Just wanted to say HEY and a THANKS to all of you for the great posts. I'm new on this forum and have been reading all your posts for advice and future upgrades. I bought a honda 599 about 2 months ago after I took the MSF class. It's a 2004, Matte black, with 2200 miles on it for $4600. I bought it off this guy that had it in excellent condition, so I couldn't be happier. I am now almost to 3000 miles, and loving every minute on this bike. One thing I didn't realize when I bought it, is how powerful it is. I am taking it slow though, getting comfortable below the 6000 rpms. I couldn't think of a better first bike to own than this.

getting comfortable below the 6000 rpms.
Yeah. I got up to 7000 today. And that was just because I needed to shift to a higher gear real bad. I cruise in the lower part of the thousands, for sure.

Congrats on the purchase. Take it slow, get used to the bike. You'll find the power to be comforting soon enough, but don't rush it. Enjoy the ride, and chek out some of MotoGPFan26's earlier posts (from way back) - you'll see you're not alone in the whole getting to know the 599 as a first bike thing in a most interesing way. :lol:

...and you're welcome :wink:

I spent at least 6 months under 6,000 rpm ... (and still managed to get myself into trouble). Definitely don't rush it. If you get the feeling you're in over your head, slow down.

Keep the rubber side down and ... welcome to the family.

That's the wierdest thing, I hear everyone talking about keeping the bike under certain rpms while learning to ride. I only rode my bike nicely (under 7,000 rpm) for about a month after passing my MSF class.

But I can't even imagine keeping it under 10k on a regular basis now. (got my license in June)

and NO, I'm not reckless, I'm usually quite pro-active in trafifc.
Never laid it down, never even been close to an accident. Time will tell.

Congrats and glad to hear you're enjoying the best hornet (2004 Asphalt... uh-huh :wink: ).

This bike loves the high RPMs. Get it spinning and work between 7-11 on the right road and it's pure joy! :D It's a 600 4-cylinder for goodness sake.

Plus that's gotta be the sweet spot when you're in 3rd & 4th... :wink:

Enjoy the ride, and chek out some of MotoGPFan26's earlier posts (from way back) - you'll see you're not alone in the whole getting to know the 599 as a first bike thing in a most interesing way. :lol:

This is all too true. I remember being there. Man what a difficult time that was. The great thing about the Hornet is that it is so incredibly fun below 7,000 rpms. It's got just enough midrange torque that it pulls plenty well enough for a new rider that you can have plenty of fun below 7,000 rpms. When you do start to go above that point don't do it all at once. Ease up GRADUALLY...bit by bit. YOu'd be surprised at what the little Hornet can do when you open it up.

For now, work on your riding skills. Someone posted up here one time suggesting that you REALLY FOCUS on ONE thing until it becomes second nature. Then, go on to ONE more thing. I thought it was a great idea. Then you continue this until each ONE thing is second nature. In a year or two you would be surprised at how your riding skills improve.

If you'll go back to the first couple of pages of the "Newbie Bike" thread you'll see how much trouble I had. Or just search under my posts.

Good luck...you'll love your Hornet. I'm just itching waiting to find out if Honda is going to bring the Hornet back over...

This bike loves the high RPMs. Get it spinning and work between 7-11 on the right road and it's pure joy! :D It's a 600 4-cylinder for goodness sake.

Plus that's gotta be the sweet spot when you're in 3rd & 4th... :wink:

For real? Cause I don't want to tear anything up? You know, ruin my bike and stuff.

This bike loves the high RPMs. Get it spinning and work between 7-11 on the right road and it's pure joy! :D It's a 600 4-cylinder for goodness sake.

Plus that's gotta be the sweet spot when you're in 3rd & 4th... :wink:

For real? Cause I don't want to tear anything up? You know, ruin my bike and stuff.
Short answer... you won't hurt it by running it into the 5-digit revs. This bike becomes a whole new machine in the range. However, you'd be wise to listen to to many of the people who've responded and keep it mellow for a while and work your way into it.

Take it from someone who's put a '99 CB750 into a guardrail.... too much too soon = a lot of pain. I've got about 4,000 miles under my belt (which is not really very much at all) and I am still taking it pretty slow with this bike. It's a dream to ride and corners so much better than a Nighthawk, but you need to take baby steps. There's no rush. It's better to delay "progressing" a little longer and stay in one piece than to try to be Nicky Hayden overnight and end up curled in a ball in the middle of the road. Trust me, it's not dignified!

:wink:

I got out on the interstate today and got it up to about 8,000 RPMs in 3rd or 4th. Whatever it was, I was going totally FAST and buzzing like all hell. If you think that is the sweet spot, you must be into lap riding or something else that would require such devotion to such a low gear. Don't get me wrong. I guess it WAS pretty sweet. I just didn't feel like staying there for very long. I found sixth and went about my business as usual (85mph, peeping over the Givi).

you wont hurt it bouncing it off the rev limiter either :thumbsup its bullet proof....... enjoy you ride ..... truly is a great bike and just think there is SOOOOOO much just waiting around the corner for you :twisted:

Personally I believe you shouldn't be hitting the rev limiter, but anything up to that point is fine.