[Suspower]

Hi guys,

Im new to riding and found this deal online, i was wondering if it's worth it even though i wont have my full license until May 2010. The guy is willing to part with it for 2500$ Canadien and it is in perfect condition with 11,000 Km on it. There is barley a scratch on it.

He is also willing to store it for me all winter. Should i jump on this or wait for a better deal ?

Lemme know guys !

 

[qubert]

blah blah 600 not good starter... blah. read stickies.

I would not let someone I did not know take care of my newest posession especially when they have no vested interest in maintaining it. Bikes often come out of hibernation with problems due to improper storage.

Other than that all info u need is in stickies.. everything from "is this a good beginner bike", to how to evaluate a used motorcycle, to MSF class information. Read more.

 

[Suspower]

blah blah 600 not good starter... blah. read stickies.

I would not let someone I did not know take care of my newest posession especially when they have no vested interest in maintaining it. Bikes often come out of hibernation with problems due to improper storage.

Other than that all info u need is in stickies.. everything from "is this a good beginner bike", to how to evaluate a used motorcycle, to MSF class information. Read more.

Well technically I’m not a beginner, i have been riding motocross for a while. But that is offtrack. I can also ride a sportbike but dont have my license.

Is it a good deal tho ? should i jump on this or take my chances in finding a better bike ?

Lemme know

 

[Rhetorik]

First off: My condolensces for living in Quebec

Secondly: Before you seriously look into any bike, find out what the insurance and plating costs (which are different in quebec than the rest of canada) are, since getting insurance on bikes is stupidly expensive. You're over 25 so that helps but it still blows.

 

[Bpro]

that price is OK for a nice all stock example.

The YZF has fairly upright ergos, a reasonably low seat, and a very smooth power delivery. The YZF600 actually has more torque and HP below 9,000rpm than any R6.

For a 600 its very easy to ride and as it was built over a 10 year range with no real modifications (13 year total model run) finding parts is a breeze.

No real issues with the YZF beyond the usual dirty carbs and odd tire sizes.

The upside is that the YZF is a great all around sportbike that you won't soon grow out of.

The downside to the YZF is that even when new it was a bit underpowered and overweight for the 600 class. It takes quite a bit of work to use as a serious trackday bike, but once done it is rock solid and extremely reliable.

Personally I never understood the big deal about starting on a full sized bikes. It only goes as fast as you twist it and it has much better brakes and suspension than most if not all the smaller bikes.

 

[Suspower]

First off: My condolensces for living in Quebec

Secondly: Before you seriously look into any bike, find out what the insurance and plating costs (which are different in quebec than the rest of canada) are, since getting insurance on bikes is stupidly expensive. You're over 25 so that helps but it still blows.

Yea i know, the bike laws suck here... it's not so much the insurance thats bad.. should be about 200$ for me for the year, its the registration that is like 600$..

I understand how much all that stuff costs, all i want to know if this is a good deal.. and if i should jump on it...

If it's an average deal then i would rather wait.

I heard its a good model of bike, but i just wanted a second opinion.

 

[User Name]

Ditto what Bpro said, it seems to be a decent price for an all-around good bike. Yea, it's a 600, but it's not quite as wild as the current 600s. The only thing I'd be a little leery about is the mileage - less than 7,000 miles over the past 11 years. In some ways sitting is harder on a vehicle than being used. If those miles were relatively evenly spaced out it would be a lot better than if it was all in the first year and then it sat unused for the next 10...

 

[Suspower]

Ditto what Bpro said, it seems to be a decent price for an all-around good bike. Yea, it's a 600, but it's not quite as wild as the current 600s. The only thing I'd be a little leery about is the mileage - less than 7,000 miles over the past 11 years. In some ways sitting is harder on a vehicle than being used. If those miles were relatively evenly spaced out it would be a lot better than if it was all in the first year and then it sat unused for the next 10...

Im glad that u mentioned that, is there anything that i would notice or should look for if the bike wasn’t driven for a while. And if it wasn’t used for long periods of time, how much would it cost to replace that part or parts?

The guy is more than confident about the bike, he said that it runs like a dream and shifts real smooth and he encourages me to come and see/drive it first hand.

 

[PhilB]

That's a good deal of bike for not much money. If it was me, I'd take a test ride, get a mechanic to give it a once-over (check compression, signs of poor storage, etc.), and if it rides well and the mech says it's sound, jump on it.

It is a bit much for a beginner bike, but if you have decent off-road experience, you'll probably be OK. As my dealer says, you just have to exercise "more discretion than throttle".

... Personally I never understood the big deal about starting on a full sized bikes. It only goes as fast as you twist it and it has much better brakes and suspension than most if not all the smaller bikes.

Yes, it only goes as fast as you twist it, but on a supersport it's very easy for a beginner to twist it faster than he intends to. Being a bit older and tamer than the newest ones, this isn't quite so extreme, but it still has plenty of power and braking to really loop it if you aren't careful with your inputs. And one of the things that most beginners need to practice and learn is fine control of inputs.

I very much think it's a good idea to start with a less sensitive bike than this for genuine beginners, although the OP has good dirtbike experience, so has practice in fine control of his controls and would probably be OK.

PhilB

 

[Suspower]

That's a good deal of bike for not much money. If it was me, I'd take a test ride, get a mechanic to give it a once-over (check compression, signs of poor storage, etc.), and if it rides well and the mech says it's sound, jump on it.

It is a bit much for a beginner bike, but if you have decent off-road experience, you'll probably be OK. As my dealer says, you just have to exercise "more discretion than throttle".

Yes, it only goes as fast as you twist it, but on a supersport it's very easy for a beginner to twist it faster than he intends to. Being a bit older and tamer than the newest ones, this isn't quite so extreme, but it still has plenty of power and braking to really loop it if you aren't careful with your inputs. And one of the things that most beginners need to practice and learn is fine control of inputs.

I very much think it's a good idea to start with a less sensitive bike than this for genuine beginners, although the OP has good dirtbike experience, so has practice in fine control of his controls and would probably be OK.

PhilB

That is really good to hear!! im going to do just that before the real cold season hits and keep everyone up to date on what happens.

Thanks everyone for their input, it is much appreciated

If anyone else has anymore feedback please post!

 

[Bpro]

check out America's Premiere YZF600R Web Source to get answers to all your questions on the bike. There are alot of kool-aids over there, but also several folks who know the 2nd generation YZF and what goes wrong.

 

[User Name]

Im glad that u mentioned that, is there anything that i would notice or should look for if the bike wasn’t driven for a while. And if it wasn’t used for long periods of time, how much would it cost to replace that part or parts?

Bone dry and/or rusty chain, rusty rotors. Compress the forks a few times and make sure they don't leave oil on the upper part of the forks (I'm pretty sure the YZF600 didn't have inverted forks). If they do, the fork seals are probably dried out and in need of replacement. Check clutch cable for smooth motion/no rust/dragging. Other than that, just obvious external signs of age. If it was kept inside, it's probably in decent shape, but you'll definitely want to replace the tires, change fluids, etc. Standard maintenance stuff.

Good luck. I've always liked the YZF.

 

[Suspower]

I just spoke to the guy again today and things are looking good!

Every spring he did a full tuneup on the bike at the Yamaha dealer regardless of how much he rode it during the season, he also has every receipt for everything ever fixed and it was always done at the dealer. Bike was never dropped or in an accident and it was kept indoors in his heated garage.

Were going to take it to the Yamaha dealership to get it fully inspected and he is 100% ok with it, so i will come to a decision then.

I'm going to cross my fingers on this one

 

[User Name]

Sounds like a really well cared for bike. Good luck.

 

[Stick N Move]

Well technically I’m not a beginner, i have been riding motocross for a while. But that is offtrack. I can also ride a sportbike but dont have my license.

Is it a good deal tho ? should i jump on this or take my chances in finding a better bike ?

Lemme know

Your not a beginner? Ive been riding for over a year and have over 10,000 miles and I still consider myself a beginner...

 

[Suspower]

Your not a beginner? Ive been riding for over a year and have over 10,000 miles and I still consider myself a beginner...

I agree with you on that. I probably wouldn't touch that bike if i wasnt taking a very thorough course that goes through a wide variety of safety precautions and techniques.

It's not a racing track course or anything, but it will point me in the right direction.

 

[ARRA757-89-91]

Hi guys,

Im new to riding and found this deal online, i was wondering if it's worth it even though i wont have my full license until May 2010. The guy is willing to part with it for 2500$ Canadien and it is in perfect condition with 11,000 Km on it. There is barley a scratch on it.

He is also willing to store it for me all winter. Should i jump on this or wait for a better deal ?

Lemme know guys !

Just PICKED UP a 2003 spotless GSXR 600 with 5700 miles on it for $4000.

To give you some persepctive........ I will post pics soon

 

[Juniper]

Is that the ad from Craig's List in Chateauguay? I was tempted by that bike myself. Looks like a great deal, and I've been wanting a YZF600 for years. I put a few hundred clicks on a buddy's '96 and they seem like an amazing street bike for someone with experience.

YZF's are going for great prices these days in Quebec, and I think it's because of the fact they were added to Quebec's sport bike blacklist for 2009, which means this year it would cost more than $1,000 to plate it. Next year is likely to go up even more. Personally, I wound up buying my bike for the simple reason that it's not on the blacklist - ironic, since it's a more aggressive, powerful, and by all counts more dangerous bike (not to mention more costly to maintain and fuel). Thanks, Quebec government!

My advice would be to wait and see what happens with the plates next year before stepping up to this bike. If the plates go up, I predict that there will be lots more bikes like this on the market... for great prices.

Edit: I just saw you mention something about paying $600/year for plates. Actually the rumour is it might be $1400 next year. This year was $1030 for bikes on the blacklist, $520 for ones that aren't. And the YZF is still a lot of bike for someone with no real street experience, but there are still plenty worse bikes you could pick.

Edit 2: Is the "thorough course" you're referring to the one required by law before doing your closed circuit test? If so, prepare to be underwhelmed. It's based off of the MSF course and while certainly a good intro (plus it's fun zipping through cones on a 250), it teaches very little about actually riding on the street, let alone about handling a sport bike. Of the 18 or so hours of the course, only 3-4 are spent on a public road. If it's a different course, I'd love to hear more about it.

 

[Suspower]

Is that the ad from Craig's List in Chateauguay? I was tempted by that bike myself. Looks like a great deal, and I've been wanting a YZF600 for years. I put a few hundred clicks on a buddy's '96 and they seem like an amazing street bike for someone with experience.

YZF's are going for great prices these days in Quebec, and I think it's because of the fact they were added to Quebec's sport bike blacklist for 2009, which means this year it would cost more than $1,000 to plate it. Next year is likely to go up even more. Personally, I wound up buying my bike for the simple reason that it's not on the blacklist - ironic, since it's a more aggressive, powerful, and by all counts more dangerous bike (not to mention more costly to maintain and fuel). Thanks, Quebec government!

My advice would be to wait and see what happens with the plates next year before stepping up to this bike. If the plates go up, I predict that there will be lots more bikes like this on the market... for great prices.

Edit: I just saw you mention something about paying $600/year for plates. Actually the rumour is it might be $1400 next year. This year was $1030 for bikes on the blacklist, $520 for ones that aren't. And the YZF is still a lot of bike for someone with no real street experience, but there are still plenty worse bikes you could pick.

Edit 2: Is the "thorough course" you're referring to the one required by law before doing your closed circuit test? If so, prepare to be underwhelmed. It's based off of the MSF course and while certainly a good intro (plus it's fun zipping through cones on a 250), it teaches very little about actually riding on the street, let alone about handling a sport bike. Of the 18 or so hours of the course, only 3-4 are spent on a public road. If it's a different course, I'd love to hear more about it.

Yea its the 20hr course required by law... i prolly made it sound more than it is but most states dont care about this.. so it helps.. not so much for a sport bike but yea..

Im very glad that you told me about the 1100$ registration, and that it might jump to 1400$... i might just keep looking for now and probabably find somthing better. And i have a good practice area cause i live in TMR, so the streets are very quiet clean and calm.. perfect for practicing at night.

What kind of bike do you have if you dont mind me asking ?

 

[Juniper]

Heh, it may sound strange, but I actually don't like to publicize what the bike is, just in case it would call attention to anyone at the Regie who might decide to add it. =P It shouldn't be hard to figure out what I have, though I wouldn't recommend buying one, however, because it's twitchy, expensive to fix, and lots of things break. After 25,000+ km of experience (7k of which are on this bike - I bought it in the spring and it spent a month with a broken shock/frame), I still feel barely qualified to ride the thing, let alone push it to anywhere near its limits.

Below is a link to this year's list of blacklisted "high risk" motorcycles.

http://www.saaq.qc.ca/publications/immatriculation/list_moto.pdf

If you want something sporty but not "high risk," off the top of my head I'd suggest the Suzuki SV650 (GREAT bike if you can find one for a good price), Honda VFR, some years of Kawasaki ZX6 I believe didn't make the list, or the Yamaha FZ6. Most of these bikes will cost more than a YZF 600R, but many are also newer and you should save a lot of money in registration over just a couple of years (unless the gov't messes with the rules again, which I wouldn't bet against). They're still very quick bikes, though, and on the edge of what I'd consider reasonable as a first street bike.

If you don't plan on doing much highway riding, or just want to buy something you'll learn quickly on and then be able to resell without losing much money, I'd suggest looking at the new Ninja 250, too. It seems like a hell of a fun and economical bike ($4300 brand new, cheap tires, gas, plates and insurance), and I'd say it looks sportier than the YZF. I'm even toying with the idea of downgrading to one if I could ever find one to test ride. The Ninja 500 could be cheap and fun, as well, though personally I find it a little outdated. The big bikes are almost boring on the street unless you're risking life and/or licence, and it's difficult to safely learn cornering skills on them. Think of it as sleeping with a porn star who, no matter how hard you go, shrugs and asks you whether you're done yet, compared to the slim neighbour girl who you can really make scream.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.