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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?

Have you sat on either bike? If so, how do they fit? Are you aware that they are both much more powerful than the 250 you had previously? Are you well versed with throttle modulation?

As long as you are mature enough to ride such a bike, and are aware of the potential those bikes have, I say go for it if they tickle your fancy.

That seems like a tad bit much for a new rider IMHO. I have been looking for my 1st street bike for a while. I just bought a used 1997 EX500 with 2500 miles on it for 2500 bucks. I had riden dirt bikes for 5-6 years and my dads v-star 1100 for a few times. I rode a inline 4 and ya the power was there but three things:

1. the bike was extreemly uncomfterable to me. I would have to get used to the ergos at the same time as getting used to the power band/clutch, this seemed like a drop waiting to happen.

2. Insurace is an issue for me cause i dont have a big monthly income due to being a full time student. Also the cost of the inline 4's is a lot higher over time and if you drop it your insurance goes up more then if you dropped a ninja 500.

3. I actually felt like i would enjoy the ninja more at first. It felt like a samurai sword between my legs. Not unearthly powerfull put percision and light and nimble. the inline 4's felt like a Viking 95lb double blade hugangous thing. I could see though that eventually the inline 4's could be much more nimble and incredibly faster then the 500. However I feel like in order to master the inline 4 i would have to master the 500 first.

Long, but just my 2 cents. The 500 felt plenty quick for me. If you incist on more then look at a the sv650s (fully faired) or honda 599. I liked those but they were a tad bit tall for me.

I personally don't think those are great bikes for someone who hasn't ridden in years and only has 600 miles on a bike. That's not to say you'd kill yourself necessarily or that it couldn't work out just fine for you, just that those bikes wouldn't be my first choice for a beginner. Just my opinion, but I'd take the msf and do a season or so on a bike with a bit of a less responsive throttle than those bikes have. At the very least make sure you're properly geared up and hit the parking lot a couple of times before you get into traffic. That's my .02 - good luck.

600 miles a few years ago doesn't amount to very much. My initial reaction is that you should probably try to keep the bike that you buy under about 75 horse, and the f4i is a little over that at 100.

How about considering a bike like the suzuki sv650?

At any rate, I would definitely recommend that you take the MSF course (and if you took it 2 years ago, you should probably take it again)

Tame as the F4i might be, she's still a supersport. By that I mean, if you slip on the throttle or misjudge a curve, you can very quickly and very easily get yourself into a life-or-death situation. Much more quickly than on a smaller bike.

That being said, I picked up an F4i as my first streetbike and have been doing fine, just taking things slowly and not pushing more than one limit at a time. You really have to be careful and respect the bike's power.

Id' say bad idea, but if you want it badly enough there's always someone who is willing to say it's a good starting bike.

Look at the SV650 I have one, they are plenty fast, kinda forgiving and fun to ride

Newrider42 wrote: 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

It's a great starter bike for the suicide-prone crazy...