CBR F4i vs. YZF R6

[Sprokkett]

Ok guys, here is my dilemma.

Back in September I bought my first bike, a Honda '04 CBR F4i. I had been riding it for about a month, not even 600 miles on it until I brought it into work one day. Bang! Stolen within two hours. Right in front of my building!

Thank goodness I had insurance, even though I had to pay a $1000 dollar deductible, I received the full reimbursement for the bike. Anyway, once I received my payment from my insurance I immediately called my Honda Dealership. No more Hondas until 2005!

So, being the stubborn person I am, I went to a Yamaha dealership and bought the R6. I have been riding it for about one month now.

Don't get me wrong, I luv the bike, the handling and maneuverability is sweet. But, I just cannot get that comfort zone I felt on the Honda. This probably is not the right site to post this msg! However, I was wondering would I adapt with the R6 after riding it longer? Or is there anything I can do to make it a bit more comfortable?

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Please let me know.

Thx.

Sprokkett

[NTFireFighter]

Happened to me too, once you ride it for a month you will find your comfort zone, just keep riding it im sure you will get it

[fierohink]

Don't forget that everything is adjustable. Too many people come to my saying they NEED clipons and they NEED rearsets. Now don't get me wring some people actually can get an advantage out of aftermarket bits but start with what you have first.

Example, loosen the pinch bolts for the brake and clutch levers. Rotate them around until you fingers and wrists align the way you like. Do the same with the bars. You can get a good 1/4 inch of rotation without having to scrap the alignment screw that goes into the upper tree. Also with your foot pegs, you can adjust where the shift lever and brake pedal are in relation to the peg.

Try these and I'm sure you'll find something you like. The R6 and CBR aren't very far away from each other dimensionally.

[CrayonEater]

I gotta agree with fierohink, go for the free fixes first. Move the levers where you need them, after all, it's your bike. Also, stupid question, but have you tried moving farther up or back on the seat. My arms got tired riding through town at slow speeds and what not, so I sit up close to the tank and it takes the pressure off my arms. Slide back on the seat and it takes it off of my back. Basically ya just gotta ride it around and you'll find it.

[Sprokkett]

Thanks for the advise guys.

I have my 600 mile tune up next week. So I will ask the dealership to adjust it a bit or show me.

I think maybe it was the banana seat of the cbr that made it so comfortable. Maybe I can get a softer seat, I'll look around.

[Cooper29]

A small part to the problem is that the design theory of the two bikes is a bit different. I was just reading up and the F4i and the 600RR (honda's two 600's). It was a question and answer type thing. One of the questions was if Honda was going to continue to sell an F4i, and the answer was yes because it is less "race inspired" than the RR.

So with all that said you are going to run into a little bit of difference in the feel of the R6, because it is Yamaha's race offering. Yamaha offers a more ergonomically friendly bike in the plain version of the YZF.

As the post above suggested, go with the "free-fixes" first and also, the more you ride the more you will get used to the feel of the bike. Remeber, everything happens for a reason.....in your case, you got lucky and all the Honda's were gone.....you ended up on a better bike as a result!!!!

I am 5'10" and when I sat on my 02 R6 my whole body was falling forward onto the handle bars. I tried to correct this problem by using my torso,stomach and chest muscles to maintain a balanced position with my weight off the handlebars. This required too much effort!! The problem with the 00-04 R6 is the stock seat. The seat has almost 3" of foam padding. So I cut out about 2" of foam from the seat and BINGO! I now have a perfect riding position.

[Sprokkett]

Thanks for the advise all.

Guest, how did you cut 2" off the seat? I would like to do that too, but I do not want to ruin it... Did you take it to a dealership?

Do you lose any comfort? In addition, is there a seat out there that will also correct the seat position height?

Thanks

Very simple, take the seat off and carefully remove the big black staples on the underside of the seat. Once you get some staples off then the cover can be stretched off. Cut the foam off untill you are satisfied with your riding position. I am down to about 1" and it is still just as comfortable!!
I am now working on a better solution, I am currently installing a Sharkskin racing tail that get's rid of the stock seat completely. I will let you know how it performs.
Check out the link below to see the tail!!!

http://www.sharkskinz.com/y/yamaha4105.htm

[JAM007]

I am the guest above...forgot to log in......