Why do you love your FZ6?

[raja777m]

What makes you stick to your FZ6 when there are different bikes available on the road?
What makes it special to you apart from other bike you own/rode?
This is just for fun, supporting and, good answers, please don't judge me or come back cursing at me

 

[raja777m]

I'll start with my answer:
Pros:
I can go 220 miles in a single go if I wanted to (which I won't and can't), as all other riders stop at 140-180 miles, they have to stop, so, whenever I stop for them, I give her juice.
The seating position is comfortable for me, for my height, I can lay on the tank and stretch my legs to the passenger footpegs while going on highway long distances, need to make sure I don't fall asleep or put them on the frame sliders sometimes, but they are uncomfortable.
With more practice, I can lean more in the curves, the bike had good ground clearance in my guess.
For the price I got, I'm very happy with the overall performance.
I can race any bike which is not a sport bike more than or equal to 600cc. I can keep up with few 600s like R6, but I take lot of time to reach 132mph, meanwhile they cross 155mph, which is not required anyways.

Cons:
For my built, 5'7" 150 lbs, lean, athletic body, I feel this bike is a bit heavy, I'm afraid of dragging my knee but learning slowly, it's just my opinion and perspective.
The seat sucks, sometimes my jingle bells gets jingles to the tank/seat, which scares me sometimes :disapprove: upgrading to T/S in November.
No ABS in USA, crap. As a daily commuter, rain or shine, I prefer to have it as a safety feature.

I know I didn't wrote much supporting points, but I can feel all the good about this vehicle.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Pros:

1. Upright seating position so it's great for long distance riding and offers great viability during traffic. And when you're stopped, you are able to view your six with your mirrors, versus a bike with a more aggressive riding position where the mirrors are adjusted to the riding position, so once you sit upright you have no view of your six.

2. Regular fuel vs premium. Owners manual recommends regular not premium so you save money at every fill up.

3. 600cc allows you to get great fuel mileage, a couple of weeks ago, I got 62 MPG, and logged 272 miles on one tank, with another half gallon to spare. Combine the 600 engine with a 5.1 gallon tank, you have great range!

4. Price, most original owners paid less than $7500 OTD! And it's cheap to insure. The bike is not technically classified as a sportbike, so you save some money if you insure your bike with a company that uses class as part of their formula to determine your premium.

5. Undertail exhaust, I prefer them vs a side pipe.

6. Accessories, you can attach hard or soft saddle bags, and even a top case for storage space.

7. Comes equipped with a centerstand, and a side stand.

8, Half naked, half faired. I like the 50/50. Makes it a quick and painless oil change.

9. It has a fuel gauge, where a lot of bikes do not.

10. Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles. It's not one dimensional. If you had no car, and could only ride a motorcycle as your ONLY ride, except for taking public transit, would the FZ6 be it? It is for me. 103,000 miles and still going.

 

[major tom]

It's the Goldilocks of bikes, not too big nor small. No irregular, random, useless slabs of flat black plastic with no superfluous creases or 'styling' gimmicks.. It's proportioned traditionally not on stilts. My knees actually fit the gas tank cutouts. Underseat exhaust which doesn't get hot (stock). IMO the 1/2 fairing is just right. 5 gal. gas tank, 50+ MPG. And tada..........a CENTERSTAND! Is it perfect? Of course not. Abrupt FI along with a light switch clutch and a too light flywheel. Should be a 650cc with more low speed torque too. Name something else that comes even close. I've been riding since 1956 and this is the best yet with 100+ bikes I've owned. Did I mention the price? And it's a Yamaha maybe and arguably the best consumer product available in any category IMO.

 

[Marcin]

1. Money - not capable to afford anything else right now
2. A very good all rounder - fun for commuting, touring (even for two) and some hard riding as well.

 

[ozgurakman]

cons
Mine is S1 version. So brakes are a little weaker when stock. I upgraded mine with HEL braided lines.

Suspension is cheaper. But bike's price is cheap, so it's acceptable. I modded the front end (changed the sag and filled with 10w oil)

My height is 186 cm. I think bike's steering is some low, I wish it has more clearance.

S1 version needs a mra x-creen (screen add-on) for 180+ height riders. Or a touring screen. But no bike is perfect.

pros
I like this bike's price / performance rating. And this bike offers much thing in one packet. Engine's character has a good balance of a sports and a tourer

Beatifully sculpted frame, bigger tank, long range, tail pipes (under engine is also acceptable for me but I don't prefer side exh), extreme easy maintenance, basic mechanics and cheap part prices.

And of course I love this bike because of it's mechanics bulletproof.

I'm using my bike with top and side cases, it has a total storage as a small car.

I love my bike at the end of day. It's like swiss army knife, If I decide to go on unpaved roads, ground clearance and half faired style allows me to ride.

 

[sdriv3r]

Pros:
Performance. People will disagree but but the bike will pass practically any car and can keep up even with some 600cc supersports. When compared to other bikes in similar category/price, the FZ6 is close to the top performance wise.

Price. Around where I live the big problem is not only buying the bike, it is insurance and registration. SuperSports cost 1200$ a year to register plus insurance which is another 1k. This bike is concidered a standard, giving it cheap registration (500$) and insurance (200$ full coverage). On top of that the bikes sell for 3500$ over here. You get a lot of bike for the money you pay.

Mileage. If ridden properly, it can easily do 50 MPG. Perfect excuse to ditch the car and use it for commuting.

Comfort. My seat has been modified by the original owner so that might play a big role but the bike is really comfortable. The most I've done is 3 hours but I felt good to do 3 more no problem. On top of that I am a tall guy and some bikes feel small between the legs. This feels just right.

Yamaha reliability. This this will practically never break. As long as it's maintained it will keep on running.

Cons:
None really for me. There is nothing on the bike that I concider "Needs" to be changed. I really don't mind the throttle or brakes (I got a 07) nor the suspension. I would change the exhaust to give it a nicer sound but for the price of a new one I think it sounds just fine. Sure there are bikes that do stuff a lot better than the FZ6 but none of them do it all like this bike and certainly not anywhere around this price.

 

[raja777m]

I would change the exhaust to give it a nicer sound but for the price of a new one I think it sounds just fine.

My thoughts exactly sometimes, as I like long distance travel over the weekends (good for both me and my bike), So, I can peacefully listen to my music/navigation and save my eardrums (other than from the sound of air).

 

[payneib]

"Swiss Army Knife" "Goldilocks Bike" "Do Anything Bike". Yeah, all that. I do prefer the Euro "N" model (and other naked conversions) for a slightly more aggressive look, but overall it's the "snazziest" of the modern standards, without paying over the odds for something Italian and losing some functionality. The only thing I would change, is maybe it's not very exotic. That's the only thing that has me looking at other bikes. I find myself thinking phrases like "big BMW", "sexy ducati", "powerful hyabusa", "hooligan Street Triple", but when it comes to mine it's, "only an FZ6". Which is a bit of shame, as it does everything I'd ever need.

 

[raja777m]

I have something to share/ask about braking, I was at TOD again last week and was 15mph extra than what I should've been.
So, I already started the lean and turn and then I have to slow down and applied front brakes, the bike had a nose dive and I can feel the rear tire slip. Thought I would have a crash that day, but luckily the bike positioned itself automatically in a split second.

I'm 151lbs, and maybe I'm more near/on to the fuel tank, where should I be seated at turns? Am I too light weight for the bike?
What is the correct position for FZ6?

 

[FinalImpact]

From thread: Re: Vibration! A cure for bad vibrations, Spark Plug Caps!!

The ignition mod has been fantastic. Nose likes to come up in second gear, and that never happened before.[/COLOR]

And it doesn't cost a dime! :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Love@FirstRide]

The correct position on our bike is the same as on every other bike. Watch how the moto gp guys lean half a cheek off and looking like trying to kiss our mirror. Get comfortable off the seat, the bike can stand straighter up when your leaning thus increasing stability.

I position myself as far off as possible to my turning side with my opposite knee and foot holding most of my weight. For example in a road curving to the left I'm half a cheek off the seat leaning left while keeping a lot of my weight on my right foot peg and where my right knee is keeping the bike more upright through the turn. You'll understand what I'm trying to say when you try it out.

 

[Z3R0_zhift]

The first time I ever rode a fz6 was during my motorcycle test . I nvr tot that I would k buy one till last few years. Previously I rode a R1 07 before I got my FZ6 S2. For the first few months, I was so used to the lean forward on my ole R1 that I suffered shoulder cramps for a few months on my upright FZ6. Once I adapted to the right riding posture and style, it handles like a dream. It doesn't cater the top end that I carve from my R1 but the mid range is good enough to ride through the corners. I rode on some twisties with my 800cc & 1000cc mates and boy can't they catch up.

I have to say it is a good overall commuter bike, a weekend warrior and a comfort thrill ride for the pillion once you custom your seat. Was thinking of putting it through the track to push the limits but have to sort out some parts due to wear and tear. Touring can be fun too. For your 2 cents worth, maintenance is cheap and it can be kept with you years and years through as proven by some of the locals here. Fly on..and loving it.

 

[raja777m]

The first time I ever rode a fz6 was during my motorcycle test . I nvr tot that I would k buy one till last few years. Previously I rode a R1 07 before I got my FZ6 S2. For the first few months, I was so used to the lean forward on my ole R1 that I suffered shoulder cramps for a few months on my upright FZ6. Once I adapted to the right riding posture and style, it handles like a dream. It doesn't cater the top end that I carve from my R1 but the mid range is good enough to ride through the corners. I rode on some twisties with my 800cc & 1000cc mates and boy can't they catch up.

I have to say it is a good overall commuter bike, a weekend warrior and a comfort thrill ride for the pillion once you custom your seat. Was thinking of putting it through the track to push the limits but have to sort out some parts due to wear and tear. Touring can be fun too. For your 2 cents worth, maintenance is cheap and it can be kept with you years and years through as proven by some of the locals here. Fly on..and loving it.

In my case after riding FZ6 for few thousands of miles, riding a 2005 R6 is a pain in my wrists within 2 miles.
When I stopped at the intersection to get green, I couldn't hold the handlebar, I have to stand on my feet, and the guy who swapped with my bike fore that 15 mile trip, was damn happy to ride my FZ6

My pillion, my nephew is okay with the seat, but not happy with helmet, sound of air and wind buffeting everywhere (movie, shopping, dinner) I take him, as I don't own a car.
Maybe upgrading to TS may satisfy him for few more rides..!

 

[beatle]

Like several others have said, it's one of the best compromise bikes out there. Power, handling, mileage, touring, comfort, reliability, price, and looks are all at least "average," and in many cases it punches above its weight. If I ever sell the FZ6, I will need to have at least two bikes to replace it or I'll completely write off aspects that are currently important to me.

 

[Marcin]

In my case after riding FZ6 for few thousands of miles, riding a 2005 R6 is a pain in my wrists within 2 miles.
When I stopped at the intersection to get green, I couldn't hold the handlebar, I have to stand on my feet, and the guy who swapped with my bike fore that 15 mile trip, was damn happy to ride my FZ6

That is exactly my experience as well :-D

 

[Andz]

It was (is) the first bike I owned after 20 years without one.
Eleven years on the looks haven't aged, I especially like the underseat pipes. All that could improve mine is a black frame and engine.
It's just a great bike.

 

[mxgolf]

I absolutely love my FZ. Super comfortable for me. Like Vegas Rider said there is a lot to like about the FZ6. I have done pretty much all the mods you can do to her and really didn't spend that much money. I have been riding with Final Impact regularly and we both enjoy our motorcycles. The only thing I would like to do is get some rearsets as my legs are some what long and I can feel cramped sometimes otherwise I really won't probably need or get another motorcycle.

 

[Z3R0_zhift]

In my case after riding FZ6 for few thousands of miles, riding a 2005 R6 is a pain in my wrists within 2 miles.
When I stopped at the intersection to get green, I couldn't hold the handlebar, I have to stand on my feet, and the guy who swapped with my bike fore that 15 mile trip, was damn happy to ride my FZ6

My pillion, my nephew is okay with the seat, but not happy with helmet, sound of air and wind buffeting everywhere (movie, shopping, dinner) I take him, as I don't own a car.
Maybe upgrading to TS may satisfy him for few more rides..!

I'm probably short and shared a single seat with my wife on my ole R1 and didn't face any wrist pains. [emoji1]

 

[Z3R0_zhift]

I absolutely love my FZ. Super comfortable for me. Like Vegas Rider said there is a lot to like about the FZ6. I have done pretty much all the mods you can do to her and really didn't spend that much money. I have been riding with Final Impact regularly and we both enjoy our motorcycles. The only thing I would like to do is get some rearsets as my legs are some what long and I can feel cramped sometimes otherwise I really won't probably need or get another motorcycle.

Currently I'm looking for mods to satisfy my passion for riding. Do recommend what ya did the most and which is worth the money spent on.