New Member asking about the FZ6R for my dad

[weaponzero]

Hi, I live in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, I have an FZ09 and I absolutely love it! I'm not asking about me but my dad.

My dad is turning 60 in January and has been riding intermittently since the 1970s. He started out on smaller displacement UJMs. He upgraded to a CB400 Four cafe racer, which he sold when he found out mom was pregnant with me. He was bikeless for about thirty years, give or take, until recently when he decided to buy a used Suzuki S50 Boulevard cruiser. After owning it for about a year, he decided he needs something just a bit sportier. He rides it way too aggressively for any cruiser when he's up in the mountains. He wants to get something sportier but doesn't want to go all the way to a supersport. He sat on a FZ6R at a dealer and liked the seating position and the look. He knows it needs to rev higher than is cruiser but otherwise will outperform it by a pretty decent margin. A local dealer has a sweet deal on a leftover new 2013 model.

Is it the right bike for him, you think?

 

[ATM]

Yes

Yes, it is the perfect mix of speed and power and can be very tame when you want it to be, My two cents.

 

[Marthy]

Hey Weapon,

Glad you found the best house there is for the FZ6R.

 

[weaponzero]

Hey Weapon,

Glad you found the best house there is for the FZ6R.

Yo Marthy! Haha, should have figured you'd be here.

A local dealer has an unsold 2013 brand new for 5500 OTD. He's pretty dead set on it.

 

[Marthy]

Good deal! Unfortunately they made the fast yellow in 2009 only... lol But all the other colors are still ok.

5500 OTD is a killer deal.

 

[xinu]

I'm slightly over 60 and shorter and wider than I use to be. The FZ6R fits me well. The riding position is way better than a cruiser for being in control during spirited rides. The bike has a pleasant willing feel at low revs/speed and will get up and go when cranked without to much fuss. It's one of a few choices out there but proven reliability, seat height and full fairing were the deciding factors for me.

 

[weaponzero]

I'm slightly over 60 and shorter and wider than I use to be. The FZ6R fits me well. The riding position is way better than a cruiser for being in control during spirited rides. The bike has a pleasant willing feel at low revs/speed and will get up and go when cranked without to much fuss. It's one of a few choices out there but proven reliability, seat height and full fairing were the deciding factors for me.

Same for my dad. He knows reviews say the new FZ07 is an all around better performer, but he really wanted the full fairing. Plus, this deal on a leftover 2013 is pretty insane to pass up.

 

[Marthy]

Exhaust + PCV + FZ6 cams + airbox mod get you +12 HP or so. Low 80HP at the wheel.

If he's interested I still have my set if cams sitting on the shelve. I put my 6R back to stock...er for my wife to learn and practice.

 

[weaponzero]

He's picking up the bike on Saturday. He's going to leave it stock for the remainder of the season (which is only another month or so) and if he feels it needs any mods he'll do them over the course of winter. Because the engine is based on an R6 I'm assuming there's a ton of stuff you can do to squeeze more out of it that will bring it closer to its origins.

 

[latony007]

i agree with everyone great choice, in fact i have a C50 cruiser as well and know what he means, but thats why i still have both. I use the cruiser for longer trips and 2 up and the fz for about everything else.

 

[weaponzero]

i agree with everyone great choice, in fact i have a C50 cruiser as well and know what he means, but thats why i still have both. I use the cruiser for longer trips and 2 up and the fz for about everything else.

Thanks, it's nice to have a frame of reference. I know that it doesn't like low revs as much as the Boulevard seeing as how its a 600 I4, but how does the performance compare once you get into the powerband?

 

[latony007]

Thanks, it's nice to have a frame of reference. I know that it doesn't like low revs as much as the Boulevard seeing as how its a 600 I4, but how does the performance compare once you get into the powerband?

kinda comparing apples and oranges. The C50 is great at sitting on the freeway at 75 and going for 150 miles and thats what its built for. The FZ is like driving a porche compared to a mini van the mini van has its place but the porche is way more fun. The fz has a really even power band and will run fine on the streets at low rpms but does start to really take off at around 9k

 

[xinu]

Speaking of cruisers, my last bike was a VTX1800, I wish I still had it but insurance was to expensive to justify the fun factor. In Ontario (Canada) displacement has is a significant factor determining insurance rates. I wanted to downsize in girth, weight and cost.

For me the FZ6R is a completely different ride than a cruiser. The feeling of WOT acceleration on a cruiser like being pushed verses the 6R's pull when in the zone.

 

[latony007]

Speaking of cruisers, my last bike was a VTX1800, I wish I still had it but insurance was to expensive to justify the fun factor. In Ontario (Canada) displacement has is a significant factor determining insurance rates. I wanted to downsize in girth, weight and cost.

For me the FZ6R is a completely different ride than a cruiser. The feeling of WOT acceleration on a cruiser like being pushed verses the 6R's pull when in the zone.

Cruisers are not built for speed, even at 1500cc or more they still can only barely come close to matching a FZ6R on a straight, in a corner of course you would dust a cruiser riding a 250. I road the Suzuki M109R and the Harley VRod which are both about 1800 and they were very close to the the FZ6R straight line but again at triple the CC and quadruple the cost. thats why i just bought a cruiser with 800cc, cruises great, was cheap and gets around 50mpg. How was the VTX1800 off the line?

 

[xinu]

...How was the VTX1800 off the line?

The only way I can describe off the line on the VTX was continuous controlled acceleration. Nothing scary but it felt like being pushed hard and it didn't stop until about 60mph after that the thrill was gone.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6hqcfinppkfm3cc/tiny.jpg?dl=0[

 

[weaponzero]

Well, we picked it up Saturday

I got to ride it myself and I found the riding experience "strange." I'd have to spend a lot more time with it to determine whether I like it or don't.

It doesn't tickle the senses in the same way my FZ-09 does, due to its smooth running engine and the way the torque builds up consistently from very little (as opposed to the FZ-09 which makes upwards of 50 lbs right off idle, making any twist of the throttle suddenly surge you forward). I see this as being a good thing when negotiating twisties because it simplifies things in a way that really lets you start getting into the nitty gritty of cornering technique. But on straights I can see it making for a somewhat stale riding experience. It has a good seating position and I can see it doing well as a budget sport tourer. It doesn't suffer from the lack of low-end that my old ZX6R had, which is a big plus. Overall I think it's a good bike but not for everybody, and I'd have to spend more time with it myself to figure out whether or not I would like it. But dad's having fun with it and that's what matters.

I also have a "first oil change from hell" story about it...

Because of the promotion Yamaha is running in our region, both my dad and I received $350 track day credit through N2 (formerly NESBA) which is enough for 2 track days. Probably going to redeem them next season and track our bikes together over at PittRace.

 

[xinu]

Good to hear your Dad is enjoying it and having fun. Your description of the throttle response mirrors mine. I don't find it too docile though. It's just very predictable and linear. I've always found straight roads boring. As I get older I seem to enjoy the scenery more

 

[latony007]

Good to hear your Dad is enjoying it and having fun. Your description of the throttle response mirrors mine. I don't find it too docile though. It's just very predictable and linear. I've always found straight roads boring. As I get older I seem to enjoy the scenery more

The Spyder your only ride? My brother has a 2012 RT and i love it. I really want to get the sport version eventually. Like you said getting older and the safety of the 3 wheels is becoming more appealing. Id love to be able to keep my sport bike too but the can ams are so expensive if i ever do get one im betting both my bikes will have to go.

 

[weaponzero]

I can agree there. I can say this much: I am originally from South Florida and the roads down there are all perfectly straight. There's no such thing as twisties. I would NOT recommend this bike to anyone living in a place like that.

Oh apparently my dad started an account here under the username Gandhawk. Consider this his introduction thread.

 

[buzzbomb]

Congrats to your Dad! I wish mine could still ride, but his bum knee doesn't allow him to. Sadly in all our years of riding, we never rode together. Cherish it, man, cherish it.