[PegDragger]

CBR's Rule

Hey I'm the proud owner of a 2000 F4 and can't tell you how glad I am. Looks, Dependability and performance are all that count to me, and Honda has them all. I've tried the GSXR's and the R6 and yea they are probably a little more track worthy than the CBR but if you can really ride, it doesn't really matter....Does It!!

 

[Radman]

Looks are getting there and the fuel injection is cool. Unfortunately both the Yamaha and Suzuki look (quite a bit) better AND have better performance. Come on Honda, time to give the CBR600 some character! Pay off the dB guys and go for the horsepower!!

 

[FieryErmine]

The thing is that I thought that the regular F4 was supposed to be the user-friendly one and that F4i was supposed to be the ractrack tool.

I, for one think that a bike should be about speed first. If I want convenience, I'll drive my car.

I certainly don't have any problems with people who like F4's or Radians or Harleys or whatever you ride. I find it surprising that you find it necessary to berate others. Oh well, people always find it easy to call people names over the internet.



Robin.

 

[Pacer]

I would be the frist in line to ride the Space Shuttle, a 7 second dragster, or anything that is cool. And don't get down on someone because they want to pose. I pose next to a KX 250 two or three times a week. Keeps me sane, that is how some of us prefer to blow off the daily grind.

 

[IceWorm]

Ya don't have to be an idiot to die on a motorcycle. Ask Joe Dunlop, oops you can't, he's dead. Remember many of the best riders on the track don't even ride on the street. Slow down on the street or you will pay the price eventually.

 

[CBRBrutha]

I have to agree with the guy that talked about the '91 F2 and beating most new 600's out there. This is true, and more...I have taken my '99 F4 and beat new 929's piped and Dynojet programmed and every other thing you can imagine (they may have even had titanium muffler bearings). The amount of enjoyment you get on any given motorcycle is solely reliant on your skill level. I can take a Ninja 250 out and wack guys on 600's. Likewise an old ZX6e and wack guys on liter bikes. It's all in how you ride. My $.02: Get some good track time, or GREAT training somewhere, and it doesn't matter what kind of sportbike you ride. You'll be safer, fast, and enjoy yourself.

 

[BurningSquid]

Yes...since Yamaha won the WORLD Supersport Championship

 

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

The key word you mentioned was AFTERMARKET. They are free to do anything they want, and the legal implications are up to the owner. The manufacturers aren't as lucky.

 

[ClubRacer]

No way

For the average privateer the honda is not the best choice. The r6 and gsxr make better starting platforms. For the average squid/ doner the cbr is more comefie, handles ok for street use, and is dependable.

There are only a hand full of guys that race. That is why honda doesn't market to the racer. If they win races with their factory teem it makes people want to buy their bikes.

Let the slam fest begin.

 

[ClubRacer]

way to go

Am I a poser if some one else is faster than me?

Am I a Poser if I don't have the same bike as you?

Am I a poser if I don't do stand-up-104mph-haironfire-wheelies on the street?

Is my girl friend a poser because I convinced her to wear my one peice leathers and a bikini top next to my race bike?(only because I couldn't convince her to do it naked)

What the heck is a poser? Who is a poser? Is it not ok for some one to have some thing because it makes them feel good?

 

[Abe_Froman]

I'm certainly not going to bash the F4i, it's a great bike. It doesn't look as good as the R6 or GSXR, but I would venture to guess that it may have a leg up on reliability over those two. I just don't understand everyone bashing the R6 and GSXR. So they're not the greatest all-around bikes. Some of us don't want an all-around bike. I am not concerned with mundane things like reliability and long-haul comfort. I want the sharpest, most focused bike I can buy. I had a '97 GSXR600. When I hopped from that to a '97 F3, the F3 felt soft. I didn't feel as "in control" as I did on my bike. Whether I am a good rider or a bad one, that "feel" is what I'm after, and it's what makes us appreciate a bike. (Besides, a GSXR will teach you more about throttle control and corner speeds than an F4 ever will, even if you have to learn the hard way.)

 

[stevegrab]

Fine, so let those that want to race go buy a GSXR or R6, and those of us that have bikes to ride on the street (and maybe an occasional track day or school) will by the F4 and to a lesser extent the ZX-6R. Which do you think is going to sell more?



Why should Honda have to make a racier bike for the racers, let them hop it up with aftermarket parts (they'll even do that to the GSXR or R6).

 

[NickdaBrick]

If you want to beat your buddies, you don't need a new bike, you need riding lessons. Why are so many willing to accept being out-ridden, but so few are willing to accept being out-spent?



That said, if Honda REALLY wants to thump the competition on the sales floor, they're going to have to address the one feature that really doesn't matter on the track, namely, styling. Too many of today's bikes look too similar. Look at the R1-like nose on the Honda. And from the side, nearly all of the hot sport bikes look pretty much the same. Acres of plastic, big splashy graphics, pointy, Power-Ranger shapes, etcetera. If they could make the Honda LOOK better than the others, then it wouldn't particularly matter if it actually WAS better, because all of the 600's are insanely fast as it is, and are far more capable than the majority of their squidly riders.

 

[MoMo]

Re: CBR''s Rule

no dude

screw all you posers

 

[stevegrab]

Motorcycles are not all about speed, they about handling and going around corners. As many people have pointed out on this site before, anybody can go fast in straight line, but it takes skill to go fast in corners.



If speed is all you're after stick to hot-rods, they can go fast, at least until they need to turn.



The F4i replaces the F4, there are not 2 versions for this year a street and race bike. That is part of what makes the CBR so good, it does both well, where other manufacturers 2 or more bikes to fill those markets. Considering how many CBRs are sold every year, I'd say Honda is doing a good job.

 

[stevegrab]

Re: Honda needs a second 600cc model

They do, the F4 is a great street bike. If you want something a little more comfortable, a little less sporty, try a VFR.

Why should Honda make 2 distinct 600s. Most of these other street 600s you mention (YZF600R, ZX6e, Katana) are pretty much just old sport bikes that evolved a little, and were kept in production. That would be like Honda continuing to make an F3 today, and giving it a different name. These bikes also don't get a lot of refinement, they really are just old models kept in production.

 

[MrCrash907]

Hey Brent, I've got a theory on the front end chatter you pointed out on the F4i under hard trail braking.



I was at the intro as well (it was my first, representing CityBike magazine), the only time I would get the bike really bent out of shape would be when I would upset the chassis while hard on the brakes, usually when I was trying to match revs. I dove by Burns at one point coming off the back straight into the hairpin, he had a front row seat as my bike chattered around under heavy braking, after that session he asked me if it was the front end chatter you mentioned.



The stock front end felt pretty soft on the bike compared to what I'm used to, I don't remember the settings but I think they had to be preloaded a decent amount to get sag numbers in the ballpark. I've found on my racebike that excessively preloading the springs gets them out of an optimum working range, loading them makes them a bit susceptible to chatter. Heavier springs and larger sag numbers have alleviated the problem in the past.



In any case, that was how I interpreted the feedback. Basically, it felt as though my fat ass overwhelmed the stock front end on the brakes, and any lack of smoothness (i.e. my downshifting) would get the bike bent up in knots. The revs would rise and fall on the bike much more quickly than on bikes I'm used to, matching revs was a little tricky for me at first. Later in the day, I started getting the hang of it, I could go much deeper on the brakes into corners, without any antics from either end of the suspension.



I'm pretty doubtful the chatter was from fork flex. Haney, Toland, and Freddie were going a heck of a lot quicker than most of us were, while still looking pretty darn smooth. Respringing the front end and reworking the valving would likely eliminate the problem, especially for the heavier and faster riders of the group.

 

[Lowrez]

Quiet indeed

Actually, most *stock* Harleys are fairly quiet. It's just that the dealer helps you put on new pipes and remove the baffles before it ever leaves the parking lot.

 

[Lowrez]

Re: No way

Slam fest? Alright! You're so wrong about the r6 and gsxr... uh.. no wait, they are better for the racer on a budget.

Ok, well, the CBR isn't nearly as comfortable as my couch! True it isn't as painful as being strechted over a Gixxer for 150 miles. Did I have a point?

Uh... I buy my bike baised on what I like, not because of some factory racer. That's why I bought an R1 for riding to the grocery store. That didn't sound so good, did it?

Guess your points were well made.

 

[Lowrez]

Uh, I actually like the looks of the current crop of 600's. With the exception of the color schemes that Kawasaki chooses (what do those guys smoke anyway?), I really dig almost every aspect.



Maybe it has something to do with the Akira motorcycle on my desk.