jimbona Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 hey, im looking for some advice as its my first post of many i hope.. im about to complete my direct access course and i like the look of the R6 very much. Is this an okay for my first bike? I've been driving cars for over 10 years now but its my first bike. I get different opinions from different people. Some people say the R6 is not very forgiving so im a bit worried now. Having said that im not stupid, and these people are probably talking about when really pushing it which I wont be doing.. Any opinions about this? Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s24nto Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 firstly.. my first bike was an r6, never had any riding experience before! I think if your sensible then you should be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted August 25, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 25, 2008 Welcome to the forum jimbona Personally I think they're a fantastic looking and well engineered bike, but you cant get away from the fact that they're an arse rocket and should be left to more experienced riders IMHO Have you considered a 600fazer s2 they look good too but not so aggresive methinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoKz Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 r6 is a very powerfull bike for a new rider, and a insurance killer. The riding postion on the r6 maybe isnt the best either, and may not be comfortable with it. Street bikes, like the fazer and MT etc are a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2enjoi2 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 hey, im looking for some advice as its my first post of many i hope.. im about to complete my direct access course and i like the look of the R6 very much. Is this an okay for my first bike? I've been driving cars for over 10 years now but its my first bike. I get different opinions from different people. Some people say the R6 is not very forgiving so im a bit worried now. Having said that im not stupid, and these people are probably talking about when really pushing it which I wont be doing.. Any opinions about this? Many thanks, ive only just passed my das in february. my first bike was a cbr600f. its an amazing learner bike with potentioal to keep you thrilled for years of learning. its cheap, reliable and easy to ensure. but then i got hit by a car lol. so my next bike was a r6. ive always loved the looks and i was learning very fast on my cbr, so people warning me of a bike ment for the likes of bayliss didnt bother me too much. i found it too be a bit bouncy at standard setup, but u can alter that on the forks very easily. the bike does give you the impression its taking you for a ride, (but this is prob just cuz im learning) and if you ever go in too hot theres enough give to control it and ive never had any dificuilty riding it. infact, i bloody love the thing and would recomend it to anyone new or old to riding!! do check second gear thoroughly when test riding. they are said to be a problem at 15-20000 miles. oh and the insurance for me, they took into account id been driving four years, so you having ten years should be fine. im with norwitch union, found through gocompare.com, for £450 tpft. and thats wiht all the trimings liek BD cover ect. only 50 pounds more than the cbr. hope you pass your test and enjoy years of riding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamont Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hi there Just like jimbona i have just joined and would like to say i will b taking my direct access in a couple of weeks time and have today bought a fazer 600 as i had heard good reports on it for being a good first bike and a forgiving one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2008 R6 scared!! Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 GO BUY ONE!! The R6 was my first big bike,Bought it new in january this year and i would say its taken me till now to feel really at one with tne beast. Its a truely awesome machine and is a bit of a handfull true but if you take your time to get to know it well many happy times will be yours.....you dont need forgivness...you need to buy the bike you want. Good luck with your test!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbona Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 great. Thanks man, i'll let you know how it goes.. Got 2 500cc days at the weekend then I got the test on the tuesday! I agree, if your careful then I dont think it really matters what you buy within reason... Although I appreciate the r6 is quite a machine. Did look at Honda's but they seem to be more expensive so we'll see.. Any tips with what to look out for when buying a second hand bike? I've had a bit of a look on Ebay and Autotrader and the going price seems to be between 2 and 3k which im okay with. Any tips for what to look out for when buying? Thanks for the comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbona Posted August 26, 2008 Author Share Posted August 26, 2008 hi, Just one more thing, think im getting an R6 with a full years service, tax and all that for just over £3k. 11'000 miles on the clock, no damage. Can anyone better that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 i did my direct access course and my first real bike was 2006 r6r i found it very forgiving and ideal as a first bike insurance was 850 quid but worth every penny go for it if you like it buy it dazza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Goff Posted August 26, 2008 Moderator Share Posted August 26, 2008 Pass your test - and test ride some bikes. A bike might LOOK nice - but be absolute shite to ride. Me personally - i dont like the R6 at all - its skittish, low down its relatively gutless which gives the impression that its really easy to ride. Once you get into the power band the revs start to build - and they build very quickly, you can lose control if you arent that experienced. The steering is sharp and it has some rather hard brakes which take some getting used to - braking in corners is not a good idea - it will sit up and its a common error with novices. Of course - many folk manage perfectly well with an R6 as a first bike but make sure you know what you're letting yourself in for, you may wanna learn some more road craft before you have a bike that might just bezz off at high speed when you need to be in control. You'll be paying massive insurance premiums, you'll constantly have people trying to nick it, it'll be really expensive when you drop it at low speed (and you will - we all do!), and a split second of a lapse of concentration will be all it takes to stick you into a stone wall at warp speed. Its a handful of a bike for your first one and there are LOADS of 600's out there that will blow yer socks off with cheaper insurance and MUCH MUCH better handling........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan09 Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Get a supermoto you wont look back very forgiving and fast enough and extremly good handling, A drz 400 is a good starter bike (i no suzuki ....) OR an xt 660 looks nice aswell and comfy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littledan Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 ive only just passed my das in february. my first bike was a cbr600f. its an amazing learner bike with potentioal to keep you thrilled for years of learning. its cheap, reliable and easy to ensure. but then i got hit by a car lol. so my next bike was a r6. ive always loved the looks and i was learning very fast on my cbr, so people warning me of a bike ment for the likes of bayliss didnt bother me too much. i found it too be a bit bouncy at standard setup, but u can alter that on the forks very easily. the bike does give you the impression its taking you for a ride, (but this is prob just cuz im learning) and if you ever go in too hot theres enough give to control it and ive never had any dificuilty riding it. infact, i bloody love the thing and would recomend it to anyone new or old to riding!! do check second gear thoroughly when test riding. they are said to be a problem at 15-20000 miles. oh and the insurance for me, they took into account id been driving four years, so you having ten years should be fine. im with norwitch union, found through gocompare.com, for £450 tpft. and thats wiht all the trimings liek BD cover ect. only 50 pounds more than the cbr. hope you pass your test and enjoy years of riding! god i must be old my cbr was £86 tpft and the r1 is about £200 if think it's time for pipe and slippers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve 1052cc Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Go to a multi franchise dealer with lots of differant makes, and models throw your leg over lots of differant bikes you will know the right bike for you. A throttle works both ways so you dont have to thrash it every where you go. Hope you find the right bike take it easy untill your confident on the bike and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbona Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 thanks for all your comments. reckon i'll have a good look around the weekend after this one and i'll see what happens on the day. I'll put some photos up when I make a purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbona Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 bought an R6 today! Collecting it on saturday )) I'll fire some photos up when I get chance, thats when I stop riding it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoKz Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 bought an R6 today! Collecting it on saturday )) I'll fire some photos up when I get chance, thats when I stop riding it awsome mate, have fun with it remember new tires are slippy so take it easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbona Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 my R6!! (more photos here on my site) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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