FZ6 - Honda VFR comparison


A

agutierrez

I know this might be a strange question. The VFR and the FZ6 seem to not be in the same class, but they both have characteristics I'm looking for. Good looking comfortable bikes. I'm looking to carve canyons, cruise around town and do some touring with my wife.

Can anyone compare the two bikes? for comfort?

Has anyone toured on the FZ6?

I appreciate opinions and viewpoints. How does the bike work for you? How does the back seat work for passengers? Thanks and great forum!
 
H

Hellgate

New Member
agutierrez said:
I know this might be a strange question. The VFR and the FZ6 seem to not be in the same class, but they both have characteristics I'm looking for. Good looking comfortable bikes. I'm looking to carve canyons, cruise around town and do some touring with my wife.

Can anyone compare the two bikes? for comfort?

Has anyone toured on the FZ6?

I appreciate opinions and viewpoints. How does the bike work for you? How does the back seat work for passengers? Thanks and great forum!
Click to expand...

The VFR is a great bike, but it is HEAVY, about 550lbs. The FZ is 410lbs. The VFR has a very nice suspension, the FZs is so-so. The VFR is a pig in the canyons, the FZ is great. On day tours both are great, long tours, the VFR wins.

I considered the VFR but $12,000 was too much for a Honda. For a Duc I'd drop the coin.

The FZ is inexpensive to buy and insure.

I've done day tours on the FZ, two up with bags and it is great.

Your call bro.
 
W

wrightme43

Admin of Socks & Puppets
I was torn between the VFR and the FZ. I wanted to get a older VFR but for just a little more I got new FZ. They are both excellent bikes.
 
C

CanadianFZ6

Check out the cost of a tune-up on the VFR's V4 engine... The FZ6 does not need a major tune-up until 42,000kms (read: valve adjustment). Most maintenance one can do themselves on the FZ6...
 
D

dankatz

FZ6 vs. VFR...interesting...
The VFR is very pricey, too pricey in my opinion. You can get a Sprint ST for the same price which is probably a better bike with a much torquier engine. The weight of the VFR is 540lbs WET compared to the FZ6 which is 454lbs WET, so not as big of a difference as you wrote, but still substantial. The VFR is more powerful, especially if you are not pushing the revs, so it should make 2-up riding easier. I would think a more fair comparison would be the FZ6 vs. the new GSX650F, at least price wise. If money is no object I would go for the VFR, but when is it not? :D
 
S

sportrider

I used to own an older VFR750, the power delivery was more linear the bike was super balanced and felt light side to side, but that was quite a while ago not sure how it would stack up to the FZ6 if I still had it.
 
R

Raid The Revenge

A Honda VFR?

<Falls on the ground laughing in pain>

Hah ah ahah ! H Aha ha ha ha ha ah ! H ah a!

<Keeps on laughing>

I sat on one....H Ah aha !

I sat on one the other day, and the GAS TANK was BENT ON ONE SIDE! I asked the dealer about that...<ha ha haha >

HE SAID IT WAS PART OF THE DESIGN!!

You know how the FAIRING touches the fuel tank? (YES! IT DOES!) Look here...



You see how the FAIRING touches the fuel tank? WHAT A HORRIBLE DESIGN! On the OTHER side of the bike, the gas tank needed a DEEPER DENT to allow space for the FAIRING! I never laughed so hard in my entire life!

Why the heaven is there a WELD in the FRAME when it isn't even ONE PIECE? I'm looking at the WELD right now and I'm wondering why it's even there???
 
H

Hellgate

New Member
Elm - You bust me up with every post dude. LOL!

I do like the VFR however is a good looking bike.
 
M

MrTurner

Do you guys get FZ1's over there, or Kawasaki Z1000's? If the larger engine VFR is in the equation, the bigger street bikes might need considering?
 
D

Doorag

Elm cracks me up too. I always thought Elm was female due to the avatar, but maybe I'm wrong. Do Imps have a traditional sex like male and female?
 
P

pchbreeze

I've been many long miles on it...great bike for it. Others have also.

Canyons...I know a few have done it and i do regularly...I don't know about comparing it with that bike but if its heavier, our has to be better. That's all thats gotta matter in the canyons...weight and suspension.

Find what makes you happy. My first bike was the ninja 500 because I didn't want an I4 but only bought the FZ6 because so many compared the Ninja 650 to it...and I couldn't get the 650 in the color and price I wanted. I'm happy iwth my decision but what's important...you buy what YOU want. I chose the fz6 because i knew it would make me happier than buying a 650 at the time.
 
R

Raid The Revenge

Doorag said:
Elm cracks me up too. I always thought Elm was female due to the avatar, but maybe I'm wrong. Do Imps have a traditional sex like male and female?
Click to expand...
I wonder what an UNTRADITIONAL gender is?

Oh yeah, I'm female. Better double-check though...
...yup. Still am.
 
W

Whirlygirl

I had considered the VFR as well, but again, it's quite a bit heavier and more expensive. A big deterrent for me happened to be the insurance, which here in BC goes up in price for bikes over 750cc. I figure if I'm going to move into the the next insurance "bracket", I might as well get a litre bike - lol!

Speaking of which... I was at the Yamaha dealership last week, and they had a beautiful new FZ1... Some sort of "special edition" I think...Full fairing, factory hard luggage, and in Faster Red to boot! I think I found my next bike....

BTW - I'm currently in the middle of a 6000 km trip on the FZ6, and am LOVING it as a touring bike - no passenger though...
 
C

Cloggy

New Member
I must admit I almost always agree with Elm, but not in this case, I like the VFR, but it's a bit pricey.

Doorag said:
Elm cracks me up too. I always thought Elm was female due to the avatar, but maybe I'm wrong. Do Imps have a traditional sex like male and female?
Click to expand...
or are they hermaphrodites and Claud is simply his/her other persona :justkidding:
 
L

lonesoldier84

i wanted a vfr initially and still do. it is a super magical bike. but it is very heavy so thats what puts it out of the fz6 category imo. in every other way the fz6, i feel, is the little brother to the vfr. the vfr is nice and mature and comfortable, and still very sporty. but its chunkier.

the fz is spunky, fun, peppy, a thrill a minute. but it is still comfortable. my ass doesnt start to hurt until 4.5-5.5 hours in the saddle. get saddlebags and a tail bag and youre set for whatever. costs less than half as much than a vfr as well.

depends on what ur lookin for. if ur gonna do lazy touring and enjoy the scenery, while still being sporty enough to enjoy the ride as well, vfr would be my choice. exciting touring, FZ takes it....cant tour on a cbr or an R6 the way you can on the FZ.

day to day.......FZ-sizzle takes the cake...no comfort issues, nice and zippy, handles well, brakes well, cant ask for more...
 
J

Jman

I have ridden both...and for power, the VFR does seem a bit stronger. However, the FZ6 is more comfy, easier to handle, easier to corner and priced more reasonable as stated above. :stupidpc:
 
C

CHEMIKER

Hellgate said:
The VFR is a great bike, but it is HEAVY, about 550lbs. The FZ is 410lbs. The VFR has a very nice suspension, the FZs is so-so. The VFR is a pig in the canyons, the FZ is great. On day tours both are great, long tours, the VFR wins.

I considered the VFR but $12,000 was too much for a Honda. For a Duc I'd drop the coin.

The FZ is inexpensive to buy and insure.

I've done day tours on the FZ, two up with bags and it is great.

Your call bro.
Click to expand...
Dumb question, is a "pig" in the canyons a good thing or a bad thing?
 
Y

yamadavidson46

I had an 03 VFR, Great looking, typical Honda quality. About the same top end and quarter mile times as FZ6, but much heavier. What I couldnt stand was the damn v-tech, stupid idea that doesnt work very well and just adds high tech for the sake of high tech. Very expensive valve adjustments. Lots of heat off of the frame on the right side, gets so hot you can barely touch it. It just didnt have the rev happy nature the FZ has. SOLD IT
 

C

chickwebb

I regularly ride both (mine - '03 VFR 800A, girlfriend's - '05 FZ-6). Both are great bikes, though I don't consider them very similar in a lot of respects and question the notion that they're in the same class of bike. Consider,

Ride - Much more upright on the FZ, handlebars are much wider. I regularly ride a KTM 950 SM and also occasionally a Duc 1098S, and the FZ is closer to the straight-up position of the supermoto, while the VFR is closer to the traditional tuck of a sportbike. Both are comfortable for either day trips or longer trips. They are similar in terms of luggage-compatibility and passenger comfort (both have Corbin seats w/backrest).

Handling - The VFR is a lot heavier, both in terms of actual weight and feel. Is that bad or good? Depends on what you like, I guess. I can handle the weight of the VFR, but it takes some effort to throw around. That said, the VFR rides like it's on rails; rock-solid, confidence-inspiring handling like few bikes I've been on (the 1098S comes to mind...). The FZ is not so good. Front end performance is mediocre at best; rear is better. You can push it, for sure, and it does OK, but it feels much looser when you do. The VFR has linked brakes, which again some people don't like, but I don't find it a problem.

Engine - Some people like the VTEC, some don't. It's OK for me. I notice it mostly because the bike gets a lot louder when it kicks in (intake and exhaust; I mostly hear the intake, obviously). It enables the engine to pull hard into the high revs, which is a good thing. The FZ engine is also very nice. Makes good power in the middle, pulls nice and hard on the high end. Definitely easier to work on yourself if you're inclined in that direction, and it is going to be cheaper if you hire somebody go do it for you. I don't consider a valve job every 16k miles onerous, BTW (esp. compared to every 7k on the Ducati! Ouch!). The VFR does run pretty hot. Can't beat the sound of a V engine - twin, four, doesn't matter - much sexier than an inline. Mine has gutted exhausts so it sounds even better; someday maybe we'll put aftermarket cans on the FZ, too, as that's a big improvement.

Styling - Similar in general, but different in detail. Obviously the VFR has full kit, and the single-sided swingarm is very sexy. The FZ is a very nice looking bike, too. I'm not a big fan of the FZ's single headlight (on low beams); I prefer both be on all the time for the visibility. I put fender eliminators on both and these are definitely an improvement.

Other - The VFR comes with ABS. ABS may save your *ss someday and it's worth it, IMHO. The Honda is a Honda. Put oil in it, do the scheduled maintenance, and it will go forever. Longer than you'll own it, most likely.

Price - The FZ is cheaper, no question. If you're buying used, the difference is considerably narrower than new. I paid $1k more for my '03 VFR than we did for the '05 FZ. Was that significant? Sure. Outrageous (given the ABS)? No.

Bottom line is they're both great bikes. You should buy that one that gets your juices going, not the one that everyone tells you to buy. Also, recognize that you'll probably only have it for a couple of years anyway, and you can always change your mind. Try it. Buy it. Then ride it like you stole it! :thumbup:

Oh, and the VFR's fairing most definitely does not touch the tank. Where do people come up with this stuff?! :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Top