I'm lookign at upgrading and have pretty much decided on an f4i, what does everyone think about them?

Good bike, but parts are usually expensive for hondas. The f4i is a comfortable bike from what I understand, kinda like a slightly less sporty gsxr600.  Meaning better seating and more mellow engine but I am sure you wouldnt notice the difference in the engine till you looked at numbers at a dragstrip or track.  For everday riding the comfort might be a good cosideration.

They're really difficult to maintain.  And unreliable and require really expensive service and parts are hard to find.  They're extremely slow, especially compared to the R6, which is the fastest bikes in the world despite its eating disorder.  F4i's smell a bit funny when you first fire them up, but the smell goes away after a while.  Chicks don't dig them.  And they've never been made in green.  However I believe a company in Russia does make a sidecar for them, so there's some hope.

hahahah, you both are on crack! F4i's are bulletproof. They're actually a favorite among stunters for their durability and reliability (from a stunter friend of mine)...they're great track tools too...great all around bike. dont listen to the fools above, especially Pan, since he owns one...LOL...

Yeah, sorry, I was being an ass.

They're one of the most popular stunt bikes, probably because they're built like a rock and don't break into a million pieces on a crash.  I've been extremely pleased with mine.  It's easy to wrench on, parts are readily available used and new, and it's a hell of a lot of fun to ride.  It's not the best street bike, or the best track bike, but I think it really is one of the best comfortable street bikes you can track.  I don't stunt, so I really can't help you with that.  But if that's what you want to do, I can pm you the contact info of a few local stunters and you can get their opinion.

I like my F4i so much that I bought another one just for the track 

oh did you now?

Yeah.  After spending over a month without a street bike, ebay'ing parts to make my F4i look all pretty again and $1,000 in (cosmetic) repairs, I decided that I loved riding street as much as I loved riding track and didn't want to give up either, even temporarily.

Anyhow, I really wanted to get a 600RR, 03-05, I didn't care too much about the 03/05 inverted fork and radial mounted brake differences, I just knew that I wanted to stick with the CBR from my track experience and from what I saw on the local tracks.  But the price, even for old dedicated track bikes, was a bit more than I wanted to spend.  And it's not the bike that's holding me back at this stage, it's my shaZam! riding skills.

Anyhow, long story short, one of the local SV racers was getting rid of his F4i street/track bike.  Great guy, well respected on the track and in the racing community.  He made me a deal I couldn't refuse.  So I picked up a 2002 F4i, with a clean street title with less mileage than my current 2001 F4i, with the following goodies :

- full yosh exhaust
- power commander III
- vortex rearsets
- vortex sprokets
- GP fork internals and rear suspension
- sharkskinz race body work
- pilot race scrubs (on bike)
- super corsa pro scrubs
- pilot sports
- double bubble smoked windscreen

and as extras/spares, he gave me :
- sharkskinz street body work
- two brothers slip on
- original exhaust headers and pipe
- heated grips already wired
- original sprokets
- stock windscreen
- double bubble stock clear windscreen

and a bunch of other goodies.   The bike rides extremely well and sounds like a beast.  I'm selling all the tires and just buying new Pilot Race tires instead -- I learned my lesson the last time I crashed.. it's not worth cheaping out on replacing tires.

Now I just have to repaint the yellow/black colour scheme to something less offensive 

might I suggest a color scheme interpreting the classic Honda bike-RC30:

as done for a cbr600rr:


I am actually currently looking for a set of race skins just so I can paint it like that-and because I really should pony up and get serious about the skins...


btw-nice deal!

I thought the f4i was the detuned version of the 600rr comparatively speaking.  Engine with a smoother power band and more comfortable seating.  Still sporty but there are sportier bikes out there.  True, stunters like it because of the less peaky engine and they are tough, and also its a bandwagon thing.  Go to any stunt website, youll find its true.  Many people almost had an 04 gsxr 600 thing going for ahwile and then the 636 and then 600rr is on the come up for the bandwagon. 

The F4i is a great next bike for the original poster.   Get one of those or an YZF600R.     

Yeah it seems like the right bike for me.  I'm actually looking at a used one,
2001
7k miles
pipe, power commander, "carbon fiber" bar ends and levers(most likely "carbon look""
dumped at "10 mph" so the right fairing has a scratch

asking 4800

havent seen the bike yet, but will probably check it out after the owner sends me more pictures of damage,

I think the asking price is too high though, what do u think a good deal would be?(and yes ik its hard to judge w/o seeing the bike)
I was thinking in the range of 4200?  Any Feedback is much appreciated! thanks!

Quote from: pantablo on October 18, 2006, 12:14:16 AM

I LOVE that sceme!  If I ever decide to do a propper paint job on my TL I'm going to be copy-catting the old RC31 scheme.

I wish Suzuki's classic schemes weren't so damned fruity...

suzuki gets too busy with the swirls and stuff...

I want this:



The ONLY Suzuki racing scheme I'd want is this:



...but that's just me...

dont forget the classic Rothman's scheme too.



I'm VERY seriously considering the rc30 scheme above for track plastics. Priced out a set of new skins and its reasonable. Might buy them this week. If so, hopefully get it painted before my nov 25th trackday!

Quote from: makenzie71 on October 18, 2006, 07:59:32 PM
suzuki gets too busy with the swirls and stuff...

I want this:


...but that's just me...

oh I AM SO WITH YOU ON THIS...My favorite bike of all time. Only Vee configuration I'd own. Bikes are rare and expensive, for what they are. sexiest thing around IMO.

yeah I know...I'd like to own one but the future just isn't promising.

This, on the other hand, I can swing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-Hawk-GT-1989-Honda-Hawk-GT-NT650-NT-650-RC-30-RC30_W0QQitemZ150047047017QQihZ005QQcategoryZ6708QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



...and it gives me a hard on too.

I like hawks too, but not that much over the others...good for you though!

I don't blame you...as much as I like the twins, the hawk engine is...."unexciting".  It's the over-all uniqueness of the bike.  I'd take a genuine RC over the hawk anyday...even an RC31, despide the "unexciting" engine, lol.

This is the kind of thing I really sit around lusting after:



Mid-90's HRC VFR400.  If you think a real RC30 is rare...

Oh and just because this one is completely, utterly sick....



I can't think of a single part of that bike that doesn't make my tingly stuff tingle.

Quote from: makenzie71 on October 18, 2006, 11:23:07 PM


I can't think of a single part of that bike that doesn't make my tingly stuff tingle.

Even the paint? Yeesh...