FZ6R upgrade?

[kromp]

A test ride would be amazing, I hope I can make it out to one of those! It's really the most irritating thing about buying a motorcycle. If I had been able to test ride the VFR then I would've saved myself some time and money.

 

[latony007]

Thanks, Dart... they don't do enough demo days in Atlanta... and it's a big market here.

Been wanting to take out a Bolt as well... (sh!ts and giggles, and something I was considering at one time)...

Let me tell you one thing i noticed about that Bolt. I have not ridden it but I did go and sit on one at couple places and the ground clearance on that thing is about 1 inch! the pegs and bottom of bike is so low it seemed like if you leaned past 5 degress you would be scraping.

 

[Marthy]

A test ride would be amazing, I hope I can make it out to one of those! It's really the most irritating thing about buying a motorcycle. If I had been able to test ride the VFR then I would've saved myself some time and money.

How far are you from West Palm Beach? Mine is far from what you will get at the dealership but that would give you a good idea. Don't put a good used one out of the equation either... those things last forever! 43K miles on mine and still rocking!

Mine is not for sale by the way... just in case you like it too much! LOL

 

[urbanduckman]

Let me tell you one thing i noticed about that Bolt. I have not ridden it but I did go and sit on one at couple places and the ground clearance on that thing is about 1 inch! the pegs and bottom of bike is so low it seemed like if you leaned past 5 degress you would be scraping.

I didn't like it too much myself I rather get a Triumph that's a similar class to the Bolt.

 

[kromp]

I really appreciate the offer but I'm about 300 miles from West Palm. I'm definitely going to try to hit up that Orlando expo though, that sounds pretty awesome!

 

[latony007]

I didn't like it too much myself I rather get a Triumph that's a similar class to the Bolt.

The Bonneville, now that is a nice bike.

I wish they had some demo rides around here for any makes. I just love trying different types of bikes. I wish I could try them all. I have ridden the fz6r obviously, a 08 ninja 650, a Honda 1300 cruiser, a Suzuki savage, a triumph street triple, Suzuki drz 400 and the big boy Can Am Spyder. Id like to try a gsxr.

 

[BKP]

Let me tell you one thing i noticed about that Bolt. I have not ridden it but I did go and sit on one at couple places and the ground clearance on that thing is about 1 inch! the pegs and bottom of bike is so low it seemed like if you leaned past 5 degress you would be scraping.

Yeah, I was sitting on one two hours ago, during lunch. (I was at Lawrenceville Honda/Yamaha, looking for the FZ-09 -- which they sold out of immediately).
The Bolt is still a cruiser, so clearance isn't what we're used to, however, for a cruiser, I didn't think it *that* bad. If I can get out on one, I'll let you know... Every cruiser I've ever ridden, I drag the pegs in corners, being so used to the sport ergos...

 

[latony007]

Hey if anyone sees Demo Rides in So cal for any make please post them up. Probably wont be any till spring now I would guess.

 

[urbanduckman]

The Bonneville, now that is a nice bike.

I wish they had some demo rides around here for any makes. I just love trying different types of bikes. I wish I could try them all. I have ridden the fz6r obviously, a 08 ninja 650, a Honda 1300 cruiser, a Suzuki savage, a triumph street triple, Suzuki drz 400 and the big boy Can Am Spyder. Id like to try a gsxr.

Damn, I was about to mention the Bonneville but they have a lot of nice bikes that are in the Bolts class that are just as awesome. I'd love to get a GSXR, but they're like Honda Civics, I see them everywhere.

 

[latony007]

Damn, I was about to mention the Bonneville but they have a lot of nice bikes that are in the Bolts class that are just as awesome. I'd love to get a GSXR, but they're like Honda Civics, I see them everywhere.

LMAO that is sooo the truth, at least here in So Cal. Seems like 25% of all bikes I see are the same GSXRs. I doubt I would get one (or any bike you lay on the tank) but would like to see why they are so popular.

Your right there are a lot of nice cruisers. I have a boulevard S40 that I use for 2 up and its fun. id rather have like an M50 or Shadow or something but instead of upgrading that I bought my FZ6R instead and im soo happy I did. No doubt the cruiser is more comfy but I actually feel safer on my FZ6R because it sticks to the road so much better than a cruiser. Plus instead of having one nice cruiser now I have a cruiser and a nice sport bike

 

[kromp]

Hey guys, just thought I'd give a quick update. I went to the American International Motorcycle Expo in Orlando:

AIMExpo

While there, I had the opportunity to test ride an FZ09 and an FZ8, although unfortunately they did not have an FZ1 for test riding (which was a shame because I'm really interested in grabbing one of those).

What I learned is that I did not like the FZ09 very much at all. The seating doesn't feel right; too narrow. Combined with high, wide handle bars and the relatively low weight of the bike made it feel very unstable to me. The power was indeed very present in the lower ranges, but even on the most conservative riding mode it felt too sensitive and prone to jerking when you just wanted to maintain a constant speed. Furthermore, I felt that the engine was very prone to vibration at all speeds. Basically, I just didn't like the feel of the bike in many regards, and I'm certainly glad that I didn't buy it and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who doesn't think they wouldn't enjoy a supercharged dirtbike. The power is there, but it just doesn't feel good to ride as a daily rider kind of thing.

I did, on the other hand, like the FZ8 quite a bit. It got a little buzzy around 4k RPM but then calmed down a bit until around 7k. Overall it just felt smoother in terms of the power and more stable in terms of the position and weight distribution than the FZ09, and definitely had a snappier throttle response and more power than the FZ6R. I would definitely own this bike. I still want to give the FZ1 a shot, because if it's similar to the FZ8 then I can't go wrong. But the FZ8 is just not at all competitive to the FZ09, and I don't know why the FZ09 is being viewed as a replacement because it's not at all a similar motorcycle.

 

[Marthy]

Hey guys, just thought I'd give a quick update. I went to the American International Motorcycle Expo in Orlando:

AIMExpo

While there, I had the opportunity to test ride an FZ09 and an FZ8, although unfortunately they did not have an FZ1 for test riding (which was a shame because I'm really interested in grabbing one of those).

What I learned is that I did not like the FZ09 very much at all. The seating doesn't feel right; too narrow. Combined with high, wide handle bars and the relatively low weight of the bike made it feel very unstable to me. The power was indeed very present in the lower ranges, but even on the most conservative riding mode it felt too sensitive and prone to jerking when you just wanted to maintain a constant speed. Furthermore, I felt that the engine was very prone to vibration at all speeds. Basically, I just didn't like the feel of the bike in many regards, and I'm certainly glad that I didn't buy it and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who doesn't think they wouldn't enjoy a supercharged dirtbike. The power is there, but it just doesn't feel good to ride as a daily rider kind of thing.

I did, on the other hand, like the FZ8 quite a bit. It got a little buzzy around 4k RPM but then calmed down a bit until around 7k. Overall it just felt smoother in terms of the power and more stable in terms of the position and weight distribution than the FZ09, and definitely had a snappier throttle response and more power than the FZ6R. I would definitely own this bike. I still want to give the FZ1 a shot, because if it's similar to the FZ8 then I can't go wrong. But the FZ8 is just not at all competitive to the FZ09, and I don't know why the FZ09 is being viewed as a replacement because it's not at all a similar motorcycle.

Ya, I can see if you like the inline 4 feel with smooth bottom end, the FZ-09 is not the right bike for you. The 09 has more of a twin feel with huge torque right off idle. It took me few 100's mile to get use to it. Now if I ride the 6R I'm like :wtfgun: I really need to downshift 3 gears to pass??? LOL

I don't feel the vibration like you did. It does vib but nothing like the high frequency on the 6R that gets my hands numb after 1/2 hrs no matter what I do. 5K @ 75 MPH help a lot too. The 09 is all engine for sure... I'm sure if you did spend a bit more time on the saddle you would have appreciate the character of the 09.

No way you can get me to buy a I-4 right now... LOL BRAAAPPP!

 

[yellowfz]

Hey guys, just thought I'd give a quick update. I went to the American International Motorcycle Expo in Orlando:

AIMExpo

While there, I had the opportunity to test ride an FZ09 and an FZ8, although unfortunately they did not have an FZ1 for test riding (which was a shame because I'm really interested in grabbing one of those).

What I learned is that I did not like the FZ09 very much at all. The seating doesn't feel right; too narrow. Combined with high, wide handle bars and the relatively low weight of the bike made it feel very unstable to me. The power was indeed very present in the lower ranges, but even on the most conservative riding mode it felt too sensitive and prone to jerking when you just wanted to maintain a constant speed. Furthermore, I felt that the engine was very prone to vibration at all speeds. Basically, I just didn't like the feel of the bike in many regards, and I'm certainly glad that I didn't buy it and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who doesn't think they wouldn't enjoy a supercharged dirtbike. The power is there, but it just doesn't feel good to ride as a daily rider kind of thing.

I did, on the other hand, like the FZ8 quite a bit. It got a little buzzy around 4k RPM but then calmed down a bit until around 7k. Overall it just felt smoother in terms of the power and more stable in terms of the position and weight distribution than the FZ09, and definitely had a snappier throttle response and more power than the FZ6R. I would definitely own this bike. I still want to give the FZ1 a shot, because if it's similar to the FZ8 then I can't go wrong. But the FZ8 is just not at all competitive to the FZ09, and I don't know why the FZ09 is being viewed as a replacement because it's not at all a similar motorcycle.

Good review.
My next ride will be a Ducati, but for now the FZ6R will suffice, would have loved the Z8 but wasn't available when I bought.

 

[latony007]

Ya, I can see if you like the inline 4 feel with smooth bottom end, the FZ-09 is not the right bike for you. The 09 has more of a twin feel with huge torque right off idle. It took me few 100's mile to get use to it. Now if I ride the 6R I'm like :wtfgun: I really need to downshift 3 gears to pass??? LOL

I don't feel the vibration like you did. It does vib but nothing like the high frequency on the 6R that gets my hands numb after 1/2 hrs no matter what I do. 5K @ 75 MPH help a lot too. The 09 is all engine for sure... I'm sure if you did spend a bit more time on the saddle you would have appreciate the character of the 09.

No way you can get me to buy a I-4 right now... LOL BRAAAPPP!

First off im glad im not the only one that has that hand numb feeling after an hour. I thought I just had horrible circulation or something. I keep thinking a good grip like kuraykan iso grips might help. if anyone knows solution to this speak up!

Second Marty from the mechanically unknowledgeable (me) isn't the fz-09 an I-3? Whats so much better about 3 than 4? if three is better than 4 why didn't we all buy the ninja with the twin?

 

[kromp]

Well, in terms of the FZ6R, I would say that depends where you do your riding. I would go so far as to say that it's nearly completely without vibration up until around 5k RPM, but around 6k it starts to buzz pretty badly. With the default gearing that means you're hitting it at around 70-75 mph, so... highway riding is a little bit of a liability there. But in terms of nothing but the vibration, power notwithstanding, I think the FZ6R is extremely smooth to ride on city streets up to 50 mph, without question.

I only went up to around 60 mph on the FZ8 so I don't know how it would translate to the highway, but I can see that you might have to bump up a gear to get out of the buzzy area around 4k, if that bothered you.

I'm really liking the 2014 Ninja 1000 in terms of the spec sheet and "word on the street", and I think the ABS, traction control, and street fueling mode are all great features. My only fear is that I'll buy it, get on it, and find that some subjective characteristics annoy me. It's supremely irritating that it's so hard to get test rides of popular bikes, especially given how deeply motorcycle riding relies on personal preference.

 

[Marthy]

First off im glad im not the only one that has that hand numb feeling after an hour. I thought I just had horrible circulation or something. I keep thinking a good grip like kuraykan iso grips might help. if anyone knows solution to this speak up!

Second Marty from the mechanically unknowledgeable (me) isn't the fz-09 an I-3? Whats so much better about 3 than 4? if three is better than 4 why didn't we all buy the ninja with the twin?

I4 are mostly all top end. Twins are mostly all bottom end torque. The triple sit right in the middle, perfect compromise in my book. The FZ-09 has more torque right at 2K RPM than the 6R at 8K peak. All you need to do is gently squeeze the throttle and that thing goes . So it take few rides to get use at not dumping the throttle at 3K like you're use with a I-4 until the power kick in at 8K.

 

[Marthy]

Well, in terms of the FZ6R, I would say that depends where you do your riding. I would go so far as to say that it's nearly completely without vibration up until around 5k RPM, but around 6k it starts to buzz pretty badly. With the default gearing that means you're hitting it at around 70-75 mph, so... highway riding is a little bit of a liability there. But in terms of nothing but the vibration, power notwithstanding, I think the FZ6R is extremely smooth to ride on city streets up to 50 mph, without question.

I only went up to around 60 mph on the FZ8 so I don't know how it would translate to the highway, but I can see that you might have to bump up a gear to get out of the buzzy area around 4k, if that bothered you.

I'm really liking the 2014 Ninja 1000 in terms of the spec sheet and "word on the street", and I think the ABS, traction control, and street fueling mode are all great features. My only fear is that I'll buy it, get on it, and find that some subjective characteristics annoy me. It's supremely irritating that it's so hard to get test rides of popular bikes, especially given how deeply motorcycle riding relies on personal preference.

Hear the Kawi bit a lot in the nut sac area... LOL But I never rode one. If the 09 didn't make it this year the FZ8 or Z1000 were on top of the list.

 

[latony007]

Well, in terms of the FZ6R, I would say that depends where you do your riding. I would go so far as to say that it's nearly completely without vibration up until around 5k RPM, but around 6k it starts to buzz pretty badly. With the default gearing that means you're hitting it at around 70-75 mph, so... highway riding is a little bit of a liability there. But in terms of nothing but the vibration, power notwithstanding, I think the FZ6R is extremely smooth to ride on city streets up to 50 mph, without question.

I only went up to around 60 mph on the FZ8 so I don't know how it would translate to the highway, but I can see that you might have to bump up a gear to get out of the buzzy area around 4k, if that bothered you.

I'm really liking the 2014 Ninja 1000 in terms of the spec sheet and "word on the street", and I think the ABS, traction control, and street fueling mode are all great features. My only fear is that I'll buy it, get on it, and find that some subjective characteristics annoy me. It's supremely irritating that it's so hard to get test rides of popular bikes, especially given how deeply motorcycle riding relies on personal preference.

.

I do have to do quite a bit of highway, if for no other reason than around here you have to take 45 minutes of freeway to get to a good riding spot. I never really noticed if I stayed off the highway if the numbing would be less but I don't think so.

I couldn't agree more. I think they would sell 15-20% more bikes if you could easily test ride them. Espcially for an hour or to so you can figure our whether its going to be comfy to you or not. Be careful on the 1000 a lot of bike but seems like the next logical step up from our bike as its bigger engine but same ergos. I also hear the insurance on that is double the fz6r but I have no direct knowledge of that.

I4 are mostly all top end. Twins are mostly all bottom end torque. The triple sit right in the middle, perfect compromise in my book. The FZ-09 has more torque right at 2K RPM than the 6R at 8K peak. All you need to do is gently squeeze the throttle and that thing goes . So it take few rides to get use at not dumping the throttle at 3K like you're use with a I-4 until the power kick in at 8K.

Ahh, good to know, I am learning something every day on this site. I see what you mean too, I have ridden the street triple a few times which is an I-3

 

[kromp]

I've definitely heard some mixed reports regarding vibration on the N1K, but... most people seem to indicate that it kicks in around 6k RPM. From my point of view, if I'm in the upper half or third of the rev range, that's because I'm trying to go fast, and in that case I don't mind a little bit of mechanical feedback. I just really don't like the idea of vibration when I'm taking it easy or just holding a steady speed.

Which unfortunately are the things that are hard to gauge until you can actually ride it.

EDIT: I should add that I often find torque to be a somewhat poor measure of performance. I don't feel that it measures performance in any particularly relevant way. The shape of the curve can tell you a lot about the smoothness of the power curve, and I think most people would agree that a fairly flat curve is a good thing. But a car that runs in the range of 1.5k to 6k is going to produce extremely high torque numbers compared to a 600cc sport bike running in the range of 3k to 18k, for roughly equivalent horsepower values (and of course the sportbike is going to be much faster due to the vast power-to-weight advantage).

Does an FZ09 produce higher torque than the FZ6R? Yes, but it has almost twice the horsepower. It should have a lot of torque by comparison. It's certainly not very different than an FZ1 in terms of torque. For the most part the torque between the FZ1 and FZ09 is very similar, and the horsepower is very similar too. I don't think the quantitative evidence supports the claim that the triple has considerably different characteristics than an I4.

I think if an engine feels like it has a lot of power in the lower range, it may often have more to do with the throttle response sensitivity than the engine itself.

 

[yellowfz]

First off im glad im not the only one that has that hand numb feeling after an hour. I thought I just had horrible circulation or something. I keep thinking a good grip like kuraykan iso grips might help. if anyone knows solution to this speak up!

Second Marty from the mechanically unknowledgeable (me) isn't the fz-09 an I-3? Whats so much better about 3 than 4? if three is better than 4 why didn't we all buy the ninja with the twin?

I don't have that problem (hand numbness) after the -1 front change and softer grips, if you grip to hard it will make a difference too.
I would say the -1 made the most difference of all.