[Nitin]

Originally Posted by gendarmee

And completely off topic.....I've seen these guys who come down from the states and go like," Oh man! Bikes are not safe. they should be banned. Back in the states no one can use bikes on regular roads & in the city only in some suburbs" how true is that about the states, i thought only the winter is a problem....Can people use them to ride to work everyday as they do here?

It entirely depends on the city you live in. Come to the south,and with hoards of 'rednecks', who have absolutely no regard for bikers,it can be quite dangerous to ride (especially in Texas & Alabama).

There is a lot of risk involved,since the average speed is close to 70mph. A lot of people use bikes to commute to work,and apart from 1-2 months of winter (talking about the south,ie.), one can bike around for a goor 9-10 months a year. Up north,its a totally different story. Get to bike for 3-4 months,and it'll be a good year.

[highwayblaze]

Originally Posted by renamo

Contrary to what many people say on using 600 before moving to 1000, the risk is the same while riding a sport bike.

a litre class bike has more usable torque than a 600. on a regular ride, a 1000 is anyday better than 600 as you dont need to keep the revs up all the time. try a 1000RR and a 600RR and you will get what I am trying to say.

I'm so happy you said this and glad to know that someone else feels the exact same way. I was too scared to say this fearing getting beaten up here .

I've had more "heart in my stomach" moments on my katana 600 than on my Gixxer 1000.

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by highwayblaze

I've had more "heart in my stomach" moments on my katana 600 than on my Gixxer 1000.

OT: Bhupi..no offense meant. Isn't the phrase actually 'heart in my mouth' ?
Have Your Heart in Your Mouth

[gendarmee]

Originally Posted by Nitin

OT: Bhupi..no offense meant. Isn't the phrase actually 'heart in my mouth' ?
Have Your Heart in Your Mouth

or butterflies in the stomach...

[highwayblaze]

LOL...sorry i mixed those up and tossed out the butterflies from the equation. well u get what i mean though dont u
at that point everything was in my mouth and stomach... and wherever else!

[Nitin]

Sure.. we did get that right!

Bhupi..in terms of mileage,how much of a difference do you see b/w a 600cc & 1000cc bike?

[renamo]

@highway, go ahead and write what you feel is right without intentional offending of others. thats why we have forums.

even I was expecting some beating-up.

@Nitin, Mileage on a sport bike? do sport bike riders really care abt it?
Note: I am assuming you are asking about the fuel efficiency.

[prabhuav]

@Renamo: You cannot get test rides for new bikes in the US . period. Which is why a used bike is better coz most people will let you test ride the bike if you leave a deposit with them.

@hareeshreddy: You can buy any bike that you can afford. Make sure that your body is nimble enough to ride a true sport bike - be it a 600 or a 1000. believe me you need a strong back and arms to ride on for more than an hour.

Take it very very easy till you get comfortable. Keep the revs under 3000 and you will be safe. Once you are used to the bike redline like there is no tomorrow:

I went through all these thoughts in 2005 when I bought my sedate CB750, but got bored off it one season flat. That may very well happen on a 600. With a 1000 chances are low.

Enjoy

[straight6]

Originally Posted by prabhuav

@Renamo: You cannot get test rides for new bikes in the US . period. Which is why a used bike is better coz most people will let you test ride the bike if you leave a deposit with them.
Enjoy

WRONG! What makes you say that? One of my best friend is in California and he has test ridden Buell's & BMW's from the showroom. When it comes to japanese bikes they dont let you ride bikes like the Hayabusa & ZX-14 but they let you ride the others. Its also got a lot to do with the dealership(especially for japanese bikes)and whether they want to let you test ride it. I personally know a dealership in Santa Cruz very well and they will let you ride anything other than the Hayabusa. Oh, and its compulsory to have a full riding license for the test ride.

[renamo]

that depends up on the dealer. I lived in CA for some time.
some dealers keep used bikes for test rides, they may not give you brand new for test ride, as the buyers like to see "zero" odo reading.

now I heard that KTM and triumph dealers are offering test rides on new models in US, they keep a test ride bike for these purpose.

[prabhuav]

@straight6. thanks for the clarification. I had no luck whatsoever in getting test rides in the east coast, this is inspite of having a valid m/c license , a bike and insurance. The only bike I was able to ride was BMW 1200GS, coz that was being sold by a BMW dealership directly. Even Harleys and Buells are sold by dedicated dealerships. Jap and European bikes are sold together and I never got them to budge.

One possible reason that I can think of is this. Other than California, the bike population is pretty small and hence the dealerships will not have enough bikes to go around for test rides

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by renamo

@Nitin, Mileage on a sport bike? do sport bike riders really care abt it?
Note: I am assuming you are asking about the fuel efficiency.

Yes, I was referring to the FE of these bikes. Taking in terms of $4 a gallon come summer,and those who use bikes to commute,that's something to look at.

I do know that some dealerships allow test rides. Many private sellers do not allow their bikes to be taken on a test ride,unless a potential buyer has the full amount in cash. If you crash,you take the bike as is, that's the logic.

[IronWolf]

From the stats I have read for super sports and super bikes the 0-100 for a 600 vs a 1000 is almost identical. What really differers is top end speed. With the 600s top speeds being in the range of about 250-260kmph, with speed limits being 100/120 in the US I doubt if you could really exploit the 1000 esp if you dont intend on going on a track.

600s are lighter more nimble

a 250-600cc is always recommended for first time big bikers.

I would say buy a 600 for now and in a few years if you are still in the US move up to the 1000 or even a 1.3L

Also the CBR600 is not THE best 600 on the market. The Kawker 636 is tagged as the best in the class by many magazines, including the Master Bike competition 2005 which is very well respected competition.

Check all your 600cc options before closing a deal.

Also I agree with Nitin, esp as this is your first bike, buy a used one like a 05-06 model.

The only mod I would suggest is a nice aftermarket end can.

[straight6]

Actually my friend in Fremont, CA used to say that you can only test ride European/American bikes and not the Japanese bikes, until I informed him about the guys I know in Santa Cruz. Its funny since the European bikes are much more expensive too.

[highwayblaze]

@ renamo prabhuav and straight6. I'd say it totally depends on dealer and on location. Midwest and east coast there's not as many bikers as in California. I guess they have a huge market there and can afford sacrificing a bike for demos. I've seen several test ride day adverts @California dealer websites. However all midwest cities/towns i've been to don't allow test rides. A Honda dealer in Chicago has a test ride day in May for dirt bikes only however.