Which bike is better?

Question

Which is better: a cbr 600, r6, zx6r, or gsxr 600. i have a ninja 650 now and iv been riding it for awhile and i want to move up but i havent tested these bikes yet so i just want your opinion.

Answer 1

Personal preference. All of them are virtually identical with 599cc inline four cylinder engines, with comparable horsepower and handling.

I prefer Kawasaki - but thats because I have ridden Kawis all my life, and I liked them better than the Honda and Suzuki I had owned in the past. So, I suggest your figure out which one looks the best to you.  

Answer 2

The R6 won the MasterBike 600cc class this year, but the CBR1000RR took the top litre spot, so theres something to look at. I love R6's, but they're very aggressive, as far as the way they get to speed, the way the rider sits... My best friend rides Gixxer, and he loves that bike, Im personal to Yamahas but everyone is gonna like something different.

Answer 3

It sounds like u are an experienced rider and you have a 650cc bike. If I were u, I would get a 1000cc. 08 cbr 1000 is what I recommend, but it's all depend on u. Go to the dealer and try them to see which one fits best. Good luck and have fun

Answer 4

Exactly what easy going said above.. however, honda cbr600 is the strongest bike in its class. But I am a suzuki fan so I would personally go with the gixxer. But its your own personal preference. What color you like and body style. Also if its for track or commute or both. Suzuki and Honda wins a lot of races, Yamaha are okay.. go with the cbr or the gixxer. They’ll last a longgggg time to come

Answer 5

I agree with easygoin.  Although I'm partial to the CBR, they are all about the same.  If you feel you're ready to move up, consider moving to something larger or maybe a different style bike altogether.  Instead of a sport bike, try a sport tourer like a Honda ST, Kawasaki Concours, or a Moto Guzzi Norge.  Maybe you'll find it's not the size that you're tired of but rather the style.

Answer 6

Don't read what the magazines write, don't listen to what people tell you. Go to a dealer and sit on each of those 4 bikes, see how the tank and handlebars feel. Whichever is most comfortable for you that's your best bet. Ergonomics should be your top priority as all other aspects are very close.

Answer 7

my name says it all...

but the rider makes all difference.

Answer 8

Easygoing is right on. There is no such thing as BEST anything.... anywhere... ever. It all comes down to what YOU are looking for.

Given the choice you provided, I'd have to go with the Honda for two reasons. 1) Honda bikes are very well known from their reliability and low maintenance. I've never owned one (I only ever had Suzuki), so I'm not some Honda fan boy trying to sell you on it. My Father and Sister both ride Hondas though (a Goldwing for dad, and Shadow Spirit for sis) and never had any problems, ever.

2) The CBR is famous for ist comfort (as far as sport bikes go). I don't think you're going to be able to find anything else in the 600cc class that matches it. I've heard people say that they could see themselves touring on one. Not sure I'd do it, but then again I've never been on one to know.

That being said, I'll be honest with you. Going from a 650 Ninja to a 600 inline 4 anything is not going to feel like a huge improvement. the Ninja is a twin, so you are used to torque. Sorry if I presume too much here, but I'm willing to bet that's one of the things you want more of (monster torque to launch you off the line). You won;t find that with an inline 4, especially a 600cc inline 4. The 600's will feel somewhat dead and sluggish as far as torque is concerned.

What you WILL get is about 20 more bhp (which translates to top end speed, zoom zoom).

Now if you want something that will give you the SAME amount of torque but MORE speed than the Ninja you'll need to step up to a GSX-R750 (or equivalent.... which is hard to find as the gixxer 750 is like the only inline 4 of it's size). The torque curves of the Ninja 650 and GSXR750 are about the same, but the Gixxer puts out double the horsepower.

Something of a compromise might be an inline 3 (ie: Triumph). Specifically a Triumph Daytona 675. It's got the torque of a V-Twin with the speed of an inline 4. It doesn't excel in any one area (like how the twins are good at low end torque for acceleration and i4's rule at top end speeds), but instead balances them both very very well for one h**l of a great combo.

Were talking more torque and horsepower than the ninja or any of the inline 4's you mentioned.

h**l it's even (in my opinion) a h**l of a lot more s**y than any of the other bikes. That's likely because stylistically it looks a lot like a "lite" version of a Ducati 1098 or 848.

The only problem is price. That Daytona 675 comes at a premium compared to the cost of Asian manufactured bikes.

That being said, it comes with standard equipment that honestly a number of Asian bikes need... like better brakes and suspension.

When I got my SV650 it was only $6K new, but after putting on a custom ohlins shock, swapping fork springs/oil, new filter, etc... I ended up spending $10k.

With motorcycles you tend to get what you pay for. And most Asian manufactures (I'm sad to say) cut costs by loading on inferior equipment when for only a couple bucks more they could have something vastly superior.

That being said, most Joe Blow rice riders live their lives not knowing what real brakes and suspension are. they think "oh it's fine", and maybe they're right. But it could be SOO much better.

Racers do though... they need to. I have my bike specked for racing, but adjusted for street riding. It cost $4k over msrp to do it, but it gives me better handling and ability than the majority of stock bikes in the class and can be the difference between eating a bumper and waking up in a hospital bed, or getting home to see the kids.

Something to keep that in mind.

In the end though, real world performance is much different than numbers and specs on paper. Real world performance (for street riding) will be about equal across the board. One bike might accelerate a bit better, one might go a bit faster... it's all up in the air.

Get what you think looks cool to you, and feels good. With any luck you'll put many thousands of miles on it and have a h**l of a time.

Answer 9

lets see....   all j*p bikes...  all 600cc..   all in-line fours...

all disc brakes...  all handle well...    must be the rider that makes the difference..

if you know your bike & ride well....  the one your on is the best one..