[Orangutan]

So I'm getting ready to buy my first bike in a couple days and am hoping to start working on her right away to learn more about bikes in general. My plan is to get either an 04-05 gsxr 600 or an 04-05 cbr 600rr. Since this will be not only my first time working on a bike but also my first bike period I was wondering which one will be easier to learn the mechanics of. I dont have alot of tools or a garage and really would just start with taking off the plastics and throwing a new headlight on/ remounting gauges. Also if you have experience with either syle of these bikes let me know, none of my friends ride so I'm kind of in the dark.


Thanks for the help.

 

[kyle17428]

well their both similarly "easy," but almost anyone has ridden both a honda and a suzuki, (like myself) will tell you that a gsxr is quicker on the street.

 

[leo_black_label]

i ride a 99 cbr and i just bought an 07 gsxr project. the gsxr seems WAAAAAY more complicated and will be harder to mod. i dont know if thats just because its so much newer, but its got a whole lot more technology in my way. for example, there are sensors and solenoids and controll units with cables and wires involved in just the exhaust pipe! on my cbr i was easily able to chop and shorten the pipe and put on a tiny modified two-bro.s straight through exhaust. on the gsxr that would have been a big project to convince the computer and to re-figure the sensors and whatnot.
and as for "faster on the street" i just have to say, either one of these bikes are capable of so much more speed and power "on the street" that a new rider can't and shouldn't be anywhere near their top speeds.
they are both MORE BIKE "on the street" than you can possibly need. as for top speeds, i think they are both in the same range. these bikes get raced at tracks all over the world and they are both easily capable of winning. its the rider that makes the difference.
that being said...
hondas are better.
everybody knows that.

 

[leo_black_label]

well their both similarly "easy," but almost anyone has ridden both a honda and a suzuki, (like myself) will tell you that a gsxr is quicker on the street.

maybe people who didnt ride the honda like how you did had better luck

 

[DecepticonDon]

they will probably be about the same. electronics everywhere.

Honestly, both of those are race bikes with lights and blinkers. All of the attributes that make them great performance bikes are what makes them horrible beginner bikes.
they will not be forgiving. your hamfisted mistakes will be amplified by their precise nature.

you would probably be better suited to buying an older bike. the initial cost will be less and they are a bit easier for noobs to manage.

this will be your first bike, not your last. Choose wisely

 

[piester]

i have worked on both and both are similarly complicated. on the gsxr you can delete A LOT of stuff and it will either make the bike better or not harm it. also you should be able to get the entire electrical system under the gas tank including the battery and the coolant overflow. as far as performance both weigh about the same before and after you fighter it. both would cost about the same. the gsxr top triple can handle risers and dirty bars. i think the cbr has that stepped triple so you would need to get a different one (i believe). with the gsxr you can delete the pair system. the exhaust servo valve, and the 02 sensor and the bike will actually run better. not sure on that with the cbr though. resale value of the parts you would take off would be similar. with the gsxr pretty much everything from the srad generation and up including the busa, tl1000r and s, and bandit stuff can be swapped around with little or no modification.

 

[Orangutan]

OK I think I'm leaning towards the Honda because I heard they are a little more reliable and I'm kind of broke so breakdowns would be catastrophic. And Piester, I'm sure your information is full of great advice but I'm telling you I dont have shit for mechanicle experience so you might as well have said that whole thing in chinese. Like being able to "delete the pair system"? no fucking clue what that means. Anyways thanks for the help, it's nice to find a forum thats not actually fucking dead for once.

Will start a build thread as soon as I buy the bike.

 

[Jackstand Johnny]

OK I think I'm leaning towards the Honda because I heard they are a little more reliable and I'm kind of broke so breakdowns would be catastrophic. And Piester, I'm sure your information is full of great advice but I'm telling you I dont have shit for mechanicle experience so you might as well have said that whole thing in chinese. Like being able to "delete the pair system"? no fucking clue what that means. Anyways thanks for the help, it's nice to find a forum thats not actually fucking dead for once.

Will start a build thread as soon as I buy the bike.

So you've got no mechanical experience and you've never ridden a bike and you're looking at turning a very new(ish) factory race bike into a fighter? Man, you should really think this one through some more before you bite off waaay more than you can chew both in the garage and on the street.

 

[Casper]

OK I think I'm leaning towards the Honda because I heard they are a little more reliable and I'm kind of broke so breakdowns would be catastrophic. And Piester, I'm sure your information is full of great advice but I'm telling you I dont have shit for mechanicle experience so you might as well have said that whole thing in chinese. Like being able to "delete the pair system"? no fucking clue what that means. Anyways thanks for the help, it's nice to find a forum thats not actually fucking dead for once.

Will start a build thread as soon as I buy the bike.

If taken care of (maintenance wise), I have never heard of a bad Suzuki. With both being 2004 - 2005 models, you shouldn't have any mechanical issues. (Just make sure you aren't buying crap. Have someone that knows motorcycles either come with you or pay a mechanic to do an inspection.)

Personally, I would say go with a slightly older version with less electronics. Something you can fix yourself with a little guidance (we have a vast amount of information or the people who know on here), they are cheaper for parts and your time versus a mechanic. After some miles under your belt, you can always change its appearance.

On a side note, once you start working on your new toy, you will start to understand the parts better. The PAIR system is designed to allow a more complete burn of the gasoline passing through the engine. It is not necessary and adds components to the bike, therefore weight.

 

[Orangutan]

Yea I've pretty much already decided on getting either one of those two bikes. Thanks for the advice, hopefully I can start learning soon.




:knucks:

 

[leo_black_label]

sounds like youre learning RIGHT NOW bro!:LolLolLolLol:
an older bike is really the way to go for a first project.
buying a $2000 cbr that was scratched up cleared the table for me to mess with it however i wanted and not worry about scratching it or painting it or hacking into it with a grinder or whatever. My new 07 gsxr project will be much more restrained because its got perfect paint and has never been layed down and i cant bring myself to go at it with a cutting wheel and spraypaint.

 

[WayfaringNinja]

So you've got no mechanical experience and you've never ridden a bike and you're looking at turning a very new(ish) factory race bike into a fighter? Man, you should really think this one through some more before you bite off waaay more than you can chew both in the garage and on the street.

^^^
I think you should bookmark this forum, buy either one of those bikes, and ride it for at least 3 months to a year before you decide to do ANYTHING to it, including removing plastic fairings. That shit is on those "rockets" for a good reason, aerodynamics. Learn how the bike is supposed to operate before you mess with it. And yes, either one of those things are likely capable of 180+mph, there is absolutely no reason for a new rider (or anyone for that matter) to even attempt to hit that kind of speed, unless you have a death wish. Experienced or not at 120+mph you've guaranteed yourself a trip to the hospital for a while if you bail. You'd be lucky if you weren't killed.
Check out the members builds forums, most of them are late 80's to 90's bikes and every one of them is unique to the builder. Being the guy who was in the same position last year as you are right now (total newb with way more power than I needed, and immediately crashed) buy something that looks good but older & simpler to chop up and not likely to kill you. Just read through stuff on here, don't know what something is? Kindly ask, or my preference is to use Google.
I've been here for close to a year now sense before buying my 06 kawi 636 and learned a shit ton from these guys just from reading and asking my own questions on google, and I'm still not ready to start chopping it up yet. The newer bikes are trickier to mess with, having all those electronics & ram air intakes. In the end, you can make any old bike look and ride much more to your preference than any of the newer crotch rockets covered in plastic.

 

[Freestyle72]

As mentioned already, buy an older bike. You will thank me when you drop it.

 

[Casper]

As mentioned already, buy an older bike. You will thank me when you drop it.

Once, twice, maybe going faster than 5 MPH... just have fun with what you get and get back on if you do drop it.

 

[Fate]

http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50407

 

[jones20992]

I always recommend katana 600'sis for first bikes because they are forgiving both when you ride them and work on them

 

[RageWORTH]

Older bikes are the way to go for a first fighter. Parts are cheaper, and you are only limited by what you can make in your home. Lotta potential with much lower price tag with the old machines.