As most of you now know I used to live up North & to cut a long story short I moved to Basingstoke to be with Clare and as a result had to sell my Suzuki Bandit 600, which I didn’t actually like all that much. After briefly flirting with a Suzuki GSXR400 for a couple of months I needed something that would cope a bit better with my 50 mile a day commute. I’d set my heart on a GSX600F (in yellow) as this would be something that would easily handle my commuting needs and also accommodate a pillion.
The GSXR400 went into the garage for a new chain and sprocket set and when I went to pick it up I spotted that a 1998 RF600RR in Red had just arrived in part-ex. 30 minutes later after a test ride I was leaving the garage with not the Gixer but Suzi – my newly named RF600. Until this point I’d avoided even contemplating an RF. Parkers and other buying guides slated the RF600 as a bike that was best avoided, heavy, terrible build quality, dull to ride. However the test ride had put all of these ideas right out of my head, It isn’t the latest/fastest 600cc bike out there, but she can still keep up with anything on the road in the right hands. The bike felt completely right to me and although the tail unit was faded I though she looked terrific. The fact she was a bit of a rare beast also appealed to me. It’s the only vehicle I’ve ever purchased that I didn’t get cold feet about.
After I got her home I discovered that the previous owner had been less than kind. The fairing bolts had been rounded, general neglect was rife and in my opinion the under tail and in fairing LED’s didn’t look too good. The bike however road fantastically and made me smile every time I took her out.
Soon enough I started to experience some problems with the front end. Her habit of eating front tyres and break pads in 2000 miles is an ongoing issue we’ve all been attempting to resolve. The callipers aren’t binding but new fork springs, brake hoses and adapting my riding style may hopefully curb her appetite for rubber and pads. They have already helped her handling no end.
Since owning Suzi I’ve added heated grips and replaced the road legal viper end can with a more pleasant Scorpion item, this sounds fantastic and I’m fairly sure has improved fuel economy. I’m on the lookout for a hugger for her and want to replace the screen with a dark tinted item. This winter we also hope to re-spray her tail unit so she looks a little more red than pink. I’m also putting off doing a valve clearance check, which I’d like to do myself as can’t really afford to have a garage perform this – so any help with that would be appreciated.
She has now done just over 26,000 miles (10,000 by me since April 2008) and I’m fairly certain it’s one of the last RF600’s to be registered (I think it’s the ‘newest’ 600 in the club)
I’ve toyed with idea of selling her and maybe replacing her with something a bit more mainstream and with a bit more power, but each time I take her out for a blast on the local A339 those thoughts always go away. This is the favourite bike I’ve ever owned, it’s the perfect balance between practicality and sports bike that suit my needs down to the ground.
nice bike well done m8.
