My brother and father bought new bikes at the end of last summer. My brother got a 2003 R6 and my father got a 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600. They've been hassling me for months to get a bike and go ride with them. I finally pulled the trigger today. I'm still in shock I think.

My options were a new blue '03 ZX-6R for $7000, a new yellow '03 CBR 600RR for $7,407 or pay out my butt for a 2004 GSX-R600. Well, I guess you can probably tell that I paid out my butt.

I think it's nice to know what people are paying for new bikes, so the breakdown is below in case anyone is curious.

$7,849 - Bike
$100 - Freight and prep
$105 - License, title, doc fees
$2 - Tire disposal fee
$493.69 - Tax

$8,549.69 - Grand total

I put about 50 miles on it this afternoon. The engine feels really tight and it's way too quiet. I hope to get it broken in soon and will then find a slip-on. I'm thinking that a Yoshimura would sound good.

An interesting story about the purchase is my brother and I were looking at a new R6 and comparing it to the Suzuki. The sales guy whispered that the guy to my right sitting at the desk was trying to get financing for the Suzuki. He said that it was mine as long as I gave him the nod before his financing went through. At first I thought it was just a sales ploy. A minute later, they were wheeling it out of the showroom for me. The poor guy who tried to buy it had come in three other times with three different people to co-sign the loan for him and he still didn't qualify. He was in again today trying to qualify with a fourth person. Needless to say, the other sales guy was pretty ticked at my sales guy that he lost the sale and the guy left pretty bummed out. I felt really bad for him.

Anyway, my brother took a bunch of pics with his new camera. I'll post a few of the best ones below.

You can get some higher-res versions in ZIP format here (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bigpics.zip). (1.7 megs)


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Nice bike dude, same colour as the 600 i am gonna be getting.

Welcome to the world of riding and the world of gsxr's

Good luck and may you have many happy miles on the wee girl

I just bout the 04 GSXR 600 and I payed 8200 otd.

thats hot

Vewy vewy nice Nick. I'm so jealous I could scream. Where are you from nick? I'm hoping this week or next my yellow one will be here.

Chace: $8200 sounds like a pretty great price. Way to go! This is the third bike our family has bought from this dealership, but they don't seem to get any better on their prices. Mine was the 6th bike my salesman sold yesterday by 11:30 a.m.

Texasgsxr600: I'm in Utah near Salt Lake City. Yesterday was close to 60* so everyone was out riding and the dealership was very busy. Two weeks ago one of the ski resorts got 41" of snow over two days.

Thanks for the comments.

I knew you were not too close to Texas by the beautiful mountians in the background. Utah, a friend of mines son is going to be your backup quaterback next season. Brian Johnson, if you follow college ball.

i pick up my gsxr next week i paid $8350 out the door. looks like alotta people are pickin up the '04s

congrats dude!! i'm still waiting for my blue and white 04. us poor souls up in Canada are still waiting for ours.

Yeah, the mountains may look cool, but the snow and cold suck.

Looks like people are getting a lot better deals than I did. Someone make me feel better and tell me you paid more. :)

Here are a few more pictures from our ride this morning. I was having doubts about the purchase late last night, but the ride this morning sure helped.

http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike%20(9).JPG

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Doubts? http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/bash.gif Are you nutz! http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/bitchslap.gifJust look at the thing, it's an awesome bike man. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Buyer's guilt, we all go through it at some point... If you don't get over it anytime soon feel free to drop the bike off at my house so you don't have to constantly look at this purchase you keep doubting!!!

Leave the keys in the ignition! http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

Bike looks awsome, i love the yellow sixxer.The two bikes look real good together nice pic's http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

you need a seat cowl to complete the pic...and a pipe while your at it.

Nice bike. I just got the new 04 GSXR 600 blue and white two weeks ago. Still trying to break it in. It is definitely much more quiet then the 03. I was looking at what everyone else paid for their new bikes and I hate to post this, but I paid 7503 out the door .

congrats and all....

first time rider huh? get some frame sliders

IM about to buy a bike, and i came down to the 04 gixxer 600 or the 03, now the only reason id buy the 03 is the color scheme, black and silver, how much difference perfromance wise is there between the two, and for you guys who bought the 04's how was the financing, how much monthly? and how much down did you pay?

I bought a 04 600 for $ 8200.00 otd. i put down 5G's and financed 3200.00 for 36 months. So my note is like 90 a month

Very nice. Local dealer has a yellow on the floor and it was
very striking in person. As much as I like the yellow I think
I'd go with the Blu/Wht and have the tail painted blue and get
a white graphic. I really like the 04 6/750 headlight design
and wonder why Suzuki didn't give it to the 03 1K. Love my 1k
regardless of all the new candy in the market.

Thanks for the comments.

Anyone have any recommendations on a pipe?

There are a lot to choose from. Are you looking for a full system, slip-on or a bolt on.
Akrapovics are very nice, then you have Devil, M4, Tiforce, Giannelli, Yoshimura, Hindle, Micron, Two brothers and many, many more. First determine whether you are going with a full system or not, then check out some of the sound clips for the various bikes on their respective web sites. . . Good luck, this is not an easy choice

The price wasent that bad imo. My 03 would have been 8.6k otd if it hadent took so long to get here last year so they cut it to 8350 otd. I payed too much imo. lol But we most all feel like that after droping that much cash on a toy... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif Its b e a utifull.. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

I'm probably just looking for a bolt-on or slip-on. Is there any appreciable difference in power between them or is it mostly cosmetic?

Any recommendations on the best place to buy a pipe? RideGear.com?

I'm just looking for a better sound. Gotta make the exhaust loud to match the loud paint. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

nicknageli said:
I'm probably just looking for a bolt-on or slip-on. Is there any appreciable difference in power between them or is it mostly cosmetic?

Any recommendations on the best place to buy a pipe? RideGear.com?

I'm just looking for a better sound. Gotta make the exhaust loud to match the loud paint. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

if u want loud try jardine or D&D... i think the sound is iffy depends on taste... wait till other bikes get out and listen to them u'll pick up what kind off sound u like... i would recommend a slip-on, u get a little more power... ur dealer should be willing to get u anything u want for cost, every dealer i know always allowed a 30 day grace period to let u get anything at cost after the end of the sale... get a power commander u won't regret it... and get a new under tail that fender is way to ugly for such a nice bike... lastly some frame slinders not because u might drop it but people get jealous and night kick over ur new baby

super1000 said:

nicknageli said:
I'm probably just looking for a bolt-on or slip-on. Is there any appreciable difference in power between them or is it mostly cosmetic?

Any recommendations on the best place to buy a pipe? RideGear.com?

I'm just looking for a better sound. Gotta make the exhaust loud to match the loud paint. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

if u want loud try jardine or D&D... i think the sound is iffy depends on taste... wait till other bikes get out and listen to them u'll pick up what kind off sound u like... i would recommend a slip-on, u get a little more power... ur dealer should be willing to get u anything u want for cost, every dealer i know always allowed a 30 day grace period to let u get anything at cost after the end of the sale... get a power commander u won't regret it... and get a new under tail that fender is way to ugly for such a nice bike... lastly some frame slinders not because u might drop it but people get jealous and night kick over ur new baby



In my opinion the D&D is obnoxiously loud. I do agree that you should listen to other exhausts that are mounted to a similar bike as yours. As for the power gain, it is minimal, you could get new plugs, and a power commander or Yosh EMS. You could do a lot of things to get more power. Now if you want better accerleration, then change out your sprockets, +2 rear or -1 front or both. If you do this remember to hold on for dear life. .. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Sliders, you have a lot of options, Motrax has a new set of sliders out, http://www.motrax.co.uk/Accessories/DHM_loose.html. These are replacing the TOP BLOCK sliders and are more durable.

Undertails, check out www.watsendesign.com (http://www.watsendesign.com) or www.ccpperformance.com (http://www.ccpperformance.com) http://www.extremegraphicfsmd.com/indexeng.htm, again; there are many choices. Ultimately this is your decision. .. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

Pipes, check out www.pipecity.com (http://www.pipecity.com), www.oneidasuzuki.com (http://www.oneidasuzuki.com), www.indysuperbikes.com (http://www.indysuperbikes.com) or www.starcycle.com (http://www.starcycle.com) and many more. ..

Thanks a lot for the info!

Put the seat cowl on today. Paint doesn't match the rest of the bike very well though. 243 miles in 4 days.

http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike%20(13).JPG

Very nice pic http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

that is an excellent phone the suns rays are killer!!!

just bought mine wednesday. mine's blue/white. 7,968.00 was my price out the door. how you like your bike so far?

I paid 9300 otd and I have to wait three weeks till they get them in

No one here in DFW Texas has any in stock

I'm in So Cal and I paid cash 8600 out the door. I think the prices are alittle higher here because of demand. Right now I am breaking in my bike, but I am looking to get a yosh or two brothers pipe.

that is why they are so high in texas, because it is so nice here and you can ride them all year and now they are in high demand and plus the new model they said they keep ordering more but cant keep them for more than 5 minutes

pdxracr: $7968 is a great price. Way to go. I'm surprised your dealer would go so low. I'm really liking the bike so far. I'm pretty used to my brother's R6 so the Suzuki is taking some time to get used to. The engine seems to "growl" a lot more than the Yamaha's. The R6 is quite a bit more comfortable I've noticed, at least for me.

affirefighter: I can't find any pipes for the '04 600. PipeCity.com doesn't have anything and the manufacturers' web sites don't seem to list anything. I think I've decided on a polished stainless Yoshimura bolt-on. I hope I don't have to wait too long.

408StrokerTA: My yellow Suzuki came in on 2/24 and I bought it on 3/13. The black one they had was bought a couple of days later. I'm surprised they both weren't taken the first couple of days after they arrived. Texas would have great riding weather!

Few more pics from a ride today:

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http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike%20(16).JPG

Nice bike, looks a lot like mine, but yellow... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/bounce.gif

Nice Bike. Looks just like mine. I got mine OTD for 8700. First yellow one in this part of the state. Everyone has blue&white or black&orange. Already got rid of the rear fender and got some frame sliders. Good thing too. Dropped it today trying to do an indo from 60mph. Sliders caught all the damage. Oh and the case got nicked.

Tight 04.I have an 03.Wish I'd waited.

What frame sliders did you get? Did you have to cut the fairing?

suzuki frame sliders. Nope no cutting. Very easy to put in. The motor mount bolt is right there in te opening. Rear fender i just took some L brackets from work and modified them. no tag light but oh well.

gixxerdog said:
Tight 04.I have an 03.Wish I'd waited.



Yeah, when the '05s are out, I'll say the same thing. Gotta get in sometime I guess. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here are the rest of the pics from the posts that got nuked.

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Hey Nick im in Salt Lake Going to School at the U Do You know of any good roads around Salt Lake.

04600sdslc said:
Hey Nick im in Salt Lake Going to School at the U Do You know of any good roads around Salt Lake.



I live about 40 miles south of SLC and have ridden around the middle of the state, but I haven't gone north on it yet. I'm not sure where the good riding roads are up there. Sorry.

Not to many people have the orange black and silver you must see the colors to appriciate it way to go mine came with a custom seat from second look! 8,099 California. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

I am US Army stationed in the Netherlands and been here 4 yrs I bought a 02 gsxr in june of 03 for 7399 out the door and from the only dealer I or anyone could find in europe where you can get US spech bikes. Wehn i first seen the 04 model I had to have one so I called the same dealer and ordered me a 04 model from 8600 US and that included the 600 dollar fee to have it shipped from the United staes to Germany where the dealer is, the bad thing was afer i set the price on the new one i wanted to trade my old one with on ly 2200 miles on it and all i can get is 6200 US.. The one nice thing is my HMF race system exhaust will bolt right up to the 04 model and since i went with another blue/white the can color matches. now i just have to suffer the 3 to 4 weeks delivery.

Ruffnuts said:
I am US Army stationed in the Netherlands and been here 4 yrs I bought a 02 gsxr in june of 03 for 7399 out the door and from the only dealer I or anyone could find in europe where you can get US spech bikes. Wehn i first seen the 04 model I had to have one so I called the same dealer and ordered me a 04 model from 8600 US and that included the 600 dollar fee to have it shipped from the United staes to Germany where the dealer is, the bad thing was afer i set the price on the new one i wanted to trade my old one with on ly 2200 miles on it and all i can get is 6200 US.. The one nice thing is my HMF race system exhaust will bolt right up to the 04 model and since i went with another blue/white the can color matches. now i just have to suffer the 3 to 4 weeks delivery.



I'm in the Air Force and was stationed in England and when it came down to a US spech bike yur right it's apain but it can be done. I've also been to the Netherlands so I know you are loving it over there http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I had bought a netherland 98 600 back in 2001 and had to sell it cause I couldn't bring it back to the states so I bought a US spec TLR to bring back to the states and that ended up getting stolen http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif but oh well I'm looking at getting a 04 750 here in the next month http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

So nick, when ya gonna get rid of that fender????

Yeah, the fender is pretty heinous. I want to get some better gear first. I'm also wanting to do a Power Commander and full exhaust once there are more options available. Then it'll probably come off if there's any money left.

My brother bought a new lens for his camera yesterday. He tried it out on a few shots of our bikes.

Wallpaper sized can be downloaded from here (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike/telephoto.zip) (1.3 mb) if you want.

http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike/bike%20(0).jpg

http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike/bike%20(2).jpg

http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/bike/bike%20(3).jpg

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Sweet! You take the best pics i've seen for awhile.

Just curious, have you ridden or at least sat on the R6??
I'm very curious on how the two compare. I've heard the new Gix is kinda on the heavy side but I haven't ridden one or sat on one. The 03 R6 is very light feeling and feels tiny compared to my old 02 Gix750.....

Sweet bike. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Thanks for the comments on the pics and bike. My brother (R6 owner) took the pics. His camera and new lenses are pretty nice.

He's working on a video right now that I hope to post later today.

I've put 100+ miles on his R6. It's a little more comfortable to ride than my '04 Suzuki. The seating position isn't quite as aggressive I think. The steering damper on the Suzuki is really sweet. The new 600 is the lightest in its class. It feels every bit as flickable (if not more) than the R6. The Gixxer has a narrower tank for '04. I love the sound of the Gixxer engine and air intake too.

those are some really good pics

My brother finished the video.

Video Link (http://www.bc-design.com/sportbikes_700kbps.wmv) (19.7 megs)

Right click, save target as . . . please.

Congrats on the new bike, looks really good.
The more you ride the less guilty you will feel.

Nice shots Nicknageli. Definite keepers.

I will be picking up mines today at lunch time. Someone already put downa a depostie on the black and orange I was looking at so the shop buy told me if I came in with cash in hand it's mines. The other guy is trying to finance. I may have to settle for the blue and white. $7600.00 OTD.

I clicked the vid link and got an error about the sight?
I have the VIN number for mine now so its at customs im hoping to have it very soon.

got the same gixxer. Luv it. Can't wait to do some mods though.

Ruffnuts said:
I clicked the vid link and got an error about the sight?



Try this link. It's on a different server.

New Server Link (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/sportbikes_700kbps.wmv)

Gread video, Thats looks like a road id enjoy all to much

I picked up my Yellow one last week for $8099 out the door. Great bike!!

Congrats! I just got the same 04' yellow gsxr, best move ever, everywhere i go everyone wants to check it out, Definitely made the right decision!

Just got the yeller and black 600 last week. Put the vortex frame sliders on it yesterday as well as tank pad. This baby's a dream

sexy bike..... and really nice pictures..... good job....

Hey, got my hosting site back and the pictures and videos available again. We'll see how long before the bandwidth is chewed up again.

'03 R6 and '04 Gixxer 600 Photo Story (19.7 megs)
Right click, save target as . . . (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/sportbikes_700kbps.wmv)

'03 R6 Exhaust Video (9.1 megs)
Right click, save target as . . . (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/03_r6_rev.wmv)

'03 Kawasaki Vulcan Video (5.1 megs)
Right click, save target as . . . (http://s88496516.onlinehome.us/vulcan.wmv)

Great Looking Pics

Sweet vids man! What video editing software did you use?

Yo Nicknageli! Nice pics and vids buddy! Anyways I got the same bike as you and I really wanna post some pics. Do you know how to upload pictures and post them on here? Btw the pics are coming from a digicam, so there big files. Thanks in advance!

KainVictus said:
Sweet vids man! What video editing software did you use?



My brother did the videos. I think he used Softimage and Adobe After Effects.

kfourgixsix: I sent you a PM about posting pictures.

i paid 9200 out the door but that was with the 48 month extended warranty. the warranty alone cost almost 700. so i guess that makes it about 8500

The Two Brothers aluminum bolt-on and Power Commander will be delivered today. Hope I don't regret not going with a full exhaust. I couldn't justify spending that much money on a full exhaust when that much more would have bought me a 750 instead of a 600. I'll post pics when they're installed.

Buzzed home at lunch today to install the Two Brothers aluminum can and the Power Commander. I didn't get a chance to ride it, but it sure sounds a lot better than stock.

The stock can weighed 6 lbs and the Two Brothers weighed 4 lbs.

Here are a few pictures. Mock me for the chicken strip, but the nearest track is 550 miles from here. The left side is only about half as wide as the right. Anyway.

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/1.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/2.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/3.jpg

I wish I had taken more pictures of the Power Commander install, but I was running out of lunch time. Here are the few I took.

Someone tell me if that's where the tank prop is supposed to go.

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/4.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/5.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/177/6.jpg

real nice pics .....

Looks nice, is it worth it to put on a powercommander with just a bolt on?

Thanks for the comments.

I'm not totally sure on the Power Commander being worth it with just a bolt-on. I should have tried the can alone before adding the Power Commander. I do like being able to tweak the fuel mixture a little. I was also worried about the bike running lean with the new can and didn't want to run the risk of detonation if the stock computer couldn't keep up. I was also told that the PC would help with any flat stops in the RPM range. Anyway.