Mine was a FZX250, not without some problems/issues along the way, but totally unforgettable!

There is one of CF Moto 450SS and Honda CBR 500 and 450SS wins every time even switching riders.

Yep having some previous experience riding, and a bit more wisdom of age certainly helps.

Thanks!

Forever bike I'd probably try and put some risers/taller 'bars on the 675 and turn it into a sports-tourer with ergos more like a Street Triple if money was no concern, but straight out of the box for that kind of riding the Ninja 400 was a better bike being super realistic with myself. If you're more focused on track days and canyon or twisty riding though the 675 would really shine there.

I always found head checks a little easier on sportsbikes to be honest, but overall being more upright outweighs that advantage I think, for general vision. I may just have a stodgy neck too!

I wouldn't have thought it was strictly necessary after a year or two riding something like the Svartpilen, but if really just comes down to how you feel. The Ninja 400 is a little more aggressive on the ergos, but still fairly relaxed overall. The GSX-8R isn't quite as committed as a full supersport 600, so I think it would be an easier bike to jump onto.

You'll be fine. I went from a NInja 250 to a CBR600F4. I was fine.

The performance difference between the singles and two-, three- or four-cylinders becomes much more noticeable at much larger capacities. They are closer in this segment, and there's definitely some advantages generally speaking with the twins. They'll normally rev a bit longer and harder, but perhaps more importantly are smoother when doing so in most cases (specifically the parallel-twins). The performance singles like the 401 rev fast but you get more vibes, and can be a little more abrupt than the twins on and off the throttle. Some riders prefer the single character, some prefer twins, there's a lot of subjectivity. As you say in that comparison the 401 is cheap and more comfortable with the more upright ergos, and the new version for 2024 will expand the electronics package too, making it even more competitive. The Aprilia should have an advantage in build quality, but to be honest I haven't seen a confirmed price yet for Australia at least, so I'm not sure on that metric. One advantage to the RS will be the fairings, which if you're doing a lot of high speed riding can really boost your enjoyment as, lots of wind buffeting is quite fatiguing.

@@MotoJournoKris thank you for replying :) Pricing wise here in India, the Rs 457 is almost 150000 INR costlier than the 401, coming in at 470000 INR on road. Looking at them spec wise, all im getting is 2 more HP, and 4 Nm of more torque. And an additional cylinder. Do u think it justifies the additional cost? And no i don't think I'll be doing that much high speed riding as there's not that much open roads here.

Sydney, Australia.

Way to promote the Chinse take over.

@@kalnwi2023 I do my part

Those are great value machines. It always surprised me Honda stopped producing their CBR300R and CB300F which filled that same segment and budget. The modern CB300R by comparison sits closer to all the 400-450s on price.

I also used it to commute into London keeping miles in of my weekend bike I had at the time, just fine for 70-75 mph highway speeds (max being around 90) and much fun in the city. No reliability concerns, used for about a year.

Of course there is, same as there's supersport and superbikes.