Upgrade to 600cc or 1000cc

[zulu warrior]

OK, I've had my Ninja 650 and its been a great ride. This was my first bike and I initially planned to only ride it on the weekends. Oh well - my daily commuting car went into the shop for 3 weeks (still there) and I ended up riding my bike to work. I've grown a lot as a rider and I'm looking to make take the next step.

I wasn't sure what I initially wanted - 600, 1000, or compromise (GSX750). I'm leaning to the Honda CBR 600rr. When I went to the dealer to sit on the bike, he suggested that the CBR 1000 should also be looked.

Without riding both models, I have no idea what I should get. I would like to have the next bike for 3-4 years.

Thanks.

[Wrider]

Make sure you're comfortable in the saddle on all of them too.
As far as the GSXR750 goes, honestly the 600s and 1000s are so close anymore you don't need the 750. The 08 CBR1000RR also weighs a pound less than the 08 GSXR600 (claimed dry weights). So it just depends on what you want.
Good luck!
Wrider

[Ninja Geoff]

The 08 1000RR makes the GSX-R750 obsolete supposedly. It out handles and waaayy out powers the 750. Though up until last year the 750 was THE bike to have for the best spread of handling, power, and real world use. And for what its worth, I rode an 06 1000RR and have a 650R myself. The 1000RR was more powerful than I could ever have believed if I hadn't ridden one. And that was at only 9k RPMs. I almost shat when I hit redline in 3rd and saw what my speed was. And the brakes. Oh my god, the brakes. I was back to the speed limit in mere seconds after my brush with the redline.

[dr_bar]

You've ridden for how long?

Do you honestly need a litre sport bike?

Unlike the cruisers, a litre sport bike is just pure unadulterated power.

[zulu warrior]

i've ridden since July 2008 - not terribly wrong. Fortunately/unfortunately, my riding skills were pressed into action. I've been commuting in NYC for the last 4-6 weeks. Scary at first, but i've come a long way.

And, no, I don't have to have a litre bikes. That's my other concern - I don't want to have all of this power and not have the ability to use it everyday. on the weekends, I drive upstate on the highway into the mountains so there is alot of "open road".

I would be ok if folks were saying 600 or 750. Similar to what Wrider said, the lines between the 600 and 1000 are becoming blurry!

[dr_bar]

If you're only riding on the street, you'll NEVER use the full potential of a litre bike. (at least not legally...)

[shalihe74]

My opinion is that liter sportbikes are too much for the road in general, and waaaaay too much for a commuter bike. You'll spend all of your time in 2nd gear wondering why you spent so much money for power and performance that you rarely get to use.

If you're looking at a bike mainly to use as a commuter, you probably want to really think about whether a sport bike is what you need. Sure, they look sexy and perform, but they're not fun to sit in traffic on. Cramped, aggressive riding positions and lots of heat come immediately to mind.

And, honestly.... riding since July 08? Soo... a couple of months? Somewhere there is a statistic that shows that most riders crash not in their first few months of riding - when they're conscious of the fact that they're just learning - but after they've got a bit of experience under their belt. They start to feel confident in their abilities, start pushing more and more and then encounter a situation their lack-of-experience hasn't prepared them for and... go down.

I guarantee you that you have not even touched at the boundaries of your 650's performance in the 2 months you've been riding it. Rather than spending a lot of money on a flashy new bike (and the hefty insurance that goes with it), why not invest some cash into advanced training - an ERC course or a track day - that will let you explore the limits of your current scoot and hone your burgeoning skills - before falling into the 'I need more power' trap?

Just a thought.

[ofblong]

If you're only riding on the street, you'll NEVER use the full potential of a litre bike. (at least not legally...)

depends on what you mean by potential. If your talking as fast as you can possibly go then yes your right. BUT if your talking getting into traffic as fast as you can thats a different story.

[zulu warrior]

Great points....

My opinion is that liter sportbikes are too much for the road in general, and waaaaay too much for a commuter bike. You'll spend all of your time in 2nd gear wondering why you spent so much money for power and performance that you rarely get to use.

If you're looking at a bike mainly to use as a commuter, you probably want to really think about whether a sport bike is what you need. Sure, they look sexy and perform, but they're not fun to sit in traffic on. Cramped, aggressive riding positions and lots of heat come immediately to mind.

And, honestly.... riding since July 08? Soo... a couple of months? Somewhere there is a statistic that shows that most riders crash not in their first few months of riding - when they're conscious of the fact that they're just learning - but after they've got a bit of experience under their belt. They start to feel confident in their abilities, start pushing more and more and then encounter a situation their lack-of-experience hasn't prepared them for and... go down.

I guarantee you that you have not even touched at the boundaries of your 650's performance in the 2 months you've been riding it. Rather than spending a lot of money on a flashy new bike (and the hefty insurance that goes with it), why not invest some cash into advanced training - an ERC course or a track day - that will let you explore the limits of your current scoot and hone your burgeoning skills - before falling into the 'I need more power' trap?

Just a thought.

[zulu warrior]

If you're only riding on the street, you'll NEVER use the full potential of a litre bike. (at least not legally...)

depends on what you mean by potential. If your talking as fast as you can possibly go then yes your right. BUT if your talking getting into traffic as fast as you can thats a different story.

For me, acceleration is a bigger deal for me. I don't need to go 100mph. Too old for that (38yrs)