S1 vs. S2

[ltdillard]

Greetings,

I have been riding a 2004 (fast) Blue FZ6 for a couple of years now. I was not the original owner, but have put 3/4ths of the miles on it. I mainly commute with it, with some short pleasure rides occasionally. Overall it has been a great bike.

I recently bought a 2007 (faster? ) Red. The main reason I was looking at this particular bike was that it came with side and top Givi cases. And it didn't hurt that it was low miles and super clean.

A couple of observations about the two versions.

• The S2 windscreen really pushes the air out of my way much better. I am 6'1" and on the S1 I had lots of wind buffering at the shoulder and neck area; none of that with the S2. In fact, this wind issue was a huge annoyance on the S1, especially with the dearth of aftermarket alternatives for this version. The S2 has Puig screen, but I don't know exactly which model (it is no higher than the mirrors, so it is not a touring model)
• The S1 throttle appears to be slightly more responsive. I don't know if this is a difference in the versions or someting a PO did
• I like the S2 instrument cluster better
• Both have Corbin seats, but this one of the S2 is really slick! I slide towards the tank constantly. I think this one is slightly more comfortable than the S1.

I was interested in the S2 mainly due to the bags, but what sold it for me was the better wind protection. I would be interested in what others who have had both versions might think.
TD

 

[raja777m]

Blue: fast,
Red: faster,
Raven: fastest..! Blah

Greetings,

I have been riding a 2004 (fast) Blue FZ6 for a couple of years now. I was not the original owner, but have put 3/4ths of the miles on it. I mainly commute with it, with some short pleasure rides occasionally. Overall it has been a great bike.

I recently bought a 2007 (faster? ) Red. The main reason I was looking at this particular bike was that it came with side and top Givi cases. And it didn't hurt that it was low miles and super clean.

A couple of observations about the two versions.

• The S2 windscreen really pushes the air out of my way much better. I am 6'1" and on the S1 I had lots of wind buffering at the shoulder and neck area; none of that with the S2. In fact, this wind issue was a huge annoyance on the S1, especially with the dearth of aftermarket alternatives for this version. The S2 has Puig screen, but I don't know exactly which model (it is no higher than the mirrors, so it is not a touring model)
• The S1 throttle appears to be slightly more responsive. I don't know if this is a difference in the versions or someting a PO did
• I like the S2 instrument cluster better
• Both have Corbin seats, but this one of the S2 is really slick! I slide towards the tank constantly. I think this one is slightly more comfortable than the S1.

I was interested in the S2 mainly due to the bags, but what sold it for me was the better wind protection. I would be interested in what others who have had both versions might think.
TD

 

[FIZZER6]

You can't really compare wind protection when the S2 has an aftermarket windscreen. :spank:

I have a 2006 (last year of the S1) and I love the fairing for wind protection, but I'm 5'8". I do prefer the analog gauges of the S2 though, that tach on the S1 is hard to read in sunny weather, but who reads the tach anyway? I go by engine feel to know what RPM I'm at, keeping my eyes on the road.

The fuel mapping is different on the S2, giving it a less "snatchy" throttle which is probably why the S1 feels more responsive to you. Also there's a chance the S2 throttle cables and grip need lubrication. I lube mine annually and it makes a huge difference. If you have never removed your throttle grip tube and polished and lubed the bar end under it then you are doing yourself a disservice!

 

[ozgurakman]

I'm thinking swap my s1's ft cowling to s2 ft cowling, but can't decide if it's worthy.

I'll buy a mra xca and will try it. If it fails like oem s1 screen, I'll pull the trigger and sell the s1's ft cowling then I'll buy 2nd hand s2 cowling.

mra xca:

review on v-strom 650 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRYo4jgVA3E

 

[The_Paragon]

Blue: fast,
Red: faster,
Raven: fastest..! Blah

Truer words were never spoken, son.

 

[Zealot]

If you have never removed your throttle grip tube and polished and lubed the bar end under it then you are doing yourself a disservice!

Hmm. Well there's something on my to do list... Any special instructions for that?

 

[FIZZER6]

Hmm. Well there's something on my to do list... Any special instructions for that?

I'm sure dissasembly of the throttle grip housing and removing the throttle tube is covered in the service manual. I have the manual in PDF if you need it send me a pm and I'll try to upload it to my dropbox for you.

It's not really much more than removing 2 screws in the kill switch housing when then comes apart in 2 halves, exposing the throttle cables which can then be removed from the throttle grip tube. You will then remove the bar end with a hex drive and slide the grip tube off. I took mine off for the first time at about 15,000 miles and there was a but of rust and no lubrication under the tube, no wonder I had a stiff throttle! I sanded off the rust and polished it with a dremel and lubed it up with silicone grease and 2 years later it still feels pretty good but might be due for a refresh.

 

[Zealot]

I'm sure dissasembly of the throttle grip housing and removing the throttle tube is covered in the service manual. I have the manual in PDF if you need it send me a pm and I'll try to upload it to my dropbox for you.

It's not really much more than removing 2 screws in the kill switch housing when then comes apart in 2 halves, exposing the throttle cables which can then be removed from the throttle grip tube. You will then remove the bar end with a hex drive and slide the grip tube off. I took mine off for the first time at about 15,000 miles and there was a but of rust and no lubrication under the tube, no wonder I had a stiff throttle! I sanded off the rust and polished it with a dremel and lubed it up with silicone grease and 2 years later it still feels pretty good but might be due for a refresh.

I just investigated my throttle stuff recently and noticed it was kind of stiff, and sticking. Opened up the killswitch housing and noticed there wasn't a drop of oil in there - just old dusty nothings. Fixed that up right quick with some oil and noticed a huge difference immediately, although the bar itself still seems to be pretty scratchy and devoid of lube.

Taking the actual grip itself off kind of worries me, since the service manual doesn't really cover it past taking it off with compressed air or something (and even then, seems to refer to the clutch side). It also mentions using rubber adhesive. More details on how you did it would be much appreciated!

Never mind. Got the cables loose and pulled the bar end off. Rusted like crazy and bumpy - took some sandpaper and steel wool to it, and through on some grease which I worked through. Gave the cables a bunch of oil and fixed up the slack - throttle is beautiful now.