I made the switch...

[ch33zecake]

...to a 2014 CBR600RR! Honda had a sale going on for all the 2014 models. The sale price for the CBR was $7,900 and only had 3 miles. I couldn't resist so I decided to set up an appointment to check the bike out and maybe go for a demo ride.

Sooo ... the demo ride was the determining factor whether I should go for it or pass on this bike. I just want to point out key differences compared to the FZ6R:

- Even though the CBR has supersport ergos, I didn't find this particular bike to be extremely uncomfortable like the R6 I demoed in the past. I was still able to sit somewhat upright on the CBR whereas the R6 the seating position felt higher and further back forcing me to be in such an uncomfortable position.
- The clutch on the CBR felt much, much heavier than the clutch on my FZ6R. I'm not sure if it's because the CBR was practically brand new, but it took some time to get used to while rowing through the gears. The clutch engagement was also a little different too. There were times when I accidentally revved it too high and took off.
- The brakes are simply amazing! Wow what an upgrade from the FZ6R's brakes. The FZ6R feels like I'm trying to stop a train compared to the CBR.
- The CBR is a faster bike as expected. I'm not coming from a 250 or 300 so I wasn't completely blown away. Since I'm still in the break in period, I didn't completely let the bike loose. I think I took it to 10k rpm and backed off from there.
- The bike felt extremely mobile. I didn't really take any corners but just from riding back home I felt really "in-control" of the bike. I think part of the reason why I felt like that was because of the whole aggressive ergonomics on a supersport bike.

My trip back home was from Orange County to San Diego. It took an hour and 30 mins. I stopped once to stretch out. No, it was not the most comfortable ride, but I didn't buy the CBR for comfort. I plan on using my CBR as my commuter/canyon carving and some track days. Work is only 10 miles so it's really not that bad of a commute. I love my new bike so far. I've always wanted a supersport since the very beginning. I just figured it wasn't a good idea to start on one as a beginner's bike. I'll miss my FZ6R for sure, but I think I will love my new CBR!

 

[xorbe]

The FZ6R feels like I'm trying to stop a train compared to the CBR.

Ahh, thank you for pointing that. Same feeling coming from an ancient Ninja 250.

 

[ch33zecake]

Ahh, thank you for pointing that. Same feeling coming from an ancient Ninja 250.

Haha well the FZ6R was my very first street bike so I couldn't really compare it to anything else street related. Well I did demo an R6, but I had to baby it around because I was part of a riding group. When I got my hands on the CBR, I did brake checks left and right everywhere I went. I couldn't believe how superb the brakes felt! Looking back, that's one thing I should have done when I still had my FZ6R is upgrade the brake lines.

 

[brownwa]

Beautiful bike. Congratulations!

 

[ksanbon]

.
- The bike felt extremely mobile. I didn't really take any corners but just from riding back home I felt really "in-control" of the bike. I think part of the reason why I felt like that was because of the whole aggressive ergonomics on a supersport bike.

You're right - the riding position makes a difference in corners. The rest comes from the better suspension, the CBR's 55 lb weight advantage and lower center of gravity that eliminates the top-heavy feel of the 6r.

Congrats! You made a great choice.

 

[RooKie]

Looks amazing.

Congrats!

 

[FastFreddy]

Sounds like fun.

I think the FZ6R master cylinder is too big, which was probably done on purpose like that so beginners don't grab the brakes too hard. The calipers and discs themselves should pull up the bike quick, but you have to squeeze much harder than a bike with a smaller master cylinder. Has anyone changed brake lever/master cylinder ?

 

[Superzoom]

You're right - the riding position makes a difference in corners. The rest comes from the better suspension, the CBR's 55 lb weight advantage and lower center of gravity that eliminates the top-heavy feel of the 6r.

Holy crap, I had no idea that the CBR600RR was so much lighter than the FZ6R! It seems lately that the Japanese bike makers haven't been too concerned with producing lighter bikes, and litre class bikes have become pretty heavy at 450+ pounds. I remember when manufacturers worked hard to get the weight of their bikes down. Now hp and electronics seems a lot more important. I was content with having a bike (the FZ6R) that had a similar weight to the average Japanese litre bike. But apparently the 600 supersports are in a different class altogether.

That 55 lb. weight difference plus sharper geometry must feel great in the curves and on the gas/brakes.

 

[ch33zecake]

Holy crap, I had no idea that the CBR600RR was so much lighter than the FZ6R! It seems lately that the Japanese bike makers haven't been too concerned with producing lighter bikes, and litre class bikes have become pretty heavy at 450+ pounds. I remember when manufacturers worked hard to get the weight of their bikes down. Now hp and electronics seems a lot more important. I was content with having a bike (the FZ6R) that had a similar weight to the average Japanese litre bike. But apparently the 600 supersports are in a different class altogether.

That 55 lb. weight difference plus sharper geometry must feel great in the curves and on the gas/brakes.

I took the bike through a few corners and definitely noticed just how flickable the CBR actually is. I'm putting on leathers this weekend. I wanna see what this baby can do.

 

[ch33zecake]

...to a 2014 CBR600RR! Honda had a sale going on for all the 2014 models. The sale price for the CBR was $7,900 and only had 3 miles. I couldn't resist so I decided to set up an appointment to check the bike out and maybe go for a demo ride.

Sooo ... the demo ride was the determining factor whether I should go for it or pass on this bike. I just want to point out key differences compared to the FZ6R:

- Even though the CBR has supersport ergos, I didn't find this particular bike to be extremely uncomfortable like the R6 I demoed in the past. I was still able to sit somewhat upright on the CBR whereas the R6 the seating position felt higher and further back forcing me to be in such an uncomfortable position.
- The clutch on the CBR felt much, much heavier than the clutch on my FZ6R. I'm not sure if it's because the CBR was practically brand new, but it took some time to get used to while rowing through the gears. The clutch engagement was also a little different too. There were times when I accidentally revved it too high and took off.
- The brakes are simply amazing! Wow what an upgrade from the FZ6R's brakes. The FZ6R feels like I'm trying to stop a train compared to the CBR.
- The CBR is a faster bike as expected. I'm not coming from a 250 or 300 so I wasn't completely blown away. Since I'm still in the break in period, I didn't completely let the bike loose. I think I took it to 10k rpm and backed off from there.
- The bike felt extremely mobile. I didn't really take any corners but just from riding back home I felt really "in-control" of the bike. I think part of the reason why I felt like that was because of the whole aggressive ergonomics on a supersport bike.

My trip back home was from Orange County to San Diego. It took an hour and 30 mins. I stopped once to stretch out. No, it was not the most comfortable ride, but I didn't buy the CBR for comfort. I plan on using my CBR as my commuter/canyon carving and some track days. Work is only 10 miles so it's really not that bad of a commute. I love my new bike so far. I've always wanted a supersport since the very beginning. I just figured it wasn't a good idea to start on one as a beginner's bike. I'll miss my FZ6R for sure, but I think I will love my new CBR!

I just want to post a quick update on the CBR.

I've already put 600 miles in a week of owning her. I've done a lot of riding in these past few days. I really want to get past this break-in period. I've done most of my riding on the streets. I've also put some mileage on the freeways. I've started to get a really good feel for the bike. Riding in the streets, I've noticed that the bike really wakes up at 6-8k. Anything under 6k the bike feels sluggish. I've played around with the powerband on the freeways too. I'll be riding at 80 mph on 6th with the bike at around 7k. I don't have to gear down at that speed. However, if I'm going 65 mph on 6th then I will definitely have to gear down to get some speed. Since I've been in the break-in period, that's all I've done when I took my bike on the freeway. Slow down...haul ***...slow down...haul ***. It's actually quite fun!

Riding around on the streets for a long period of time can become tiresome especially in busy traffic. Your shoulders eventually start to become fatigued. But I'm talking about 3-4 hours of street riding like what I've been doing. If you rode for an hour or so then I think you'll be okay. I usually ride really close to the tank so I don't have to extend my arms as much, and I sit in an upright position that way. It's nothing like an R6 where I'm constantly bended in weird ways and straining my neck by always looking up at the road.

It's actually much easier to ride on the freeway than on the streets. The wind will help you keep your body upright and take a big load off of your arms. I rode from San Diego to Costa Mesa and back. That's around 190 miles round trip. I tried different seating positions. I've tried tucking with your butt further away from the tank and have also tried just sitting in a natural position. The windscreen sits pretty low on the CBR so you gotta be pretty damn tucked to avoid the wind blast to your face. The standard position feels much better because of the simple fact that the wind helps your body sit upright. The footpegs are more scrunched up and started to feel discomfort after about an hour of solid riding. I took several stops to stretch out my legs. The seat on the CBR is horrendous. It's just a flat seat. I definitely have to do something about that.

The brakes are amazing. I feel really confident to be able to stop the bike quickly if someone in front of me decides to break really hard. Now I'm just scared of the person in the back of me hitting me.

I've been averaging around 45 mpg from street riding. I got 49 mpg from San Diego to Costa Mesa, and I wasn't even staying at a constant speed. I'm actually surprised how well a high strung 600cc motor can get on gas mileage. I wonder if I'll still be getting these numbers once I put an exhaust and PCV on.

I can't say too much on handling. I haven't gone out to the twisties yet. Well I can say how it feels on the streets. The bike absorbs bumps and cracks really well. For stock suspension, it feels pretty stiff, but forgiving. The bike is extremely nimble. I did a few sharp corners here and there. So far the bike feels well planted going around a corner and doesn't have the urge to bring itself back up.

All in all, I'm quite satisfied with how the CBR rides. Most importantly, I can ride the bike on the streets without having to go get a neck massage every week. I'm really starting to dig the styling on bike. Initially I wasn't a big fan of the styling especially the headlights, but it's beginning to grow on me. I haven't found one person in San Diego that has this bike yet. Even when I had the FZ6R I have never ridden past a newer CBR600RR.

 

[ch33zecake]

Here's the latest picture of the CBR with good lighting.

 

[xorbe]

It's actually much easier to ride on the freeway than on the streets. The wind will help you keep your body upright and take a big load off of your arms.

This is the thing with supersports, their sole purpose is to go fast ...

 

[lark]

after reading this threat I want a CBR!

 

[Scott_Thomas]

Nice looking bike, never really looked at Hondas since they usually are more expensive then the other Japanese bikes, but you got a great deal. Not sure how harsh the position is, but if close to the Gixxer shouldn't be too bad. Just realized you were Navy, not at all related, but what's your rating? I was a CTR2 eligible for CTR1 when I got out in late 2002.

 

[ch33zecake]

Nice looking bike, never really looked at Hondas since they usually are more expensive then the other Japanese bikes, but you got a great deal. Not sure how harsh the position is, but if close to the Gixxer shouldn't be too bad. Just realized you were Navy, not at all related, but what's your rating? I was a CTR2 eligible for CTR1 when I got out in late 2002.

I would never have considered to get a Honda if it weren't for the price I was getting it for. I've never really been a big fan of Honda to be honest..

The seating position is almost similar to the Gixxer. The Gixxer just has a lower and comfier seat. I was sold on getting the Gixxer because it felt the most comfortable for me. If I were to give the FZ6R a 10 on a comfort scale of 1-10, the Gixxer would be a 7, CBR a 6, and the good ol' R6 a 3.

I'm an IT2 in the Navy. I've been in for almost 7 years. I'm planning on getting out next year. Apparently there is great job opportunity in the IT field. I'm pretty sure the same goes for the CT rates?

 

[Scott_Thomas]

I would never have considered to get a Honda if it weren't for the price I was getting it for. I've never really been a big fan of Honda to be honest..

The seating position is almost similar to the Gixxer. The Gixxer just has a lower and comfier seat. I was sold on getting the Gixxer because it felt the most comfortable for me. If I were to give the FZ6R a 10 on a comfort scale of 1-10, the Gixxer would be a 7, CBR a 6, and the good ol' R6 a 3.

I'm an IT2 in the Navy. I've been in for almost 7 years. I'm planning on getting out next year. Apparently there is great job opportunity in the IT field. I'm pretty sure the same goes for the CT rates?

I searched within 100 miles of where I live and no such good deals on a cbr600rr. CT job can lead to high paying jobs, but it's so classified what I did I can only relate it to government jobs or contractors. I'm finishing my IT security degree right now. IT rating wasn't an option when I was still active.

 

[ch33zecake]

I searched within 100 miles of where I live and no such good deals on a cbr600rr. CT job can lead to high paying jobs, but it's so classified what I did I can only relate it to government jobs or contractors. I'm finishing my IT security degree right now. IT rating wasn't an option when I was still active.

Oh I see. So are you using your GI Bill at the moment? I want to do IT management when I get out. That's basically what I do now. I create mobile networks for people that go out in the middle of nowhere that need internet.