Would you rather... 2004 FZ6 vs. 2006 SV1000s

[terry_b]

So, I have the chance to acquire my friend's 2006 SV1000s for a song. It currently has about 6,000 miles on it and has always been garage kept and barely ridden. To sum up the circumstances, he moved away and left the bike in my garage for me to either sell for him or buy from him. I would likely sell my '04 FZ6 and give him the cash because I just don't need 2 bikes.

Obviously, this forum may be biased - and I am as well to a point. I truly don't know which bike I'd rather have for myself. I'm hoping some of you will be able to give me some more well-informed points to consider between the two. I love the FZ6, am very comfortable with it and really enjoy the bike overall.

That being said, the Suzuki is technically a newer, nicer bike, and for the deal that's offered, I would truly get a lot more for the money. It has been ridden far less, it's newer and very well taken care of. It also has fully adjustable suspension (preload, rebound and compression dampening front AND rear), steering stabilizer, and the body work/paint is flawless.

But - as it is now the riding position is less comfortable and I've got less time on it so I'm less familiar with it. I do have some options that would improve the riding position - I currently have a set of Heli-bars for it that will make the seating position less "sport-bikey", and if those aren't enough I can actually convert from the clip-ons to a setup more like the FZ6 where I can use any 7/8" bars.

Maintenance is easier on the FZ6, but certainly still do-able on the Suzuki since I have a set of swingarm stands and the front stand. The FZ6 has that ugly dent in the tank that I just hate looking at, where the Suzuki is truly flawless. Both have good tires/chains/sprockets - the FZ6 has all been replaced in the last 6k miles and the suzuki barely has 6k miles.

The obvious difference being the 600cc 4 cyl vs. the big 1000cc V-twin. I like the torque of the twin, but I do love the high RPM from the 4 cyl.

I realize this has all been kind of a ramble... but please, weigh in with your thoughts. Help me choose which one to keep.

 

[Red Wazp]

Get the SV, ride it a while and if you don't like it you can sell it. V twins are fun to ride and with the right pipe just sound damn good.

Calling Motogiro, he has had both bikes.

 

[Dry Martini]

Get the SV. V twin are fun. However, it is not technically newer. The SV motor began life as the motor for the late 90s TL1000.


This space intentionally left blank.

 

[Andz]

This would be a no brainer for me, I hate twins, period. After an inline four they are just so unrefined.

 

[gnyce]

from a pure look/aesthetics... I could not abide the big cans of the SV. I love how the FZ6 hides the muffler, just feels some clean/neat/tidy. But that's just me. Minus that, Red Wazp is probably right.

 

[payneib]

What do you want the bike for? If you're not generally spending extended periods in the saddle definitely the Suzuki. Really, it's two different bikes for two different purposes. I'd say the FZ is the better all rounder, but if you don't need it to do everything, I'd take the big twin.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[Dry Martini]

This would be a no brainer for me, I hate twins, period. After an inline four they are just so unrefined.

I hope you are not thinking of a Harley, when you think of all V twins. A modern V twin at triple digit speeds is a very smooth engine.

I would have no trouble with the SV as an everyday bike.

 

[Andz]

I hope you are not thinking of a Harley, when you think of all V twins. A modern V twin at triple digit speeds is a very smooth engine.

I would have no trouble with the SV as an everyday bike.

I didn't mention V twins. I have ridden an SV, Ducati, BMW GS and I still prefer the 4. I haven't ridden a Harley and I don't intend to.

 

[Dry Martini]

I didn't mention V twins. I have ridden an SV, Ducati, BMW GS and I still prefer the 4. I haven't ridden a Harley and I don't intend to.

Be that as it may, your preference for an I4 does not mean twins are unrefined.

 

[2nd childhood]

I think you should try riding both for a bit and see how things go. After having my '07 FZ6 for a while, I decided to scratch an itch I'd had for over 15 years and purchased an '08 Aprilia Tuono, which has a 998cc v-twin. I had every intention of selling the Fazer soon afterwards, but guess what? Both have remained in my garage. As others have posted (and you have found out), the I4 and v-twin are two totally different animals and I simply couldn't choose between the two. On nice sunny days and/or short jaunts, it's the Ape, but if I'm riding any distance or expecting crappy weather, the FZ6 is my ride. Are you under any time restraints in regards to making a choice?

 

[terry_b]

I'm not really under a time crunch... but in a way I might be... If things go well for me I may be moving from the east coast to Colorado within the next month or two, so transporting both may be a chore.

I ride primarily for pleasure right now - because my work commute is 150 miles of interstate one way - but that will also change if I move. I will certainly be commuting on the bike quite often, as well as running up into the rocky mountains outside of Denver quite often. So I want something that will be comfortable for 6+ hours if I decide to cross the mountains, but also something I can stand to ride around in the city traffic.

I'm familiar with a parallel twin, I started on a ninja 650 and really liked it. I do miss the torque, but I've been pretty happy with the FZ6 so far. definitely a different experience all around.

Thanks for your input guys, keep it coming! I may just have to keep both haha

 

[iviyth0s]

It's tough to say...I guess do you want stupid instant torque or the most well rounded bike ever made lol

 

[Puttin Along]

I have an 05 FZ6 and an 05 SV1000! I love the SV! It's nice to have 2, sometime I'll let a friend ride the FZ cause it's a little more beat up. My wife is kinda learning on it too. If one bike is down for maintenance, ride the other! If finances won't permit 2 bikes I'd have to stick with the SV! Sounds great, torque for days, pulls better w/ 2 up! I am gonna drill the SV triple and put some risers and different bars to make it more comfortable though. Also any SV will probably need a Werks clutch basket to help with engine chudder. Check out svrider.com for another great forum and group of folks. Lots tour on an SV too and claim it to be well rounded. I'd say it is w/ the few changes.

 

[Motogiro]

I've had my SV10000s for 6 years. It's been a great bike for me. It's as nimble as the FZ6 with a little better suspension right out of the box. Yes it's a more forward ride so on a long ride you may want to get a different bar set up. The motor red lines at 11k and it pulls from down low with a wide band of power. I was very surprised at the instant power I gained when I changed the exhaust. I thought maybe I imagined it but Two Brothers Racing say it's and instant 4 hp gain. The CATs are in the cans so when you remove the cans the CATs are gone. Remember this motor is a 996 cc with 2 bigger pistons so letting it breath right away makes a difference. You can make your own TRE (timing retard eliminator) to gain even more from the motor. The motor is a 90 degree twin with 4 valves per cylinder and with it's shorter stroke will quickly clear any misinformation when associating it to cruiser twins. Making a clutch slip even by accident on throttle will launch the front end. The claimed dry weight is 410 lbs so I don't think you'll notice any weight difference from the FZ6. As mentioned before the known issue with this bike is the clutch basket and flywheel magnets on these bikes. The flywheel magnets for the stator have been known to de-bond and fly apart. Mine are okay and I have over 26,000 miles on my bike. The clutch basket is noisy and truthfully Suzuki should have replaced every one of these. I have the money set aside for mine and will be replacing the clutch basket with a "Werks clutch basket" which solves the problem. My clutch does not chudder but the basket is noisy and I believe it is responsible for the hyraulic clutch rod seal leakage (Small drip) of oil through the engine case I experience. The hydraulic clutch is really smooth a silk. Valve adjustment is easier on the SV.
In short I feel like the SV is a better bike for my type of mountain and desert riding through turns but the FZ is a mechanically more reliable. Suzuki dropped the ball on the SV1000s and although they improved horse power and some other issues in the later SV1000 bikes, the other issues leave me with a less friendly feeling toward Suzuki. The SV1000s motor spooled up pushing you out of a turn will not leave you wanting the inline 600 instead.
I will wrench when it's time so the SV1000s is going to be a my ride for a while longer. I will forever love the FZ6 I had and bet it's still out there making someone smile.

 

[terry_b]

Thanks for the response Motogiro... I think that's kinda what I wanted to hear. I love the FZ6, but the SV1000s seems like a pretty sweet ride. I haven't really noticed any of the "chudder" with the clutch basket and if the magnets go, I'm more than able to do the work. If it was going to be solely transportation, I might feel differently, but it's basically pleasure riding with some commutes to work at most.

 

[Bcwalks2]

I think you have to ride it and see which you like better. It is all personal preference, the SV is very very reliable and has a V-Twin engine. If you have never ridden a V-Twin they are very different than an inline. Some live and die by it, some hate it. Also quite a big difference jumping up to a liter bike. Either way, you cannot go wrong.

 

[terry_b]

Well I've given the SV a ton of loving care... switched out the fork oil for some fresh 10w, flushed and filled fresh fluids all around, cleaned and polished her up real nice, gave it some personal touches like rim tape and grips. I installed Heli-bars to help make it more comfortable, bought the TRE mod for low RPM smoothness, and put some Hammergrips on the tank. I was all set to trade up and start cruising around on the SV1000S, it's just a gorgeous bike with a lot of good features.

And I hate it. Picked my lady up from work on it the other day and she hates it. Rode it to work (80 miles one way) and it killed my shoulders and back muscles. I started my 2 wheel love affair with a CBR600 hurricane when I was 16 and even that bike was more comfortable. At first I was looking at it as an excuse to improve my bike posture... but it doesn't matter, it just isn't comfortable.

I rode the FZ6 and the SV back to back the other night, picked a nice loop around my house and ran both a couple times around. I got my lady to jump on the FZ with me to be sure - she instantly felt at home on it. The SV1000 made her nervous.

I want to like it, I really do. But it just doesn't do for me what the FZ6 does. I enjoy the torque and smooth power delivery, but I'm thinking I may just snag an FZ8 or FZ1 if I really want some extra power.

On a side note... Anybody on the market?

 

[jesse_sanders]

Good. I can't get passed how awful Vtwins sound.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Dry Martini]

Good. I can't get passed how awful Vtwins sound.

Huh? They sound better than an I4, especially at triple digit speeds! Even my triple sounds better than an I4.

 

[jesse_sanders]

Huh? They sound better than an I4, especially at triple digit speeds! Even my triple sounds better than an I4.

Nonsense.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk