looking to upgrade

[playtowinthegame]

Originally Posted by Porkchop

Any of them are going to be much more uncomfortable than your current setup for the street, with the current R6 and Zx-6r being very torturous on the wrists and back. I know a bit about the Yamahas as I have rode all of these generations.

01/02 R6 - I owned this bike. Great engine for the timeperiod. Seating position was better than current SS bikes. Carbed. Brakes were only meh...

03/04 R6 - My buddy Brett owns an 04. Better step foreward. Fuel injected. A little bit more focused seating. Much better brakes.

05 R6 - My best friend Matt owned an 05. Bigger throttle bodies, inverted forks, and 70 size front. Stiffer feel into corners.

06+ - Track bike with lights. Not worth buying for the street.


My advice would be keep the YZF600R for the season and get some good miles under you. Of the three brands you mentioned, I would say the 2005 R6 is the best Yamaha option. The 05/06 Zx-6R 636 is the best Kawasaki option. And as Derf said, the CBR F4i is probably the best street option for Honda. 01/03 had the split seat, and 04/06 had the banana seat.

when u say track bike with lights, can u elaborate on that?

[Porkchop]

Originally Posted by playtowinthegame

when u say track bike with lights, can u elaborate on that?

The low end and midrange is almost non-exisant. Yamaha even addressed the issue in 08/09 for more midrange. You have to rev the piss out of it to get power. All the power is up top, but when you get to it... look out. It has a much lower center of gravity and the rake/trail was messed with to create a faster transitioning bike. I thought it was twitchy, but I have an old heavy bike now, so. The seating is much more racey. If you havent yet, go sit on one at a dealer and see if you can stand it for more than a half hour. I would not want to do anything more than canyon runs on it. It would be one of my last choices to commute due to the lack of useable power and seating position.

Gen 2 or 2.5 is a much better choice if going with a Yammie.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by playtowinthegame

when u say track bike with lights, can u elaborate on that?

It's a very aggressive stance bike. You are positioned not for comfort, but for speed. These bikes are designed to be run in the 10k+ rpm range. That is where they make their power, that is where the bike is happy.

The 3-7k that you see in traffic, the bike will run slow and feel slow. It won't be happy. You will then want to sell the bike and get a 1000 bike, because you will think the bike is wimpy when in reality, you aren't riding the bike correctly.

[Sixxxxer]

Originally Posted by Trip

It's a very aggressive stance bike. You are positioned not for comfort, but for speed. These bikes are designed to be run in the 10k+ rpm range. That is where they make their power, that is where the bike is happy.

The 3-7k that you see in traffic, the bike will run slow and feel slow. It won't be happy. You will then want to sell the bike and get a 1000 bike, because you will think the bike is wimpy when in reality, you aren't riding the bike correctly.

I get all Giddy inside when I can run my bike above 8k Consistently, Which isnt alot around these parts...And even less with the risk of getting caught doing trip digits in a 50 or below Speed zone...So in reality My bike is usually below 6k ALOT of the time.

And everyone is right...Comfort wise a Supersport isn't ideal for commuting, With that being said. It CAN be done...Hell I rode 800 Miles on mine down into the Northern Mts of GA to meet up with Trip and a bunch of other members and when I got there I was numb from my wrists down to my feet.

And just curiously, The main reason you want a different bike is for a digital speedo?

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by Sixxxxer

I get all Giddy inside when I can run my bike above 8k Consistently, Which isnt alot around these parts...And even less with the risk of getting caught doing trip digits in a 50 or below Speed zone...So in reality My bike is usually below 6k ALOT of the time.

And everyone is right...Comfort wise a Supersport isn't ideal for commuting, With that being said. It CAN be done...Hell I rode 800 Miles on mine down into the Northern Mts of GA to meet up with Trip and a bunch of other members and when I got there I was numb from my wrists down to my feet.

And just curiously, The main reason you want a different bike is for a digital speedo?

dont forget soaking wet too

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by playtowinthegame

when u say track bike with lights, can u elaborate on that?

I had an 05 R6, and it shits all over the 06+ in terms of comfort and low-end torque.

Also Yamaha makes smoother engines than the other Jap makes. The others have noisier valvetrains, in my experience.

[TYEster]

Ever given any thought to Supermoto?

Sportbikes can be fun on the track, and I guess look cool to young girls... But this amount of fun is pretty much illegal. Also you don't wind up with sore wrists, ass and legs from cruising it around or cutting some laps at a trackday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHJHQYvqqNk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpHC8HQyKgE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XclcbhmnF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeUK6aOEJKo

[Trip]

Originally Posted by TYEster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHJHQYvqqNk

That is the most awesome track I have ever seen....

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by Trip

That is the most awesome track I have ever seen....

Agreed!!

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by playtowinthegame

when u say track bike with lights, can u elaborate on that?

Sure... It's a fucking torture rack... If you aren't 5'6" and weigh 130lbs, it'll be a shit bike for the street in 99 out of 100 scenarios... They don't make power worth a fuck until you wind the shit out of them and I can't say enough about the lack of comfort. I rode my buddy's '07 for a grand total of 3 min before stopping to give it back. Those sort of things would be non-issues, potentially beneficial at the track, but on the street... Fuuuuuuuuuuck that.

That said, you probably haven't logged enough miles to have that strong of an opinion either way... I know for me and my ever increasing age, comfort has become a much more significant factor in my two wheel experience.