For street, R6 is the worst choice imo. No usable low-end power and the rocketman seating position of the R6 isn't my cup of tea either. However, R6 is the best choice on the track for the same reason.

so what would u recommend

In your position, I would just search on craigslist and look for a deal on the big 4(Kawi, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda.) I'm just saying if you're in a position where you had to choose between a GSX-R or an R6, I would go with the GSX-R.

I think he might be more of a Ninja or GSX-R fan for a streetbike; regardless, he does prove a valid point. I always compared the R6 to a Honda and a GSX-R to a Nissan.

The R6 does have very little low end torque but once you get in the higher RPM's, It hits just like VTEC.

The GSX-R has significantly more torque all the way through, just like a Fairlady Z.

Just my .02.

-Hunter

awesome comparison..

now i was looking on craigslist and i see most of these have mods.. how do i separate the good bikes from the bad

I'm going to just be up front. I ride on the street and I also race and have ridden a lot of different types of bikes. First, no matter what bike you get it's the rider that makes the difference. Cruiser VS sportbike are two entirely different animals so you need to figure out what direction you want to go, cruising VS sport oriented riding. The most important thing you can do is EDUCATE yourself. Take an MSF course if you can or try to ride with someone who is experienced and will take their time with you. The type of bike really isn't important, the respect is. My wife and I both started on R6's and never once had any issues because we respected the bikes. And on the flip side...I've seen people throw their lives away when they lost that respect...trust me...you don't want to end up on that side.

The newer R6/Gixxer 600 is more track oriented although you can ride it just fine on the street. While I know people who have started on liter bikes, honestly they are overkill for the street but with some respect they can be a good bike as well. If someone is giving you **** saying 600's are pu$$y bikes I can tell you that they probably can't ride, any rider who is good will know better. An SV650 is a good all around bike and handle very well in the turns, power is decent as well. As others have said, bikes these days are all very good and no matter what you get, unless you are AMA level or better chances of you out growing or out riding that bike are slim to none.

Again, no matter what bike you go with, the most important thing you can do is educate yourself as a rider and take your time. It's plain stupid to rush and try to keep up with the faster riders and end up hurting or killing yourself...and I've seen both. If you do go the sport route I'd highly recommend doing some trackdays, you'll get a feel for just how capable the bike really is and gain skills that can come in handy at times on the street. Although, you'll have to tone the speed back if you want to live to ride another day.

Do some research and once you find the direction you want to go talk to some of the local riders and get their input as well. Avoid the ego riders, they'll be easy to spot! You'll learn that the "fast" riders are the ones who never brag or need to talk themselves up...those are the guys you want to learn from.

Good luck!

well like i originally said in my lifetime i want to own both cruiser and sport. i think right now im more interested in the sport bikes. ive done SOME research but to me this thread serves as a learning tool. I can learn what ppl ride and what bikes they are interested in just to give me an idea. i have a fair amount of knowledge so far and im the kinda person who no matter how many books i read and how many articles and reviews, i ultimately will learn the most from personally riding. only thing is i dont wanna get the bike that will be the end of me haha. i really appreciate everyone's feedback, and i respect the way u guys respect the bikes.

JMO and no flame intended but...if you're 21 and have 7 years of riding under your belt and you get into a close call almost every day that you ride, something is very wrong.

:iagree: As someone with 27 years of street bike experience, I heartily agree with this advice.

I'm sure it's a bit exaggerated but it's a good point to keep in mind.

thats partly what makes 600's better to learn on than a 750, 1000 or bigger... is just because they are guttless until they get up into their power band at like 8-9000 rpm, that way a new rider isn't gonna accidently go wheelieing into oncoming traffic if they panic at the wrong time. Thats part of the respect you gotta give the bike... when your starting on a 600 anyway, you need to have the self control to keep it below the power band until you can handle it. Something bigger than a 600 in the super sport class will be to much for a begginer just becuase of the fact there is to much torque on the low end and it can get them into big trouble if they are faced with a situation where they need to think quick and end up panicing. Now with that said i don't have a bike nor have i rode a whole lot but i am seriously looking into buying a sport bike and have done A LOT of reading which is where i'm getting most of this.

I plan on getting a 05 or 06 kawasaki ninja zx6r (636). for those that don't know its actually 636cc not 599cc which gives it more mid range torque so it's kinda the best of both worlds for a begginer becuase its still not as torquey as a 1000 but its better than a 600 to give you a more useable power band. Also before you go out and buy a 600 super sport as you first bike go and read some articles of why they are a bad choice for a first bike, and go to sport bike forums and just read up on the topic of starting off on a 600 sport bike becuase there are lots of different schools of thought on that subject. Its doable but you must have a lot of respect for the bike and lots of self control until you get the skills to handle the power of the bike.

I agree with all of this. Especially the first paragraph; just remember, the R is for Respect

-Hunter

Nothings wrong. Here in palm beach county, like many other places, we have a lot of old/stupid ***** who like to stop in the middle of the road, cross all four lanes at once without looking, don't know what turn signals are,etc. So no matter how attentive you ride, you'll always have close calls. People who ride can really understand what close calls im talking about. :icon14:

If you don't know what you are looking at when you are shopping around,but what ever your looking at see if the owner will take it to a local bike shop and let them do a service inspection on the bike. i guarantee you they will tell you they never ran the bike hard, and the 600's are usually ran pretty hard.

great! its a good one! how much is that?