veronica's transformation...

[effingham brian]

Well, I was minding my own business when I opened my garage and Lo and Behold ! Veronica transformed into.....an R6 ! think I'll name her "Betty" keeping in line with the Archie comics motif. Seriously, after molling it over in my head; After riding my fizzer for 2500 miles in 1 month of riding ; I decided to trade her in for an R6. I'll let people know if I regret my decision. I'm almost a big enough man to admit when I'm wrong or made a mistake. I've ridden it a 100 miles today, killed it at the stoplight 3 times. I will say that the clutch/shifting is smoother than the Fz's. The mirrors give a great view of my sleeves. Oh well, you only live once. I didn't want to go to my death bed saying (grovely voiceover) "I wish I had bought that supersport bike I always wanted".


From this......

 

[effingham brian]

To this....

 

[FZ1inNH]

Damn! That is one SWEET ride! If I could have hendled the ergos, I would have taken the R1 over the FZ1 but I'm not as young as my mind thinks I am.

Congrats! Nice trade!

 

[Botch]

Wicked looking; hope you like her! :rockon:

 

[oldfast007]

OK PEOPLE..stop this non-sense!

Between this thread of an R6 upgrade( very nice!!) and Eric's FZ1 upgrade, his wife's FZ6R upgrade, and every one else who went and traded/bought new/bought another, your killing me here It really hampers my efforts to be content with what I currently have)...

It is so bad, I've been to the local shop so many times looking at a brand spank'n new 09 R1(red of course) that I think the dealer is going to file a restraining order on me

I'll own her outright next July, then... oh then I'm in it deep

 

[Nick J]

That sure is a sweet looking ride. That burnt orange color is my favorite. If I were to get the R6, that's the one I'd get, but I'm afraid when I upgrade, I'm going to have to go for the yellow 09 R1. But I'm like you, I think. I want to keep my Fz6 just in case I don't like the leaning over the bars all day. Sure is a good looking R6, though. :thumbup:

 

[sfcali86]

congrats man have fun with betty:rockon:

 

[reiobard]

stunning bike! i would have considered it if i could take riding it for long distances.... I love the comfort of the FZ!


congrats on the new bike!

 

[jtarkany]

Congratulations! Very nice :thumbup:

 

[sm00thpapa]

Nice hope you have a strong back ride safe

 

[phantomxc]

One day.... black and gold R6 or the new black and maroon? R1.... One day....

 

[effingham brian]

well, i rode betty just over 200 miles today. I'm not trying to make this into a review of the R6...but what the heck. If I get flamed then so be it. First of all, let me introduce myself. I've been riding only about 6 wks. In that time I've managed to accrue 2700 miles, which is i'm sure no record but I think indicates that I'm addicted to riding ! I'm also 43 years old (not 23 as I sometimes act). up until last month my usual "rides" would have been my trek 2.3 road bike or my gary fisher mountain bike. The point I guess I'm trying to make is that I'm an old newbie.
When I first started looking at bikes, before I had my class "m" license, I would check out all the supersports because I thought they looked fantastic. I bought the FZ6 because I thought it would be more beginner friendly, better ergonomics, etc. I must be insane because I traded in a bike that I finally felt comfortable on (although not an "expert" by any means) for one that just looked sexier.
How do they compare ? Probably most of you have an opinion on what the differences are, and you'd be right ! The FZ6 is basically an upright, comfortable version of the R6. I don't wish to share how much cash I forked out to find that out personally.:thumbup: First of all, the seat is a bit higher, although i was just barely able to flatfoot both sides with my boots on (I'm 5'8") I find that I really have to keep my left foot really pointed down on the peg, like a friggin ballerina, in order to keep my boot from getting stuck. I found that annoying. I am definitely going to have the linkage adjusted/repostioned. I didn't find the brakes to be much different than the FZ6's although I didn't really test them very hard. I felt very comfortable riding the FZ6 at low speeds. In fact a couple nights a week I would go to the lot where I took the MSF course and "ride the box" (figure 8's). I almost accomplished that tonight on Betty , but I had to put my foot down. It's gonna take me a while to get comfortable at low speeds.
But alas, all is not bad news in the world of R6. Because I'm still breaking the engine in, I didn't take her above 8,000 rpm, so couldn't run her too fast. But, I will say that getting on the on ramp of the interstate was a real joy. I would both practice upshifting with and without using the clutch, and found it smoother than the FZ6's. She just wants to take off ! Nice engine growl too. At speed I can see she'll be real fun....
Right now, my left hand is sore from resting my weight on it and simultaneously using the clutch. My neck is sore from my body being hunched over and having to look up. I'm still thinking I must be insane.
I guess I have a different outlook on life ever since I was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer and had to have surgery and part of my stomach taken out. It was one of those "Geez I better start doing some of the things I've always said I wanted to because who knows what could happen ?" Anyways, I digress. I had fun riding her tonight. I'll probably get to walgreens for a heat pack for my neck. Thanks for letting me share in this forum. Looking around I found A LOT of useful information. Hmmm...and I still can't find the fuel shut off valve on this bike neither..:Flash:

 

[FZ1inNH]

Brian, first question from me is, did they get all the cancer? Are you now cancer-free according to the Doc? I'm very sorry that happened and hope all is well at this point!

Thanks for the descriptive comparison! No flaming here! You've helped me justify why I couldn't get the R1 instead of the FZ1.

Now, if you find the ergos a bit too harsh and continue to have problems, there's a kit available to convert the R6 to a standard that includes a new top triple and handle bars.

Spiegler Performance Parts sells the kit for $549.00. Here's a pic of a similar kit:

 

[08-FZ6]

OK PEOPLE..stop this non-sense!

Between this thread of an R6 upgrade( very nice!!) and Eric's FZ1 upgrade, his wife's FZ6R upgrade, and every one else who went and traded/bought new/bought another, your killing me here It really hampers my efforts to be content with what I currently have)...

It is so bad, I've been to the local shop so many times looking at a brand spank'n new 09 R1(red of course) that I think the dealer is going to file a restraining order on me

I'll own her outright next July, then... oh then I'm in it deep

I know exactly how you feel! I thought the FZ6 was the perfect bike for me but I am a little worried that I will want something bigger and badder real soon. This is a very bad thing since I just bought my 08 FZ6 and I think my wife would leave me if I told her..... Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY FZ6!!!! but I really really like some of the bigger bikes out there.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Brian, thanks for sharing a part of your life with us. Hope all your cancer is gone and never comes back. I can relate on the neck soreness. I chose the FZ6R as my first bike and maybe my only bike as I had a neck fusion in May 07 where they put a titanium plate and screws in my neck. I was told not to ride a motorcycle and said what the hell I'm not getting any younger and bought one anyway. I chose the FZ6R due to the upright riding position plus it looks sporty also. I can never ride a R6 or R1 but for maybe a few minutes before my neck would starting hurting. Maybe I can find a bigger more powerful up right bike in about a year or 2 to upgrade to. Anyway take care ride safely.......

 

[FZ1inNH]

OK PEOPLE..stop this non-sense!

Between this thread of an R6 upgrade( very nice!!) and Eric's FZ1 upgrade, his wife's FZ6R upgrade, and every one else who went and traded/bought new/bought another, your killing me here It really hampers my efforts to be content with what I currently have)...

It is so bad, I've been to the local shop so many times looking at a brand spank'n new 09 R1(red of course) that I think the dealer is going to file a restraining order on me

I'll own her outright next July, then... oh then I'm in it deep

Eric, just do it! Go for it! It's only $69 a month for three years right now! GO!!! We'll help ya mod it.

 

[Ghost Weim]

Congrats on the new - and very sharp looking - bike! :thumbup: :rockon:

Aren't new toys fun?!

 

[Drinky]

I know exactly how you feel! I thought the FZ6 was the perfect bike for me but I am a little worried that I will want something bigger and badder real soon. This is a very bad thing since I just bought my 08 FZ6 and I think my wife would leave me if I told her..... Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY FZ6!!!! but I really really like some of the bigger bikes out there.

I have the same problem lol, got my fz6 in february, and right now I love it, plan to do lots of mods to it...or should I save for a fz1/R1/R6....

The past few months I really learned how to ride properly, and the fz6 just seems a bit slow, when accelerating out of corners. When the weather's ok I'll just try to shift down more, going into corners at 7000 rpm and such, but still, it feels a little tiny compared to the gsx-r 750 somebody I know rides

 

[effingham brian]

First of all, thanks to Fz1nh and smoothpapa for their kind words and input. As far as the cancer goes...so far all my follow up CT exams are negative so it's so far so good. It was at the very least a quick way to lose 20 lbs.! but I can't recommend it. I appreciate not getting flamed for fessing up that I traded my Fz6 for an R6. Seems like I tapped into the inner psyche of other riders too...about their motorcycle aspirations. The last group ride I did which left from the local Yamaha dealer featured the local Yamaha Rep. who rides a Vmax. In the past I would have thought, "That's way too much bike". Now I'm thinking..."Hey maybe some day..."
I didn't get to ride "Betty" today, but plan on it tomorrow. My neck seems to be better. I think Yamaha ought to include chiropractic manipulations with each purchase of an R6 :Flash: Thanks for the info about handlebar raising kits etc. I think I'll ride her for at least a month before I start making any modifications. That way I hope I'll have a better idea as to what things I can get used to versus what I really need to change. It may be that once I get used to this riding position that I won't need any major changes (wishful thinking ??). I will say that riding at highway speed is almost as comfortable as riding the FZ6( almost is the operative word here) . the wind really does help hold you up and take your weight off the bars. I had fun "hugging" the tank and keeping down low on the highway. Now, city street driving is a different story! Hopefully with experience I'll get more confident/competent with city driving. (I think effingham qualifies as a city...pop. 12,400). When I first started riding my FZ6, I was sore also, particularly in the saddle/inner thigh area, most likely from squeezing the tank to death in order to hold on for dear life. With experience I became more relaxed and therefore less fatigued. Throttle boss was a nice plus too for long trips ! I have only ridden my R6 for one day now, so there is still A LOT of learning as far as body position/clutch usage/countersteering. "Betty" likes to be revved a little higher when pulling out from a stop......duh it's an R6.(I make fun of myself) Pulling into a parking lot is more harrowing than riding at highway speed. With my fizzer I could pretty easily do a sharp turn at low speed and turn the bike facing "out" in a parking space for a speedy exit. I've had to put my foot down twice with "Betty" doing the same maneuver, once coming perilously close to dropping her. (Frame sliders are on order !) Tomorrow night I plan on going to the high school parking lot where I took my BRC and practice all the low speed turns/ balancing. Once again I appreciate all the support I've gotten from this forum. It's still a little too early to decide if I have sellers remorse yet.

 

[Wolfman]

To this....

we dont get the orange r6 in oz, looks great....congrats on your new ride, make sure you keep it rubber side down...

:thumbup: