Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I am completely stumped as to which of the three to buy.

636
The Good: completely new bike/engine this year, great styling, has won almost all of the magazine shootouts
The Bad: I am not sure how kawasaki does on reliablity??

R6
The Good: finishes a close second to the 636 in all aspects
The Bad: outdated body styling, abrupt throttle

600RR
The Good: its a honda, black paint is awesome
The Bad: hard seat, expensive, a little slower

Which one would you choose and why?

The 636, since the only con you listed was a reliability concern that I feel is unfounded as far as Kawasaki is concerned. Their Ninja line has been a strong contender for a long time now. I'm pretty sure they have it together just as much as their competitors.

I have no facts to back any of this up, I'm just saying what I'm thinking.

You say the 636 is pretty much new, I wouldn't buy a new model until the 2nd or 3rd year, give them time to work out the kinks.

If I wasn't going to put my vote in for the Honda, I'd buy the Yamaha.

Buy the RR. I say that because I'm biased. And because Honda stands for reliability. I love my F4i. I'm gonna look into getting an RR next summer.

i don't think you can really go wrong with either of those bikes. go with what feels best to you.

nightingale wrote:i don't think you can really go wrong with either of those bikes. go with what feels best to you.

I agree completely... Go with your gut on this one.. they are all good.

Of course, when in doubt, go with the Honda

hey i would say jump on them take em' for a spin (if you can) and see what you think then. thats what i did sort of i didn't ride them but i sat on them, i was looking at 600RR and the GSX-R600 and i like the way the GSX-R sat more forward so i got it, and it was so worth it its quicker then my buds 600RR.

The new Kawi styling is totally awesome. All the 6's are GREAT FREAKIN' BIKES. I had an older carb'd R6 and definitely I like carb response, but FI is improving all the time.

Kawi makes great engines, usually there drawback is chassis/suspension tuning... but for street use, i can't see any problems with the thing.

My vote: Go for the 636!

Personally, I'd get the cheapest one, and ride it, ride it, ride it! Win,win,win situation here.

I've bought two first year Kawasaki ZX6s and they were the most indestructable bikes I've ever owned. Reliability is a Kawasaki strong point....

benefital wrote:hey i would say jump on them take em' for a spin (if you can)

Are motorcycle test rides offered in every state other than Ohio or something? I see people recommending this route all the time on these forums but if I were to ask any dealer in this area if I could take a ride on one of their bikes they'd probably have security escort me out of the building. The only time I've ever seen it offered is at Honda Homecoming, but they mostly offer scooter demos rides.