CBR600RR at 41

[ndfz6r]

Hello, fellow riders. I am very close to closing a deal on a 2009 CBR600RR with 3200 miles. I have had fun on the FZ6R, but want to try something a little more agressive. The issues, I am 41, will use the bike for in town riding as I have a BMW R80RT for the highway. I have never owned a bike like this and feel like getting it out of my system. Will the ergos on the CBR kill me? The FZ6R I find very comfortable, no getting aroung the CBR being more extreme. I am trying to talk myself out of it. Any insight from fellow riders is appreciated, especially from ones in my age group. I have only been riding for a couple years, just want to experience something more aggrssive.

 

[JSP]

Why would you want a full super sport for just in town riding? They are the worst for in town stop and go riding. If you want it for some out of town good twisty road riding then yes, go for it. But in town only is a big no from me. I had a 09 R6 and it was not terrible for my younger self, but was not pleasant either.

And it would be a waste of a bike to be limited in town only riding. Those bikes beg to be over 10k plus RPM. If you are doing that in town, you will have some issues.

 

[ndfz6r]

I see your point. I should qualify my use on the bike. I use it to commute, but do use it for some out of town riding on the weekends where it would be more usable in its natural form. I would use it for twisties and such, It's just that it will be used more in a straight line Monday-Friday. I looked hard at an 08 CBR1000 also, but that one scares me a bit.

 

[RoadTrip]

Well, I am 5 yrs older than you, and rode 14,000 miles on my GSXR600 in the past 1.5yrs after having rode the FZ6R for 8,000 miles in 6 months. The ergos are not painful, but they can make you squirm in discomfort after the first 30 minutes. My typical ride is comfort the first 30min, discomfort the next hour, then acclimation and nirvana for the next hour, then back to discomfort for the next couple of hours.

I just ignore the discomfort cause I love being outdoors and riding this type bike, it all boils down to your threshold for pain and pleasure, most our age just aren't willing to be that uncomfortable for the little increase in speed and corner aggression, don't buy it for the looks, that part of the SS ownership experience fades in just a few months, and it essentially goes back to all about riding.

The one thing I realized early on and still experience to this day, is that SS bikes challenge you, you push them and seek to go deeper, you mostly fall short of cornering perfection, but constantly seek it. You are forever in the quest for the perfect corner, SS's handle poorly on tight slower turns, you often back off entry speed and loose your gyroscopic effect, the FZ6R steers much better on these type turns. On sweepers and open roads, though, you can haul ass and work your body positions, and push a bit more. The 600SS doesn't beat the FZ6R at normal take off RPMs, and only pulls ahead at the top end, so that's where you go exploring, and you will find the experience exhilarating, but also you will be riding very fast, these race engines like to be reving hard.

If you have any doubts, then make sure you get a killer price, that way you can resell it without a significant loss. But, I agree with JSP, these bikes are all about the back roads, riding them in traffic and around town is frustrating, there is more back strain without the high speed winds holding you up, and you just kinda want to get off when slugging around town. But, if you want to do the bike night and Starbucks kinda thing, I don't hate on that, that type rider doesn't offend me, but I think you are missing out if that's all you do with it.

 

[JSP]

I see. Best thing is to SIT on one for as long as you can. Get a real good feel for the position. Have someone hold the bike upright. If you can find one to test ride, that is even better. Since you would commute plus twisty ride her, get a good dual compound sport touring tire. Otherwise you have squared off tires in no time commuting on full sport tires.

 

[RoadTrip]

I see your point. I should qualify my use on the bike. I use it to commute, but do use it for some out of town riding on the weekends where it would be more usable in its natural form. I would use it for twisties and such, It's just that it will be used more in a straight line Monday-Friday. I looked hard at an 08 CBR1000 also, but that one scares me a bit.

In town for commuting, many people think the bigger motors are better (e.g. liter bikes) cause you don't have to shift and you just roll on power in any gear making it a more relaxing experience, but for aggressive cornering they are much less fun cause you are scared shitless about spinning the rear tire (e.g. for noobs like you and me), and supposedly the CBR1000 is one of the worst culprits for this among Japanese liter bikes. The 600 allows much more aggressive throttle useage without penalty, even more than the 750 allows, a neighbor of mine got rid of his 750 after accidentally power wheeling up an onramp and nearly looping it, this is why I am still on a 600 (although I am curious about that liter bike torque).

Edit - oh, and my recent big motor research has the Hayabusa and ZX-14 as very relaxing bikes off the bottom, more comfortable ergos, fine for non-aggressive cornering and sweepers, and of course the occasional top end blast. Most peeps find liter bikes more dangerous than the hyperliters, and the Hayabusa is even in the 600cc insurance group (15) vs liter (17), for some insurance carriers since they consider it a 'sport touring' bike.

 

[EsrTek]

OP - I just went through this debate w/ myself for nearly a year. @40 yrs old and always wanting a SS bike, I passed on it and bought the fz6r. Besides the fact of me wanting an SS since I was a little tyke, there where only 2 real reasons I wanted one. 1) Top End 2) the suspension system
I didn't get a SS for those very same 2 reasons and I know I would try to use the bike for what it's made for... racing and I don't plan on tracking a bike. I have other mitigating factors, such as 5 kids and sole income of house, those things have to be considered for this type of decision (IMHO). The added Ins cost (even at 40) was insane too by the way.

So the older side of me kicked in and said "well then dumbass, you don't need a SS".

I'd suggest you really think about it too.

 

[Marthy]

Asking yourself too many question! Go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't like it... sell it. Life is too short to wonder if you should have done something.

 

[10/22 DUDE]

I put 12,000 miles on a brand new 2010 FZ6R then traded it in on a 2012 ZX10R that now has 4,000 miles on it. I honestly do not think the ZX10R is any less comfortable. My lower back would start to hurt on my FZ because of the upright riding position. Now my back is fine but my wrists take a beating. For me I just traded one discomfort for another, but everyone is going to feel different on the same bikes. I’m used to the ZX10R now and am not bothered by the riding position anymore. I have ridden a little over 200 miles in a day, in town, and in canyons. I love it and am very happy with my decision to get a SS. They are amazing machines and all you need is some self control in the throttle department and you have nothing to worry about.

 

[RoadTrip]

Asking yourself too many question! Go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't like it... sell it. Life is too short to wonder if you should have done something.

While I commend EsrTek's logic and self discipline, I went the Marthy route, I just had to know what it was like! BTW, full coverage insurance for me was FZ6R=$300, GSXR600=$600, GSXR1000=$1400 (wtf! makes no sense).

 

[RoadTrip]

I put 12,000 miles on a brand new 2010 FZ6R then traded it in on a 2012 ZX10R that now has 4,000 miles on it. I honestly do not think the ZX10R is any less comfortable. My lower back would start to hurt on my FZ because of the upright riding position. Now my back is fine but my wrists take a beating. For me I just traded one discomfort for another, but everyone is going to feel different on the same bikes. I’m used to the ZX10R now and am not bothered by the riding position anymore. I have ridden a little over 200 miles in a day, in town, and in canyons. I love it and am very happy with my decision to get a SS. They are amazing machines and all you need is some self control in the throttle department and you have nothing to worry about.

Take the weight off your wrists and see how your back feels

 

[Detrich]

For me, it's always my inner thighs that get sore the next day. Don't feel much discomfort while riding in general...

But, sometimes the blood flow to my feet get a little tingly from being in the riding position too long... So I try to stretch & extend my legs out on straights. (Ive always wondered if this is why MotoGP riders stretch their inside legs out on corners.)

When I'm a bit fatigued or just having a lousy riding day, I notice that my wrists do get a little sore- because of lousy riding posture.

 

[RoadTrip]

I wasn't trying to be a jerk with the wrists comment, but there is a practical reason for being 'loose on the bars', it allows the front end to track smoothly and auto correct the line on its own, too much tension can upset the bike if you hit a mid-corner bump and the front wheel momentarily loses its full weight, tension in the bar either prevents the front from quickly re-tracking on its own or steers it out of the ideal position if you are weighting a counter-steer midcorner (I used to do that as well). About a year ago, I had a violent episode once on a real bumpy corner at high speed that almost took me off the road, I spent weeks trying to figure out if something was wrong with the bike, but finally realized it was my too firm grip on the bars. I re-established the loose grip and things went back to a lot smoother on the front end - but, yeah, lower back can get fatigued holding yourself off the bars.

 

[Marthy]

While I commend EsrTek's logic and self discipline, I went the Marthy route, I just had to know what it was like! BTW, full coverage insurance for me was FZ6R=$300, GSXR600=$600, GSXR1000=$1400 (wtf! makes no sense).

I meet a gentleman Monday. He's 80... soon 81 YO. He's riding a ZX10 with a modded triple three to accommodate stand up handlebars.

That's a bas a$$ mtrfkr in my book!!! I want to be like him down the road... If you think about it... he's been retired for at least 20 years or so... riding bike 12 months a year in Florida... Sweet!

 

[Brock Kickass]

I wanted SS performance but I really liked riding my FZ6R, so I went with an FZ1. Great around town, easy to manage if you're careful, and stupid-fast when you let the tach run up. Maybe not quite as nimble as a 600SS, but I'm no Valentino Rossi. I can make up quite a few seconds per lap by becoming a better rider before I need to start blaming my bike for my lap times. I find it's a little challenging but still pretty amazing in the really tight stuff, but in high speed sweepers it just loves to run. It sets up like it's on a rail and follows my eyes through the turn.

 

[Spunky99]

I'm 59 and lowered the clip-ons as far as they would go on my Triumph Daytona 955I. The lower I went the better my back felt and I'm missing the disk at L3-L4 and have ruptures at L2-L3 and L4-L5. I also have badly damaged shoulders but if using your back muscles and thighs, there shouldn't be any pressure on the arms.
Around town, there are moments when I can utilize both the handling and power of the bike and do so with great pleasure as often as I can.
I loved my FZ6R but after I adjusted my Daytona to be about as aggressive as my NSR-50 in forward lean I would never go back to the sitting up position of a FZ6R again.
The ONLY drawback is I ride with the Mono-Posto seat hump and unless I wear a backpack I can't carry anything. But that's not any different than the FZ6R with no saddle bags. I do have the passenger seat so I can double up when I clip it on.

 

[ndfz6r]

I wanted SS performance but I really liked riding my FZ6R, so I went with an FZ1. Great around town, easy to manage if you're careful, and stupid-fast when you let the tach run up. Maybe not quite as nimble as a 600SS, but I'm no Valentino Rossi. I can make up quite a few seconds per lap by becoming a better rider before I need to start blaming my bike for my lap times. I find it's a little challenging but still pretty amazing in the really tight stuff, but in high speed sweepers it just loves to run. It sets up like it's on a rail and follows my eyes through the turn.

I am having a couple FZ1's quoted right now. They are impossible to come by used around here, but I may be able to snag a decent close out on a carry-over. I like the FZ6R, very comfortable, but I just want some more forward thrust.

 

[Anthony]

Hello, fellow riders. I am very close to closing a deal on a 2009 CBR600RR with 3200 miles. I have had fun on the FZ6R, but want to try something a little more agressive. The issues, I am 41, will use the bike for in town riding as I have a BMW R80RT for the highway. I have never owned a bike like this and feel like getting it out of my system. Will the ergos on the CBR kill me? The FZ6R I find very comfortable, no getting aroung the CBR being more extreme. I am trying to talk myself out of it. Any insight from fellow riders is appreciated, especially from ones in my age group. I have only been riding for a couple years, just want to experience something more aggrssive.

Life is short, if you want a super sport then get one! Besides, 40 is the new 30 lol

When I went from the fz6r to the busa the change was that instead of my a$$ hurting, now my wrists do a little. Thats about it.

 

[Bert-Aus]

Try this on for size if you're getting a sore back or wrists...
Tense your abdominals and squeeze you legs together on the tank whilst tucked in
-it relieves all tension from your back, holds your body in place and you beer gut will be gone after a couple hundred miles*

(*disclaimer -some beer bellies may require +1000m)

Back to topic

get that ride whilst you still can
-life is too short and you only get one shot at it!

 

[Marthy]

Try this on for size if you're getting a sore back or wrists...
Tense your abdominals and squeeze you legs together on the tank whilst tucked in
-it relieves all tension from your back, holds your body in place and you beer gut will be gone after a couple hundred miles*

(*disclaimer -some beer bellies may require +1000m)

Back to topic

get that ride whilst you still can
-life is too short and you only get one shot at it!

What you need to do is fine the perfect combo of handlebar so the wind keep you up! LOL So the faster you want to cruise the more forward you need to lean.