Am I a beginner?

Message

hirenmistry · Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:41 pm

First of a big Hello to all the forumers. This is my first post on this forum.
This is my post here.

Presently I ride a '89 model Yamaha RD350 that has around 37BHP and here in India thats probably the most powerful bike ever made (its extinct now

). The current crop of bikes barely touch 20BHP.

Very soon I will be moving to a country where I can buy a bigger and better bike. Now I need to clear this lingering doubt in my head. Am I a beginner?

I was fascinated by the 600cc sportbikes but after much reading here and elsewhere on the internet I feel they will be a recipe for disaster. So I've narrowed down to the naked 600cc bikes likes the Suzuki GSR600, Yamaha FZ6 et al.

Will these be good for me? Or should I buy something that is even less powerful. I would've loved to buy the SV650 but its not avialable in that part of the world (Dubai).

Look forward to hear from you.

Cheers,
Hiren

roscowgo · #2 Unread post by **roscowgo** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:22 am

If you feel ready for one, give it a go

I'm guessing you rode your old bike for quite awhile?

Johnj · #3 Unread post by **Johnj** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:06 am

Are you going to Dubai to be a guest worker?

Ninja Geoff · Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:07 pm

The GSR600, FZ600, CB600, etc are excellent choices as a second bike. Though don't be afraid of trying the "watered down" versions of the sport bikes (not to say you can't handle the RR's) such as the CBR600F4i, the YZF600R, etc.

As for you being a beginner, maybe. Maybe not. How long have you been riding? If you've only been riding for a month on that RD, then yeah, beginner. Not to say you aren't ready for something bigger and better. If you honestly believe you're better at riding, why not give a bigger bike a chance. And if you can, take the RD with you, after riding a bigger bike, it's fun now and then to go back to what you started on. Helps you appreciate what you're currently riding, and what you used to ride.

hirenmistry · Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:46 pm

roscowgo wrote:If you feel ready for one, give it a go

I'm guessing you rode your old bike for quite awhile?

I am still riding that bike along with a 175cc 4 stroker. I've been riding for around 15 odd years

hirenmistry · Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:47 pm

Johnj wrote:Are you going to Dubai to be a guest worker?

I did not quite get what you mean by a guest worker. I will be going there for a fairly long term 5 years or so.

hirenmistry · Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:53 pm

Ninja Geoff wrote:The GSR600, FZ600, CB600, etc are excellent choices as a second bike. Though don't be afraid of trying the "watered down" versions of the sport bikes (not to say you can't handle the RR's) such as the CBR600F4i, the YZF600R, etc.

As for you being a beginner, maybe. Maybe not. How long have you been riding? If you've only been riding for a month on that RD, then yeah, beginner. Not to say you aren't ready for something bigger and better. If you honestly believe you're better at riding, why not give a bigger bike a chance. And if you can, take the RD with you, after riding a bigger bike, it's fun now and then to go back to what you started on. Helps you appreciate what you're currently riding, and what you used to ride.

Wow!! This is music to my ears!

I've ben riding for 15 odd years and have been on the RD for past 3 years or so. Much as I'd like to take the RD to Dubai but I dont think it will be feasible. I will be selling to bike to a mate before I leave.

Earlier I had narrowed down the CBR600F4i as its available in Dubai but compared to the RR or the R6 it kinda looks outdated.

Now when I get there the F4i will be first bike I test ride, the rest later.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers.

Fast Eddy B · Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:09 am

I agree with your choice of the CBR600F as a good all around bike for a middle-skilled (what ever that is) type rider. And while it doesn't look quite as good as the RR's and R6's it does have a good amount of go, turn and stop.

But one warning: the stock mirrors are garbage. If traffic in Dubai is like the rest of the Middle East then you'll want better. Am not sure if aftermarket are available, or if they are, that they are any good. Does anybody know if there is a brand specific site for 600F4i's?

Good luck.

hirenmistry · Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:20 am

Fast Eddy B wrote:I agree with your choice of the CBR600F as a good all around bike for a middle-skilled (what ever that is) type rider. And while it doesn't look quite as good as the RR's and R6's it does have a good amount of go, turn and stop.

But one warning: the stock mirrors are "poo poo". If traffic in Dubai is like the rest of the Middle East then you'll want better. Am not sure if aftermarket are available, or if they are, that they are any good. Does anybody know if there is a brand specific site for 600F4i's?

Good luck.

Thanks!! Makes me feel real good

The traffic is maddening in Dubai. But coming from India I think its a controlled chaos. You still need to be vary of the SUV's though, they are in 2 varieties: big and oh my god!!!

Biking is a very very new phenomenon here in UAE, so no after market and hardly reliable.

Cheers

Ninja Geoff · Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:04 am

hirenmistry wrote:
Ninja Geoff wrote:The GSR600, FZ600, CB600, etc are excellent choices as a second bike. Though don't be afraid of trying the "watered down" versions of the sport bikes (not to say you can't handle the RR's) such as the CBR600F4i, the YZF600R, etc.

As for you being a beginner, maybe. Maybe not. How long have you been riding? If you've only been riding for a month on that RD, then yeah, beginner. Not to say you aren't ready for something bigger and better. If you honestly believe you're better at riding, why not give a bigger bike a chance. And if you can, take the RD with you, after riding a bigger bike, it's fun now and then to go back to what you started on. Helps you appreciate what you're currently riding, and what you used to ride.
Wow!! This is music to my ears!
I've ben riding for 15 odd years and have been on the RD for past 3 years or so. Much as I'd like to take the RD to Dubai but I dont think it will be feasible. I will be selling to bike to a mate before I leave.

Earlier I had narrowed down the CBR600F4i as its available in Dubai but compared to the RR or the R6 it kinda looks outdated.

Now when I get there the F4i will be first bike I test ride, the rest later.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers.

That's because, well, the F4i IS outdated. It came before the RR. And until the RR came out, it was Honda's top of the line 600cc sport bike. It used to come with a similar dual plank seat that the RR has now, but they kept it around, swapped to a more comfortable seat, and it filled the niche they wanted perfectly. A middleweight, fast, high performance, COMFORTABLE, bike that was somewhat easier to commute and deal with traffic with than it's RR breathren. THAT'S the beauty behind the F4i. That's also it's selling point to me (when i can afford it, upgrading from my 650R to an F4i most likely). Now if you want something that's going to live on the track, or you don't mind the extreme seating position and touchyness that's inherent with the full bore out-of-the-box-race-bikes then go with the RR! Or an R6. Or a ZX-6R*. Or a GSX-R 600. You'll love any of them (if extreme performance is your goal).

*quick note on the ZX-6R. Until this model year, Kawasaki had a ZX-6R, and a ZX-6RR. The 6R was also dubbed the "636" due to it's 636cc motor. And the 6RR kept a traditional 599cc motor (i'm assuming for WSBK, AMA, etc) and got the REAL top of the line stuff. Now, for 2007, the ZX-6R/636 was dropped, and they re-named (and re-did IIRC) the ZX-6RR as the ZX-6R. SO the ZX-6R now has a 599cc motor. Just something to be aware of if you end up shopping new kawasakis.