05 kawi zx-6r compared to 04fz6... Unimpressed

[Chevyfazer]

So I just got back from my buddies house checking out his new bike, he just got a 05 ninja 636. That bike looks brand new and is super clean and well taken care of which is quite obvious in the little details on the bike. It only has 7,000 miles on it so it still is fairly new. So of course I asked him if I could ride it and we tossed keys at the same time. First thing I noticed which is very obvious is the super aggressive riding position while your feet are still almost right under you, very awkward feeling and in desperate need of some after market rear sets. Other than that the bike rides like a dream and is very stable and very flickable and surprising smooth with it's completely adjustable suspension. So far I was impressed with the bike but then we were at a stop light and I asked him if I could get on it and he said sure as long as I can too. This is where I lost interest. My buddy is a very inexperienced rider where I am far from the best but have quite a few miles under my belt. I left the light first with him just a split sec behind, I figured I would smoke him but he started to pull ahead and kept pulling up until I saw him shift to 3rd then we were even and then the kawi was finally leaving the fz6, I glanced at the speedo when the kawi had finally put some distance and it read 130ish. We did a couple roll on's and the results were the same every time dead even up to 100 then the kawi started to stretch its legs. The big thing I noticed about the power of the kawi is that it is simply nonexistent below 8k vs the fz still having some grunt down there. But that's what the kawi is made for, high rpm racing not street riding like the fz, I've rode other ss bikes before but they weren't stock and had lower gearing so they had more tq where this kawi was bone stock and in stock trim I really was unimpressed. It is a nice bike but for someone like me who rides everyday the lack of power down low would get real aggravating real quick. Also made me realize just how great of a bike the fz6 is and just how much "useable" power it has. I mean on the street there is no need to go over 100mph much less 80mph and the fz6 is just as quick as a ss up to those speeds so what more can someone ask for out of a 600cc bike? Obviously on a track I'm sure I would be much happier on the kawi but for the street I'll stick with the fz's

 

[Nastybutler]

All of those reasons and then some are why I chose a Street Triple over a SS. I don't have access to a track, so the only reason to get one would be to look cool. Meh.

 

[Andy]

03 ninja ZX6R 636

My boy bought a 2003 ninja with 20,000 miles. He took it to Gateway International Raceway Midnight Madness and ran 11.12 @ 126mph. First pass was the best of 3. Other 2 were 11 something @ 125. Not bad for a 19 year old punk. I like the smooth power on my fz6r. I usually dont run under 7 thousand unless just putting on the highway. I havent rode his ninja but with a skyhigh red line im pretty sure I would well over 8 grand on it. I dont thing his has stock gearing. The Jardine sounds awesome.

 

[Chevyfazer]

All of those reasons and then some are why I chose a Street Triple over a SS. I don't have access to a track, so the only reason to get one would be to look cool. Meh.

Yeah the triumphs are becoming more and more appealing to me for my next bike but it will really have to have a good price to knock the fz1 off the top of my "next bike list"

 

[BlckDmn]

how did u read my mind??
i tell this exact stuff to my friends all the time but they're all stuck in the SS mind frame 24/7.
DOnt get me wrong i love the way a SS performs, and they look awesome.
But for me personally i love my FZ6R, its so comfortable, and whenever i get home from wherever i always feel like its too soon.

I had the same scenario as you also. my friend has an '05 kawi 636 and we lined up at a red light (dont street race btw =P)
Dead even 1st and 2nd, then three quarters of the way through 3rd id say he began to pull ahead.

 

[Rookasaki]

*edit* just saw that it was an FZ6! but you get my point.
As a former FZ6R owner (had her for about 2 years) Now owner of a 2012 ZX6R I would say you're spot on! The ZX6R is a slug below 8k. Of course it rev's to the moon and pulls like a rocket, but only when your at 8k and above. It's defiantly annoying around town, although now I'm use to it. In my book the FZ6R shines in two areas, comfort/commuting and riding around town. The low end power is great from stop light to stop light.

I loved my FZ6R and I could ride pretty aggressively with it! (just look a Jon kerr's photos, he's an amazing FZ6R rider) It was a good sold, all around bike. But for me, I'm into twisties, tearing it up on the weekends etc.. I don't need a comfy bike as my works only 15 miles away. I wanted something light, flick-able and fast. That's why I chose to upgrade. But to be honest "upgrade" wouldn't be the right word, as the FZ6R is in a class of it's own. You can't compare a super-sport to a sportbike, it's not fair. That being said, the FZ6R in my opinion is the king of the sportbike world, as you won't find a better bike. I would have to say that the ZX6R by far would be the better track bike, and the FZ6R would be the better "street" bike.

 

[Chevyfazer]

Oh yeah the kawi is a great bike but it is a purpose built machine where as bikes like the fz's can do it all! I'd love to have one but since I can't afford to have multiple bikes, for me I prefer the original fz6 although the fz6r is still a kick arse bike. I honestly can't wait to get something else though that top end power is intoxicating!!!

Rook, on your kawi how is the rear sets positioned? That was my only complaint about how the ride was, my feet were in pretty much the same position they are on the fz and it felt awkward with my feet being there while leaned over so much, it seems like it would be WAY more comfortable if they were a few inches toward the back, or at least adjustable.

 

[Rookasaki]

Oh yeah the kawi is a great bike but it is a purpose built machine where as bikes like the fz's can do it all! I'd love to have one but since I can't afford to have multiple bikes, for me I prefer the original fz6 although the fz6r is still a kick arse bike. I honestly can't wait to get something else though that top end power is intoxicating!!!

Rook, on your kawi how is the rear sets positioned? That was my only complaint about how the ride was, my feet were in pretty much the same position they are on the fz and it felt awkward with my feet being there while leaned over so much, it seems like it would be WAY more comfortable if they were a few inches toward the back, or at least adjustable.

Not at all. My foot pegs sit way back and slightly up on my kawi compared to the 6R. From what you described that would be horrible if the pegs where like that and you had to lean over.

Top end is definitely amazing on the kawi, it pulls like a mother ******.

 

[miketriebsch]

Me personally I've been all about the ss but like you guys are saying these fz6rs are awesome around town. I ride with a VERY large group of people on a weekly basis and i have managed to impress most all of the ss riders with the fz6r. Of coarse it's not build for the track at all but then again I didnt buy it to ride on a track.

 

[RoadTrip]

Maybe the gixxer is feuled differently, but it seems to have a good bottom end, I have liked it from the first day I rode it home. But, you do bring up a good point regarding the general SS top end bias, the FZ6R was designed with a great bottom end which makes it a very street friendly.

We all know Kerr's body position looks great on the FZ6R, but I find the ergonomics of a SS to be helpful to me when flicking and hanging side to side in the twisties. Backroad aggressive riding is the direction I was headed on the FZ6R, so moving to a SS was an appropriate choice for me, but perhaps I will move back to something more comfortable in time (e.g. FZ1). But, honestly, I have finally acclimated to the gixxer and can now do 400mile days with little suffering (although it has taken me a year to get to that point).

 

[Chevyfazer]

It could be that the gsx-r is geared different as in shorter ratios for more tq? But talking about handling and what not, so far the only people who i have ever passed me much less the only people ive come across who could keep up were some locals at deals gap and my riding buddy on a z1000. I know there are plenty of people out there better than me so that's not the point but the fact that on the street I can ride just as fast and faster than many people on 600ss and 1lss bikes on the street (keep in mind I have a 2004 FZ6 not a FZ6r)

That being said I'd like to see a professional rider take a stock R6 around a track then take a original FZ6 with the regular mods (exhaust, air box mod, 15t, pcIII, and ss brake lines) and then take a FZ6R w same mods and compare lap times. It's quite obvious that the R6 would smoke it in a straight line but I would imagine that a pro rider could get very close to the same times around a tight track, now if the track was larger with longer straights the raw power would help significantly but on a tight track where the top speeds are limited to 90-120 I bet it would be a real close race.

 

[Marthy]

It could be that the gsx-r is geared different as in shorter ratios for more tq? But talking about handling and what not, so far the only people who i have ever passed me much less the only people ive come across who could keep up were some locals at deals gap and my riding buddy on a z1000. I know there are plenty of people out there better than me so that's not the point but the fact that on the street I can ride just as fast and faster than many people on 600ss and 1lss bikes on the street (keep in mind I have a 2004 FZ6 not a FZ6r)

That being said I'd like to see a professional rider take a stock R6 around a track then take a original FZ6 with the regular mods (exhaust, air box mod, 15t, pcIII, and ss brake lines) and then take a FZ6R w same mods and compare lap times. It's quite obvious that the R6 would smoke it in a straight line but I would imagine that a pro rider could get very close to the same times around a tight track, now if the track was larger with longer straights the raw power would help significantly but on a tight track where the top speeds are limited to 90-120 I bet it would be a real close race.

My ride is a cross bread in between. FZ6R with 04 FZ6 cams. The mid range is much better than stock and I ca even compare that nice punch on the top rev. That might be even more interesting in the hand of a good rider.

We all understand that power is 1/2 of the equation. Handling is the other 1/2...

 

[MistahT]

The original post was an FZ6, not FZ6R. I don't doubt the FZ6 kept up well with the 636, but I can tell you for sure that my FZ6R doesn't come close to the straight line speed of my friends' CBR600RR and R6.

BUT I 100% agree with what has been said. Our bike is no slouch and does everything I need it to do wonderfully