I have been humbled...

Well, I have owned my CBR 600 Since 2004, I have ridden 600cc bikes up until 2004 and have had a blast. After two years of owning the 2004 CBR 600RR I felt that the bike was holding me back, on the street and during track days...I put mods on it sure...I put almost anything you can put on that bike short of major engine work and turbos/nitrous oxide etc. After looking at 750cc bikes I thought that they weren't that much of a difference from my bike. After all I had pushed it to the limit and back, and riding was starting to become work with all the downshifting and upshifting, and having to rev the living crap out of it to get it around the track was getting old. So being the Billy Badass that I was, I said "F*** it, I'll get a literbike!":icon16: ...I've ridden my buddies 1998 GSXR 1000 and thought that it was quick, but I was in control, I could push it without feeling I was on the bike holding on for dear life. Also the tourque was great. Less work for me to get around the track yet a challenge to ride. Apparently the literbikes of the last millenium are way behind (no duh, right?). I went down to the local Kawasaki dealership and after going for a short test ride...taking it on the highway and giving it 3/4 throttle (or so I thought at the time because it was THAT fast) I was ready to ride home with a new 160hp Kawasaki ZX-10. It was heaven, the bike was dope, plus having more torque meant it was more streetable and less work on the racetrack. Then, I actually took it to the track...:iceslolan ...Out of the gate i was just putting on some laps getting used to the geometry of the bike...getting used to the added weight and shift points...not really giving much throttle, pretty much just guaging the whole bike in general...then the buddy previously mentioned gives me the finger and zooms by on his Gixxer 1k....it was on! I dropped a gear and with a few calories from the twist of the wrist I let the bike run free...almost literally, I tried to get used to the power but it was just too damn fast for my skills....and in front of all of Automotiveforums.com and God, I am admitting my limits...and am not man enough for this machine....I traded it in for a Katana 750 the next day, the bike is good for the track and I can ride with my pops when when we go for the long rides to vegas and back....but I still haven't totally swallowed my pride....am I a wuss for admitting defeat?:frown:

but I still haven't totally swallowed my pride....am I a wuss for admitting defeat?:frown:

No you're smart, and alive. When I started riding I rode a 250cc and everyone made fun of me. My friends on the 1000's were dumping them left and right, and the only thing they rode was a hospital bed for a few weeks. Keep within your limits until you are comfortable.

Lol, funny story. I say if you get the chance, get a 750cc bike and build your limits up on that. Then graduate to the 1000cc. Ofcourse keep safe when possible.

Kudos to you for knowing where your limits are and admitting them!

No you're smart, and alive. When I started riding I rode a 250cc and everyone made fun of me. My friends on the 1000's were dumping them left and right, and the only thing they rode was a hospital bed for a few weeks. Keep within your limits until you are comfortable.

I still have my 250 ninja...that thing is great for messing around and if it breaks...who cares? 250s are dope....and thanks to everyone for patching up my ego a little bit....i'm glad I made the smart decision to get a ride that was a little less wild...but some day once I get used to the kat it'll be time for a Super Ninja...for now....i'll ride this until I'm bored...

yeah, i have the same story but with my rx7s. the third gen i had literally freaked me out when i went full throttle through some gears. i had 12 grand worth of upgrades done, including upgraded twin turbos. when they were finished, the mechanic wiped and totalled it. even tho i wasnt the one that bit it, i believe it was soooo fast itd get me in big trouble or killed. i was actually kinda thankful i didnt crash it, and got reimbursed for all parts labor and the car. i could of easily got another dope one for the 21 grand i got for it, but i decided to get a 88 rx7 single turbo. still fun, same feel, just not as extreme. maybe when im done with this one, ill try again. cheers for your decision bro!

You should have just asked and I would have happily told you there is no one on this forum that can ride a modern 600 to its limits, let alone be held back by one on a track. If that were the case you should promptly call up Honda for your factory ride for 07.

Any one smart enough to know they are on a bike beyond their abilities has my respect. Anyone that says otherwise is a stupid moron who doesn't deserve your time. You made a smart move, one that will keep you riding. :thumbsup:

You should have just asked and I would have happily told you there is no one on this forum that can ride a modern 600 to its limits, let alone be held back by one on a track. If that were the case you should promptly call up Honda for your factory ride for 07.

Well I should've stated that it was the hassle and lack of torque that was getting too me, I was still having fun, but I was getting smoked on the track by riders that were much worse than I am because I was underpowered. It was more-so the power that I was complaining about, Your statement is very true..

I am going to say this without the intent of offending you, but I think the only underpowered 600cc sportbike is my Seca II... and maybe a Katana 600 (the 750 isn't as bad).

At any rate, as long as you are happy and feel that the 7fiddy is a better fit, that's ultimately all that matters. Being comfortable goes a long way in the realm of motorcycles. Good that you realized the liter was perhaps more than you wanted it to be.

i reckon the only reason to be on a new generation liter bike is physical size.

i find a 600 cramped as i'm 6'4.

i'll never use the blades full potential buts its nice to be in 3rd and not have to change down to overtake easy and quick.

indeed that is a good measure as to the type of bike i'll be riding...I'm 5'9" so the 7fiddy is the perfect size for me...If I ever do for a liter bike it'll be at a much later date....I was also thinking about buy a brand new 600 and modding the living bejesus out of it so I can have the size and Highway power....I like to put cages in their place every once in a while....but the kat is doing its job so far...i'll keep you guys updated....

Hooyah AF!

ok.... i am a new rider but my first bike is a zx-11oo...and i dont know what it it is to ride anything less......i mean literally i never rode b4 and the 1st day i got this bike was the first time i rode...so i dont understand the concept of too much power. am i wrong? i have opened her up to 140 mph and i dont feel scared or out of control....so whats the deal? i have been told at this point anything less would feel like a toy... is this true? im curious bcuz i dont know what difference it makes to ride a smaller less powerful bike. i feel it is all throttle control and the mentallity behind the bike. i feel like its a honda compared to a mustang...when i need to move or get in and out of trouble the power is there. is this bcuz i am a natural driver or what? ive been riding for less than six months.

ok.... i am a new rider but my first bike is a zx-11oo...and i dont know what it it is to ride anything less......i mean literally i never rode b4 and the 1st day i got this bike was the first time i rode...so i dont understand the concept of too much power. am i wrong? i have opened her up to 140 mph and i dont feel scared or out of control....so whats the deal? i have been told at this point anything less would feel like a toy... is this true? im curious bcuz i dont know what difference it makes to ride a smaller less powerful bike. i feel it is all throttle control and the mentallity behind the bike. i feel like its a honda compared to a mustang...when i need to move or get in and out of trouble the power is there. is this bcuz i am a natural driver or what? ive been riding for less than six months.

There are two kinds of learners.

Linear and Holistic.

Linears start at the beginning, work their way through systematically, and finish with a high degree of competance and quality. Like reading a set of instructions for building a model, and focusing on each step individually, until the model is complete, and they see the entire finished product.

Holistics like to jump into things with both feet, look at the entire product as a whole, fitting pieces where they think they should go, ignoring instructions, make a lot of mistakes but learn a lot of important lessons along the way that linears don't always learn because they followed directions.

Both are valid ways to learn, and each has benefits. It's up to the individual style.

Like you, I jumped in with way too much bike and figured out through trial and error how to make it work for me, and ended up with a lot of conclusions that people could have just told me if I wanted to listen...

...I always do things that way. I like to tear into things (literally and figuratively) and see how they work, rather than read a manual or something...I guess I'm just a knothead. :grinyes:

i feel u. with me it was the only bike i could get my hands on at the time bcuz of my messed up credit. i was thirsty to ride, the bike was available and the cash was there. i had many different opinions being thrown at me. some, oh my god are you crazy? ur gonna kill urself, some telling me its all on me and how i choose to ride. i rode the bike the first day i got it (under the instruction and guidance of my friends dad) and had never even been next to 1 prior. i have some cool and really mature friends all with 10 yrs and better experience, who i rode with for a few weeks and no one can believe at this point that i have only been riding for 3 months. i think its because i am 30 so maybe my mentallity is where it needs to be to ride that big ass bike. lol. maybe if it was 5 yrs ago i would have totalled her by now. or been so hot headed trying to do things i have no business doing, showing off and trying to keep up. i dont ride wild like some of the guys ive seen; dippin in and out of lanes while there is a whole flock of cars doing 70 and better, white lining, or just blowin it at 140 for the hell of it. i ride within what i believe are my limits. i open her up when i feel its safer to do so and i have really spent alot of time practicing my countersteering. dont get me wrong, most of the time i look down at the speedometer and im at 110 and dont even realize it. im like oh sh!# let me slow down; more for the fear of a ticket than anything else. is that a false sense of confidence? does everyone feel like this when they r new? my friends dont push me too hard and to be honest i keep up with not too much effort. im also 6 foot 3 and 290 pounds so maybe that has something to do with the ability to handle her. i feel like a big dufus sitting on the newer smaller bikes. im just glad that i have been able to enjoy this experience and cannot believe i waited this long. its the best feeling i have experienced aside from women. when i am stressed or feeling low.....that all goes to hell as soon as i see my bike. when my girl is acting like a fool....i crack that throttle and all that crap is left in the dust man. I LOVE IT!!!!!! lol.

That's great you are able to learn on such a huge bike. I know if I started on a 600cc bike I wouldn't be able to learn all I did and am continuing to learn on my ninja 250r. Besides, I think my physiology is better suited for a small bike. I'm 5'5" and 120 lbs and when I sit on a CBR F4i, I'm on my toes with shoes on unless plant only one foot down. Even then I can only get the ball of my left foot to touch down.

I have many times though about upgrading to a ZX-6R, but I still have a lot more cornering and entrance speed skills to learn before I should move up, especially if those corners are in succession. :grinyes:

With the ninja 250, I can flatfoot both feet which allows me to back up. On the F4i..:disappoin I have to get off and use the grab bar and left handle grip to move it. :rofl:

Just recently I had an itch for upgrading to a ninja 500R.., but I think I need maybe 2k more miles of riding. (I currently have 500 miles of experience)

Wow. I weigh nearly three times what you do. Your bike's shocks would probably explode if I sat on it :lol:

I tried to ride a friend's GSXR-750..definitely NOT a fat man's bike:grinno:

i tend to think people should start on smaller powered bikes due to the ability to accelerate quickly is so much more controllable. as i've said before, crack open the throttle on a 250 and the best you cound do is a 14-15 sec quarter, do the same on a liter and your in 10-12 sec mark (sports bike figures)

that said physical size certainly comes into it. being 6' 4" and around 220lbs (bloody yank measurements) i need a larger bike. me on my 954 (130hp and 415lbs wet) is going to be quicker than a Blackbird CBR1100XX with more horse power but more weight too. compare that to a 1998 Yamaha YZF1000 Thunderace and the yamaha will feel like a space hopper, slow and spongy. all have big power but the handling and weight vary heaps.

when people say that their starting on a liter bike, i think of how i learnt and how long it took me to control myself and the bike, and i get scared. i have to remember that some people have the ability to NOT fully open the throttle every time as well as ride older less powerful bikes. some people will be capable of learning on and riding a liter bike but will they ever master it if they have never ridden a smaller bike to its full limits or their own limits?

i think that starting on a liter bike is a good way to learn if you don't mind pain.