confused...

jrocket · 11-15-2007, 11:14 PM

First off, I have to say "I love my wife"! After following me home (01 929) tonight from dinner the first thing she said was "I want a bike...that looks like fun!". WOW! So I had her on Craigslist looking up 600s. We searched for "CBR 600F4i" and came up with plenty for her to look at. Then she found 600RRs of the same year model.
Can someone tell me what the difference(s) are between the F1-4i and RRs??

Thanks,
J

austinlh · 11-15-2007, 11:52 PM

i just got my first bike back in april and i spent about a year figuring out the difference between an rr and an f4i. first i will say that i eventually decided on the f4i and that my bike is a 2001. i only looked at 01-03 models because those were the only ones that were in my price range. from what i have read and seen the bikes are almost identical except the f4i is meant to be a little more practical. it has a little larger gas tank and a little less power. the seating position is a bit more upright than the rr but you still get that "sportbike" feel. all in all they are almost the same bike but the f4i is just a bit more practical. i absolutely love my f4i because i think its probably a little more comfortable than an rr would be on long trips. i have taken it on two 6+ hour trips and enjoyed every minute of it.

let me know if you want to know anything else

Twincam · 11-16-2007, 9:28 AM

Well i take it this is her first bike? How about your 929 and you get a newer blade? She cant complain then.... (one way to get a bike)

But if she is completly new to motorcycling and riding for that matter, i think she should go for the F4i. The RR is always going to have more power over the standard bikes, but if she wants non-faired bikes how about the CB600F Hornet?

jrocket · 11-16-2007, 9:50 AM

She likes my 929, but feels it is too big (size/power) for her. She's never driven one, only sat on the back a couple of times. I think she'd do better with something smaller. If I know her, she'll be all over the quicker/racier model instead of the others. I had originally been looking at naked bikes before buying mine (Dec. 06) and she kept pointing out the CBRs and saying "oooo...get that one!".
Thanks for the input on the models. Our search will now be narrowed down to 600RRs. Any year better than another? As this is her first, we'll more than likely be looking at used.

HondaGalToo · 11-16-2007, 10:08 AM

I think a 600RR is still a lot of bike for someone who's never ridden one. The older Honda 600s (F2/F3/F4) are better, but still too much IMHO. First off, have her take the MSF course. For that matter, are you a new rider as well? You should take it too. Good starter bikes are a Ninja 250, Suzuki GS500 or SV650. She'd do well to start on one of those, then sell it and get something she really wants. Definitely get used, as she'll drop it. We all did.

Twincam · 11-16-2007, 10:11 AM

My wife encouraged me to get a bigger bike (from riding my GPZ500) so i went and bought a CBR954RR. The power in that machine is amazing, problem is it doesnt feel right when i ride the smaller bikes...

Deff go for a used one, if she drops it (hope she doesnt) it wont be that bad and you can always find help on this sight about the pros and cons of the different models.. Make another thread asking what year...?

Well no matter what anyone else says, it will be down to the rider herself if she can handle it. I started on a GPZ after years of not riding, and the GPZ did teach me some other things that the 954 didnt, but i have seen alot of people start on 600-1000cc bikes. Im not saying starting on a 1K bike is the best thing to do, but she will have to find out herself if its too much for her.

Take her on the courses and get her used to riding the bike in small carparks etc, the more practise she gets the better she will be.

jrocket · 11-16-2007, 10:51 AM

Oh yeah, she's definitely taking the course. I told her she'd get more out of that than me trying to teach her. Plus, she'd ride one of their bikes. I've had mine for about 9 months after several years absence from riding.
As she's an avid dressage rider and expert-level mountainbike racer, I'd bet her learning curve is going to be fairly flat. It's just going to be getting used to all that power. Ultimately it will be her call on what to get and most likely after taking the course. The bikes they use here are 500s, so if she can handle that I think she'll be fine.
Thanks again for the input!

sheepofblue · 11-16-2007, 11:14 AM

The F4i was the previous years RR in essence when RR's were first made. The more current incarnations are a less race oreinted sport bike. This like power delivery on the 4Fi being aimed more at the street than track. Also the bars on a 4Fi are more raised for a less tucked position. Peg placement is more relaxed etc. That said the F4i is still a very accomplished sport bike. Yamaha does a similar thing with it's 600's