Total Motorcycle Community Forums

It's being sold as a newbie's bike and I'm more or less new.
I've been riding around this crappy CB400 someone practically gave me, and I suppose that's been valuable for experience, blablabla.

Anyway that's not what I am asking about.

I am looking into buying the Kawa 650R but I hear bad things about its brakes and suspension.
How much would it cost to stick in a nicer suspension and brakes?

Heimdall Einherjar wrote:It's being sold as a newbie's bike and I'm more or less new.
I've been riding around this crappy CB400 someone practically gave me, and I suppose that's been valuable for experience, blablabla.

Anyway that's not what I am asking about.

I am looking into buying the Kawa 650R but I hear bad things about its brakes and suspension.
How much would it cost to stick in a nicer suspension and brakes?

Welcome to the community Heimdall!

Have you been riding the CB400 for long? It's actually a great little bike I highly recommend IT myself to new riders. I've owned a 1980 CB400T and my wife still owns a 1981 CB400T.

As the Kawasaki 650R is way to new and unproven I would take ANY review from ANY reviewer with a grain of salt. Wait a year to see the reviews on it and decide if it needs anything for you. I haven't heard anything bad at all about the Kawasaki 650R yet. I doubt any aftermarket items are available for the bike in any quanity or quality as the bike just hit the showroom floors.

Nice bike the 650R though.

Mike.

I'm with Mike. I haven't heard any stories about the 650R's brakes or suspension, but since it's only been available for a matter of months, I'd take the complaints with a grain of salt.

If it truly had lousy brakes and suspension, what would be the point of buying a brand new one, then spending major bucks to replace those items? Call me practical, but I think I'd set my sights on a similar performing machine that had the brakes and suspension that I was looking for.

From what I heard, the breaks weren't bad at all, they just weren't up to race replica spec (which shouldn't be on a bike for beginners anyway).

all I know about the 650R is that SVRaceShop is also prepping one to race. I'll stick to my SV650S myself.

All the reviews I've read have said it's a great all around bike, though head to head the SV650 comes out on top in almost all categories.

As far as bad brakes/suspension, it cannot be as good as the current crop of super bikes riding around on ohlins with 4 caliper brembo brakes. But what it has is more then adequate unless you're planning on having it as a track only bike...

Heimdall Einherjar wrote:....I am looking into buying the Kawa 650R but I hear bad things about its brakes and suspension...

Don't loose sight that no matter how "bad" the new 2006 Kawasaki 650R suspension and brakes are, they will be a lot better than your CB400's!

Mike.

totalmotorcycle wrote:I highly recommend myself to new riders.
Mike.

That is very generous of you mike.

totalmotorcycle wrote:

Heimdall Einherjar wrote:It's being sold as a newbie's bike and I'm more or less new.
I've been riding around this crappy CB400 someone practically gave me, and I suppose that's been valuable for experience, blablabla.

Anyway that's not what I am asking about.

I am looking into buying the Kawa 650R but I hear bad things about its brakes and suspension.
How much would it cost to stick in a nicer suspension and brakes?

Welcome to the community Heimdall!

Have you been riding the CB400 for long? It's actually a great little bike I highly recommend myself to new riders. I've owned a 1980 CB400T and my wife still owns a 1981 CB400T.

As the Kawasaki 650R is way to new and unproven I would take ANY review from ANY reviewer with a grain of salt. Wait a year to see the reviews on it and decide if it needs anything for you. I haven't heard anything bad at all about the Kawasaki 650R yet. I doubt any aftermarket items are available for the bike in any quanity or quality as the bike just hit the showroom floors.

Nice bike the 650R though.

Mike.

Thanks for the welcome.
That's a good piece of advice.

I've been riding this thing for 2 weeks.

Where were you when I was learning how to ride? I bet your back would have been much more comfy that that stock honda seat! What does one need to do to get you to make a vroom vroom sound?

totalmotorcycle wrote:I highly recommend myself to new riders.