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CBR F4i vs YZF 600R

10K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Philly_1 
#1 · (Edited)
OK, everyone has convinced me to go with a 600 instead of a Ninja 500 for my second bike (see Ninja 250 vs Ninja 500). The two I am leaning towards are the 2002 CBR and 2002 YZF (non R6). I know the Yam is an older model, heavier and a little slower.

Has anyone ridden both bikes and can tell me about some of the other differences?

Which would be better for someone with my experience?

I travel on the highway alot and I would like to take it on 150 mile trips after I get more experience. Would the Yam be better for that?

Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Ducati748Girl said:
Why not consider the 600 Ninja?
Ditto that! The 6R has a bigger fairing than other 600's: some knock it for that, but I think it's a benefit. I think those 'small' fairings were probably designed for a typical, smaller-framed Japanese rider. Fer us'em American-sized folks, the bigger fairing is a plus.

I'd definitely pick the 6R over the older YZF. Don't be fooled by the 6R's appearance: Kawasaki actually put some real-world ergonomics on the sucker.

I travel on the highway alot and I would like to take it on 150 mile trips after I get more experience.
A 150 mile trip; wassup with that? Heck, I ride my 6R up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get lunch or dinner, which is a 90 mile trip 1-way! The last 30 miles or so are nuttin' but curves (along and up the mountain), so a normal day ride for a bit of mountain food is usually 300 miles.
Most I've done in one day is 468 miles, which just happens to be how far Deals Gap is from my house, taking the long/crooked route.
 
#3 ·
F4i OR YZF600R

I'M NEW TO THIS SITE ,BUT HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.I'M WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS THIS GENTLEMAN AND ENDED UP GETTING THE YZF 600R I DON'T REGRET IT ONE BIT,I KNOW ALL THE BIKES HAVE THERE GOOD AND BAD POINTS,THE YAMAHA IS AN OLDER DESIGN BUT I THINK IT STILL LOOKS GOOD,AND THE ERGONOMICS ARE COMFORTABLE,I'M 5'11" AND WEIGH 245LBS. AND I'VE HAD A FEW GOOD RIDES AND HAVEN'T HAD ANY COMPLAINTS FROM ME OR THE BIKE, AND IT IS PLENTY FAST FOR A BEGINNER IN MY OPINION.:D I'VE SAT ON THE F4i BEFORE I PURCHASED MY BIKE AND THE SEAT WAS REAL UNCOMFORTABLE TO ME ,BUT THAT MAY JUST BE ME,SO THERES MY TWO CENTS WORTH , THANKS FOR LISTENING.:cool:
 
#4 ·
Bought a 2002 YZF600R a month ago -- great bike, no regrets. Well-built, great fairing, comfy ride position, plenty fast. Ultimately, it still comes down to what you feel comfy on -- I liked the CBR, but felt more comfy on the YZF. Was very uncomfortable on the ZX-6R, although I know a lot of people love it.
They're all great bikes, pick the one that fits you best. No matter how great the bike is, if you but and hands go numb after 100 miles, you'll hate the ride.
I think Hondas and Yamahas are better made than Suzukis or Kawis -- just me impression from the build, finish, opinions of other riders. That may matter if you plan on keeping the bike for a long time.
Plus, the YZF upgrades well.
My two cents -- I love the YZF.
 
#5 ·
the YZF 600R has been quoted as the most comfortable mid sized bike ever made. I mean the dang thing is comfy!

whoever said that kawi actually made their bike a "real world" bike has NEVER riden a 600R, its the MOST real world bike i have EVER ridden... it is a HEAVY bike, i've heard aound 480 pounds with a full tank, but its made for the street. The kawa 600 for the same year would smoke it in the quarter, but the 600R has awesome breaks, ride position, and just plain perfect for the street.
 
#7 ·
600f4i vs R6

ok guys comfort and safety wise what do you think is more forgiving for a new rider, rite now i have a 98 ninja 500r and by next year i want to move up.... but i dont' wanna get too crazy i've even condidered the yzf 600r but i dno't wanna upgrade a year or two after that
 
#8 ·
RUFF_RYDA307,

I was in the same situation as you. You have to ask youself, what do you want to do with your bike. Long rides, commuting, weekend warrior, stunts, etc.

I considered a bunch of different bikes for my second bike. As you can tell from above, I had it narrowed down to 2. But I ending up with something else. I am sure people here will disagree with me on some of this but this is how I decided:

Suzuki GSX-R: Light, good looks, but too uncomfortable.

Ninja 600R: Comfortable, did not really like the looks.

Yam R6: I have never ridden one but I hear they are not very forgiving to mistakes. IMO Good looks, except for the front. I just can't get used to those head lights.

Yam 600R: Heavier, very comfortable, bad resale value (don't buy a new one unless you want to keep it for a long time.) Not as modern as the others, and not quite as quick.

Honda CBR F4i: Liked it alot. Good looks, comfortable, except for the rock hard seat.

So I had it narrowed down to a F4i and a Yam 600R. But because of what I mentioned above, I decided against the Yam. The reason I did not get a F4i is because of the seat (passenger seat too because my girlfriend rides with me alot). The 99-00 CBR's were more comfortable for me and my girl, less expensive, and faster then the Yam. But not as fast as the F4i.

The short of it is, get a bike that fits your needs. Sit on all of them to see what is comfortable to you and think about what kind of riding you plan on doing.

Good luck.
 
#11 ·
Thundercat Yeah!!!

I can't tell you that I've riden the F4i, but.....

I've had a YZF 600 R for three years now, and I love it. Very Very streetable, nimble and quick. I thought that when I bought it, I'd be trading up in a year or so, but just haven't found a good reason to. I ride with some guys on R6's and R1's and the odd 929.... They pull away from me a bit in the straights, but just a bit, and I have no problem climbing right back up their tails in the turns. In fact, given my (average) riding skills, I think I would actually be slower, over all, on one of the other bikes. The engine does not make the same "peak" HP or torque as the F4i, R6,... but it the torque curve is very broad and flat. Very good for the street, and makes gear selection for the corners less critical. Any race tuner will tell you that if you have to choose between peak HP, and more torque across the rev range, take the torque.

Comfort: I've gota ride an hour to get to any twisties, and then an hour home. Not uncommon for me to ride easy 5-6 hours only stopping for fuel and water. And the G/F loves to ride on the back.

I bought the bike used, 1 season and 1300 mi old, and got it for about 60% of the New sticker price. So the comment about resale value is dead on. Don't buy new for only a year or two. You'll take too much of a beating on the price, but used a year or two their a hell of deal. I don't think you'll find a better bang for your hard earned buck.

Issues I've had so far.... NONE!!!! I've changed the oil every couple of thousand miles, tightend a bolt or two, changed the break pads, and just put on a new set of Metzler Sport Techs. The new tyres are F*#&$^% awsome!!!! Like having a whole new bike.

So if you can get passed the cheesy name "Thundercat," I can tell you that you'll love it for a long long time. Just a great all around sport bike.

Ride hard.
Stay safe.

Later

:twofinger
 
#12 ·
Yzflightning said:
whoever said that kawi actually made their bike a "real world" bike has NEVER riden a 600R, its the MOST real world bike i have EVER ridden...
The Kawasaki 6E would be a more direct competitor to the Yamaha 600R than the 6R (which competes more closely with the R6).
'Course, the fact that the 6R has "real world" ergonomics tends to confuse some folks who slip into apples vs. oranges comparisons...
 
#13 ·
I personally feel that the ZX 6R and the ZX 6RR (2003) are the best touring bikes for the 600 class!

YZF 600 is also a great bike!

Sit on both of them and see which one fits you better! Make a choice and stick with it. You can't go wrong either way! I do recommend a Corbin seat for a longer ride. The corbin seat holds it shape over a long ride THUS being more comfortable. Definately worth the 200 bucks for the seat!

6E is a good bike but 6R is pretty comfy too!!
 
#14 ·
Yzflightning said:
whoever said that kawi actually made their bike a "real world" bike has NEVER riden a 600R...
Just doing a bit of surfing, and ran across this article:
Middleweights In Real Life
Kawasaki ZX-6E and Yamaha YZF600R: A step back from the cutting edge
http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_0202_600s/index.html

From the article, this quote from tester Andrew Trevitt:
"As an experienced rider, I could see buying the YZF over the R6--the money saved would be worth the sacrifice in performance. But I'd have to find an awfully good deal on a ZX-6E before I'd choose it over the ZX-6R--which is almost as comfortable to boot."

I'd have to concur with his assessment. While the article covers the 6E vs. the YZF 600, you’ll note he states the comfort level of the 6R vs. the 6E is not that great. When I bought my 6R, the price difference was slight, if any, due to the fact they had a number of 6R's on the floor, and there were few, if any, 6E's on the floor. Probably gonna get a better deal on what the man has sitting there? (got $1,000 off my 6R).
If I had only one bike, I might lean more toward the 6E over the 6R since it has the option of installing a Givi setup for trips, etc.

So...if you're considering a YZF 600/ZX-6E, it's not that much difference between the 6E and 6R AFA comfort, so your choice could well be between a YZF-600 and a 6R (instead of the 6E).
That being the case, which would you rather have?
 
#15 ·
Glenn9171 said:
F4i = 370 lbs.
600R = 416 lbs.

Not a lot of difference unless you plan on carrying it on your back.:D
i dont really believe the dry weight on the yzf600r. if you look at motorcycle.com's 97 600 shootout, they list the claimed dry weight for the 600r at 411 lbs and the wet weight as 482 lbs. the cbr f3 is listed at 405 lbs dry and 445 lbs wet. the gas tank on the 600r is a half gallon bigger but somehow that half gallon weighs 30 lbs.

i picked up a used yzf600r last week. haven't gotten to ride it yet except for when i test drove it. the yzf600r is tuned for more power down low. if you compare dyno runs for the 600r and the r6, the 600r actually makes more power up to like 10k or something. the 600r is ocassionally known to lose 2nd gear tho...clunky transmission.

the f4i is known for having an uncomfortable seat....would definitely spring for the corbin seat if you go that route.

rajflyboy - the zx-6r and zx-6rr are the best touring bikes in the 600 class? you've got to be kidding. the zx-6rr isn't even out yet and neither of the those '03 models look like they share the same ergonomics as the '02 model. an '02 with a corbin is probably comfortable but the '03s dont look too comfy.
 
#16 ·
Was riding a modified Yamaha FZ-750, a modified TZR-250 & 91 GSX-750.
Thought about what 600s Yamaha & others offered in coming '97 & went for the YZF600r because it offered an engine with a good mid-range performance while the rest were aiming at a peaker performance engines, decent riding position that Kwacker & Honda also offered along with a true saddle. The fairing was a bit large, but simply better coverage, & word on the brakes had them miles ahead of the others.
So it is a hair heavier then the others, but in all honesty I cannot feel it.
True I sold the two 750s & purchased a Honda 929, but still have & still ride the YZF600r. IF(?) the bike was lost/destroyed I would go for another YZF600r for it is that good in my mind.
Do not point a finger at it & say 'guttless' for a few yrs ago I was coming up a very steep hwy hill just by my town & instead of going down to 5th I went down to 4th to let the revs sing a bit, but had to ease off for the left turn signal I wanted to use would have me cutting in front of cages. Still up comes an RCMP car & soon as we make this left turn he hits it all. He clocked me doing 179KPH on a 90KPH Hwy.
Latter part of this summer I am coming down some steep twisties, flattened out & cages in front of me on the easier flat twisties, when I spot anRCMP patrol car with all its lights going. Seems she clocked me doing 140KPH down the tight twisties. Okay so it will not scream up to the latter 10KPH of some of the screamer 600s, but it can get me into a lot of trouble & is really a good bike to ride.
 
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