600 Super Sport or 650 Standard as a second bike?

[Stan S.]

First of all I want to apologize to those who have seen this question asked a million times.
Now that we have ^ out of the way... I have been riding CBR 125R since early March and ready to invest into more HP. Most of my commutes are on 404 and 401 and even though I managed to get it to 130 this morning I feel the engine is going to blow running near redline in 6th gear for 40 minute periods. The bike becomes quite buzzy north of 8000rpm...
Long story short, I am fairly new and do not have any friends who ride yet, and didn't have a chance to ride 600 super sports or 650 twins yet. I am very interested in buying either a Ninja 650R or any one of the 600 (Japanese ones).
I really need your advice on this. Spending $2000 on my cash on a 125R was a no-brainer, but signing up for north of $8000 financing is serious business for me (considering loans, mortgage, car ext.), and I don't want to invest into something I will not entirely enjoy.

[craygun]

First stop would be your insurance provider...that may affect your decision ultimately.

[infernobuster]

8000 bucks is ALOT of TTC tokens.

[EC2010]

I recently upgraded to ninja 650 from a ninja 250. Bike is very nimble, even easily to do slow maneoveurs than the 250. The 650 is like a bigger version of the 250. Very comfortable in long distance and commute due to cushy seat and upright riding position. If you like to tug in and lay flat on the gas tank, you can do that also. The windshield does a wonderful job, the wind just glance right over my helmet. The throttle is very responsive, but not twitchy. The power available to you will be a big jump, but assuming that you had been commuting for over 40min daily, it'll be manageable and you'll get used to it really quick. The best part is when you want to pass cars, the power is right there for you. Lots of new upgrades with the 2012 model. If you are considering an upgrade, especially for commuting, I'd give the ninja 650 a serious consideration. My only complain is its 16L gas tank, I wish it's bigger like 20L Gas mileage is still very good, not as good as a 250 (I used to squeeze 350km out of a full tank) but it's better than SS.

* Forgot to add, there are some dealer demo days coming up. I'd recommend signing up and test ride the bike yourself.

*** Edit once more... if you had only been riding since early March 2012, I'd recommend getting more butt in seat time and perhaps upgrade to a used 250. if you've been riding since March 2011, go check out the ninja 650

[mmmnaked]

You've been riding the 125 since this march? LOL

[caboose483]

You've been riding the 125 since this march? LOL

Vertical learning curve.

6 weeks of experience!

[EOL]

First of all I want to apologize to those who have seen this question asked a million times.
Now that we have ^ out of the way... I have been riding CBR 125R since early March and ready to invest into more HP. Most of my commutes are on 404 and 401 and even though I managed to get it to 130 this morning I feel the engine is going to blow running near redline in 6th gear for 40 minute periods. The bike becomes quite buzzy north of 8000rpm...
Long story short, I am fairly new and do not have any friends who ride yet, and didn't have a chance to ride 600 super sports or 650 twins yet. I am very interested in buying either a Ninja 650R or any one of the 600 (Japanese ones).
I really need your advice on this. Spending $2000 on my cash on a 125R was a no-brainer, but signing up for north of $8000 financing is serious business for me (considering loans, mortgage, car ext.), and I don't want to invest into something I will not entirely enjoy.

First of all congrats on doing the right thing for your first bike and learning the basics on a bike that allows you to learn proper riding technique.

On to your question... I grew up riding dirt and have about 15 years experience on over a dozen bikes ranging from the little fiddys up to race equipped 250 2-strokes. When I went to ride street (I started last fall) I purchased a 07 CBR 600RR due to many years learning the basics.

Over this past weekend I completed the M2 course and used the supplied CBR125 for about 16 hours of riding time over the weekend.

The CBR125 was a night and day difference from my 600rr (after my experience with one last weekend). The 125 was very forgiving, the power delivery was much slower and steering was much less twitchy (partially due to the more upright riding position).

I would strongly caution jumping from the 125 to a 600 super sport especially if you have only been riding since March as mistakes on the 600 will be incredibly multiplied do to it's power, twitchy steering, and weight.

My advice would be to move to either a 250 (ninja or CBR) or a 500 such as the gs500, or ninja 500. These bikes make for a much more enjoyable bridge between the 125 and the 600 supersports. In both the short and long term you will become a much better rider in a shorter amount of time, not to mention these bikes are much less of a financial burden.

I truly believe it's more fun to ride a less powerful bike to the peak of it's potential than a more powerful bike and not come close to riding it's potential (I am not talking about top speed).

[krrakt]

^^^^^ +1 to not getting a 600ss yet.

Very good advice, although a 650 twin might also be a consideration considering the HWY commuting..

[EOL]

^^^^^ +1 to not getting a 600ss yet.

Very good advice, although a 650 twin might also be a consideration considering the HWY commuting..

Having not had the opportunity to ride a 650 twin yet I can't comment. The 650 may be a good choice as well as long as the low end torque isn't so much that accidentally popping the clutch or grabbing too much throttle isn't an instant lesson in looping.

[SLaP]

Financing a new 600 Super sport bike, as a ripe new rider, while already carrying a load of debt.... sure why not... YOLO, BRO!

[Aslan]

Why buy new?

There are plenty of good used bikes around, especially if you aren't picky about esthetics.

The 650R is a great choice. I loved mine till I upgraded, now it sits sadly and waits to get prepped for sale.

[Stan S.]

Thank you everyone for your input!
Just to clarify, I have only been riding for 6 weeks, but I had some experience from 10 years back (high school) when I rode my friend's Ural once and a while...
I was leaning towards a Ninja 650, and after your input I think it is the best choice for me.
Special thanks to EC2010.

P.S. If anyone happens to know more about those dealer demos (where and when) please PM me!

[SLaP]

P.S. If anyone happens to know more about those dealer demos (where and when) please PM me!

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...2012-Demo-Days

[Stan S.]

Thank you!!! ^^^

[unL33T]

Personally I think the supersports are just overkill for the road. A standard 650 will easily do 200 kph and out accelerate nearly any car on the road which is more than anyone needs. Plus supersports are tuned so all the torque is way up in the RPM range which is not ideal for regular street riding. This, combined with lower insurance and fuel costs, makes them make way more sense to me.

Unless you are concerned about looking cool. Supersports definitely do a better job at looking cool although most (non-riding) people can't tell my 650 from a 600ss. The only guy that ever noticed only knew because of the rear tire size and I could easily swap out the rim for a ZX6R rim if I wanted to. But he used to ride so he's got more knowledge than most people do in regards to bikes.

[cbcanada]

Why not ride a bit more and get more experince. Riding since match is not even a full month yet. The bike ia going to always be there when you want to buy. A bit more experince will do you good. Besides right now is a sellers market so you will be paying a premium dollar.

Thats my seven cents

[OrganDonor]

Its a coinflip as to whether you'll smash an SS. get a gs500 or pretty much any twin.

[MR-Kyo]

if insurance is not a factor to you..either choices are fine as a second bike..test ride them first and go with the one that you like the most..

[mimico_polak]

I also started last season on a 125 and I loved that bike. Put on 3k on it and felt it was time to move up
due to certain preferences. I love my CBR250 and feel its a great stepping stone but I'm also very cautious and know I can get carried away and have a lot to learn still. I find this bike meets all my riding needs at this point in my riding life.

You know yourself best and just go with what you feel will be the best step for you.

Enjoy and ride safe. I think I speak for the majority when I say we've seen enough injuries and worse this season.

[mikbusa]

You've already got the basics, can hop on anything at this point. I don't like a SS for a first bike, because of the potential of something going wrong in the first month. You already know how to brake, operate a throttle reasonably well, how to shift, how to steer etc. You are ready for bigger. I don't advise buying new, there's all sorts of money to save buying low mile 2-3 year old bikes, let somebody else eat the depreciation.