Hey, i'm new to the forum and i love bikes (especially the r6). I am in college now at Pitt and my parents say that if i buy one before i graduate they wont help me pay for college, so i have a solid year and a half before i can actually own a bike. I am just looking to get some general information about them. I'm a gearhead when it comes to cars, but bikes aren't exactly the same so i have a few questions:

1. What is the expected bike life... how many miles... i've heard that 25,000 or 30,000 miles on a bike is like having 100,000 on a car. Is that accurate?

2. how is it getting used to the shifting of a motorcycle. I have a stick shift car, and i assume that will help a little with getting used to the clutch on a bike? are they at all the same? Will driving a stick make learning to drive a bike easier?

3. I've never riden anything other than a quad, and i was able to use that clutch easily. Is that the same as an r4 (i dont know what kind of quad it was (what cc))

and

4. Is getting an r6 going to be a challenge learning on? Someone has told me to buy a beater dirtbike or a 250cc first just to get the hang of coming out of corners, etc....

Any input is appreciated, and i know you guys love to talk about this stuff, so hopefully i'll hear from a lot of people soon

Thanks,

JJ

Welcome to the burgh. I used to date this girl and she was like take me to the o and I said I'll give you the "O".
...sorry about that...
Driving a stick will definately be good grounds for riding. As long as you have the fundamentals up stairs you'll have no problem. As far as getting a dirtbike, eh, you could but thats more the attempt if your a little kid and don't understand who things work.
Once you ride even for the first time, after about 20 feet your self preservation instints kick in and do their best at keeping you shiny side up.
Ques #1 is a good one. The longevity of a bike. I've seen a guy up on Mt Washington (this is only going to make sense to pittsburghers) who has a '97-'99 I'm not sure which year Honda CBR 1100. We all call him dad. He's like 58 and bought the bike new, last I saw it a few weeks ago it had like 104k on it. I have 22k on my R6 and ride it like a race bike. Well I do track it often, like 8-12times a summer. Plus she's my daily drive. I live in robinson and work in green tree so it's Parkway time everyday.
The key to going the distance is doing your maintence. I change my oil 2k max. Brakes, tires, whatever she needs whenever she needs it. But the oil is key. At 19k I did a new clutch, and when I split the side cover it was as clean and shiny as the day I bought it. My dealer said the same spring '04 when he did the valve adjustment. Which at 17k was still in spec.

Oh I forgot to mention. These things are highly engineered race bikes with turn signals and headlights. The difference between the showroom and the podium is often as little as brake pads and tires. With that in mind and the fact that there is a warranty that covers and engine capable of spinning north of 16 thousand rpms, you can understand the durability of these machines.
I flat out asked my dealer, Lojaks Cycles in Tarentum, how long I should expect to keep the bike in one piece motor-wise. He said these things are built to last minimum of 100k. Even if you sped up damage by 200% by racing it, that would give you a good 50k hard miles. Well I'm halfway to that point and don't show a bit of wear. I'll answer with a question. How many toyotas have you seen with 200/300k miles? Add datsun/nissan and honda to the picture and you start to understand the motor building ability of the Japanesse people.

Please don't double post. Your post will be read if it is in the proper area. I'm closing this post and keeping the one in "Tips" open.