A serious question for the more experienced riders amongst you.

[v8s&2wheels]

hi guys dont want to steal the thread away but im sort of in the same boat. Except i definatly dont want or need a thou I4. Ive got a zxr250 at the moment. That was fun. Did me over the napier taupo road just fine could easily kill the corners. Now i want a 2000+ model 600. Ive got my eye on a zx6r g2 model. And i know they have 108hp (or there abouts). Ive read this whole thread and was wondering. Would a jump from 40hp to around 110hp be too much of a jump? I had the opportunity to get a sv650s (70hp) quite cheap off a mate but decided against it as they just dont appeal so much to me.

My real question is am I going to hurt/kill myself on 108hp? Im not going to push into it i would only just start off slowly and build confidence with the bike and the speed of the bike. ive owned some fast cars (i know its completely different to bikes) so am use to the acceleration force. But if i take it easy is the zx6r a good step up for me? Or am i safer to get a sv650s and then go that extra horsepower later on?

[98tls]

Its all been said really,will only add that going straight to something that far outweighs your skill levels could in my opinion anyway in the long term handicap your riding ability.If me i would be looking hard at a 600 or similar,if you question there performance spend some time watching the likes of Wanganui st race dvds and you will see with the right guy onboard theres little between them and the 1000s,in the real world on real roads the difference is even less.

[mowgli]

DO you think a 1000cc bike is "too much" for someone as their first "big" bike (ie, first bike on a full license)

Been there - broke my leg. I'm thirty something and careful. I'm not immune to making mistakes though.

If you're asking the question then you already know the answer is 'yes'.

[chester]

what about a threee cylinder? I went from a 250 Hornet to a 675 trumpet and its been a good step up.

[Gremlin]

As I say to most of these threads... you simply won't/can't comprehend just how fast a big bike will accelerate. You can't think fast enough. This nicely leads into when you have a little moment on it, and can't think fast enough to get yourself out of the mess. Most of the time, the extra power it has only amplifies the problem. This is especially true for your instinct and habit. A twist to make something small go, makes the big bike launch you into the scenery.

I got caught out with my usual twist even between my two bikes, both naked and 900-1000cc, simply because one was much more responsive to the throttle. The normal twist and usual accelerate turned into, launch out of the side road, heading for the island, thinking fark, wrong bike, and having to lean it over like hell to get it around.

The fact that twins have more torque than a thou rather than hp is a bit of a myth. The likes of gixxer thous have stupid amounts of torque, lower and more plentiful than the twins.

As for age and maturity. A 30-something year old bought my zzr250 as his learner bike. He didn't last 20 days, because he ended up in the oncoming, and was hit by a 4wd. He was mature, "older", and simply had always wanted to learn, now was his chance.

Now couple little mistakes with a bike that accelerates faster than you can think?

[cheshirecat]

My 10 cents as well. Got back into bikes acouple of years ago and bought a 500. This is after riding a CBX1000 6 and several years as a London Despatch rider. Reckon I've used up all my nine lives so ride a bit careful these days. Now have a 14 year old VFR but it took me several months getting used to it and really valued the 500 experience especially these NZ roads. For me it's not so much the normal riding, it's the small things which can trip you up and are very expensive these days. Most of the above riders have aclimatised to the new performance machines and God knows what a 2008 1000 feels like, but my old red bus VFR is plenty for everything. Bikes are very emotive so pos if you ride it you'll know immediately. Happy riding and good luck.

[Number One]

My two cents...SV650s ROCK!!!! I spent several years on various 250s then had a large break away from riding and returned to riding with my first 'large' bike
While I am experienced enough that thous don't seem as big and scary as they used to - the 650 still has more to give than I use but is still well capable of losing me my life and my license...personally speaking I really can't see the point in a thou as you can't really use it on the road anyway.

Good luck and enjoy the test riding

[sinfull]

My two cents...SV650s ROCK!!!! :

The other side to this you may not have thought of is that IF And a big IF track days grab ya by the balls as they have done to me, The SV gives you some great options if you feel you want to get into the argy bargy side of road racing !
I suddenly find myself with an F1 bike lol wow (not a shit show)

[Number One]

The other side to this you may not have thought of is that IF And a big IF track days grab ya by the balls as they have done to me, The SV gives you some great options if you feel you want to get into the argy bargy side of road racing !
I suddenly find myself with an F1 bike lol wow (not a shit show)

Well we do have another SV...

[sinfull]

Well we do have another SV you could borrow !...

Awww hey nice offer but it aint the way i roll !!!
Then again ............

[Number One]

Awww hey nice offer but it aint the way i roll !!!
Then again ............

Nice misquote - dream on old fulla

[Mom]

Or, if you are like me, your feet dont even come close to touching the ground on an SV, well they do, but tippy toe stuff. I am past leaning off the seat at the lights with the point of one boot on the ground. I can't ride Maha's bike as I can't reach the controls comfortably, and if I have the controls, I definately can't reach the ground. Bikes have to fit you as well as how you want to ride them. Guys for the record here...size does matter

Go test ride a few and see what fits. CC rating is not as important as hp in my opinion.

[Number One]

Or, if you are like me, your feet dont even come close to touching the ground on an SV

Fark!!! Are you really THAT short...geez and I thought I was a midget

[sinfull]

Nice misquote - dream on old fulla

Indian giver !!!

[Mom]

Fark!!! Are you really THAT short...geez and I thought I was a midget

I can tippy toe on a SV650, probably be ok with a lowered one. That is why I love my Radian I can reach the ground easy, and I can reach the controls as well....LOL