I am in the market for a streetbike. I don't care if it's new or used, my price range is from $1k-$5k. I have been looking at the CBR 600F3, 1990 Hawk GT650, or Yamaha FZR 600. I am new to the streetbike scene so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Also can anyone recommend a good place to buy a bike in Soiuthern California? I dom't want anything too fancy since I will only be riding it on weekends and occasionally to work

 

Suzuki SV650s.

 

The F3 would make a killer first bike I think, you can find them pretty reasonably priced.

 

The Honda CBR600f4i

 

suzuki sv650 or if you did want something with fairings an F3 or FZR600 would not be a bad choice either

 

Actually i have a ridden my friends 1990 Hawk 650 and it felt perfect, I like the ergonomics of the SV/Hawk design. I also like sport bikes, my main concern is getting something for under $5k that doesn't suck, is reliable and has potential to go faster as my skills improve. I noticed on http://www.suzuki.com that the SV 650 retails for around $6k, is there allot of markup on bikes, like in cars?

 

looks awesome!

http://www.suzukicycles.com/sr_02/sp.../bp_sv650s.htm

 

you will probably be able to get out the door on an sv for around 5900 if you shop around well enough but that still is above your price range. You could get a used one. But if you want the ultimate half-faired sport bike under 5k try and find a 996 superhawk from around 98. they will be in that range and highly underated bikes. They will progress with your skills quite well yet are forgiving to a new rider.

 

buy my ZX6-R for 500$... only catch is it needs either rings or valves or both...


thats the reason I'm getting rid of it.. i know its worth 500 for just the stuff on it.... so someone else could fix it and have a perfect bike.. never been down or wrecked.. but it has had al the maintinance done, died in traffic one day and compression test showed low results.. never tore it apart to see what it is...

 

500$ is a steal!!! Man, that is nuts. If I lived in Cali, Id buy it and rebuild!!

 

Where in Cali do you live? I might be interested in your bike...

 

If you're new to riding, almost any bike is going to be more than enough for you. If you get a small bike (250cc or 400cc), you'll "probably" be a little safer because there isn't as much power as the 600s -- but even with the small bikes, they can take off on you if you're not careful.

If you've ridden before and want to get into sporty/sport bikes, the SV650 is a good starter. The F3 is also a good bike but has full fairings (expensive if you need to repair/replace them).