New to me 2008 FZ6... not what I expected.

[gullywasher]

So I was looking for a decent machine that I could permanently strip of lights, mirrors and other unnecessary parts so as to have a ready-to-rock track day bike. I don't have the time to always be fixing stuff, so I wanted something that wasn't highly sought after by your typical squid or likely to be ragged out.

I had the chance to pick up what seemed to fit the bill: a clean 1-owner, 2008 FZ6 with complete dealer service history. It was cheap (I traded a Buell for it which is like paying with Greek bonds), had an R6-based engine and was universally hammered by motojournalists as a terrible street bike compared to its competitors: the perfect bike to strip down and let gather dust in between track day sessions that I never seem to find the time to take.

To my surprise, I find the FZ6 to be a fantastic street bike - much better than the bikes it has been routinely compared against. It has lots of power, great brakes for a budget bike, is very comfortable and can go a looong way on a tank of fuel (something I really appreciate in a motorcycle.) It can be a pussy cat or a beast and protests to neither command. Even the budget suspension is tuned pretty well for everyday riding. I personally think the design still looks great too all these years later.

Anyway, I am glad to be a part of the fold and am happy to see a moderately active forum around this bike. My FZ6 will still get prepped for track days with some attention to the brakes and suspenders, but it gets to keep the lights and mirrors as I refuse to resign such a versatile motorcycle to the track alone.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Welcome to the forum! Tons of info here and some very knowledgeable people as well. You'll find the forum to be very active as well.

I never knew the FZ6 existed until my friend bought it for his son. I bought it off them maybe 1.5 years later, wrecked, as my "beater". I already had a G0ldwing, FJR and KLR 250. It was to replace the KLR.

After fixing it, modding it, I sold EVERYTHING ELSE as I love this bike.

It handles great, being mid sized, it doesn't eat tires like the bigger bikes and as noted, WILL get up and scream if asked to...

 

[FinalImpact]

Nice report!
As stated, it can be the underdog yet run with the best of them. Its a fun and flickable bike with a little zip when you want to play!

A couple here have followed the mods I've done and are very happy once the suspension and throttle response are restored to "Happy Place".... =')
See sig for details...

Do the suspension first and it will sell you on the rest of it!

 

[beatle]

I had no intention of taking my FZ6 to the track, but boy was I surprised at how well it did even in stock form. Takes a few minutes to pull the mirrors, but it's not that bad.

If you're upgrading the suspension, buy my Penske double clicker.

 

[gullywasher]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. I think I am really going to enjoy this bike.

Brakes will probably get my attention first since I think all it would need is a steel-braided line and some more aggressive pads to be pretty awesome. I doubt I would have the skill to need more out of them than that would give, but I can always add a new master cylinder if I do.

Emulators (or R6 forks maybe - need to read more about this conversion) and a rear shock will come after that, but that will wait a few months as I am in the process of getting ready to move.

 

[beatle]

I didn't upgrade my brake lines or MC, but I did upgrade to EBC HH pads. Yamaha does brakes pretty well, especially on the 07+. I'm pretty new to the track so I'm not hammering the binders at the last moment of every straight, but the brakes did hold up well to my "torture test" at VIR which has a couple very fast straights (130mph). I had no brake fade and I thought the EBC pads had good feel.

R6 forks are a great value for money and hold their resale value pretty well if you feel like you need better results than what they can provide. Start shopping for a clean pair now as they can take some time to come up on forums and ebay.

Edit: Oh, and flip the rubber/metal bushing around where your peg mounts. The stock pegs are pretty spongy and flipping the mounting bushing around makes them solid.

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ Agreed. The rubber pegs and rubber bushings mounting the rear sets have to go.

I bought knurled pegs and knocked the rubber bushings out replacing them with aluminum. Its a small detail but all it takes is pressure on a wet peg with a rubber instep and my foot flew off one day and I said enoughs enough with the floppy pegs and poor grip.

Grab some FZ1 bars too.

 

[mxgolf]

Welcome to a fantastic motorcycle and forum! I am sure you will enjoy your FZ6 for many, many miles.