After 10 years of waiting, probably getting an FZ6

[mjesenovec]

New member here. Lurked here and there over the years, but finally joined since I just put a deposit on a 2007 FZ6 I recently found.

I got my license back in 2005, life happened, and I never owned a bike. Ridden a handful over the years, just never owned. I had recently decided on a new FZ-07 after sitting on a few and doing tons of research, but at the end of the day I decided it would be best to go used with my first bike, save some money, and build my skills up before moving into the new market. I ended up taking a chance and driving 60 miles out to see a 2007 I happened to find online at a dealer. 5700 miles, as close to new for an 8 year old bike as I've ever seen, and they were asking $3800. I put a deposit on it so I can make my final decision after going to the Chicago Motorcycle Show this coming Sunday, but I am pretty set on this thing. It was gorgeous in person and I'm sure it would be a great bike for me. That, and the Leo Vince SBK slipons just sweetened the deal. It fired right up and sounded incredible.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Looks good to me. Did you talk them down at all on the price? If you're in Chicagoland, that price is pretty right on. I paid $3300 for my clean 04 completely stock with 12k miles on it.

If you're around Chicago/the suburbs over the summer we'll have to ride!

 

[mjesenovec]

Looks good to me. Did you talk them down at all on the price? If you're in Chicagoland, that price is pretty right on. I paid $3300 for my clean 04 completely stock with 12k miles on it.

If you're around Chicago/the suburbs over the summer we'll have to ride!

Thanks! Yeah it's crazy clean and seemed to be well cared for. I didn't talk them down on price at all, as it seemed pretty in-line with what I've seen. I'm in Northern Lake County so Waukegan/Gurnee area. I'll definitely need people to ride with! Hoping my little brother is able to get his Ninja 300 this season as well.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Thanks! Yeah it's crazy clean and seemed to be well cared for. I didn't talk them down on price at all, as it seemed pretty in-line with what I've seen. I'm in Northern Lake County so Waukegan/Gurnee area. I'll definitely need people to ride with! Hoping my little brother is able to get his Ninja 300 this season as well.

Awesome, I've got a few buddies who like to ride too. I'm from the western suburbs around Naperville, but we should definitely work out a ride over the summer! Ride safe out there once the weather warms up!

 

[major tom]

Congratulations on your taste and good sense! LOL. I think you will agree after you've had it for awhile it's the 'Goldilocks' of bikes, a very happy compromise of performance, size and practicality. Nothing else really compares today as you will see at the show.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I hope you didn't get the bike with the original tires being that it could be at least 7 years old.

 

[mjesenovec]

Congratulations on your taste and good sense! LOL. I think you will agree after you've had it for awhile it's the 'Goldilocks' of bikes, a very happy compromise of performance, size and practicality. Nothing else really compares today as you will see at the show.

Thanks! It really did seem to fit every need I had. I have been bouncing between the FZ6 and FZ6R for years, and recently within the past year fell in love with the FZ-07. Such an amazing bike, but a used FZ6 is a much more well-rounded package, and much more affordable. I love the center stand, little bigger size, stiffer suspension, and dual headlights. The naked twin styling of the 07 wins in my book, but I couldn't argue with the value of the FZ6. I'm 5'11" 260lbs and didn't want to have any issues with too-soft suspensions. The 6 just feels more stout out of the box.

I hope you didn't get the bike with the original tires being that it could be at least 7 years old.

I'm honestly not sure if they're the original tires or not. I did think about that when I was looking at it, but they appeared to be fairly new, no signs of wear really. I'll make sure to ask them if/when I officially buy it. I remember looking at the rear and it was a BT020 or something, i don't remember exactly. If they are super old, it'd be worth the extra money to get those replaced asap with some Pilot Roads or something. I looked up how to read tire date codes, so I can check next time I head out there.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

If you like the naked styling, then you could just do a naked conversion. I've what my winter project has been.

Re: the tires, to check the age, there should be a code saying when they were made on the side walls. But as long as you don't have any dry rot, you should be pretty set.

 

[MattR302]

I'm 5'11" 260lbs and didn't want to have any issues with too-soft suspensions.

Any bike is going to be too undersprung for you, and the FZ6 definitely has a soft suspension stock.

Yes, the FZ6 is not a supersport, but it is still a 100hp 600cc sportbike. I would still recommend something less powerful, cheaper, and not as pretty as your first bike. My first bike was a $1500 ninja 500, rode it for 4 years and 18k miles, then sold it to my brother as his first bike. I have no regrets about starting on that bike. Insurance was cheap, gas was cheap, tires are cheap, and it is fun being able to wring it out in first and second gear without hitting "go directly to jail" speeds.

Here's a good read http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/new-riders/262785-thinking-starting-600cc-bike-look-inside.html

 

[iviyth0s]

Re: the tires, to check the age, there should be a code saying when they were made on the side walls. But as long as you don't have any dry rot, you should be pretty set.

+1, don't become my protege and end up still running the OEM tires like I do!

 

[mjesenovec]

If you like the naked styling, then you could just do a naked conversion. I've what my winter project has been.

Re: the tires, to check the age, there should be a code saying when they were made on the side walls. But as long as you don't have any dry rot, you should be pretty set.

Hmm. Didn't think about a naked conversion. Still, I like the styling of the FZ6 as is, so I'd probably just leave it. At least for now.

Any bike is going to be too undersprung for you, and the FZ6 definitely has a soft suspension stock.

Yes, the FZ6 is not a supersport, but it is still a 100hp 600cc sportbike. I would still recommend something less powerful, cheaper, and not as pretty as your first bike. My first bike was a $1500 ninja 500, rode it for 4 years and 18k miles, then sold it to my brother as his first bike. I have no regrets about starting on that bike. Insurance was cheap, gas was cheap, tires are cheap, and it is fun being able to wring it out in first and second gear without hitting "go directly to jail" speeds.

Here's a good read http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/new-riders/262785-thinking-starting-600cc-bike-look-inside.html

Yeah, my weight definitely puts me at a disadvantage on stock setups. I guess it's good that I'm just into casual street riding and don't plan on tracking it or doing anything that would require me to really get it dialed in. Plus, I live between chicago and milwaukee in northeastern illinois, so roads are pretty flat and boring.

Thanks for the reminder of the power. I've ridden a handful of bikes over the years, just never owned my own. A lot of my friends had more than one bike and I'd cruise around on them. I put a few hundred miles on my buddy's Ninja 250, ridden a 1600 mean streak, couple GSXR-600's, a Honda F4i, Ninja 650. It was cool to get a feel for things I like and don't like. While I understand an FZ6's power is nothing to take lightly, I'm confident in my throttle control, and thankfully got all my "omg lets go fast for no reason" urges out of my system many years ago before responsibility kicked in. That being said, the FZ6's capabilities still need to be respected, and I need to be careful as i get comfortable.

+1, don't become my protege and end up still running the OEM tires like I do!

Lol! I definitely want to get the date codes off the tires and make sure they aren't old. I touched and inspected them a little, and didn't notice any dry rot or gouges. Tread seemed surprisingly new-looking, so I'll make sure to ask if they were replaced, or what the story is.

 

[iviyth0s]

Lol! I definitely want to get the date codes off the tires and make sure they aren't old. I touched and inspected them a little, and didn't notice any dry rot or gouges. Tread seemed surprisingly new-looking, so I'll make sure to ask if they were replaced, or what the story is.

Yeah my tires have no dry rot or anything either, they held up VERY well to the elements but I know the age has hardened the rubber which means less grip overall. I just haven't pushed it at all, that won't happen until its first new tires get on.

 

[FZ6Hot]

Price sounds a bit high even by Canadian standards.
As other posters have mentioned the bike is very tame below 8000 rpm.
I'd be inclined to replace the brake lines, rubber degrades over time. Stainless steel braided brake lines definitely last a lot longer and improve braking feel.

 

[mjesenovec]

Price sounds a bit high even by Canadian standards.
As other posters have mentioned the bike is very tame below 8000 rpm.
I'd be inclined to replace the brake lines, rubber degrades over time. Stainless steel braided brake lines definitely last a lot longer and improve braking feel.

Price seems to be in line with similar bikes I've seen online in my neck of the woods. Even if it's slightly high, I love how brand-new it looks in person. Thanks for the tip on the brake lines, i'll have to look into it! Hope I can find some ss lines online, then watch a video on how to install them.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

For what it's worth, I paid a similar price for an older bike with more miles. It's a Chicago thing, the prices generally suck.

 

[mjesenovec]

For what it's worth, I paid a similar price for an older bike with more miles. It's a Chicago thing, the prices generally suck.

I'm not unhappy with the price at all. Sure it may be a few hundred less in other areas, but given how clean it is, and the Leo Vince exhaust, it's even more of a good value to me.

Found Galfer stainless brake lines on revzilla last night. I asked my brother, who's an auto mechanic, if he could install and he said it would be a piece of cake. He watched a video online to get an idea of what's involved, and he said it's easier than doing it on cars, so that's cool. I could probably get all stainless lines, throw my bro a few bucks, and get that all replaced for roughly $200. Definitely something to think about. Might not be something I would do right away, but it's definitely a good thing for me to keep in mind.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

My first time EVER bleeding brakes was when I installed the R6 forks and calipers on my FZ6 and it took me less than 20 minutes to go from completely empty lines to a nice firm brake lever.

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ + 5 Agreed! Folks have done something wrong if it takes 4 bottles of fluid and 3 hours to bleed this tiny system. Well unless those 4 bottles were beer and they never got to the bike?!

I'd ride it for a bit and see if anything else comes into to focus that is more urgent and demands $$$ thrown at it. Your can still bleed the brakes tho. $6 bucks and a few minutes of time.

Quickest method is a syringe to suck out the old fluid so your not mixing, then manually bleed. Done in 10" per end. Just get a couple feet of clear hose. Google "RC Fuel tubing, silicone" and grab 3 feet of 0.125" ID and your set! --> BRAKE BLEEDING, CALIPER AND PAD INSPECTION

 

[mjesenovec]

^^ + 5 Agreed! Folks have done something wrong if it takes 4 bottles of fluid and 3 hours to bleed this tiny system. Well unless those 4 bottles were beer and they never got to the bike?!

I'd ride it for a bit and see if anything else comes into to focus that is more urgent and demands $$$ thrown at it. Your can still bleed the brakes tho. $6 bucks and a few minutes of time.

Quickest method is a syringe to suck out the old fluid so your not mixing, then manually bleed. Done in 10" per end. Just get a couple feet of clear hose. Google "RC Fuel tubing, silicone" and grab 3 feet of 0.125" ID and your set! --> BRAKE BLEEDING, CALIPER AND PAD INSPECTION

Good tip! I'll keep that in mind as well. I'll also see what was done/inspected other than an oil change at the dealer. I might be able to get them to throw in a brake inspection/fluid swap before I take delivery of it. We'll see.

 

[FinalImpact]

Good tip! I'll keep that in mind as well. I'll also see what was done/inspected other than an oil change at the dealer. I might be able to get them to throw in a brake inspection/fluid swap before I take delivery of it. We'll see.

If it shows any signs of cranking slow/slowly, I'd hound them over a battery and you do the PM stuff to ** LOOK AND SEE ** this bike with your own eyes.

Doing your own preventive maintenance allows you to spend time and see things, check fasteners, inspect things that others are not taking the time to do....

Simply things like pulling the inner fairing screws free and making sure the mirrors aren't falling off. :thumbup: