[girly_girl]

Hi all,

New to the Kawasaki forums.

I currently ride a 1993 Yamaha Seca II (XJ600) bike which I learned to ride on. I have been riding for about 1 year, and would like to upgrade to a newer bike and looking at the Kawasaki ZZR 600 &/or Ninja 650R.

My current bike has approx 65-70BHP (due to mods by previous owner). Will upgrading to the ZZR 600 be too much of a jump from my Seca?

I went to local Kawi dealership & sat on both, but they wouldnt let me test drive either. I prefer the look and feel of the ZZR 600, but the Kawasaki Sales guy, told me that the ZZR has twice the engine of the 650R, so now Im worried it might be too much power in the hands of a still fairly new rider.

Should I throw caution to the wind and get the ZZR 600 - or step up to the Ninja 650R first?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/ideas.

 

[ervins]

ZZR 600...Your other bike will be close enough to the 650R that you just moving laterally and not forward in regards to speed and power, as well as, ergos. How many miles have you put on? The year experience is nice to move up if you have ridden quite a bit. As you did with you first bike, if you take it carefully and practice safety, you will be more than fine.

 

[zedx11]

I hope living in FL. and a year in the seat, at least 20K miles

take it easy and you should be fine.

 

[NCDave]

Before giving you a firm answer, I'd like to know how much riding you've done and what type.

I generally agree with Erv that it's more of a lateral move, but you would gain a much newer, lighter and better handling bike in the 650.

If you're comfortable with the Seca and feel like you'd like more power, then going to the 650 won't do as much for you as the ZZR600.

 

[girly_girl]

Thanks guys for your responses!

In regards to my riding experience, I have about 13k in the seat. I ride to work on Fridays (casual dress day) and then after work in the evenings and weekends.

Most of my riding has been surface streets in the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Pete areas, with some riding on I-4 back and forth to Orlando a couple of times (about 60 miles each way).

Im definately comfortable on the Seca as far as power goes, but beings its 15 years old, it may not perform the same as a brand new machine (or at least a newer machine) with the same spec's (kinda like a 15 yr old car wont preform the same as a brand new car of same make model). So I'm kind of trying to stay on the cautious side keeping that in mind, but really dont want to make too lateral of a move or end up taking on more then I can handle.

My main reason for wanting to upgrade (or my excuse I'm telling myself) is that the Seca, although it has served me well for its pupose, it is 15 yrs old, and the mechanic is telling me I need to have the carbs rebuilt, the chain replaced & something else. Their quoting me $900 to do the work, and I just can't see putting $900 into a bike with a $1500 book value. I'm afraid with the age, its to the point where its going to start nickel & diming me to death.

I'm not a young girl (37ish) looking for ultimate power. I'm past that point in life :icon_frow Just love to ride around & have some fun in the evenings & on weekends. Want a bike that I dont have to worry about mechanically leaving me stranded since I usually end up riding alone. I can afford buying new, which will take care of mechanical issues - now Im stuck trying to decide model. Want fun - but not something I going to kill myself on either.

:-D But I really do like the look/feel of the ZZR :-D

 

[bennice]

That's a tough one. I used to ride a Seca II for awhile back in the late 90's, had a '99 ZX6R last year (which is what we now know as the current ZZR), and now have a 650R in the garage - it's actually my wife's bike. The ZZR would be my choice if I could only have one or the other, but that's just me.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. Both really are great bikes IMO. It just depends on what you want comfort-wise. If you're not used to the slightly more aggressive riding position then the ZZR may get to be a bit uncomfortable at first. The additional HP over the 650R is fun though.

Why not just get both? :mrgreen:

 

[jbsmd]

650R....Have you sat on both yet?...asking because of difference in handlebar style. Both look good, but ZZR maybe overkill for what you want.

 

[bretsk2500]

ZZR600, the 650 is going to be more comfortable on longer trips, but the ZZR is much much faster & better looking, IMHO.

I had this same question back in Sept.... look at my sig as for what I bought...

 

[Kevorkian]

ZZR600, the 650 is going to be more comfortable on longer trips, but the ZZR is much much faster & better looking, IMHO.

I had this same question back in Sept.... look at my sig as for what I bought...

+1 go with the ZZR, you wont be dissappointed.

 

[JimmyD]

How come I got jumped on when I suggested mileage/experience should be a factor in moving up to a more powerful bike in another thread?

You should be fine on either but it really depends what you're looking for. The 650R is going to be a different ride than your SECA because of engine design. Twins tend to be torquey and have a "sweet spot" in the RPM range where the bike comes alive.

As you said, power isn't a huge issue, so if you were happy with your seca, by all means, a 650 would be a great choice. However I think you'll find the ZZR will be a much more refined ride as its been around a little longer and will be a smoother and (obviously) more powerful. If you truly want more, the 650 might disappoint.

Whatever you do, let them give you a test ride. If they don't let you, find another dealer. I understand they're trying to protect their stock, but as a potential buyer you darn well have a right to know what you're buying.

 

[girly_girl]

Wow thanks guys, alot of things I hadnt thought of was brought up.

Jimmy mentioned the 650r being a Twin and my SECA is a in-line 4. Since the SECA is the only bike I've ridden, will the Twin take getting used to - in regards to power delivery? I'm assuming the Twin will behave different then the inline 4 Im used too?

Im leaning towards the ZZR600 - since the majority of my riding is in town/surface street riding I dont think the more aggressive sitting position will affect me too much. However, as a couple of you mentioned, if I do decide to go on longer rides at some point, the 650 does feel like it would be more comfortable.....uuggghh.......decisions, decisions.

Bennice had the right idea - get both Hehehe (in a perfect world I would).

 

[ervins]

Wow thanks guys, alot of things I hadnt thought of was brought up.

Jimmy mentioned the 650r being a Twin and my SECA is a in-line 4. Since the SECA is the only bike I've ridden, will the Twin take getting used to - in regards to power delivery? I'm assuming the Twin will behave different then the inline 4 Im used too?

Im leaning towards the ZZR600 - since the majority of my riding is in town/surface street riding I dont think the more aggressive sitting position will affect me too much. However, as a couple of you mentioned, if I do decide to go on longer rides at some point, the 650 does feel like it would be more comfortable.....uuggghh.......decisions, decisions.

Bennice had the right idea - get both Hehehe (in a perfect world I would).

Long rides on sportbikes can work...It is how you position yourself on the seat and pegs. If you can get adjustable pegs it helps a ton for ergos...On long rides I will get my feet on the pegs raise them and then rest my arms on my knees...It works well...You have more than enough miles and experience to move up...Getting a 650 after reading your experience will open you up to some major league regret.

 

[bretsk2500]

Whatever you do, let them give you a test ride. If they don't let you, find another dealer. I understand they're trying to protect their stock, but as a potential buyer you darn well have a right to know what you're buying.

good luck with that... around here NOBODY will let you test ride a new bike (with the lone exception of the Ducati dealer), and only a couple will let you ride used ones. We basically have to wait until Laconia to get to demo anything...

 

[xeon]

One other difference, 650 is FI and the ZZR-600 is carb'd. The 650 can also probably be bought for less. I'm guessing both will cost about the same to insure. The twin will have more power lower in the RPM range, but the ZZR-600 revs so fast it really isn't much of an issue IMO. The ZZR is a more powerful bike no question, but given your experience it should be no issue. Both should be loads of fun given the bike you're coming from in terms of handling.

The ZZR-600 is actually pretty comfy for me, but you should sit on both to see how they fit YOU. I think both would suit you, MY choice between the two would be the ZZR because I ride my wife/kids a lot. I also prefer I4 600s. My wife looked at the 650R seat and said she wouldn't "ride on that". In fact I was a bit disappointed with the 650R, I initially wanted one until I sat on it.

 

[JasonFMHS]

ZZR, no question.... the 650 would not be enough of an improvement.

 

[bretsk2500]

The ZZR-600 is actually pretty comfy for me, but you should sit on both to see how they fit YOU. I think both would suit you, MY choice between the two would be the ZZR because I ride my wife/kids a lot. I also prefer I4 600s. My wife looked at the 650R seat and said she wouldn't "ride on that". In fact I was a bit disappointed with the 650R, I initially wanted one until I sat on it.

The pillion on the ZZR is HUGE (well, not goldwing huge), and I'm told pretty comfy. The ZZR is carbureted perfection... just slip the clutch a little and the 650 will see nothing but tail lights...

 

[WeBeToyz]

It has been said, but seriously take into consideration the comfort factor of the bike. I spent 6 years in Tampa (16 in FL) and especially in the Tampa area, each year I rode more & more since it took longer and longer to get to any good riding areas. You bop out to the beach, over Skyline & down into Sarasota, back up to the Tampa area up 75 like it is nothing. Or a jet over to Cocoa Beach at night just cause you can. Good riding is north (Crystal River area), a bit further north (Ocala Forest), and a whole lot north (NC & Tenn). But like Ervins said, you can learn to adjust.

Having said that, between those 2 bikes, I can't imagine the Tampa area w/o the ZZR to replace the boredom factor getting place to place.

Me? - I bought a trailer, hauled to locations for the day, and chose to ride home w/o the monkey butt and in A/C...

 

[Sly-one]

If you want lots of power & speed, go with the 600.
If you want some speed with good low & mid-range, and a lot more comfort for longer rides, I'd suggest the 650r. It just depends on what you're really looking for in a bike. Even though I live out in the country-side, it's hard to find places where you can really enjoy all the power a good 600 affords you. I've seen some people get the 600's (or liter bikes) thinking they can go screaming around all over the place (and they do), only to find they wind up spending more for tires & tickets than they planned.

When I was checking insurance for different bikes, the 600's actually came out a whole lot more to insure than the 650. I guess the 600's have gained a reputation for being screamers, lol.

 

[evmo]

I've taken many 300+ mile rides in a day on my ZZR and the ergos give me no problems at all. Mind you I did get off and take breaks every hundred miles or so but then again your going to have to stop for fuel at some point.

When I sit on a 650r I feel like I'm sitting on a dirtbike.

 

[evmo]

Oh by the way my first ride was an FJ600 almost identical to your Seca II, The transition isn't hard at all and you'll LOVE to open the throttle on the ZZR getting on the freeway, man what a rush!