Moving on to my next bike...

[Sahana]

I love my GS, she's been a great starter bike, but...emphasis on starter. I'm thinking about trading her to a guy for a Honda CBR F4i (his girlfriend bought the f4i to be her first bike and he, as an experienced rider, thinks she should have something else...something more like my GS). So, since I've never ridden anything faster than a Honda 599, please tell me what you think about this as a second bike/offer advice/etc.

[bryan88]

Look, the GS goes fast enough for you to kill yourself on, so if you are careful you will be fine. Just remember that you probably won't be able to grab a handful of throttle on the way out of corners as you may have gotten used to. Also bear in mind that your general cruising speed might go up, so extra care will be required there too.  I assume we are talking about a CBR600?. Never owned one but I believe they are good bikes, obviously do all the checks that you would on any 2nd hand bike you were buying.

[ohgood]

I love my GS, she's been a great starter bike, but...emphasis on starter. I'm thinking about trading her to a guy for a Honda CBR F4i (his girlfriend bought the f4i to be her first bike and he, as an experienced rider, thinks she should have something else...something more like my GS). So, since I've never ridden anything faster than a Honda 599, please tell me what you think about this as a second bike/offer advice/etc.

I4's are different than ptwins. Look at the versys, vstroms, sv's, and similars. The f4I is an excellent machine. 100000 miles is nothing. Also, check the fz6/8/1 out. Id lean towards a ptwin or vtwin though myself. More torque and less twitchy.

Buy whatever you like (ride it!) And get a good price, if you don't like it in 6 months, flip it.

[bryan88]

"I4's are different than ptwins"

Good point, I've never owned an I4 so didn't think about their supposedly revvy nature.

[mister]

Some bikes rev high than others. NOT all I4s are revvy. My 919 will sit at 100kph in top gear doing a tad under 4k rpm. Same speed on the GS is 5k rpm. My GS revs more than my I4.

@Byan88, typically, the Honda 599 is the what the 600 Hornet is referred to. CBRs are typically just called CBRs. I know the OP said CBR at the start, but the 599 reference tells me it's really a Hornet.

@Sahana: Are we talking the Sport version or the Naked? With the Sport version, the fairings generate a lot of heat to your legs on the 600 Hornets. Otherwise, they are a great bike. And you'll need to relearn gear changes by ear. Cause even when idling at typical idle speed the 600 Hornet Sounds like it's revving. It's not, that's just how it sounds. *I* would rather ride the GS than the Sport version. Then again, I love naked bikes. And would gladly welcome a 600 Hornet to reside in the stable with my 919 (900 Hornet)

If you feel like you need to upgrade but are still that bit cautious, then the 599 will be ideal. Can still do commuting duties well while can handle weekend blats with greater ease. Have never heard a bad thing about them. Pop on over to the 599 forum http://www.honda599.com/forums/ and have yourself a read. 

Michael

[Twisted]

The F4i are great bikes. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about the cbr600's. They are very reliable bikes. It will have essentially the same engine as the 599 you rode but with a bit more pep. It will be more aggressive than the GS in both performance and position so I would definitely try and test ride it.

[ohgood]

"I4's are different than ptwins"

Good point, I've never owned an I4 so didn't think about their supposedly revvy nature.

to clarify, the ptwins will pull more from down low (500/600/800cc bikes) than the i4's will, and feel more like the gs in terms of slow speed ridability. the torque of the liter bikes (mentioned above) is massive, and similar to ptwins/vtwins, BUT it continues on and on and on throughout the rev range.

the liter bike engines will satisfy at much lower revs than the 600's, more stable and wind resistant at interstate speeds, and generally less buzzy. i have never felt that the fz6 was a crapbox, but the extra weight and torque of the 1000 is very nice at speed.

fuel milage... is something to think about. a friend with a fz1 that rode similarly to me claimed 40mpg was the best he had seen. my fz6 was generally in the 65mpg range, unless i revved the fun bags off it. then it plummetted to mid 40's.


the big positives of v and p twins is the more docile nature and lower rpm range torque. the gs is a JOY to commute on, and it's smooth acceleration from idle around curves is a huge plus. to achieve similar results you may need a simple gearing change on a 600cc bike with fuel injection. some are snatchy, some are not so much. clutch modulation will overcome it, but then we're talking about revving and clutching for simple manuevers. some people prefer not to. the clutch CAN and WILL take it. forever. so long as it isn't abused.

rode with a guy a few weeks ago, my fz and his yzf. mine had 36,000 on it, his had 113,000 on it. there was very very little difference in feel or slop on either bike. jap bikes  OWN this catagory of higher milage in small engines. (another consideration)

the cbr (faired) will beat you to death.
the cbr f4i will not, but still is not a standard.
the hornet is very close to gs ergos.
ride them, try them. focus on the the speed range you'll ride 90% of the time for enjoyment, and pick the one that fits the best.

but keep in mind, i'm a scooter and dual sport freak - YMMV

[Watevaman]

Some bikes rev high than others. NOT all I4s are revvy. My 919 will sit at 100kph in top gear doing a tad under 4k rpm. Same speed on the GS is 5k rpm. My GS revs more than my I4.

@Byan88, typically, the Honda 599 is the what the 600 Hornet is referred to. CBRs are typically just called CBRs. I know the OP said CBR at the start, but the 599 reference tells me it's really a Hornet.

@Sahana: Are we talking the Sport version or the Naked? With the Sport version, the fairings generate a lot of heat to your legs on the 600 Hornets. Otherwise, they are a great bike. And you'll need to relearn gear changes by ear. Cause even when idling at typical idle speed the 600 Hornet Sounds like it's revving. It's not, that's just how it sounds. *I* would rather ride the GS than the Sport version. Then again, I love naked bikes. And would gladly welcome a 600 Hornet to reside in the stable with my 919 (900 Hornet)

If you feel like you need to upgrade but are still that bit cautious, then the 599 will be ideal. Can still do commuting duties well while can handle weekend blats with greater ease. Have never heard a bad thing about them. Pop on over to the 599 forum http://www.honda599.com/forums/ and have yourself a read. 

Michael

The F4i (CBR600) and Hornet (599 in the US) are a bit different, and I think he was trying to say he's ridden a 599 before and wants to know how the F4i compares.

Speaking as someone who rode a 599 just yesterday (my friend bought a new one and I took it around), I imagine if you're fine on that, you'll be fine on an F4i. The F4i only puts out about ~10 more HP than the 599 so it's not leaps and bounds different in anything more than body positioning.

[ninjeff]

Trading a GS for an F4i?

Man, some people have all the luck. A good quality f4i is about my dream bike. I'd love to have one, but just coudlnt afford it, so i picked up the GS.

[Sahana]

@mister: Yeah, I was referring to the 599 Hornet. My boyfriend has one, I tried to convince him to sell it to me for 3 months but he really loves that bike, so there's not much I can do about it (although last night he generously agreed to let me buy half ownership, which is awesome but I dunno if I wanna be half owner of my daily driver, y'know?). Also unfortunately, 599s are pretty rare in the States, at least in Florida anyhow. The other bike I've been looking at, interestingly enough, is a 919 (CB900F). The insurance on it is the same as it would be if I bought my boyfriend's 599. To my horror, I discovered insurance on a f4i would increase from $187 a year to almost $600, but for the 599 or the 919 it only increases to $422. This is the one I'm thinking about getting, I'm going to look at it tomorrow

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/mcy/2967100360.html

Since you have a 919, what do you think of it? I LOVE my boyfriend's 599...almost as much as he does.

Also, anyone else's opinion on the 919 would be welcome,

@ninjeff: His girlfriend didn't like my bike, so no trade (just as well considering what I found out about the insurance) (also, the bike needed some work - not much, but some - and the 919 only needs a new chain and tires, from what the seller said...we'll see tomorrow!). I afforded my motorcycle thanks to the US Department of Education's student loan allotment for transportation expenses. Muuuuuuch lower interest rate than dealer financing. Have you ever ridden a 599? In my limited experience it's the best bike ever, so I really hope the 919 would be like a 599 plus.

[warlock214]

Did you check out the 919?

[BaltimoreGS]

Some bikes rev high than others. NOT all I4s are revvy. My 919 will sit at 100kph in top gear doing a tad under 4k rpm. Same speed on the GS is 5k rpm. My GS revs more than my I4.

@Byan88, typically, the Honda 599 is the what the 600 Hornet is referred to. CBRs are typically just called CBRs. I know the OP said CBR at the start, but the 599 reference tells me it's really a Hornet.

@Sahana: Are we talking the Sport version or the Naked? With the Sport version, the fairings generate a lot of heat to your legs on the 600 Hornets. Otherwise, they are a great bike. And you'll need to relearn gear changes by ear. Cause even when idling at typical idle speed the 600 Hornet Sounds like it's revving. It's not, that's just how it sounds. *I* would rather ride the GS than the Sport version. Then again, I love naked bikes. And would gladly welcome a 600 Hornet to reside in the stable with my 919 (900 Hornet)

If you feel like you need to upgrade but are still that bit cautious, then the 599 will be ideal. Can still do commuting duties well while can handle weekend blats with greater ease. Have never heard a bad thing about them. Pop on over to the 599 forum http://www.honda599.com/forums/ and have yourself a read. 

Michael

The F4i (CBR600) and Hornet (599 in the US) are a bit different, and I think he was trying to say he's ridden a 599 before and wants to know how the F4i compares.

Speaking as someone who rode a 599 just yesterday (my friend bought a new one and I took it around), I imagine if you're fine on that, you'll be fine on an F4i. The F4i only puts out about ~10 more HP than the 599 so it's not leaps and bounds different in anything more than body positioning.

Don't know about over seas but in the USA the 599 was carbureted while the F4i was fuel injected.  The 919 and 929 were both fuel injected.

-Jessie

[noiseguy]

919: -15HP, +20 ft/lb torque, +80 pounds on the F4i.

In real world terms, a much better all-around street bike that should be able to keep up just fine with the smaller 600.

[SAFE-T]

The 599 used the carburated CBR600F4 motor, so it will be like the CBR600F4i with slightly softer throttle response. 

[SAFE-T]

If you have the experience and discipline to handle the 919 I would definitely consider that ~ carburators are pretty old school technology anyway you slice it.

[Sahana]

The other bike I'm considering is a Honda CB-1 (CB400F), which boy oh boy do I wish could have been my first bike: it's 30 pounds lighter and has 8 more hp. Anyone ever ridden one? The one that's for sale is about 250 miles away so I don't wanna ride all the way there and then be disappointed.

Going to check out the 919 today at 6  , will post when I get back.

[Watevaman]

919: -15HP, +20 ft/lb torque, +80 pounds on the F4i.

In real world terms, a much better all-around street bike that should be able to keep up just fine with the smaller 600.

I never realized the 919 and 599 were so similar power wise. I guess they really worked the engine out for torque and that's it.

[mister]

@mister: Yeah, I was referring to the 599 Hornet. My boyfriend has one, I tried to convince him to sell it to me for 3 months but he really loves that bike, so there's not much I can do about it (although last night he generously agreed to let me buy half ownership, which is awesome but I dunno if I wanna be half owner of my daily driver, y'know?). Also unfortunately, 599s are pretty rare in the States, at least in Florida anyhow. The other bike I've been looking at, interestingly enough, is a 919 (CB900F). The insurance on it is the same as it would be if I bought my boyfriend's 599. To my horror, I discovered insurance on a f4i would increase from $187 a year to almost $600, but for the 599 or the 919 it only increases to $422. This is the one I'm thinking about getting, I'm going to look at it tomorrow

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/mcy/2967100360.html

Since you have a 919, what do you think of it? I LOVE my boyfriend's 599...almost as much as he does.

Also, anyone else's opinion on the 919 would be welcome,

Here is a write up I did specifically for comparison to the GS500 for those who are thinking about the switch
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=52805.msg620464#msg620464

I think you will Love the 919 and your BF will be jealous if you get it. And no-one that rides one has a bad word to say.

Half ownership is BS. Either own outright or not at all.

CB400... nice bikes, a tad more responsive than the GS500 but overall not really That much different.

Do please keep us updated on your thoughts of the 919.

Michael

[Sahana]

@mister: Man, that write-up was awesome, thanks a bunch; it gave me a basis for theoretical comparison and from what I could tell, it was extremely accurate.    The half ownership thing would be only so my boyfriend could ensure he'd have first dibs if he sold it to me, but just for pragmatic reasons I was a little unsure about that prospect. Also, I was wondering if the 400F would be essentially the same as my GS, good starter bike but not really something to move up to, so to speak, so I'm glad you answered that question.

Just got back from checking out the 919...I'm pretty sure it's the only used motorcycle that could've won unequivocal approval from my motorcycle mechanic boyfriend, so I gave the guy a deposit to hold it for me until I can sell my bike.  I'm so excited! Unfortunately, I didn't actually get to ride it because on flat ground I can only hold it up on my very tiptoes; but I did sit on it, and my boyfriend rode it around the block with me on the back. He said "Ooooh, it's a bit torquey. We might definitely have to trade bikes for a little while."  I was just my boyfriend's passenger for the first 6 months we dated, til I got my GS, so I'm pretty experienced with riding on the back of the 599, and from the rear seat at least it does seem just like a slightly bigger version.

So it all worked out perfectly, as long as I can sell my GS soon (the 919 is exactly the price of me getting full value for her). My boyfriend said the throttle isn't any more sensitive than the 599, which I handle just fine; moreover, it's been dropped once (fairly gently from what I can tell) by the owner before the current one so the gas tank is already a tiny bit dented and that's pretty much the only damage, and I won't feel like a traitor if I drop her (like I did with my GS). Thanks you guys for all your help & input. Even though I guess this means I should start investigating the 919 forums, my motorcycle forum home will always be here. 

[Sahana]

On the note of forums: the only 919 forum is a subforum of the 599 forum.

@mister: got any 919 forums to recommend?