

I think most people can learn to ride on most any bike. The "I will be careful...... I'm not a squid...." arguement, is a moot piont. Riding in normal circumstances is one thing, it's when you hit a patch of gravel, a car cuts you off, a kid jumps into the road or something requireing learned reflexes comes at you that a highly tuned sportbike will give you grief. Or a big, heavy cruiser.

But really, it's your call. Your the one on the pionty end of the stick. All it means to me when a newbie wipes off cubic yards of his own skin, is that my insurance rates go up.....

but you do get an organ donor for when something happens to you right. might be worth the rate hike in the long run ...unless they are turned into spam and theres no thing left of the carcass.

newbie super bike experience.
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