Honda 599

So I've been trying to buy a bike for a few months now and keep missing out on deals. I've been aiming for old (92-94) cbr 600 ish bikes. This would be my first bike and I just wanted an old beater 600 to learn on and work on. I wanted to learn to ride it and learn to work on it. Anyway I have been emailing left and right on craigslist and checking local papers, but like I said I seem to always be a little too slow.

Some of you may remember my thread from back in july when my roommate was going to sell me his nighthawk 750. Well that fell through also even though he has a brand new 07 R1. He decided to keep the hawk as a cruiser for when he doesn't want to break out the R1.

Anyway I have good credit and I am just gonna bite the bullet and go buy a new bike. I checked out sv650s and some other bikes but didn't really like them all that much. Then I saw the honda 599 and really liked its style and I don't think it would be too crazy of a first bike but I am new so I am wondering if anyone has any experiance with them? It kinda looks like an updated nighthawk but looks can be deceiving so I dunno.

I love naked sport bikes and I think this fits the bill. Any thoughts? the price as listed on honda starts at around 7,300. I can swing that so its affordable for me. I'm getting desperate I almost bought a 93 cbr 900 for 1800 last night but I'd rather live to ride another day so I passed on the 900. haha.

Anyway Sorry for the long post guys I'm just really getting frustrated trying to find a good project/learner bike. Any help with the honda 599 wiould really help. I'm ready to go this week if I get a good feedback about it.

they are great.

we don't get them down here anymore and second hand sell for as much as they were new.

i tried to find one for my dad to learn on and ended up buying a CB 900 instead as it was brand new and the same price as an older old CB 600.

they are fine to learn on and pretty much bullet proof. most owners keep them for life.

i checked the american website for specs and it seems to be even better than our version with new forks and digital readouts

Thanks for the feedback man. I see what you're saying about owners hanging onto them There are very few used ones on the market. I'm going to my honda dealer saturday to check an '06 or '07 out.

The fact that you don't find used ones on the market is a good indicator of a reliable, fun, comfortable bike that you'd like to own. It just makes them harder to find. When I bought my Magna back in 87 (it was an 85 model), as I was concluding the sale, 2 more people stopped by wanting it. When I sold it 8 years and 20k+ miles later, I sold it for more than I bought it for. I had added saddle bags and a nice bikini faring, but other than that, did nothing to the bike. I kept all my maintenance records, and that really impressed the buyer, not to mention it was the cleanest example around.

Well I went to a few dealers this weekend and found out that the 599 is no longer available. As a result I started collecting price quotes for a honda 919. My local guy actually came in with the best deal and I gave him a small deposit to hold it till this weekend. I'm fairly nervous about it and very excited. The 919 is more bike than I was ever looking for but from what I have read and heard from people it is still a very comfortable and easy to ride bike.

Anyway I'm going on saturday to finish up paperwork if its to my liking and pick it up. Right now i'm just waiting to see what interest rate I get.


Thanks again for all the input guys!

the 919 is our CB 900.

this was the bike my dad bought because he couldn't find a CB600.
this bike is a detuned version of the older Fireblade CBR900RR motor (i keep forgetting you guys don't call it a "fireblade")

when i rode it after dad bought it, i thought it was a fair bit of power for my old man to learn on. it was his second bike after a Cagiva River 600 (a really underpowered dual sport looking commuter).

my dad's in his 60's and not the fittest bloke, but he rode the River without a hickup. then the 900 came along. he never used the power coz it scared the shit outta him. he found it to top heavy for him to balance and dropped it several times before he traded it in on a Z750. he found it so much better. i just checked your kawasaki site and its not there. there is a Z1000 which would be equal to the 919. its $8649 rrp versus the honda at $8499.

heres a link
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=204

i love hondas build quality on the 900 but the z looks so good

hey man thanks for the input and tips. I did check out that kawasaki but I opted for the slightly tamer looking honda. I picked it up last friday... the 13th:eek: haha. I absolutely love how it looks with the exception of the side mirrors but thats easily changed. Now that you mention it I guess does feel slightly top heavy but I think I can get used to it.

As far as its power, well its very torquey feeling, and it has alot of power down low and even more in the mid. I haven't taken it over 3000-4000 yet, and i don't really plan on doing so for awhile. I have to get used to it and the dealership said to go easy on it for break in. Plus weather has been shitty. It is way way way more powerful and tighter feeling than that old nighthawk.:uhoh: :iceslolan

congrats mate!

don't worry about it being friday 13th. 13's my lucky number. i had ticket 13 in a lucky door prize on friday. I won. woo hoo.

don't be scared to take it up to redline when your running it in. once or twice will do it some good. if it doesn't, it may never like it.

don't be scared to take it up to redline when your running it in. once or twice will do it some good. if it doesn't, it may never like it.


Thanks I'll keep that in mind when the roads dry up a bit here. Its been terrible weather since I picked it up, and its not supposed to stop raining till tomorrow night i believe.

Congrats on the purchase, sounds like you have a good plan for longevity (your bike and yourself). Ugly factory accessories are the aftermarket's best friend, so the mirrors are a simple fix. dont forget ot get us some pics when you get a chance, we want to see it!!!