cant decide what bike i want, any advice/opinions apreciated

[YamR1,V64motion]

im having a bit of a dilema as towhat bike i should buy next, i wont get it until march as i want to sell my 600RR in spring so it gets better money, i thought i 100% wanted a new Fireblade but now im not as sure, my 3 choices are:



1. 2006 Honda Fireblade
2. 2006 R6
3. 2003/2004 Ducati 999/999S

which do you think would be the best one to go for? any opinions welcomed.

[RevEm]

Hi there,
A hard choice
I personlly would go for the 06-R6, As this is the bike i want for my next bike. The only problem i will have, Is as Hobo. The colour, But for me, Blue or black.

[rsvmilly]

I rather like these

[carrera2]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]



im having a bit of a dilema as towhat bike i should buy next, i wont get it until march as i want to sell my 600RR in spring so it gets better money, i thought i 100% wanted a new Fireblade but now im not as sure, my 3 choices are:



1. 2006 Honda Fireblade
2. 2006 R6
3. 2003/2004 Ducati 999/999S

which do you think would be the best one to go for? any opinions welcomed.
[/quote]

All very different bikes - I'm in a similar position to you and my thoughts are:

2006 R6 (just on looks alone!)
2006 Triumph 675 (looks & engine)
2005 ZX10R
2005 ZX636R
Or that Ducati Hypermotard (shan't be getting that as I want to be able to track the bike.

What do you use yours for mainly.?

[catso]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]



im having a bit of a dilema as towhat bike i should buy next, i wont get it until march as i want to sell my 600RR in spring so it gets better money, i thought i 100% wanted a new Fireblade but now im not as sure, my 3 choices are:



1. 2006 Honda Fireblade
2. 2006 R6
3. 2003/2004 Ducati 999/999S

which do you think would be the best one to go for? any opinions welcomed.
[/quote]

I'd get the Ducati, I like twin cylinder bikes but they're all good bikes, however be aware of the extra maintenance costs of a Duke...

[YamR1,V64motion]

thanks for all the help, in answer to Carrera2s question i use my bike just to enjoy and appreciate riding(i will only go out on on my bike with the sole purpose of going for a ride most of the time) i dont use it to commute nor does it need to be particularly practical, i ride fast on the road when its safe to do so and i like twisty roads and the occasional trackday although i havent done one for ages.



the only thing putting me off the new R6 is the R1 i owned previously(the older R1s i loved the way they handled but couldnt get on with the latest model), i never liked the handling or felt comfortable on it, whereas on the 954 Fireblade i had previously i loved how it handled and was very confident on it,the same goes for he 600RR,the 400 i had years ago and my old R6,im worried the new R6 will be a bit too much like the R1.
i know the Ducatis can be expensiv to maintain but im not going to be clocking up huge milage,perhaps 2 or 3k a year and surely the cant go wrong that much? also they do appeal as ive never owned a twin before and i had a go on a 749 and loved it.

[Vitesse39]

Easy

Low milage = Ducati
High milage inc commuting = ZX10R or ZX6R

Also if you do go for the Ducati (which would be my preference), consider where you will be parking it both at home and where ever you are going to.

Enjoy it whatever you get

[catso]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]

i know the Ducatis can be expensiv to maintain but im not going to be clocking up huge milage,perhaps 2 or 3k a year and surely the cant go wrong that much? also they do appeal as ive never owned a twin before and i had a go on a 749 and loved it.
[/quote]

They don't really go wrong that much, unless you skimp on maintenance, my 916 has been as reliable as any other bike I've had but it has been meticulously maintained with servicing done on (or before) schedule and regular oil changes. For anyone not doing high mileage and other than the servicing costs a Ducati need not cost a fortune to run, parts are no more expensive than any Jap bike and the only thing that costs so much on the servicing is the labour costs on doing the valve clearances - if you can do your own and change cambelts regularly you would save a fortune, also the 'Testastretta' (749 & 999) engines are less time consuming on servicing than the older 916/748/996 engines and I have heard that the valves are less prone to needing adjustment & so can, at a stretch, last longer between checks - although recomended service intervals are the same.

And if you liked the 749, you'll love the 999... and if you can 'stretch' to the R version

You know it makes sense.........

[dern]

I can't believe any of them would be bad bikes, I'd test ride them all and buy the one you like best if I were you.

My personal preference would be for the blade but if I was only going to do a few thousand a year on it and not commute then the ducati might be a change I guess. Personally I wouldn't want to go back to a 600.

[YamR1,V64motion]

i actully really enjoy riding 600s i find them really fun especially through twisty roads but then i enjoy litre bikes too, i think Ducatis get a bit of a slagging from people that dont own them, thier slower than a jap 4 thier unreliable etc, but been honest i like the way the twin grips and just surges forward, although i only rode the 749 for about 30 mins in the wet i know i would be quick on it and it would handle very well, sadly i couldnt afford the R version but a nice Ohlins shod S would be more than enough for me anyway, the 2006 Fireblade i really love the look of too but how different will it be to the pevious ones really?, the R6 i love the look of but am not sure i want another Yamaha yet especially without test riding one, a decent 999 with Termis would probably be a good bet but i just love the Fireblade too, still at least i have a few months to decide what to do.

[YamR1,V64motion]

Vitesse39 said:

Easy Low milage = Ducati High milage inc commuting = ZX10R or ZX6R Also if you do go for the Ducati (which would be my preference), consider where you will be parking it both at home and where ever you are going to. Enjoy it whatever you get

why i parking so important for them?,i wouldnt have thought they would be any more desirable to thives than say a GSXR 1000 or R1,probably even less so as theres not as many around so not as much demand for breaking them up, i could be wrong though.

[rsvmilly]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]why is parking so important for them?,i wouldnt have thought they would be any more desirable to thives than say a GSXR 1000 or R1,probably even less so as theres not as many around so not as much demand for breaking them up, i could be wrong though.[/quote]Agreed that any 1000 is going to be a magnet for thieves but Ducati 999s start at around £13K don't they?

[Vitesse39]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]

Vitesse39 said:

Easy Low milage = Ducati High milage inc commuting = ZX10R or ZX6R Also if you do go for the Ducati (which would be my preference), consider where you will be parking it both at home and where ever you are going to. Enjoy it whatever you get

why i parking so important for them?,i wouldnt have thought they would be any more desirable to thives than say a GSXR 1000 or R1,probably even less so as theres not as many around so not as much demand for breaking them up, i could be wrong though.[/quote]

Yep probably not that much more desirable to a thief but also thinking of just some oik walking along and taking it into his mind to damage it in some way as well.

Maybe I am being paranoid but just my take on it - better safe than sorry and all

[veetwin]

rsvmilly said:

I rather like these

Got one, FANTASTIC when re-geared with a 15t front sprocket. You will find direction changes on track a bit tedious at full warp mode.

More torque than you can shake the proverbial stick at.

I love mine.

GSXR1000 looks like it won't make it thru one winter, 06-R6 is great but the afterthought tail hanger is pants.

My old Duke was fantastic and made all the right noises. Although £900 on a service prompted my return to Jap ownership.

>> Edited by veetwin on Monday 28th November 16:55

[YamR1,V64motion]

£900 on a service!!!!! bloody hell thats alot, i really like the 2006 model Fireblade in red/black it looks a bit different to the shape of the current one, i might well get one i think ive knocked the R6 off the list now though, ive looke and a second hand 999 S goes for about £9-10k ish so a brand new Fireblade is cheaper, but saying that what will be worth more in 3 years time?

[YamR1,V64motion]

Vitesse39 said:

[quote=YamR1,V64motion] Vitesse39 said: Easy Low milage = Ducati High milage inc commuting = ZX10R or ZX6R Also if you do go for the Ducati (which would be my preference), consider where you will be parking it both at home and where ever you are going to. Enjoy it whatever you get why i parking so important for them?,i wouldnt have thought they would be any more desirable to thives than say a GSXR 1000 or R1,probably even less so as theres not as many around so not as much demand for breaking them up, i could be wrong though.

Yep probably not that much more desirable to a thief but also thinking of just some oik walking along and taking it into his mind to damage it in some way as well.

Maybe I am being paranoid but just my take on it - better safe than sorry and all[/quote]



you have a good point there, i try never to let my bike out f my sight, unless im at a bike event which is different, if its at home it would be in my garage or if i parked it anywhere it would be in my sight just in case anything happened.

[veetwin]

[quote=YamR1,V64motion]



£900 on a service!!!!! bloody hell thats alot, i really like the 2006 model Fireblade in red/black it looks a bit different to the shape of the current one, i might well get one i think ive knocked the R6 off the list now though, ive looke and a second hand 999 S goes for about £9-10k ish so a brand new Fireblade is cheaper, but saying that what will be worth more in 3 years time?[/quote]

Have a look at 954 Blade resale prices!! They are brilliant at holding second-hand values. Buy a limited-edition 700 run Repsol CBR1000RR new (Very few left at dealers), you won't lose too much as they are not repeating the Repsol option on the 06 bike. You may even get money off this time of year.

A 999s at £13500k will be under £10k within a year. If Ducati decide to make something prettier in the next three years then you can kiss a lot of the residual goodbye!!

>> Edited by veetwin on Tuesday 29th November 09:53

>> Edited by veetwin on Tuesday 29th November 09:54

[rsvmilly]

YamR1V64motion said:

£900 on a service!!!!! bloody hell thats alot, i really like the 2006 model Fireblade in red/black it looks a bit different to the shape of the current one, i might well get one i think ive knocked the R6 off the list now though, ive looke and a second hand 999 S goes for about £9-10k ish so a brand new Fireblade is cheaper, but saying that what will be worth more in 3 years time?

My worst service on my Duke was around £850, which did include two tyres.

veetwin said:

Have a look at 954 Blade resale prices!! They are brilliant at holding second-hand values. By a limited-edition 700 run Repsol CBR1000RR new (Very few left at dealers), you won't lose too much as they are not repeating the Repsol option on the 06 bike.

That's a shame as I really want one - ever since I saw a couple at Le Mans this year.

[catso]

rsvmilly said:

My worst service on my Duke was around £850, which did include two tyres.

Well I've never got tyres from a Ducati dealer but the most I've paid for 'just' a service was £550, best of it was the next year I took it to a different shop (as the other one closed down) and they had fitted the cambelt tensioner on the wrong way round luckily it didn't cause any problem.
But now I take my bike to an excellent independant guy with years of Ducati experience who only works on Dukes and does an excellent job with the kind of attention to detail that I've not found at other places at reasonable prices. www.gtecperformance.co.uk/

[rsvmilly]

My BIG service was at Baines Racing at Silverstone who were recommended.