F4i

[Cookie Monster]

So I bought a bike today after months of being an irritating pile in the bike thread.

It's a 2006 Honda CBR600F4i. 8000 miles, upgraded levers and Jardine exhaust, clean title, brand new (less than 100 miles) tires. Bike has some small rash on the fairings, but nothing bad and I'll feel less bad about dropping it.

I probably paid too much ($4400) but given the state of the market here I don't think it's too bad. I couldn't find another F4i with this low mileage for the same price in my area, and the cheaper ones all either were beat to shit, or had high mileage (or both). People seem to like to make these into stunt bikes and ruin them.

Oh, and for those of you who'll say I should've gotten the Speed Triple: 

I'm a ricer at heart and this bike fits me great.





I rode it about 40 miles home, through SF and then on the highway. First time riding in over a year. Felt natural. I love this thing.

*zips up flamesuit*

[Eye of the Tiger]

 

[12,000 RPM]

Congrats bro it is a good buy.

Fun fact, I had an F4i nose on my bike for a while. Thought it would help with wind protection, turned out it was just wobbly as fuck.



Anyways enjoy the new ride. How are the ergos? When I had clip ons my back would start hurting after about 20 minutes.

[Cookie Monster]

Thanks guys.

Sporty, ergos aren't bad. The CBR600RR made me feel like I was popping a squat on the bike. This one, not so much. Around town it feels great just puttering around, but once you get up to freeway speeds, I find you really have to tuck in to avoid the wind. I was riding back on the highway and people were going so fast that I was cruising at 80-90 the whole way and my chest was on the tank to stay out of the wind. It's not that comfortable doing that so once in a while I'd sit up to a comfortable position and deal with the wind before crouching down again.

Also, I noticed that while crouched down, my elbows can rest on my knees comfortably, and that takes all the weight off my wrists without me having to pinch the tank with my legs.

Would I be lame for getting a little saddle bag or trunk thingy for the bike? I feel like that would be kinda lame. IDK.

[Eye of the Tiger]

How is life at 14,200 RPM?

[MX793]

Would I be lame for getting a little saddle bag or trunk thingy for the bike? I feel like that would be kinda lame. IDK.

Personally, I love having saddlebags.  When I got them, I figured I'd only mount them when I was taking longer trips (250+ miles) and I'd run without them for shorter rides.  I haven't taken them off since mounting them.  In one I keep a rain suit, some paper toweling, a bottle of water, and some Windex wipes (after ~150 miles, my visor ends up so buggy I can barely see out of it).  It's really nice to have a place to carry that sort of stuff.  The other I keep empty as a place to stash my helmet and gloves if I decide to stop somewhere.

Get a set of soft bags that just drape over the passenger seat and strap to the rear.  Gives you a place to carry stuff and you can easily remove them and take them with you.  They're also not nearly as expensive as hard luggage.  Other option is a soft tail bag (straps onto the back seat) or tank bag.  Tail bag would probably work better for you.  Or you can ride with a backpack on.

[Cookie Monster]

How is life at 14,200 RPM?

Better than 12,000 RPM.

Seriously though, I have to recalibrate how I shift on this bike. My old bike and my car had the same RPM (around 8k) and I'd always shift around 3-4k. On this bike I keep shifting up at 3k, meaning I'm constantly upshifting and end up riding in 5th gear at 30 or so, and then I look at the tach and realize I still have another 11000 RPM to play with.

Personally, I love having saddlebags.  When I got them, I figured I'd only mount them when I was taking longer trips (250+ miles) and I'd run without them for shorter rides.  I haven't taken them off since mounting them.  In one I keep a rain suit, some paper toweling, a bottle of water, and some Windex wipes (after ~150 miles, my visor ends up so buggy I can barely see out of it).  It's really nice to have a place to carry that sort of stuff.  The other I keep empty as a place to stash my helmet and gloves if I decide to stop somewhere.

Get a set of soft bags that just drape over the passenger seat and strap to the rear.  Gives you a place to carry stuff and you can easily remove them and take them with you.  They're also not nearly as expensive as hard luggage.  Other option is a soft tail bag (straps onto the back seat) or tank bag.  Tail bag would probably work better for you.  Or you can ride with a backpack on.

Yeah, I might get something less permanent. I rode back with my backpack on and it wasn't bad, but I want to start going to the gym after work which means an extra pair of shoes and clothes.

[Cookie Monster]

Also a cop was following me the entire time on the way to the grocery store. I was doing 30 in a 35 and he was just chillin in the lane over behind me.

I was shitting brix because no insurance.

[MexicoCityM3]

Congrats man. Nice bike.

[SVT_Power]

Also a cop was following me the entire time on the way to the grocery store. I was doing 30 in a 35 and he was just chillin in the lane over behind me.

I was shitting brix because no insurance.

Why did you ride your uninsured bike to the store?

[Cookie Monster]

Why did you ride your uninsured bike to the store?

Because the itch was too strong.

It was too late to call the local agents about pricing for insurance. I'm gonna do that first thing tomorrow after I handle the DMV title stuff.

[12,000 RPM]

U can get insurance online. Just plug in the VIN and u are good to go IIRC. Maybe it's different in CA.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Nice bike! And DO NOT put Saddle Bags on that bike! Invest in a nice sized (And water proof) backpack and call it a day! 

[Eye of the Tiger]

I vote for saddle bags and a top mounted trunk. ADV time.

[12,000 RPM]

I use a hiking backpack to carry my gym shit in.

[Cookie Monster]

Congrats man. Nice bike.

Thanks man!

Nice bike! And DO NOT put Saddle Bags on that bike! Invest in a nice sized (And water proof) backpack and call it a day! 

Hah, yeah it doesn't fit the character of the bike...

U can get insurance online. Just plug in the VIN and u are good to go IIRC. Maybe it's different in CA.

Yeah... I just need to decide if I want comprehensive or not. It effectively doubles my insurance at a MINIMUM. It's an older bike... but I don't want it to get stolen. It'll also be street parked in SF. I dunno.

[12,000 RPM]

Theft is def worth getting along with as much security shit as you can carry/afford.

[Cookie Monster]

Bleh, theft tripled the price to $1200 a year. fuck.

I just got a decent amount of liability only (few levels up from minimum) for $30/mo, which isn't bad. There are some nice ass bikes parked downtown so hopefully mine won't be the one to get stolen.

Maybe I should vinyl wrap it to make it look shitty and less flashy.

[12,000 RPM]

Theives dont give a shit whats on the outside, they want that CBR600 engine, that Unilink swingarm, electronics etc.

If u get some security parts u can get a discount.

[Cookie Monster]

Theives dont give a shit whats on the outside, they want that CBR600 engine, that Unilink swingarm, electronics etc.

If u get some security parts u can get a discount.

Yeah I'm going to go look at disc locks. The Xena alarm disc lock for ~$100 is tempting. I might go to the cycle gear today and ask what kind of disc locks and other security stuff they recommend. The F4i has a decent amount of room under the seat so I can at least cram some stuff in there.

I'm not going to be riding to work for a while so I'll just throw the bike in the garage for now. I think through State Farm I can get comprehensive with a $500 deductible for $55 a month which is reasonable, so I will probably do that in a few weeks and dump the Progressive insurance I just bought. I can't get State Farm today because they're all closed and I have to do it over the phone on a weekday (dumb...) so I'll probably do it in a few weeks once I get my security shiz figured out. That way when I shop for the insurance I can tell them what I have on the bike as well. Good thing I can cancel insurance whenever I want lol. Just need to get dat refund from Progressive.

[giant_mtb]

Nice. That's a nice stable you've got going. How have your parents reacted?

[Cookie Monster]

Nice. That's a nice stable you've got going. How have your parents reacted?

Thanks! I feel very lucky to be able to go outside to that.

My parents are in India right now but they know I've been looking for a while. I emailed my parents the pictures and my dad was like "that's a cool bike dude". My mom also knows I'm going to do ATGATT (except for this weekend lol) so she's not too worried about it now. Also I don't drink or do drugs and they know I'm a generally responsible person so I think they're starting to trust me more.

[giant_mtb]

Ah, nice. I always loved when my parents were outta town and I had the garage and driveway to myself. So much room for activities.

[12,000 RPM]

Im glad your mom came around. Well we will see. 4 years later my mom is still pleading, and she doesnt even know about the wrecks............................................

[Laconian]

Plural...?

[Cookie Monster]

I didn't realize how tiny this tank is... Seller gave me the bike with a full tank and I had to fill up again. I've put like 110-120 miles on it already.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I didn't realize how tiny this tank is... Seller gave me the bike with a full tank and I had to fill up again. I've put like 110-120 miles on it already.

That is not a bad range for a bike. Not great, but nothing to complain about. After 100 miles of riding, it is time to rest the buns, anyway.

[12,000 RPM]

Keep it out of VTEC

Yesterday I got 151 miles out of 3.4 gallons. 44 MPG, not bad. Tank is good for 4.1 gallons supposedly. Another benefit of low revving engines

[MX793]

I didn't realize how tiny this tank is... Seller gave me the bike with a full tank and I had to fill up again. I've put like 110-120 miles on it already.

How many gallons did it take?  The F4i is supposed to have a 4.8 gallon tank.  Unless you're really ragging on it, or these get much worse mileage than I anticipate, you should be able to safely go 150-160 miles between fill-ups (that's about where I'd expect you to hit the "reserve").

Keep it out of VTEC

Yesterday I got 151 miles out of 3.4 gallons. 44 MPG, not bad. Tank is good for 4.1 gallons supposedly. Another benefit of low revving engines

I've been getting 46-47 mpg pretty consistently.  Worst tank was ~43 and I think my best was ~49.  On a 5-gallon tank, that gives me ~220 miles to fumes if I use the lower end of my observed economy.  Wish I could get a little better out of it (or had a little more capacity).  I usually fill up ~150-160 miles.  Fuel stations can be a bit sparse where I ride so I like to keep at least a gallon in the tank.

I averaged ~52-53 over the life of the Bandit.  Worst was 48 and change (only tank I ever dipped below 50) and I got 58 on one tank.  I wouldn't think twice of going 180 miles between fill-ups, even riding where fuel stations can be a bit sparse.  Worst part of that was learning to disregard the fuel gauge.  With the fuel economy I got on that bike, I could pretty safely push 190-200 miles and still have 50+ miles left in reserve but the fuel light started blinking at like 150, which tends to get the range anxiety going.

I've been toying with the idea of gearing the Kawi taller to more closely match the Bandit (Bandit turned 3500 RPM @65 vs 4500 for the Kawi) to see if I can get a few more MPGs out of it.

[12,000 RPM]

Damn, 46-47 MPG is damn good. Removing the fairing absolutely killed my gas mileage and aero. The bike is a tent, and most of my commute now is an 85-90 MPH blast. When I have to take backroads home my gas mileage increases... I am usually happy to break 40 MPG.