Which years ZX6R to buy or avoid ?

Hi all, having got rid of my CBR 1000 (good bike, but I don't need a 1000 for the road or as a second track bike), I've decided I need a 600 supersports. My budget is about $6k.

Having heard of some 6s going bang, I want to do a bit of research, so which years of zx6r (or 636) should I pursue or avoid ?

Thanks,
Brian

Early 07 models had some issues with top ends but not many I don't think. We had one that dropped a valve but it was a tracky from almost new. For the road I'd stick to a 1000 though, the 600 will feel a bit gutless unless you're wringing its neck

Early 07 models had some issues with top ends but not many I don't think. We had one that dropped a valve but it was a tracky from almost new. For the road I'd stick to a 1000 though, the 600 will feel a bit gutless unless you're wringing its neck

Thanks for the info Glen, I'm not averse to changing gears a bit, and I would prefer to have a 600 to enjoy at the track.

Cheers,
Brian

Fuel injection was introduced in 2002, so I wouldn't go any older

Thanks Smithy, was looking at no older than '04.

Cheers,
Brian

I had an 04 zx6rr (600) which I bought as a road bike and converted to a trackie. Did some club racing for about two 2 years and really enjoyed riding it. She was nimble, had great brakes and was a cracker to ride but I always wanted more torque, probably had something to due with excess rider mass

It was a tough and reliable bike and the only issue I had was she would pop out of gear under power. ended up undercutting the grears to help prevent it. I was told by some that this was a common problem and others told be it was rider error.

Last edited by Kwakked Up on Tue Nov 01, 2016 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks Kwakked up, good info.

Cheers,
Brian

Watch out for early B models as they are a favourite for stunters.
Pretty solid engines though but main issues would be frames being weakened at the head stock.

Cheers Jim, pretty sure its an 05-06 I'll be chasing.

Thanks,
Brian

Leanne's old '05 model and Cath's '05 model both went bang and put a window in the block. Both were track bikes though.

Ah, not good. I thought these were the good ones, and the 07-whenever were fragile ? It's a concern, as I want to be able to do track days on it.

Thanks Nelso, much appreciated.

Brian

steer clear or early 07 models because of engine issue, 08's had the engine issue fixed and IMHO are a great robust and modern enough roadie and tracky, but if you can swing it go for an 09 or earlier - further fork upgrade and stronger mid range

Thanks Tim, good to know. The 09 or later is goong to be out of my proce range, so an 08 could be he go.

Chees,
Brian

For the road, I think the 05-06 would probably be a bit better than the 08... and for the track the 09+ would be better than either. You can probably find a 09+ for around that budget if you don't mind something with a bit more mileage on it. I saw one for 6.5K not too long ago with around 30K kms on it.