Anyone ever feel the need for more power with FZ6..

[Paul Myrus]

Like the title says any folks need the feeling of more hp? Myself personally FZ6 2006 don't, but my mates on litre bikes give me the only run around, "ah man why did you get the FZ6 over FZ1, I've had a gsxr 750, and couldn't be happier with the FZ6 I always wanted one since they came out,

Anyway just wanted to throw it out there an see what you guys think

 

[Erci]

FZ6 is an outstanding bike and it's anything, but slow.
Some of the reasons I went to FZ1 from FZ6 (and several other bikes since then.. lol):
1. I plain wanted one! FZ1 is a sexy beast
2. I did a lot of 2up riding, and while FZ6 was just fine at it, more power is always nice for 2up.
3. I did a lot of highway miles and wanted less buzz (FZ1 accomplished that nicely).
4. I wanted to carry a lot of luggage (top and sides). Again, FZ6 can do that just fine, but a bike with more power handles extra weight with less of a noticeable hit to acceleration.
5. I wanted better headlights. FZ1 had true dual headlights which are outstanding at night.

Some of the above can be addressed by modding FZ6, but let's be honest.. it's fun to try new bikes!

The thing I missed the most when I went to FZ1 from FZ6? Handling! FZ1 is a bit of a pig compared to FZ6. Biggest culprit is the 190 rear tire. There's a way to get around that too.. folks typically go with 190/55 instead of 190/50, to make the bike easier to lean over into turns.

 

[Gary in NJ]

I'm not a fan of liter bikes. I'm 55 years old and have been riding since I was 8 (on the street since I was 16) so I know a thing or three. I've owned plenty of liter bikes over the years, mostly because in my 30's I thought that's what an experienced rider is supposed to gravitate towards. But after finding myself riding like an a-hole in my 40's I decided to ditch the GSXR1000 and go to an SV650. The old saying is so true, it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. You simply can't ring-out a liter bike on public roads without endangering your life or the life of others. 600's and 650's a simply fun and I have owned a few in the last decade. In fact, I'm really eyeballing the Ninja 400 thinking that's probably a flat-out hoot to ride. I know that my DRZ400 Street Tracker sure is.

 

[Erci]

I'm not a fan of liter bikes. I'm 55 years old and have been riding since I was 8 (on the street since I was 16) so I know a thing or three. I've owned plenty of liter bikes over the years, mostly because in my 30's I thought that's what an experienced rider is supposed to gravitate towards. But after finding myself riding like an a-hole in my 40's I decided to ditch the GSXR1000 and go to an SV650. The old saying is so true, it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. You simply can't ring-out a liter bike on public roads without endangering your life or the life of others. 600's and 650's a simply fun and I have owned a few in the last decade. In fact, I'm really eyeballing the Ninja 400 thinking that's probably a flat-out hoot to ride. I know that my DRZ400 Street Tracker sure is.

Looks like I got about 6 more years of riding like an a-hole!! hahahah just kidding
While I'm on a liter bike now, it's a V-twin adventure bike which is almost certainly SLOWER than FZ6

 

[Motogiro]

It's a 600ish cc inline 4 and I think that engine is awesome in it's class. I got about 4-5 more ponies out of my motor but I spent $$$ on fuel management and dyno tuning. Torque is the greatest difference

When you think about the total package the FZ6 has good power and it's got great range. I like it's design. It looks really great. With a few mods and normal maintenance, it will really treat you right and it's reliability is second to none. It also makes a great street fighter! The other great thing is it still has great support through the members on this forum.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I've owned many bikes MUCH larger than the FZ6 (sportiest being a ZRX1100, FJR 1300).

Rode ( and worked on a friends 1400 Concours and his Suzuki 1300 cc B-King). Changed the pipes on the B-king beside some other mods.

That B-king was un-comfortable as heck, a light to light racer and by far, the fastest thing I ever rode. You could NOT hold the throttle wide open in first, the bike accelerated so hard you literally could NOT hold onto the handle bars. A blast to ride (adrenaline rush big time).

I had a chance to buy it but didn't.
I knew I'd either loose my license or my life (most likely my life-honestly)…

I bought the FZ as a new "beater" (wrecked) and had an 04 FJR, 04 Goldwing and 05 KLR 250 at the time. As I don't do anymore LD trips, I fell in love with the FZ6.

Handles great, plenty of power (to weight ratio), your NOT replacing tires every 4,000 miles. And will get up and go when you want to...

I can afford any bike I want, however, unless this gets wrecked beyond repair, it's not going anywhere.

 

[FinalImpact]

JM2C - fix the suspension and it transforms the fizzer into a new bike.
Like said above, you get a lot of playtime in many forms riding the 6 with the liter gang. Ya I shift a lot and will tire of it one day but I still enjoy it.

If it just had more torque I'd love shizzle out of it. Getting respectable throttle response and pull was fun. It can be done on the cheap. See sig for details.

I may yet get brave and do cams and compression bump but i know NO ONE will ever want it after that!
Right now it is a pleasure to ride!

 

[bigborer]

Honestly I'd get new mates if I were you. The ones who are obsessing and constantly validating their liter bikes are (among) the ones who will get in trouble. A "liter mate" spotting a dime and taking down other bikes would not be any premiere.

Used prices: 1000s are only 20-40% more than 600s so almost anyone could afford one. It's just that 170+ HP on the streets is either just posing or really risking it way more than it'd ever be worth.

If one insists on going really fast on the streets and can't do that on a 600- sorry but that's not because of the bike. One might cover the straight line between two corners much faster and overall feel better/faster, but they'll still be ****.

 

[Paul Myrus]

Cheers lads I thought as much... love the Fizzy

 

[eagerpuppy]

I came from my first bike, KLR650, then to a SV650 (a not very well cared for one at that), then came upon the FZ6. Coming from those two bikes, the FZ6 feels like a rocket ship. I was just going to put some gas and seafoam in it while it sat for a few weeks before I could repair it, and pulling out of the neighborhood I though i was going to loop it. When you can goose your SV650 out of first and second and not worry about it, a sudden jump to the FZ6 feels like a bullet. Maybe one day I'll get to where I might try and look for an FZ1, but that would only be for long trips when we hit the Cherohala.

 

[Ohendo]

... but that would only be for long trips when we hit the Cherohala.

(LOVE the Cherohala!)

 

[Ital]

My experience seems to indicate the smaller the CC the more fun the bike is.
I've had 50cc and fully tuned 170cc scooters and they can be a lot of fun around town, but they are not good for highway and long hall reliability hahaha
but they are great to race at WOT
I then had a 250cc Yamaha virago which i grabbed because the price was just to good not to buy, but the top speed was around 80MPH and it was actually a decent commuter bike, but there was no extra omph on the highway if it was needed to get out of a dangerous situation.
Personally I think the 100hp mark on a 400lbs bike is the sweet spot. The bike is faster then most cars out there and it is easy to twist and handle. I have no desire for more power. I sue the bike for commuting. I calmed down a bit now and I can get about 50MPG

 

[MIJ_FZ6]

I'm coming four years on a Ninja 250. Rode it everywhere. Work, buddies houses, group rides etc. I noticed a few things about it. What I thought were true enthusiasts didn't look at the 250 as inferior and never talked bad about it. They were happy that another rider was out enjoying the hobby. There was always a guy or two that had to run their mouth and make fun of it. One guy particullarly, he had already been in an accident and bought a mint new R6. He would rip on it all the time, dude was a bully and always ran his mouth. It didn't matter, that is what I felt comfortable on, I didnt feel the need to upgrade at the time for several reasons.

The FZ6 is fricken rocket ship according to me. Like others have said, without being an A hole I have a very hard time using its power on the street for all the right reasons. It is very true, it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I'm coming four years on a Ninja 250. Rode it everywhere. Work, buddies houses, group rides etc. I noticed a few things about it. What I thought were true enthusiasts didn't look at the 250 as inferior and never talked bad about it. They were happy that another rider was out enjoying the hobby. There was always a guy or two that had to run their mouth and make fun of it. One guy particullarly, he had already been in an accident and bought a mint new R6. He would rip on it all the time, dude was a bully and always ran his mouth. It didn't matter, that is what I felt comfortable on, I didnt feel the need to upgrade at the time for several reasons.

The FZ6 is fricken rocket ship according to me. Like others have said, without being an A hole I have a very hard time using its power on the street for all the right reasons. It is very true, it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

I've been stopped WAY more times on my old KLR 250 than my FZ. Not going over the speed limit, but more so in turns, do the speed limit and then some.

With the height of the bike, I could cut corners, lean even faster and farther than the FZ...

Miss that bike, last year of production. 75 MPG around town too!

You could drop it, pick it up and away you go... No frame "stays", plastic to break....