Getting a street bike has always been on my to-do list, but the perfect opportunity finally came by. The bike belonged to my brother, who just picked up a brand new Yamaha R6 and needed to get his 1999 Yamaha FZR600 off his hands for a down payment.
The 1999 FZR600 was the predecessor to the YZF600R and the R6, but it's still plenty of fun for me. My buddies are in love with it because of its "old school" value in the same way an AE86 is cool. I guess bikes age a lot faster than cars since it's only a '99 with 13,000 miles on the ODO, but I love this thing. A bike is a bike. Can't beat how much I paid for it and how much I will be saving on gas.
I've been tooling around on street bikes ever since I was about 18 (always on someone else's bike though) so it's always been a goal of mine to own one. You can't beat filling up your gas tank for 6 bucks, taking the carpool lane all the time, and performance better than almost any car on the road, especially even remotely close to the same price range. There's nothing like cruising down Pacific Coast Highway along side the beach in southern California's perfect weather either.
I've always wanted a daily driver to give my Subie a little rest (especially with all the new mods on the way). It had to save me gas money, cost little to own, maintain, and insure, but still be fun. A Fit or Yaris would have been perfect, but I didn't need another new car taking up space, and they definitely lack in the fun department. They cost a bit too much for a beater as well. I looked in a lower price range at a couple 240SXs, but in the end I know it would just turn into another project draining my wallet. A bike is the perfect solution. Cost me barely anything to buy, saves me TONS on gas, and gives my Subie time to relax and get worked on. Everybody's happy.
This past weekend I went on a nice cruise into the canyons of OC with a few buddies and my brother. My friend's Aprilia is just sick! The FZR had a little inferiority complex parking next to all those other bikes. Check out the pics.