[KevinH]

I bought an R3 as my first bike and love it - great to learn on, loved the styling, and have really enjoyed it.
I'd like to think of moving to the 600 range, and here's my quandary - the seating position. The thing I love most about the R3 is the handlebar position, the more upright seating. I looked at the R6, and hate the lower position. I wish you could get higher handlebars, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - clip ons don't do it though.
So specifically what I am looking for is something with the sport bike styling of the R3 (with the windshield), the upright position of the R3, and in the 600 range. Still researching, but not seeing much yet....anyone else done some research on this and found something?

 

[FangShui]

I bought an R3 as my first bike and love it - great to learn on, loved the styling, and have really enjoyed it.
I'd like to think of moving to the 600 range, and here's my quandary - the seating position. The thing I love most about the R3 is the handlebar position, the more upright seating. I looked at the R6, and hate the lower position. I wish you could get higher handlebars, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - clip ons don't do it though.
So specifically what I am looking for is something with the sport bike styling of the R3 (with the windshield), the upright position of the R3, and in the 600 range. Still researching, but not seeing much yet....anyone else done some research on this and found something?

This is one possible option for making the R6 more comfortable:

http://www.helibars.com/products/He...ers-for-Yamaha-YZF-R6-2008%2donwards/624.html

LSL, APEX, ABM, Woodcraft, Driven Racing and others also make risers and riser kits for the R6. Most will bring the bars up from 1" to 3" and back 1" to 2".

Check the R6 Forum. Lots of threads and discussion there about this subject.

http://www.r6-forum.com/

For a real improvement in comfort, HURRICANE makes Pipe Handlebar Kits, but I can't find one currently for the R6. Available for lots of other bikes.

http://japan.webike.net/ps/■+...t-search&p.rows=100&p.r=3&p.c=1037&p.pl=50369

 

[Kojiiro]

After the R3, get some track time. Lots of it. If you want to upgrade for the sake of upgrading the bike and not your experience and skill, are looking for a more powerful bike, but want to keep ergos upright, try a street triple, a Z800-1000, CB650, N650 etc. The CBR650and N650 is more your liking with the full fairing but the other bikes are also worth a look. Just know you typically wont get supersport style bike/engine with the comfort of an upright seating position/bars.

How are you guys learning so fast on the little R3 that you want to move on already?

I have owned 4 bigger bikes before this R3 and havent learned nearly enough to want to go back to a SS just yet.

 

[WilmNCR3]

What about an FZ-07, FZ-09 or maybe a Triumph Street Triple/Street Triple R? I don't know anything about the Kawi Z800 but that may be another contender. I've only had a CBR250R and the R3, ridden about 15,000 miles between the two so I only have so much experience on other bikes. My only concern with risers would be the agressive rear set positioning wouldn't change. On my CBR I went with Yoshi rearset brackets (moves the rear sets higher and back) but didn't change the clipons for a more agressive positioning. It was nice to have my desired rear set position but it seemed incomplete without more agressive clipons.

I ordered Yoshi brackets for the R3 and the next mods I plan on doing will be Pilot Street Radials and a set of clipons to complete a sportier body positioning. If you do one without the other it doesn't feel right in my opinion. See what options there are for a less agressive rear set position available on the R6 and maybe consider other bikes with a less comitted BP.

 

[FangShui]

What about an FZ-07, FZ-09 or maybe a Triumph Street Triple/Street Triple R? I don't know anything about the Kawi Z800 but that may be another contender. I've only had a CBR250R and the R3, ridden about 15,000 miles between the two so I only have so much experience on other bikes. My only concern with risers would be the agressive rear set positioning wouldn't change. On my CBR I went with Yoshi rearset brackets (moves the rear sets higher and back) but didn't change the clipons for a more agressive positioning. It was nice to have my desired rear set position but it seemed incomplete without more agressive clipons.

I ordered Yoshi brackets for the R3 and the next mods I plan on doing will be Pilot Street Radials and a set of clipons to complete a sportier body positioning. If you do one without the other it doesn't feel right in my opinion. See what options there are for a less agressive rear set position available on the R6 and maybe consider other bikes with a less comitted BP.

Just a note on those Pilot Street RADIALS. There have been lots of reviews online that said they were NO BETTER than the Bias Ply version.

S20 EVOS have gotten RAVE reviews from online magazine testers (on both track and street) and from pretty much everybody that switched to them on the R3, including myself....HUGE difference!

Also: many of the plates made for re-positioning footpegs rearward and upward can also just be flipped over and used to bring the pegs forward and down to work with risers. Usually have to shorten the shift rod and brake rod, but that's no big deal. EASY PEASY! SV Racing is just one company that make ones that work both ways. I've seen several R6s and R1s that had this setup, used in conjunction with the risers, and they were WAY more comfortable. R6 and R1 forums have LOTS of threads with info about doing this.

Buell footpegs work on many other brand sport bikes and lower the pegs about 1" or so.

OP likes and wants a SPORT BIKE with styling like the R3, R6, R1, etc. ; none of the suggested bikes (except for the Ninja 650 & CBR650) fit that description since they're all Naked Bikes. He CAN get what he wants with risers and plates. Just costs a bit, maybe $200-$300.

 

[Kojiiro]

Just a note on those Pilot Street RADIALS. There have been lots of reviews online that said they were NO BETTER than the Bias Ply version.

S20 EVOS have gotten RAVE reviews from online magazine testers (on both track and street) and from pretty much everybody that switched to them on the R3, including myself....HUGE difference!

Also: many of the plates made for re-positioning footpegs rearward and upward can also just be flipped over and used to bring the pegs forward and down to work with risers. Usually have to shorten the shift rod and brake rod, but that's no big deal. EASY PEASY! SV Racing is just one company that make ones that work both ways. I've seen several R6s and R1s that had this setup, used in conjunction with the risers, and they were WAY more comfortable. R6 and R1 forums have LOTS of threads with info about doing this.

Buell footpegs work on many other brand sport bikes and lower the pegs about 1" or so.

OP likes and wants a SPORT BIKE with styling like the R3, R6, R1, etc. ; none of the suggested bikes (except for the CBR650) fit that description since they're all Naked Bikes. He CAN get what he wants with risers and plates. Just costs a bit, maybe $200-$300.

The N650 does, and has been doing it for longer than the CBR650

 

[Lollingthunder]

FZ6R maybe?

http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/fz6r/gallery

Its really hard to get the best of both worlds when moving up to a larger engine size. As you can see with the FZ6R, the sport styling isn't as aggressive as the R3, but its still there. And it retains the closer to upright seating position with no heavy reliance on wrist weight. I'm guessing some other manufacturers have something similar. You'll always get some type of compromise looking for what you are looking.

I honestly don't know anything about the FZ6R- no clue what the power band is. But seeing as its a 4 cylinder, going to guess its power is up high? But the "brochure" states low to med smooth delivery, so who knows?

But I will say it has an extra 100 lbs of weight you need to deal with, so you will notice the lightweight agility of the R3 is out the window.

 

[R0b0tN1nja_BKNY]

I've ridden for 25 years not including all the years on a dirt bike as a youngster. What was next for me after my 2003 Honda CBR600RR? The Yamaha YZF-R3. I've had one Honda Interceptor and a slew of 600's, my two favorites being my 1992 Yamaha FZR600 & the aforementioned CBR600RR. I am on the shorter side 5'5" but stocky-anywhere from 165-180 although I don't lift as much anymore after getting out of the Army with my highest weight being 180.

Anyway, my deceased bro was always a 750 guy. I found the CC wars funny and people preoccupied with their displacement number. There are people that like and use fast bikes, but there certainly those who get caught up in the hype and such. With current technology and innovations over the years, the lighter displacement bikes have gotten faster and the heavier big displacement bikes have gotten more nimble like their smaller counterparts. A CBR600RR will do 156 and be a 60mph in 3 sec. Is that not enough? What's more, is that some people are buying Hayabusa's with little or no riding experience.

As I have gotten older and become more seasoned, I have found that comfort with enough power and ability to get of jams the sweetspot. I think the R3 is such a package. You're going to get numb arms and midsection on prolonged rides on the 600RR and similar bikes. OF course I loved mine, but you have to look at the bing picture and weigh all the pros and cons. I still pay a decent amount of $ for comprehensive on my R3 but of course that is a function of living in Brooklyn.

To each his own, but focus on riding and learning as much as you can regardless the amount of cc's or power in your bike. There is a lot of dangers out on the roads and even after one bad accident and close calls, I still don't take anything for granted and keep learning. Examine what you're using your bike for. Are you commuting with it? The R3 is perfect for that. Do you want to spend more inruing a 600, 750 or 1000? IS it pleasure only? After hitting shops in March, I have never seen a bike get so many aftermarket performance upgrades so fast. The Ninja300 is has been around for years, and the R3 has an almost comparable market for parts as it Kawasaki brother. There is a lot you can do to your R3 in weight savings, performance upgrades, and aesthetic modifications that will eek out and boost its performance.

People can make up their own minds, but definitely avail yourself of all the good knowledge and information out there and pick the brains of experienced riders. I was worried that going down from a 600 to an R3 that I would find myself going back to one in short time. However, I am happy as a clam as they say (whatever the eff that means). My deceased bro was my bike mechanic and I am kicking myself now for now learning as much as I did from him on cars as on bikes. I am working on modding my R3 with a slew of upgrades and trying t do as much as I can myself. Not only can you boost the performance and improve the appearance there are tons of helpful How-To videos on the R3 which is a pretty easy bike to work on. So that is a plus too.

And that's my 2 cents whether you care, agree, or not. Thought I'd share my experiences.

 

[FangShui]

The N650 does, and has been doing it for longer than the CBR650

Fixed that in my post.

I had a Ninja 650 and I wouldn't say it compares favorably, in styling OR performance, to a true Super Sport, though. It's certainly not even remotely close to an R6 or R1. I personally didn't like it at all. Power band was more like a Naked Bike (more power down low and less up high) and the clutch was grabby and shuddered slightly when taking off from a stop. Parallel twins just can't compete, generally speaking, with Triples or Inline Fours.

Could be I just got a bad one but it's not a bike I'd recommend.

 

[R0b0tN1nja_BKNY]

FZ6R maybe?

http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/fz6r/gallery

Its really hard to get the best of both worlds when moving up to a larger engine size. As you can see with the FZ6R, the sport styling isn't as aggressive as the R3, but its still there. And it retains the closer to upright seating position. I'm guessing some other manufacturers have something similar. You'll always get some type of compromise looking for what you are looking.

Yes, agree with lollingthunder. If I went back to a 600, it would be a FZ6R HANDS DOWN. First of all, it's an inline 4 and quite comfy. my old 600RR belongs mainly on the track. If you want a comfortable and capable bike, I would even go so far as recommending a Honda Interceptor 750.

The hybrid 600's like the Ninja 650 and CBR650F are kind of bad mixes. Parallel twins have more top end which is why the R3 is superior to a CBR300R among many other reasons. These bikes are kind of "swiss army knife" bikes-they are meant to do a little bit of everything but fall kind of in to the "jack of all trades & master of nothing" category. They're not as nimble as their smaller brethren. Some have a sportier position than others. Good for certain people but not for everyone.

With that being said, their are so many bike segments and new bikes for every tiype of rider than ever before and it is a very exciting time to be a rider. My suggestion again, is to avail yourself of all the information that you can to help you make informed decisions that best fit your needs.

 

[WilmNCR3]

Just a note on those Pilot Street RADIALS. There have been lots of reviews online that said they were NO BETTER than the Bias Ply version.

S20 EVOS have gotten RAVE reviews from online magazine testers (on both track and street) and from pretty much everybody that switched to them on the R3, including myself....HUGE difference!

Not to derail the thread but that sucks to hear, I'll definitely have to look into tires more than I thought. On my CBR I loved the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II's but they only lasted around 5k miles. People who went PSR thought they were a huge improvement over the IRC stock tires. Thanks for the heads up, FangShui.

Back on topic, I didn't realize the FZ6R was an i4, that's definitely another contender. Look into all of the options and opinions given in this thread and make sure you check insurance rates from multiple companies before getting something else as well as maintenance intervals. As long as you make an informed decision you should be happy with whatever your next bike is.

I'm not sure of your age but when I bought the R3 at 19 some companies tried to write me a policy at $3,000/year. I'm with Nationwide and pay ~$600 a year for full coverage and $250 deductibles. They also saved me on my auto policy.

 

[KevinH]

Some great replies on here...thank you everybody, have some reading to do! Was just looking at the CBR 650....looks like a nice bike, perhaps I need to think of moving away from Yamaha. Will read up on that anyway, plus the other links folks have kindly posted.

 

[FangShui]

Some great replies on here...thank you everybody, have some reading to do! Was just looking at the CBR 650....looks like a nice bike, perhaps I need to think of moving away from Yamaha. Will read up on that anyway, plus the other links folks have kindly posted.

Reviews here:

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/2015-honda-cbr650f-review

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/07/0...-ride-sportbike-review-photos-specifications/

http://www.sportrider.com/sportbikes/2014-honda-cbr650f-first-ride-review

https://rideapart.com/articles/inbetweener-2014-honda-cbr650f-review

http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-first-rides/uk-road-test-honda-cbr650f-review/25202.html

Two part video review here:

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrN8V4slTuU

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32b88qV326Q

 

[Kojiiro]

Fixed that in my post.

I had a Ninja 650 and I wouldn't say it compares favorably, in styling OR performance, to a true Super Sport, though. It's certainly not even remotely close to an R6 or R1. I personally didn't like it at all. Power band was more like a Naked Bike (more power down low and less up high) and the clutch was grabby and shuddered slightly when taking off from a stop. Parallel twins just can't compete, generally speaking, with Triples or Inline Fours.

Could be I just got a bad one but it's not a bike I'd recommend.

He asked for a supersport style bike with the comfort of a non supersport bike which I have yet to find. So I named those other non supersports. Of course a p twin won't compare to a true supersport. The far, n650 and cbr650 are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head with SS style body work but otherwise upright riding ergos. You just can't get both.

 

[FangShui]

He asked for a supersport style bike with the comfort of a non supersport bike which I have yet to find. So I named those other non supersports. Of course a p twin won't compare to a true supersport. The far, n650 and cbr650 are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head with SS style body work but otherwise upright riding ergos. You just can't get both.

Totally agree, when talking about stock bikes. No such beast exists.

All I'm saying is that you can get both Supersport styling/performance and upright riding ergos by installing bar risers and footpeg plates (flipped). I've seen it many times over the years, read reviews and forum posts praising it and I've even ridden a couple set up that way. Definitely works.

 

[87112]

FZ6R, its a everyday lower priced bike that is almost there to perfection. Its just a bit overweight and top heavy, other than that, the sweetest inline 4 I ever rode. I never found it slow even if it did not rev out like a CBR600 or GSXR600. I would have kept it but I found for everyday riding it was 50 pds too fat. Plus that stock exhaust sound was music to my ears.

 

[Kojiiro]

Totally agree, when talking about stock bikes. No such beast exists.

All I'm saying is that you can get both Supersport styling/performance and upright riding ergos by installing bar risers and footpeg plates (flipped). I've seen it many times over the years, read reviews and forum posts praising it and I've even ridden a couple set up that way. Definitely works.

For bars if he goes this way, I would definitely go with the apex adjustable bars. A bit more expensive but the extra adjustability is well worth it.

 

[R0b0tN1nja_BKNY]

Some great replies on here...thank you everybody, have some reading to do! Was just looking at the CBR 650....looks like a nice bike, perhaps I need to think of moving away from Yamaha. Will read up on that anyway, plus the other links folks have kindly posted.

I've always been a Yamaha and Honda guy. Just liked the styling, reliability, innovation, performance, etc of these two. That's not to say Kawasaki, Suzuki, or another builder like KTM does not possess those traits or puts out good bikes.

After all, Kawasaki brought sport bikes into the mainstream in the 80's arguably and "Ninja" become the eponym for them like Kleenex for tissues. My brother Perry (R.I.P.) was a Suzuki and Yosh guy to the bone. As an aside, it's funny when I was a teenager and during my early college years a bit, in the late 80's into the 90's, bikes and exhausts had their de facto pairings-Yoshimura's went with Suzuki, Muzzy's went with Ninja's, Vances & Hines went with Yamaha's, etc.

I've always been partial to Yamaha and Honda. But all of them put out great bikes. If I went to a 600, it would be an FZ600R hands down. The Ninja 650 is a fun bike apparently, and the Honda CBR650F is a newer bike that's a hybrid sport/standard. I think those types of bikes are still being hashed out and evolving. Remember, bike categories used to be very rigid whereas today there are more bike types that blur the lines. It used to be like Sports/Standard/Touring only besides dirt bikes.

One of the hardest things, especially as a newer rider is finding a bike that will grow with you that is a blend of abilities-capable commuter and decent sports bike, and so on. Don't get caught up in power or numbers unless you have to be that guy with the biggest and baddest. Analyze it's primary use, and that is the category to stick in. On my CBR600RR, you almost had to fly on it everywhere all the time. Even though the 321cc R3 screams like a banshee at it's 13K redline and sounds great as it wants to rev, you can actually kick back and just glide when you want and your arms don't feel like theyre going to fall off after a while.

 

[mitdr774]

I cant say much for the FZ6R, but the FZ6-S2 that I have is a fairly upright position with way more power and speed than I need. I had the FZ6 before the R3 and I actually found myself grabbing the R3 more often than the FZ6. The FZ6 is better suited for the highway, and the R3 is just more fun on a twisty back road. That is just my own personal observation though. A friend that had a R6 (its remains are in my garage due to a drunk driver, he only had minor scratches) had a riot riding my R3. He jumps at every opportunity to ride it.

 

[Lollingthunder]

I cant say much for the FZ6R, but the FZ6-S2 that I have is a fairly upright position with way more power and speed than I need. I had the FZ6 before the R3 and I actually found myself grabbing the R3 more often than the FZ6. The FZ6 is better suited for the highway, and the R3 is just more fun on a twisty back road. That is just my own personal observation though. A friend that had a R6 (its remains are in my garage due to a drunk driver, he only had minor scratches) had a riot riding my R3. He jumps at every opportunity to ride it.

That is the crap thing about hindsight. The unfortunate thing is people who start on a R3 as their very first bike just needs to experience anything else out there, and they will yearn for something stronger.

Those of us who have already started on something stronger, and are now riding an R3 know just how **** fun it is. We have something to compare the experience to.

If its at all possible, it would be great to keep the R3 and then fulfill your desires for something stronger (in a used bike). And most of us wouldn't be surprised if in the end, you still end up hopping on the R3 more than your stronger bike.