New Member from MA

[lucky13]

Don't own an FZ6R yet, but it is on my short list.

I recently sold a Ninja 500 (bought in September 2011) after putting about 3,500 miles on it; with the majority (3,000) of the miles since June. Early morning commuting into work in October and November (and likely next April) involved an extended warm-up time and I would like to avoid that with a Fuel Injected bike.

The two leading contenders for my next bike are the FZ6R and the GSX650F.

 

[Rabbitman109]

Welcome to the site! I hope you find all the information that you are looking for!

 

[DragonBlu]

Welcome Lucky, you will absolutely love a fuel injected bike if you have never had one. It's like push the button and go.

 

[Superuser]

What other bikes have you considered or eliminated from consideration? Or has it always been between these 2?

 

[Nastybutler]

The new Ninja 300 has modern styling as well as fuel injection (and a slipper clutch). It's probably not much of step back from the 500, power wise, and a big step up in just about every other category. I started on a 500EN before getting my 6R. The FI was one of the things I loved. That and the lack of vibrations, ha ha.

Now that the wife is wanting a bike (the 6R is too heavy and hard to manuver in/out of the garage), she's got her eye on that N300. I'm hoping she decides to pull the trigger...more so I can take it out and romp on it than to ride together

 

[lucky13]

What other bikes have you considered or eliminated from consideration? Or has it always been between these 2?

In addition to the FZ6R and the GSX650F I originally had the below on my list.


SV650S

• I like the availability of ABS equipped model, but they are few and far between. Ultimately I'm not sure if clip-ons are for me.

Ninja 650

• Enjoyed my test ride of a 2012; however newer redesign is not in my budget and I do not like the all digital display of the older bikes.

FZ6

• It appears that many consider it superior to the FZ6R. I realize that its a different bike and I'm not sure I need or want the extra power.

 

[lucky13]

Ended up test riding the GSX650F, FZ6R, and FZ6.

Below is order of preference:

1. GSX650F
2. FZ6R
3. FZ6

However the GSX650F I was looking at was sold, so I'm not sure what direction I am going to go in.

 

[Scott_Thomas]

Ended up test riding the GSX650F, FZ6R, and FZ6.

Below is order of preference:

1. GSX650F
2. FZ6R
3. FZ6

However the GSX650F I was looking at was sold, so I'm not sure what direction I am going to go in.

@ 531 lbs the Suzuki is a real pig. Everyone knocks the 6r for being bloated at 470 lbs wet. There are some ways to get the 6r's weight down further too by dumping the stock exhaust (drops 10 lbs and adds 5 hp) for a Marthy Viper or TBR full exhaust. There's a thread on here about weight reduction. I do like the look of the Zuki, but that thing weighs almost as much as a 750-900 cruiser.

 

[lucky13]

@ 531 lbs the Suzuki is a real pig. Everyone knocks the 6r for being bloated at 470 lbs wet. There are some ways to get the 6r's weight down further too by dumping the stock exhaust (drops 10 lbs and adds 5 hp) for a Marthy Viper or TBR full exhaust. There's a thread on here about weight reduction. I do like the look of the Zuki, but that thing weighs almost as much as a 750-900 cruiser.

The FZ6R was a close second.

While the GSX650F is a bit portly, I thought it was smoother and had more useable power in the lower rev range than the FZ6R.

For either bike, I would like to add a center stand and an aftermarket slip-on. From what I have read, adding a center stand to the FZ6R significantly limits the number of compatible aftermarket exhausts. There appear to be more options available for GSX650F.

 

[buzzbomb]

The FZ6R was a close second.

While the GSX650F is a bit portly, I thought it was smoother and had more useable power in the lower rev range than the FZ6R.

For either bike, I would like to add a center stand and an aftermarket slip-on. From what I have read, adding a center stand to the FZ6R significantly limits the number of compatible aftermarket exhausts. There appear to be more options available for GSX650F.

I'm not personally familiar with the GSX650X. I rode a 650SV for a while, and though I can't speak to the actual HP at lower revs, that sucker had torque to spare.

Here's the however: I never liked the bike. It always felt like a torquey little runaround with no soul. On top of that it handled like crap, compared to my 6R.

'Zuki builds nice bikes. Few would disagree with that statement. Once again though, no comparison to my 6R as far as quality goes. I was always trying to track down some niggling little issue with the 'Zuki.

There was always something that was never quite right. Maybe it's because it just felt cheap, to me. Once again, I've never had that issue with my 6R. My biggest problem with my 6R is that I never have anything to work on!

The 6R is not as torquey. First gear is basically there to get you to second gear. After that? The little lady will get up and go.

The beauty of the 6R powertrain is that it doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. It's not a 600 that wishes it were bigger. It's not a racing bike. It's not a track bike. It doesn't try to be. It's just an awesome fricking SportBike that honestly offers up more than most riders can use.

As for the center stand? Screw it. Get a set of paddock stands and enjoy modding to your heart's content.