Need some advice!

[LittleRed]

I remember it like it was yesterday... I walked onto the lot of my local dealership to test ride a used blue FZ6 to satisfy that aching need to ride again. And there she was... her beautiful red paint glistened in the summer sunshine... It was meant to be.

Today, one year after finally finding my FZ on that lot, I come to a difficult fork in the road. I feel torn these days... The sun is making more regular appearances here in the Pacific Northwest, increasing my steadily growing desire for a few more horses and a quicker gait. I've also been rather guiltily eyeing the shiny green '09 CBR600rr...

Here's my problem: I can't afford a new bike unless I sell/trade in my FZ, but I don't think I have the emotional capacity to give her up.

For whoever has "traded up" and parted ways with their FZ to do so, how did you do it??

I need all the advice/suggestions/encouragement/discouragement that anyone can offer!

 

[jtarkany]

"traded up"

:spank:

The CBR 600 is a nice bike, and definitely more race oriented, but a trade up

That being said, I am still motoring on my FZ. The question you have to ask yourself is, "What kind of riding are you looking to do, and which bike best meets those needs?"

Good luck on your decision :thumbup:

 

[RJ2112]

If you plan on moving from bike to bike, starting out with used is ideal..... probably better to keep more money in your account, if you do that multiple times.

Remember the mark up to 'new' is pretty steep. The shiny stuff will only last as long as it takes to do something to make it scratched or dull. If the oil has been changed, and the motor hasn't had the cr@p beaten out of it..... it's pretty tough these days to buy a really bad bike. (At least one that is only a few years old. 20 years of being multiple people's 'first bike' is very hard on a motorcycle.)

If you like the '09 CBRRRXYZF.... can you afford the insurance, can you afford the upkeep, and will you be able to live with yourself when it falls down and breaks some of the plastics? Is it more about how shiny it is, or how fast it goes?

What do you expect to do with that bike, that it suits better than what you have now?

 

[FB400]

It sounds like you would take a depreciation hit twice. Once for the year old FZ6 and again on the CBR. I agree, going used it the way to go. You can look for one with minimal miles that's been kept up. Let someone else take the depreciation on the CBR becuase you are already going to take a beating if you trade or sell the FZ6

 

[LittleRed]

Thank you everyone! :cheer:

A couple of clarifications: I'm not a crazy rider, and don't plan on racing, but I have test ridden the CBR and it is more comfortable than the FZ (probably not on longer rides, but I don't have time to do that these days anyhow). The FZ is feeling a little more cramped than it used too, and the upright seating position that I once craved and loved is starting to feel unnatural...

I am a BIG advocate of buying used- I bought my FZ with 2,700mi and would be scouring the internet for a used CBR. I already experienced the heartbreak of scratching perfect plastics when my fizzer and I ate pavement a year ago on some gravel... It's not about the glitz and the glam for me- I want a bike that fits me physically. I love riding. Period.

Just having a very hard time deciding! :banghead: