Interested in buying a motorcycle..?

Question

Is the Yamaha YZF-R6 a good choice? Are there any other better options? how reliable is it?

Answer 1

First off, is this the first bike you'd be riding? Have you ridden any motorbike? Riding dirt bikes and riding your friends bikes for a few minutes doesn't count as experience toward riding a sportbike. If you've answered yes to the first question then any sportbike is a BAD choice.

Take a safety course first. Period. Get some real seat time on a bike that you won't mind dropping, because you will. Earn your experience and you'll live longer.

Answer 2

Not something I would recommend for a newbie at all. It is the sort of bike they were thinking of when they said, "The trouble with supersport bikes for beginners is that they do exactly what you accidentally tell them to do." Not only is the engine powerful enough for a small car, but the brakes are grabby and require a practiced hand to control safely. Plus, it has a rather uncomfortable riding position.

I would recommend a somewhat less wild sportbike. Some that come to mind include Kawaskai's Ninja 250 and 500, the Suzuki GS500, BMW's F650CS, and the Buell Blast. These are much more forgiving and predictable, and any one of them will have enough power to keep up with freeway traffic. Get the feel for how to operate the controls on one, master carving winding roads, and then you may be ready to trade up to something bigger if you want. You'll probably be able to sell it for close to what you paid for it a year later if you want something more powerful. Or you may find you're content with the power you have.

Also, take the MSF or an equivalent set of riding lessons. I did and found it very useful to practice the basics of riding in a safe environment before heading out onto the street.

Answer 3

I agree with the others, if it is your first bike and you have little or no riding experiance, Definatly take an MSF corse and get a used cheap bike that you can ride for awhile to get used to. If you have some riding background and arre into sport bikes, May I reccomend the Triumph Daytona 675. I Bought one and I absolutly LOVE it!!! It beat all the Japanese bikes and the Ducati 749S in the 2006 shootouts done by motorcycle USA .com. Here is a link to the article. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=3301&Page=9
See also the following web sites for reviews of the bike done by cycleworld and also the 32 page article by Bike magazine.

http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?section_id=12&article_id=82

The 32 page article was part of the october 2005 issue i believe. not sure. Here are followups to the article though.
http://www.bikemagazine.co.uk/nav?page=bikemagazine.contentspage&fixture_page=5261098&resource=5261098&view_resource=5261098

Answer 4

Remember the R6 is a serious sport bike. It is a 150+mph bike. Truly cutting edge. It is a tremendous bike. Be sure you have some saddle time on a bike before buying it. Don't let the small displacement(600) fool you.

Answer 5

Great bike, others are good too. Not sure you'll find better bike, it depends on what is the precise goal you have riding. YZFs are very reliable.

Answer 6

I am thinking about buying a motorcycle too. You do not give enough info. You need to know what you want the bike for. Also have you ridden (smaller bikes are easier than the bigger ones). You can get bikes for trails, bikes for short trips, bikes for touring...lots of good used bikes out there too...Try looking at an online place like E-B-AY...will give you an idea of prices...

Answer 7

This isn't Consumer Reports... you'll get opinions, few facts...

popularity might help you see your answer, are there 'tons' of them out there? What do the Motorcycle websites and mags site, library copies of mags, all say????

You aren't really old enough to be here, are you?

Answer 8

For your first bike you'll want to get one you don't mind dropping - because you will drop it. Promise. :)

Make sure you'll be able to pick it back up!