http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/685215553.html

i was under the impression the last year for this bike was 2006? 

It was. The line was consolidated into the GSX650F for 2008

The 600 and 750 Kan-O-Tuna were no more after 06. The ad poster is wack.

ah, BP....just the man i wanted to talk to tonight.....can you give me opinions/thoughts on the CBR F3???

Carbed 600 lots of them still on the road, not much aftermarket available though, I don't know what type of OEM parts support is still available for plastics and such either.

Still see lots of them as track bikes for poorboy riders wanting a second bike as a track whore.

Typical Honda though. They run good and if well maintained should easily see well over 100k miles.

If your looking at one beware of extremely low mileage as that is an indicator that the bike has sat alot and will need carbs redone fuel shut off valve cleaned and check for corrosion in the tank along with weather checking of all the rubber.

fireblades.org has a section for the 600's you might go lurk over there and read some of the posts on the older 600's That site has been around a while so it has large historical post content.

cool. as you know, i'm browsing for my first bike still. i've seen a few F3's posted in the 3k range. as a new rider i'm wanting something that is the best of both worlds as in not horrible looking and yet manageable as a new rider.

Quote from: jserio on May 18, 2008, 09:29:22 PM
horrible looking and yet manageable as a new rider.

like I love YOU??

  oh man...got me there dude. my mom ain't no playboy centerfold.  f%$k, i need another beer. 

The thing to worry about on the carbed 600's vs Fi 600's is vaccum lag.

Basically you twist the throttle on a Fi bike and it responds almost immediately. This is good and bad if you ham fist it your gonna know right away to get out of the throttle, bad because it responds so sudddenly. On a carbed bike you have vacuum lag what happens is you twist the throttle and nothing much happens for a split second, so you twist it more and wham youve goosed it too much for conditions and you could loose the rear end when youre in a situation where traction is already minimal.

The older carbed 600's made less HP and tourque than the Fi bikes so you'd think that'd make them good beginners bikes, it's a catch 22 though because when tuned properly that Vacuum lag can bite you in the butt. Plastics are gonna be hard to replace on a F3 if you dump it BTW.

Though the F4i makes more torque and HP its easier to judge the amount of throttle for a given instance since it reacts so quickly to right wrist, IMHO the marginal amount of extra HP and tourque are not a detriment to using it as a first bike, and for now and the next 4 to 5 years parts availability shouldn't be an issue but the aftermarket is begiining to dwindle.

My wife had about 1500 miles experience plus the MSF when I bought her the F4i for her birthday last year, she has had no trasitional issues and finds it easier to ride than a carbed bike was.

In reality odds are your gonna dump the bike a few times, it just happens, watched my wife run wide in a decreasing radius turn and go down on the GS. Your best bet is to get a starter bike that is not going to cost an arm and a leg if you dump it. An older naked GS fits that bill nicely. Ride it for a year or so and then move on up.

thank you for your reply BP. anyone who can ride a 954 and survive to tell deserves my respect. although i must say i do take things on the net with a grain of salt. no disrepect intended. i think i may have to buy something really cheap to start out just because of the money situation. just bought the house so not much extra cash to play with. 

Quote from: jserio on May 18, 2008, 09:49:26 PM
oh man...got me there dude. my mom ain't no playboy centerfold.  f%$k, i need another beer. 

Yeah, but I had to use your words out of context. I usually walk right in to the you mom lines... 

it's all good dude. just like I love YOU. 

Lotsa people ride litre bikes and survive. I have been riding since I was 14...Damn 23 years now, I have ridden everything from 2stroke RZ's to Goldwings. I chose my bike to fit where I ride and the type of riding I do. Cruisers hurt my back anymore I don't like the riding position, the sportbikes feel good for 500 mile days for 3 or 4 days in a row so I can road trip on them, as long as I can find a twisty road to get their, I avoid superslab like the plague nowadays. Once my son gets older and I get the itch to really travel agin I'll pick up another wing. One thing you nay have noticed is I don't really commut on my bike. Living 4 miles from work it takes more time to get to work on the bike than it does to drive the truck.

Quote from: jserio on May 18, 2008, 10:02:48 PM
it's all good dude. just like my mom. 

errr......i meant I love YOU.....

Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on May 18, 2008, 10:10:31 PM

Quote from: jserio on May 18, 2008, 10:02:48 PM
it's all good dude. just like my mom. 

hahaha YES!!!!  the truth comes out. 

you know, i really do appreciate the opinion of more veteran riders. i don't want to be a statistic. but i would be lying if i said that i didn't care what my first bike looked like.   maybe i'm squidly but i'd really like a nice looking bike. yet not be over my head. ahhh....decision.

I think most people are concerned with the looks of their bike, I know I am!

guess i don't feel so bad then. 

Quit worrying about the looks of your first bike, take function over form. I don't consider them wrecks but stupid stuff like the bike sliding out from underneath a person in a turn because of a oil spot or coolant on the road happens a lot to newbs. Loosing you footing in a puddle of ccolant and dropping your bike, getting caught in the rain and having the damn thing slide out on you coming to a stop, these types of things usually happen the first couple of years. If you want something fully faired make sure you can still get plastics for it if you want to keep it looking nice, and be prepared for the repair bill even if you buy them online and do the work yourself.

My little 10mph ooopsie 1 1/2 years ago cost 1200 dollars in OEM parts from an online dealer. The local honda shops quoted 2700 for parts and labor.