u/Ill_Honey_3055

I had crashed my ZX4R a year back, and now I am getting back into riding. I have booked a ZX6R (ZX4R is not available near me at all), and paid about 8% of the price as an advance, its non refundable - perhaps I can recover some money if I ask for a refund but lets assume I won't get it.

I have ordered better gear, an airbag vest, and sworn to ride saner. No more insane corners, highway pulls, vlogging, etc.

Last time I crashed as I took a corner too hard for a video. I know, stupid me. I had a minor surgery and fracture and recovered now.

But my family and to some extent me as well are shit scared. They are telling me to cancel the bike, and that it would kill me.

They're telling me to get a simple bike instead and take the Rs 1lakh ($1000) hit on the bike order.

But man do I love the inline 4 scream and the looks, and I am obviously going to ride better.

Is the ZX6R that scary of a bike or am I overscared? Can I handle it and avoid crashing with the new precautions, or will I still be tempted by that engine to pull and kill myself?

Thanks!

I had crashed my ZX4R a year back, and now I am getting back into riding. I have booked a ZX6R, and paid about 8% of the price as an advance, its non refundable - perhaps I can recover some money if I ask for a refund but lets assume I won't get it.

I have ordered better gear, an airbag vest, and sworn to ride saner. No more insane corners, highway pulls, vlogging, etc.

Last time I crashed as I took a corner too hard for a video. I know, stupid me. I had a minor surgery and fracture and recovered now.

But my family and to some extent me as well are shit scared. They are telling me to cancel the bike, and that it would kill me.

They're telling me to get a simple bike instead and take the Rs 1lakh ($1000) hit on the bike order.

But man do I love the inline 4 scream and the looks, and I am obviously going to ride better.

Is the ZX6R that scary of a bike or am I overscared? Can I handle it and avoid crashing with the new precautions, or will I still be tempted by that engine to pull and kill myself?

Thanks!

I had my US tourist visa interview in Chennai, India a few days back.

Interviewer: "What's your purpose of travel to the US?"

Me: "My purpose is tourism"

Interviewer: "What do you do?"

Me: "I run my own company for the last 6 years in my hometown. We are into online education"

Interviewer: "Do you have employees?"

Me: "Yes, we have a few employees"

Interviewer: "Have you travelled internationally before?"

Me: "Yes, I have been to Japan earlier this year"

Interviewer: "Are you travelling on your own or with someone else?"

Me: "I am travelling on my own, I like solo travel"

Then she started typing something and going through my passport. It had no stamps so I offered to show her my old passport. She refused. She had been typing a lot prior as well though.

She asked "Do you expect some harm in India?" I said no.

She asked "Do you expect some harm on your return back to India?". I again said no.

Then she said I am rejected. I offered to show my real estate documents and she said the decision has been made.

I'm not sure if I even had any room to manoeuvre here. The questions were precise and so were my answers. Perhaps she didn't like my profile to begin with.

I used atlys for the application and according to them my DS160 form was perfect and had no issues.

I might have fumbled a bit on the employees question, and with the passport showing thing, but I feel I didn't get much chance to speak. I could have mentioned my real estate or been more confident or clear in the employees answer (I have a few remote employees but nothing too permanent, more like freelancers so I fumbled a bit instead of giving an exact answer).

What do you think went wrong? Should I re apply? How to avoid this now?

I had my US tourist visa interview in Chennai, India a few days back.

Interviewer: "What's your purpose of travel to the US?"

Me: "My purpose is tourism"

Interviewer: "What do you do?"

Me: "I run my own company for the last 6 years in my hometown. We are into online education"

Interviewer: "Do you have employees?"

Me: "Yes, we have a few employees"

Interviewer: "Have you travelled internationally before?"

Me: "Yes, I have been to Japan earlier this year"

Interviewer: "Are you travelling on your own or with someone else?"

Me: "I am travelling on my own, I like solo travel"

Then she started typing something and going through my passport. It had no stamps so I offered to show her my old passport. She refused. She had been typing a lot prior as well though.

She asked "Do you expect some harm in India?" I said no.

She asked "Do you expect some harm on your return back to India?". I again said no.

Then she said I am rejected. I offered to show my real estate documents and she said the decision has been made.

I'm not sure if I even had any room to manoeuvre here. The questions were precise and so were my answers. Perhaps she didn't like my profile to begin with.

I used atlys for the application and according to them my DS160 form was perfect and had no issues.

I might have fumbled a bit on the employees question, and with the passport showing thing, but I feel I didn't get much chance to speak. I could have mentioned my real estate or been more confident or clear in the employees answer (I have a few remote employees but nothing too permanent, more like freelancers so I fumbled a bit instead of giving an exact answer).

What do you think went wrong? Should I re apply? How to avoid this now?

I had totalled my ZX4R overcooking a corner, and now I am ready to ride again after a year of recovery. My options are the KTM RC 390 and the ZX6R

The ZX4R was an amazing bike - inline 4, not too fast, looked good, flickable. But its discontinued in my country now, and the local Kawasaki has shut shop as well. The nearest dealer is now 200 miles away.

I would have loved to get a ZX6R as my next bike - serving as the platform to go up to the superbikes later, given that I already have 1 year of the ZX4R experience, but 3 things are bugging me at once:

1. Its $16k where I live vs $4k for the RC390. That's quite a difference (I do not have many other options in my small town in India)

2. Its a lot more powerful than my ZX4R that I crashed and totalled. I feel confident that I can handle the 6R but given that I will never track my bikes perhaps the RC390 is good enough

3. Lack of a service station nearby (voids warranty in my country to self service, plus I don't have time/inclination for it)

The RC390 sounds like an amazing option - its light, looks OK, is easy to maintain locally, and cheap.

But it hurts my ego to downgrade to "just" an RC, and I might miss the inline 4 scream.

Is it a bike that I will enjoy after my ZX4R? Or will I feel like I made a $4k mistake? Should I just stretch and get the ZX6R?

I work in investments, and the idea of saving a whopping $12k by just getting the RC which is safer and much less of a hassle to increase my portfolio size is appealing to me.

Again, I can potentially stretch for the 6R but lack of a dealer plus the possible much cheaper enjoyment of the RC deter me.

Any suggestions/opinions are welcome (pls note i don't buy used bikes, and i have not many options to choose from in India, Yamaha/Honda bikes are not available near me)

I had totalled my ZX4R overcooking a corner, and now I am ready to ride again after a year of recovery. My options are the KTM RC 390 and the ZX6R

The ZX4R was an amazing bike - inline 4, not too fast, looked good, flickable. But its discontinued in my country now, and the local Kawasaki has shut shop as well. The nearest dealer is now 200 miles away.

I would have loved to get a ZX6R as my next bike - serving as the platform to go up to the superbikes later, given that I already have 1 year of the ZX4R experience, but 3 things are bugging me at once:

1. Its $16k where I live vs $4k for the RC390. That's quite a difference (I do not have many other options in my small town in India)

2. Its a lot more powerful than my ZX4R that I crashed and totalled. I feel confident that I can handle the 6R but given that I will never track my bikes perhaps the RC390 is good enough

3. Lack of a service station nearby (voids warranty in my country to self service, plus I don't have time/inclination for it)

The RC390 sounds like an amazing option - its light, looks OK, is easy to maintain locally, and cheap.

But it hurts my ego to downgrade to "just" an RC, and I might miss the inline 4 scream.

Is it a bike that I will enjoy after my ZX4R? Or will I feel like I made a $4k mistake? Should I just stretch and get the ZX6R?

I work in investments, and the idea of saving a whopping $12k by just getting the RC which is safer and much less of a hassle to increase my portfolio size is appealing to me.

Again, I can potentially stretch for the 6R but lack of a dealer plus the possible much cheaper enjoyment of the RC deter me.

Any suggestions/opinions are welcome

I had totalled my ZX4R overcooking a corner, and now I am ready to ride again after a year of recovery. My options are the KTM RC 390 and the ZX6R

The ZX4R was an amazing bike - inline 4, not too fast, looked good, flickable. But its discontinued in my country now, and the local Kawasaki has shut shop as well. The nearest dealer is now 200 miles away.

I would have loved to get a ZX6R as my next bike - serving as the platform to go up to the superbikes later, given that I already have 1 year of the ZX4R experience, but 3 things are bugging me at once:

1. Its $16k where I live vs $4k for the RC390. That's quite a difference (I do not have many other options in my small town in India)

2. Its a lot more powerful than my ZX4R that I crashed and totalled. I feel confident that I can handle the 6R but given that I will never track my bikes perhaps the RC390 is good enough

3. Lack of a service station nearby (voids warranty in my country to self service, plus I don't have time/inclination for it)

The RC390 sounds like an amazing option - its light, looks OK, is easy to maintain locally, and cheap.

But it hurts my ego to downgrade to "just" an RC, and I might miss the inline 4 scream.

Is it a bike that I will enjoy after my ZX4R? Or will I feel like I made a $4k mistake? Should I just stretch and get the ZX6R?

I work in investments, and the idea of saving a whopping $12k by just getting the RC which is safer and much less of a hassle to increase my portfolio size is appealing to me.

Again, I can potentially stretch for the 6R but lack of a dealer plus the possible much cheaper enjoyment of the RC deter me.

Any suggestions/opinions are welcome

I had totalled my ZX4R overcooking a corner, and now I am ready to ride again after a year of recovery. My options are the KTM RC 390 and the ZX6R

The ZX4R was an amazing bike - inline 4, not too fast, looked good, flickable. But its discontinued in my country now, and the local Kawasaki has shut shop as well. The nearest dealer is now 200 miles away.

I would have loved to get a ZX6R as my next bike - serving as the platform to go up to the superbikes later, given that I already have 1 year of the ZX4R experience, but 3 things are bugging me at once:

1. Its $16k where I live vs $4k for the RC390. That's quite a difference (I do not have many other options in my small town in India)
2. Its a lot more powerful than my ZX4R that I crashed and totalled. I feel confident that I can handle the 6R but given that I will never track my bikes perhaps the RC390 is good enough
3. Lack of a service station nearby (voids warranty in my country to self service, plus I don't have time/inclination for it)

The RC390 sounds like an amazing option - its light, looks OK, is easy to maintain locally, and cheap.

But it hurts my ego to downgrade to "just" an RC, and I might miss the inline 4 scream.

Is it a bike that I will enjoy after my ZX4R? Or will I feel like I made a $4k mistake? Should I just stretch and get the ZX6R?

I work in investments, and the idea of saving a whopping $12k by just getting the RC which is safer and much less of a hassle to increase my portfolio size is appealing to me.

Again, I can potentially stretch for the 6R but lack of a dealer plus the possible much cheaper enjoyment of the RC deter me.

Any suggestions/opinions are welcome (pls note i don't buy used bikes, and i have not many options to choose from in India, Yamaha/Honda bikes are not available near me)

TLDR: Totalled ZX4R, thought of buying a 6R. Dealer closed shop. Get a KTM390 or will it feel a huge donwgrade sound and experience wise to the 4R? Or manage the 6R with self control and local mechanic support?

I used to own a Kawasaki ZX4R as a first bike for 1 year that I used to love cornering on twisties. I was getting good at it, and one day I crashed my bike after taking a corner too hot. It might have been partly because I was filming myself, but nonetheless I did overcook the corner and totalled my bike.

I had a fracture on my wrist and had surgery and rehab, and after almost a year I am fit and ready to ride again. Sadly, my local Kawasaki dealer has closed shop now.

I wanted to get a ZX6R but my family is against it (the 4R is discontinued in my country now). They say that I crashed a 400cc bike and going for a 600cc isn't sane. I personally believe I will practice self restraint as I was already getting better at my 4R. They also say that lack of a service centre will cause issues down the line.

The best bike that I have dealer support for in my city is a KTM RC390 or a Royal Enfield GT650 - but coming from a ZX4R inline 4 sceam they seem like settling.

My options are to either quit riding for good (my parents wish lol), get a 6R and ride it sanely while managing local mechanic repairs, or get a KTM RC390.

I'mm save a lot of money on the RC but it feels like settling due to the single cylinder exhaust note and "downgrade". There's no test ride in my city for the RC so I have to rely on online review - the RC sounds like shit compared to the 6R which has a big sense of occasion.

What should I do?

TLDR: Totalled ZX4R, thought of buying a 6R. Dealer closed shop. Get a KTM390 or will it feel a huge donwgrade sound and experience wise to the 4R? Or manage the 6R with self control and local mechanic support?

I used to own a Kawasaki ZX4R as a first bike for 1 year that I used to love cornering on twisties. I was getting good at it, and one day I crashed my bike after taking a corner too hot. It might have been partly because I was filming myself, but nonetheless I did overcook the corner and totalled my bike.

I had a fracture on my wrist and had surgery and rehab, and after almost a year I am fit and ready to ride again. Sadly, my local Kawasaki dealer has closed shop now.

I wanted to get a ZX6R but my family is against it (the 4R is discontinued in my country now). They say that I crashed a 400cc bike and going for a 600cc isn't sane. I personally believe I will practice self restraint as I was already getting better at my 4R. They also say that lack of a service centre will cause issues down the line.

The best bike that I have dealer support for in my city is a KTM RC390 or a Royal Enfield GT650 - but coming from a ZX4R inline 4 sceam they seem like settling.

My options are to either quit riding for good (my parents wish lol), get a 6R and ride it sanely while managing local mechanic repairs, or get a KTM RC390.

I'mm save a lot of money on the RC but it feels like settling due to the single cylinder exhaust note and "downgrade". There's no test ride in my city for the RC so I have to rely on online review - the RC sounds like shit compared to the 6R which has a big sense of occasion.

What should I do?

TLDR: Totalled ZX4R, thought of buying a 6R. Dealer closed shop. Get a KTM390 or will it feel a huge donwgrade sound and experience wise to the 4R? Or manage the 6R with self control and local mechanic support?

I used to own a Kawasaki ZX4R as a first bike for 1 year that I used to love cornering on twisties. I was getting good at it, and one day I crashed my bike after taking a corner too hot. It might have been partly because I was filming myself, but nonetheless I did overcook the corner and totalled my bike.

I had a fracture on my wrist and had surgery and rehab, and after almost a year I am fit and ready to ride again. Sadly, my local Kawasaki dealer has closed shop now.

I wanted to get a ZX6R but my family is against it (the 4R is discontinued in my country now). They say that I crashed a 400cc bike and going for a 600cc isn't sane. I personally believe I will practice self restraint as I was already getting better at my 4R. They also say that lack of a service centre will cause issues down the line.

The best bike that I have dealer support for in my city is a KTM RC390 or a Royal Enfield GT650 - but coming from a ZX4R inline 4 sceam they seem like settling.

My options are to either quit riding for good (my parents wish lol), get a 6R and ride it sanely while managing local mechanic repairs, or get a KTM RC390.

I'mm save a lot of money on the RC but it feels like settling due to the single cylinder exhaust note and "downgrade". There's no test ride in my city for the RC so I have to rely on online review - the RC sounds like shit compared to the 6R which has a big sense of occasion.

What should I do?

I am finding a replacement for my totalled ZX4R. I mainly ride 80% on the highways and twisties and perhaps 20% in the city. No plans of tracking or touring, but I might do a bit of touring at some point later.

ZX6R was my first choice, but I've started to realise its a bit of a "too much" in the twisties given my skill level and preference for safety and riding slower than my limit (learned my lesson from my lowside on the 4R!)

A dealer is giving me a sweet deal on the 1100SX (its only ~$1.5k more expensive than the 6R) and I get cruise control, quickshifter, free panniers, and an IMU with a proper litre class bike.

I can go touring at some point as well if I wish - but will I enjoy it in the twisties as much as I enjoyed my 4R or the 6R? It's heavy as hell as well, but I like that it gives me an option to tour if I ever wish to.

Bang for buck, it seems a better buy but I like the 6R looks and dynamics. Happy to go for 1100SX if its 95% the same as the 6R in twisties.

Another option is the Z900 but I'm not a big fan of naked bikes.

What do you suggest me to buy? Any experiences from owners appreciated. Thanks!

I am finding a replacement for my totalled ZX4R. I mainly ride 80% on the highways and twisties and perhaps 20% in the city. No plans of tracking or touring, but I might do a bit of touring at some point later.

ZX6R was my first choice, but I've started to realise its a bit of a "too much" in the twisties given my skill level and preference for safety and riding slower than my limit (learned my lesson from my lowside on the 4R!)

A dealer is giving me a sweet deal on the 1100SX (its only ~$1.5k more expensive than the 6R) and I get cruise control, quickshifter, free panniers, and an IMU with a proper litre class bike.

I can go touring at some point as well if I wish - but will I enjoy it in the twisties as much as I enjoyed my 4R or the 6R? It's heavy as hell as well, but I like that it gives me an option to tour if I ever wish to.

Bang for buck, it seems a better buy but I like the 6R looks and dynamics. Happy to go for 1100SX if its 95% the same as the 6R in twisties.

Another option is the Z900 but I'm not a big fan of naked bikes.

What do you suggest me to buy? Any experiences from owners appreciated. Thanks!

I am finding a replacement for my totalled ZX4R. I mainly ride 80% on the highways and twisties and perhaps 20% in the city. No plans of tracking or touring, but I might do a bit of touring at some point later.

ZX6R was my first choice, but I've started to realise its a bit of a "too much" in the twisties given my skill level and preference for safety and riding slower than my limit (learned my lesson from my lowside on the 4R!)

A dealer is giving me a sweet deal on the 1100SX (its only ~$1.5k more expensive than the 6R) and I get cruise control, quickshifter, free panniers, and an IMU with a proper litre class bike.

I can go touring at some point as well if I wish - but will I enjoy it in the twisties as much as I enjoyed my 4R or the 6R? It's heavy as hell as well, but I like that it gives me an option to tour if I ever wish to.

Bang for buck, it seems a better buy but I like the 6R looks and dynamics. Happy to go for 1100SX if its 95% the same as the 6R in twisties.

Another option is the Z900 but I'm not a big fan of naked bikes.

What do you suggest me to buy? Any experiences from owners appreciated. Thanks!

I have always wanted to visit NYC one day, and explore other places like Boston, Chicago, DC, etc. I have applied for a US visa, but now I am questioning my decision.

I see so many racists post from americans on X against Indians on the daily, and news of Indians being randomly targeted or even shot.

Not to mention the ICE thing and the random airport/immigration checks.

Should I even go to the US (I'm think July 2026, might watch some world cup matches too maybe) or avoid for now?

Now I feel bad for even applying for the visa, I need some peace of mind from someone who actually lives in the cities mentioned that I will be okay and not hated or fucking shot lol.

I low sided and totalled my ZX4R around a year back while filming a stupid cornering video. I had 1 year of riding experience and been riding scooters or small motorcycles on and off for years without any crash before that.

I have learned my lesson, and I swear to never participate in street stupidity anymore. I don't want to ride fast anymore on street, and keep my speeds below 50-60mph on backroads and maximum 80-90 mph on highways/straights.

Will the ZX6R be enjoyable at these speeds? or is it the kind of bike that I won't enjoy unless I'm tracking or ripping it in the twisties?

I loved my ZX4R for its ability to juice itself out even at moderate speeds, but sadly that bike is discontinued in my country now.

I love the inline 4 scream and this is the lowest powered inline 4 bike I can buy right now.

Am I making a big mistake by buying this bike? Will it be too much for me on the streets?

I low sided and totalled my ZX4R around a year back while filming a stupid cornering video. I had 1 year of riding experience and been riding scooters or small motorcycles on and off for years without any crash before that.

I have learned my lesson, and I swear to never participate in street stupidity anymore. I don't want to ride fast anymore on street, and keep my speeds below 50-60mph on backroads and maximum 80-90 mph on highways/straights.

Will the ZX6R be enjoyable at these speeds? or is it the kind of bike that I won't enjoy unless I'm tracking or ripping it in the twisties?

I loved my ZX4R for its ability to juice itself out even at moderate speeds, but sadly that bike is discontinued in my country now.

I love the inline 4 scream and this is the lowest powered inline 4 bike I can buy right now.

Am I making a big mistake by buying this bike? Will it be too much for me on the streets?

I low sided and totalled my ZX4R around a year back while filming a stupid cornering video. I had 1 year of riding experience and been riding scooters or small motorcycles on and off for years without any crash before that.

I have learned my lesson, and I swear to never participate in street stupidity anymore. I don't want to ride fast anymore on street, and keep my speeds below 50-60mph on backroads and maximum 80-90 mph on highways/straights.

Will the ZX6R be enjoyable at these speeds? or is it the kind of bike that I won't enjoy unless I'm tracking or ripping it in the twisties?

I loved my ZX4R for its ability to juice itself out even at moderate speeds, but sadly that bike is discontinued in my country now.

I love the inline 4 scream and this is the lowest powered inline 4 bike I can buy right now.

Am I making a big mistake by buying this bike? Will it be too much for me on the streets?

My local Kawasaki dealer has shut shop, and I need to upgrade from a ZX4R I totalled a year back.

I can order a ZX6R from my nearest dealer, but they offer no doorstep service or service camps in my city.

The salesperson told me that you can do DIY or local mechanic service (they are happy to share details of competent mechanics) but it will void warranty.

My options are:

1. Get the 6R, and accept a voided warranty while doing local service. If any major fault occurs, it can be costly repairs for me
2. Go for S1000RR or the new Panigale V2 both of which offer doorstep service. However, for any repairs/complex issues I still need to ship the bikes to nearby dealers. This is again hassle and expense, plus long term the cost of repairs on these are even higher post warranty.
3. Get a simple bike like KTM RC390 with local dealers. I'm not sure if I will even enjoy this as I am coming from a 4 cyl bike
4. Leave biking for good. The crash did scare me but I feel more mature and aware of the risks now. Definitely not gonna be a squid anymore and take it easy.

Would appreciate insights on long term ownerships costs and DIY-ness of all the bikes mentioned, specially panigale V2 and ZX6R.

My local Kawasaki dealer has shut shop, and I need to upgrade from a ZX4R I totalled a year back.

I can order a ZX6R from my nearest dealer, but they offer no doorstep service or service camps in my city.

The salesperson told me that you can do DIY or local mechanic service (they are happy to share details of competent mechanics) but it will void warranty (I live in India, no right to repair here)

My options are:

1. Get the 6R, and accept a voided warranty while doing local service. If any major fault occurs, it can be costly repairs for me
2. Go for S1000RR or the new Panigale V2 both of which offer doorstep service. However, for any repairs/complex issues I still need to ship the bikes to nearby dealers. This is again hassle and expense, plus long term the cost of repairs on these are even higher post warranty.
3. Get a simple bike like KTM RC390 with local dealers. I'm not sure if I will even enjoy this as I am coming from a 4 cyl bike
4. Leave biking for good. The crash did scare me but I feel more mature and aware of the risks now. Definitely not gonna be a squid anymore and take it easy.

Would appreciate insights on long term ownerships costs and DIY-ness of all the bikes mentioned, specially panigale V2 and ZX6R.