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2002 Cbr F4i Weight Conversion: A Comprehensive Review of the Options and Costs



This is a photo based thread to expand and hopefully find out all the modifications and hassles in converting a 4th Gen bike bodywork over the the CBR F4i style bodywork. All credit and inspiration goes to Nilton Carlos Barbosa who posted pictures of his Brazilian bike. The initial research showed that he used aftermarket race bodywork. I called around and found out inside information on several companies and quickly dismissed HotBodies Racing. I was pointed towards the Attack Performance race kit which is a two piece front unit(upper/lower) and a one piece solo race tail. This stuff is featherweight...I'll be getting some digital scales this week and will post up the weight reductions in various areas. Thanks to member vfroem who dropped 150lbs off his bike, I decided that I would set a goal of 100lbs for my bike. I have about 28 days left to finish it...started last week with the initial removal of stock bodywork and trial fitting of the Attack stuff.




2002 Cbr F4i Weight Conversion



1987: First Honda CBR600 introduced. Numerous subsequent changes.1991: Major overhaul of Honda CBR600 with new chassis and updated engine.1994: Update including addition of ram air and larger carbs to provide more low down power.1996: New ignition set up and updated ram air system plus numerous bodywork mods. The Honda CBR600F is now claimed to have a top speed of over 160mph.1998: Complete model update. Changes include new aluminium frame to replace steel one to reduce weight, new aggressive styling and bodywork.2000: Honda CBR600F and CBR600FS launched with fuel injection and minor frame modifications. 2003: Honda CBR600FS model superseded by RR model. Honda CBR600F continues with colour changes only.


I came from a 2008 Suzuki GSX650F, mainly for the weight reduction..but also the fact that I wanted a car since I started looking into riding. This bike is absolutely superb. Cannot fault it whatsoever so far. I have owned for about 4 months, and have done about 2k miles so far on it. It is a somewhat aggressive riding position especially compared to the GSX650F, but nothing too strenuous, and there are options to change that with bar risers etc if you wanted. I get about 50mpg, with 80% motorway commuting on a 68mile round trip. The bike is fast. Very fast if you want it to be, but also happy plodding along at inner city speeds. The ride is soft, and has adjustable preload on front suspension, so can tailor your needs. The throttle is very responsive and even in sixth gear from 40 pulls very well. Cheap to tax, service is reasonable, and I would highly recommend to anyone starting out on a bigger bike. I would like to have had a fuel gauge. The only gauge is the reserve tank, which, when that comes on is about 5L left..so you need to find fuel fairly quickly. I also don't really like the split headlight..the amount of people telling me I've had one light out is very annoying..


Purchased my FS2 "2002 FSport" as my first step off of the 125 :D wow what a machine. I use this for my daily commute. It looks like a racer but is still comfy, show it some bends and it feels so agile. Point and Squirt is great fun, I still havent red lined it mainly through fear of sliding of the back, lol.A truely amazing and great handling machine with plenty of power on tap.


I bought mine in 2002 - CBR600F-1.Kept it for just under 5 years during which I rode the 60 mile round trip to work in to London most days,did 2 track days and went around Europe on a 2000-miler every summer.This bike is the complete package.It's really comfy,light and fast with excellent protection from the weather.Commuting I was filling up every 130 miles but the tank gives you 150+ on long trips.I added a longer screen,hugger and blue flame end can.Rode woth Oxford soft luggage -this bike gives you anchor points galore,a centre stand and grab rail.Brakes good,engine faultless,quality and reliability never an issue.I'm looking for another one as I've looked around and can't find anything that compares.


On my third cbr6 now the FS model,Got it new in 2002 for 5200 and it's never missed a beat,look's the same as the day I bought it with very little TLC and can just about hang with the bigger 07 bikes and that's not bad for a 02 600 but that's the cbr6 for you, Top bike!!


I bought my 600Sport new in 2002 and did 20,000 miles in the 3 years I owned. I did 3 European tours on it, and just couldn't fault it -totally reliable, superb build quality, handles well, more than fast enough for road use and comfortable enough to tour on.A better all-round bike than the VFR800 I had before - cheaper, lighter, quicker, more fun and just as comfortable on a long trip.Honda do a good touring screen if you do longer trips. Bridgestone BT020's are a good tyre for road use and last very well.


This is F5i is my second CBR (I previously owned an FY carburetted model). I've also owned a Thundercat, 600 Hornet and an R6, and other non-600 bikes. The CBR is the one that does most things best: fine for long-haul trips (e.g. to Berlin in 2 days) or long commutes (to Suffolk and back to Brighton in a day); great for short, fun rides; even capable of camping trips if you add a Renntec rack. The only things I haven't done are track days or off-road riding. They're very comfortable compared to other sports 600s, at least for anyone up to 6' tall, which is what I am (the comfort is relative: there's quite a bit of weight on your wrists). The riding position gives great forward vision and stops you wriggling about too much, but is still aerodynamic. Of the 2 CBRs I've owned, the FX/FY models are better value. I think they're slightly more comfortable/less vibey; less thirsty than the fuel-injected ones; and they're way cheaper (3,000 for a bike with less than 10k on the clock). Strengths: Do-it-all nature; comfort; can be ridden restfully under 6,000 revs and with a lot more go over 7,000 revs; build quality/Honda dealer backup. Weaknesses: Fuel economy isn't great (150 miles to reserve); slight vibes through right-hand handlebar can put your hand to sleep on long runs (they all do that, sir: my 2 both have, and a friend's does the same to him. It does seem to depend slightly on which gloves you wear, though not sure why this would be).


I dont like its weight... too bulky.. I dont like the lack of adjustment on the forks either. The forks bend too easy when I cartwheeled it thru' gerrards (mallory) graveltrap. The bike is awesome on the road tho'... hits 170+ on the clock and corners well. Outdoes most things in the right hands. The tyres r chosen for allround grip (wet and dry) and are excellent in the wet.... just right for sliding the bike around. In the dry they're enough to run the bike round gerrards at 130+. The brakes are wicked now  I've added braided hoses and EBC HH pads. Needs clearance as standard tho'. Needs handling improving tho'. But safe and stable as anything! You dont need a steering damper on this bike... all it does it shake its head a little. I love this bike, but its not quite quick enough. It's good enough for me to consider racing this year.... I don't want to coz its in good nick... but it's a very predictable and safe bike. The dealer Ii went too was shite tho' and reckoned I got ripped off. Oh.. it's NEVER EVER broken down tho'.


The seating position worked fine for me on long rides, but the seat is quite hard. A harder seat isn't necessarily a bad thing (a too-soft seat can be uncomfortable, as well), but this seat is just too hard on longer trips. Brake feel and power is excellent. Not class-leading, but the brakes on all of the 600s these days are phenomenal and virtually overkill for street use.One other nit to pick is Honda's use of a single, low beam headlight, while some other competitors (Kawasaki comes to mind) have two low beams. A bike as fast and as secure handling as the F4i deserves better illumination at night on low beam. High beam was fine. Honda and Suzuki have shown that fuel injection is now superior to carburetion in the 600cc sportbike class. Honda's motor sets new standards in the class for smoothness and throttle response. The F4i is an excellent all-around street bike with its power concentrated where street riders will use it most.Striking the comfort/sport balance slightly more towards the sport side this year, Honda's F4i has already proven itself a successful supersport competitor. First and second place at the AMA Daytona 600 supersport race (with Miguel DuHamel and Nicky Hayden aboard, respectively) proves this point quite well. The bike has great tuning potential for racing, and it shouldn't be overlooked by the rider who wants a bike for track days or club racing. The extremely light wheels and brake discs erase the slight weight penalty associated with choosing the F4i over some of the other 600s.In summary, the F4i is another excellent 600 from Honda that strikes a reasonable balance between the sport and comfort goals required in the class. It also has vastly improved styling (in my opinion) over its conservative predecessors, and the best fuel injection system in the business.Source Motorcycle.com


Honda's previous 600-class sport bike, the CBR600F4i, was considered a balance of practicality and performance, as capable as other Supersport-racing 600s, but a more docile and comfortable street bike relative to the competing Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, Suzuki GSX-R600, and Yamaha YZF-R6.[1][2] When introduced in 1999, the CBR600F "fought off racier contenders on the track while still managing to be a more practical streetbike", as described by Motorcyclist, "one golf club that acts like a whole bag."[3] With the successor 2003 CBR600RR, Honda shifted to a more aggressive, less compromising strategy in the "churning dogfight that was the middleweight class at the time",[1][4] Honda's CBR-RR Project Leader Hiroyuki Ito said, "We developed the RR in a completely different way from any model in the past. In the past Honda has always developed a roadbike, then modified it for racing. But with the RR, we first built a prototype racer, then gave it to the production department."[5][6] Rotating an aging model down to the next tier of a product line as it is overshadowed by a model with the latest technology is common practice among sport bike manufacturers including Buell, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha.[7] 2ff7e9595c


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