CBR600's - Enough bike?
Discussion
Hola Ladies & Gents,
After having a few bikers sitting on my rear for a brief mile or two today & then giving them the thumbs up to pass me & having my jaw drop in awe of them as they flew past I felt I had to post here (once again).
Lately I have this unstoppable & ever increasing urge to go down the biker route, I know I WILL @ one point or another but just going along my commute (some gorgeous lanes around E.Sussex) I spot so many bikers & I can't tell you how much I'd love to be them on some of the occasions I've seen them, today being a prime example.
All this has caused me to think even more seriously about Bikes & in particular, the CBR600. Now having posted briefly about this in the past & seen similar topics since I have to ask...Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
My dream bike of course is an R1 of some sort, quite possibly a ZX6R, but am I right in thinking that in years prior to going for such gorgeous bits of metal, the CBR600's are good enough to thrill, keep ahead of traffic & povide that raw biker experience which I've long since been craving.
Any owners care to share a few thoughts, particularly in regards to the differing years & whether a certain era of them is better than another etc etc.
After having a few bikers sitting on my rear for a brief mile or two today & then giving them the thumbs up to pass me & having my jaw drop in awe of them as they flew past I felt I had to post here (once again).
Lately I have this unstoppable & ever increasing urge to go down the biker route, I know I WILL @ one point or another but just going along my commute (some gorgeous lanes around E.Sussex) I spot so many bikers & I can't tell you how much I'd love to be them on some of the occasions I've seen them, today being a prime example.
All this has caused me to think even more seriously about Bikes & in particular, the CBR600. Now having posted briefly about this in the past & seen similar topics since I have to ask...Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
My dream bike of course is an R1 of some sort, quite possibly a ZX6R, but am I right in thinking that in years prior to going for such gorgeous bits of metal, the CBR600's are good enough to thrill, keep ahead of traffic & povide that raw biker experience which I've long since been craving.
Any owners care to share a few thoughts, particularly in regards to the differing years & whether a certain era of them is better than another etc etc.
I havent ever owned a CBR600, that style of bike isnt me. But I have no doubt at all it will keep you entertained!!!
They are plenty quick enough, speed is all relative anyway - if you have never ridden a bike a 125 at 50 MPH will feel double that!!!!!
Most people swear by them and for commuting etc, if thats what you want to do, they will be fine!
They are plenty quick enough, speed is all relative anyway - if you have never ridden a bike a 125 at 50 MPH will feel double that!!!!!Most people swear by them and for commuting etc, if thats what you want to do, they will be fine!
Hello mate,
The cbr600 is a quality bike It'll be more than enough for ya. These things will do 60 in a tad over 3 seconds, and 100 in around 6. Being fairly light and compact, they are very nimble machines that are easy to flick through the bends....What more could you want or need!
Whether or not you'll want the R1 after a while is only something you cananswer, but if you've not ridden a serious bike before, you'll be amazed at te performance.
Do it now, you kow it makes sense!
Cheers.
The cbr600 is a quality bike It'll be more than enough for ya. These things will do 60 in a tad over 3 seconds, and 100 in around 6. Being fairly light and compact, they are very nimble machines that are easy to flick through the bends....What more could you want or need!
Whether or not you'll want the R1 after a while is only something you cananswer, but if you've not ridden a serious bike before, you'll be amazed at te performance.
Do it now, you kow it makes sense!
Cheers.
You will get so many different answers on this but for what it's worth, imho, most will agree that, yes, a cbr600 is a good bike to learn on and also to enjoy even with years of experience. With blistering acceleration and over 160mph top end, it's easily enough to scare you no matter how experienced you are.
I've been on 600's for years (currently a ZX6R) and always found them to be quick enough in most situations.
Johnny
I've been on 600's for years (currently a ZX6R) and always found them to be quick enough in most situations.
Johnny
johnnyr6 said:
You will get so many different answers on this but for what it's worth, imho, most will agree that, yes, a cbr600 is a good bike to learn on and also to enjoy even with years of experience. With blistering acceleration and over 160mph top end, it's easily enough to scare you no matter how experienced you are.
I've been on 600's for years (currently a ZX6R) and always found them to be quick enough in most situations.
Johnny
They're good but I wouldn't call the acceleration blistering.I've been on 600's for years (currently a ZX6R) and always found them to be quick enough in most situations.
Johnny
Thank you for the quick replies chaps, exactly what i wanted to know. Worrying over nothing really 
Anyway, once I've got a new engine put in the 328, I shall start saving for the CBR (Already checked PH Class's & Ebay...Again), shame it will be post-Oct once the benchmark is bumped up.
Anyway, once I've got a new engine put in the 328, I shall start saving for the CBR (Already checked PH Class's & Ebay...Again
), shame it will be post-Oct once the benchmark is bumped up.- mentally puts aside 2-2.5k for his CBR & plods off to bed.
I am enjoying mine....ALOT. Picked it up last thursday and done 500 miles on it so far.
I have found it to be a really good bike, its alot lighter than my pals GSX600 and i feel better when sitting on the CBR. It's a stupidly quick bike and on a few occassions i have given it some beans and have been very very surprised to see the speed i have been going.
All in all i would recomend getting it, so far i havent found any faults, allthough it did take me about 10 mins to find the oil sight glass!
I have found it to be a really good bike, its alot lighter than my pals GSX600 and i feel better when sitting on the CBR. It's a stupidly quick bike and on a few occassions i have given it some beans and have been very very surprised to see the speed i have been going.
All in all i would recomend getting it, so far i havent found any faults, allthough it did take me about 10 mins to find the oil sight glass!
ironictwist said:
Lately I have this unstoppable & ever increasing urge to go down the biker route, I know I WILL @ one point or another but just going along my commute
Then now is the time, getting the test done before the october the first changes come into effect is fast becoming nearly impossible as the available dates are taken up. Doing the cbt will give you a good idea of what you are letting yourself in for- and thats likely to be on a 125cc bike, you could have it done by next weekend- or possibly this one if you are luckyironictwist said:
All this has caused me to think even more seriously about Bikes & in particular, the CBR600
...Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
As daft as it sounds bikes aren't really about top speed, it's more the acceleration, cornering and the ability to filter/overtake. In a year or two of biking you will still be learning a lot about what you are doing, it's far more of an involved process than driving a car....Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
Any of the modern sports 600's will be comparable in performance, zx6r, r6, cbr600, etc- that is to say that the bike will have more to give than most bikers have talent, the bike is more than capable of keeping a rider happy-eventually you may get used to the acceleration and crave more power, but quite possibly not.
I started off with an rvf 400 which could be seen as a stepping stone to a bigger bike but in truth the handling of the bike through the twisty's more than compensated for the few times under hard acceleration that I wanted more power, in over two years of riding it I never got near the limits of the bike in the corners but as your riding develops and you start to use the power band of the bike it breathes a second life into the bike as you realise you weren't really using all of the power available properly, as you had convinced yourself when you first started riding.
ironictwist said:
My dream bike of course is an R1 of some sort, quite possibly a ZX6R,
why not an R6?ironictwist said:
but am I right in thinking that in years prior to going for such gorgeous bits of metal, the CBR600's are good enough to thrill, keep ahead of traffic & povide that raw biker experience which I've long since been craving.
in the words of churchill "oh yes"Some good questions!
Mmmm true...I'll have a ponder over it. Not ideal timing money wise though as with all things we want to do, money just gets in the way Will see, I may swap priorities & put that @ No.1 & see what happens.
I totally agree about the top speed bit, that's not what attracted me if I'm honest. Just seeing bikers with that instant acceleration from the lights or performing beautifully executed overtakes just makes me go "I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT & SOON!!". But yep, I totally understand what you mean, it's all about getting to know the bike inside out & of course that's only really achievable over time & twinned with the sort of usage I'm expecting it will take a while to truly realise a CBR's potential.Brite spark said:
ironictwist said:
Lately I have this unstoppable & ever increasing urge to go down the biker route, I know I WILL @ one point or another but just going along my commute
Brite spark said:
Then now is the time, getting the test done before the october the first changes come into effect is fast becoming nearly impossible as the available dates are taken up. Doing the cbt will give you a good idea of what you are letting yourself in for- and thats likely to be on a 125cc bike, you could have it done by next weekend- or possibly this one if you are lucky
Will see, I may swap priorities & put that @ No.1 & see what happens.ironictwist said:
All this has caused me to think even more seriously about Bikes & in particular, the CBR600
...Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
...Once passing is a CBR600 capable enough to keep even the keenest biker happy or is it a bike that would be considered a natural stepping stone that one should throw away after a year or two?
Brite spark said:
As daft as it sounds bikes aren't really about top speed, it's more the acceleration, cornering and the ability to filter/overtake. In a year or two of biking you will still be learning a lot about what you are doing, it's far more of an involved process than driving a car.
Any of the modern sports 600's will be comparable in performance, zx6r, r6, cbr600, etc- that is to say that the bike will have more to give than most bikers have talent, the bike is more than capable of keeping a rider happy-eventually you may get used to the acceleration and crave more power, but quite possibly not.
I started off with an rvf 400 which could be seen as a stepping stone to a bigger bike but in truth the handling of the bike through the twisty's more than compensated for the few times under hard acceleration that I wanted more power, in over two years of riding it I never got near the limits of the bike in the corners but as your riding develops and you start to use the power band of the bike it breathes a second life into the bike as you realise you weren't really using all of the power available properly, as you had convinced yourself when you first started riding.
Any of the modern sports 600's will be comparable in performance, zx6r, r6, cbr600, etc- that is to say that the bike will have more to give than most bikers have talent, the bike is more than capable of keeping a rider happy-eventually you may get used to the acceleration and crave more power, but quite possibly not.
I started off with an rvf 400 which could be seen as a stepping stone to a bigger bike but in truth the handling of the bike through the twisty's more than compensated for the few times under hard acceleration that I wanted more power, in over two years of riding it I never got near the limits of the bike in the corners but as your riding develops and you start to use the power band of the bike it breathes a second life into the bike as you realise you weren't really using all of the power available properly, as you had convinced yourself when you first started riding.
ironictwist said:
My dream bike of course is an R1 of some sort, quite possibly a ZX6R,
Brite spark said:
why not an R6?
ironictwist said:
but am I right in thinking that in years prior to going for such gorgeous bits of metal, the CBR600's are good enough to thrill, keep ahead of traffic & povide that raw biker experience which I've long since been craving.
Brite spark said:
in the words of churchill "oh yes"
A 600 will be more than enough as your first bike.
I started on 125's & they felt bloody fast, but i soon got bored of them, took my DAS & got a 600 Thundercat.
It has more than enough power, 0-60 in around 3.5secs & i'e had it to around 140mph on my friends racetrack. ahem!
I then bottled it!
Tried a 750 at the weekend (K8 GSXR) & it was a big difference.
Overall i think as your first ever bike a 600 is going to be more than enough!
I started on 125's & they felt bloody fast, but i soon got bored of them, took my DAS & got a 600 Thundercat.
It has more than enough power, 0-60 in around 3.5secs & i'e had it to around 140mph on my friends racetrack. ahem!
I then bottled it!
Tried a 750 at the weekend (K8 GSXR) & it was a big difference.
Overall i think as your first ever bike a 600 is going to be more than enough!
Looking up prices last night for a DAS, it's about a months spare wages, so I'd be looking to take it up come early September, but having briefly spoken to someone @ a local DAS firm a few weeks ago, theyre booked up well past October, I'll phone round, maybe I'll get lucky?
^Something like that I guess seems an ideal first step
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/568031.htm
^This is PERFECT! Exactly what I'd want.
Porn:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/580456.htm
Tuscan Tart said:
What spec are you looking for? Let me know and I'll keep a look out for any p/x's we get in to suit your budget. 
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/540653.htm^Something like that I guess seems an ideal first step
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/568031.htm
^This is PERFECT! Exactly what I'd want.
Porn:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/580456.htm
Tyrant said:
I'm finding it difficult to get an insurance quote under £1200 on 600cc supersports bikes, so unless you don't mind big premiums you might want to consider something less sporty for the first year. For example a Z1000 is less than £300 for me to insure.
When trying quoting facilities thats also what I received, not fazed by it fortunately. I've had to pay the best part of £3,500 a year for car insurance on a part-time traders policy before on cars so I can handle it, as painful as it can be 
if you want something less racebikey - go for an F rather than an RR - still as quick as you like but softer geometry
this is mine:
my insurance is only about £300 and is my first bike after getting my licence last year.
(probably because is a F not an RR)
this is mine:
my insurance is only about £300 and is my first bike after getting my licence last year.
(probably because is a F not an RR)
Edited by filski666 on Thursday 17th July 10:03
Right unsurance sounds a bit expensive eh?
I'm 22 as of yesterday, passed my test in march got a quote for my Thundercat @ £310 TPFT.
I'm looking at getting a K8 GSXR soon & tried getting a quote for it.
My current insurer won't insure me on it, then another company quoted me £6700 for insurance!
I used the Tesco compare website and got it down to £700 fully comprehensive.
I then trawled the internet & 700 is the cheapest i could get it for.
Just shop around your bound to be able to get a better deal!
I'm 22 as of yesterday, passed my test in march got a quote for my Thundercat @ £310 TPFT.
I'm looking at getting a K8 GSXR soon & tried getting a quote for it.
My current insurer won't insure me on it, then another company quoted me £6700 for insurance!
I used the Tesco compare website and got it down to £700 fully comprehensive.
I then trawled the internet & 700 is the cheapest i could get it for.
Just shop around your bound to be able to get a better deal!
lawrence567 said:
Right unsurance sounds a bit expensive eh?
I'm 22 as of yesterday, passed my test in march got a quote for my Thundercat @ £310 TPFT.
I'm looking at getting a K8 GSXR soon & tried getting a quote for it.
My current insurer won't insure me on it, then another company quoted me £6700 for insurance!
I used the Tesco compare website and got it down to £700 fully comprehensive.
I then trawled the internet & 700 is the cheapest i could get it for.
Just shop around your bound to be able to get a better deal!
Sounds promising, I'll be 22 by the time I get round to riding. The thought of sub 1k insurance is rather exciting I'm 22 as of yesterday, passed my test in march got a quote for my Thundercat @ £310 TPFT.
I'm looking at getting a K8 GSXR soon & tried getting a quote for it.
My current insurer won't insure me on it, then another company quoted me £6700 for insurance!
I used the Tesco compare website and got it down to £700 fully comprehensive.
I then trawled the internet & 700 is the cheapest i could get it for.
Just shop around your bound to be able to get a better deal!
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff