Anyone ever regret or have doubt in their FZ6 purchase?

[mjesenovec]

Hey all!

Picked up my 2007 FZ6 a few weeks ago now. It's my first bike, and it took me 10 years after getting my license to finally get a bike. Life got in the way and it just took a while for me to pull the trigger.

Anyway, this whole time I always knew I wanted an upgright sport bike. FZ6, FZ6R, FZ-07, Ninja 650, etc. Something in that range is what I wanted to ride.

After taking my FZ6 out a few times, I'm wondering if I made the right choice. It's a blast and I really like the bike. I love the weight, I love the look, love the sound. I just feel like I have to concentrate so much on riding because the bike is so sensitive, I'm not able to just relax and enjoy the ride itself. I feel like i have to super focus on turns and being precise and perfect because the smallest movements make such a big different. It's not necessary a BAD thing, I just wonder if I should have look at more of a relaxed bike, sport cruiser, etc. I also get up to speed fine, and ride just fine without ever even hitting 8k rpms. I don't know if it's just my inexperience, or the fact I'm still getting used to the bike...but I don't see how I'd really need to rev it out to enjoy the ride or anything. I don't know if i'm going to want to need to use this motor to its full potential.

I dunno. Just banging around some ideas in my head. I'm sure once I get more miles under my belt, and really get comfortable with the FZ it will be fine. I think I really just need to bond with the bike and really get a feel for it. Plus, nobody says I have to keep it forever, but i'm not in a financial spot to trade it in right way. I'll just stick with it and see how things go in the coming months. I hope this feeling of it being too sensitive and technical for what I want/need goes away, and I can just enjoy it.

Anybody else ever feel this way, about the FZ or any other sportier bike they've had?

 

[thisisbenji]

If anything the FZ6 is a bit sluggish and slow to react. The throttle however is a bit abrupt.

Wait until it gets warm and you get to cruise some good roads with it to make your decision.

 

[Newell33]

I've owned probably 6 or 7 bikes so far in my life. A few examples are a Yamaha RD400 2 stroke, a Harley Sportster, a Suzuki GS750, a Yamaha XS750 triple, my 2007 FZ6, and a couple others. I'd say of what I've owned, the FZ6 is the most refined, and the most comfortable to ride.

The only issue that the bike has is the abrupt throttle response. I'm not sure why manufacturers map their throttles this way from the factory. There's no reason they should react like this. I would bet that this throttle response has quite a bit more to do with your uncomfortable feeling than how the bike reacts to input when turning. The only other suggestion would be for you to check your steering head / stem bearings to make sure yours aren't worn and sloppy. Maybe this is adding to the feeling that you get when riding.

All in all I'm very happy with the comfort and handling of my bike. Check the bike over to make sure there aren't any issues, and then give it some time. I'm sure you'll begin to enjoy it even more.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I felt similarly to how you feel for the first couple weeks after I bought mine. It was my first road-legal motorcycle. I had ridden tons of dirt bikes and atv's but never anything on the road and I was definitely not used to the bike. My slow speed maneuvering was mediocre at best, and I was hesitant to lean in corners. I thought I too had made the wrong choice...

But we're now almost a year later and I am bursting with excitement to get back home this spring break and start riding. As I got more and more hours under my belt last summer, I felt more and more comfortable. I was making fewer in-turn adjustments with greater lean angles and my low speed maneuvering was MUCH improved. I really started to get used to the bike and felt very at home in the saddle.

Long story short, give it more seat time, and take it easy until you feel comfortable, but it will come eventually!

 

[Jblk9695]

After you get used to the handling it will be second nature and it won't seem nervous any more. You might check the location of the forks in the triple clamps and measure how far they stick out of the top, if they are located to far up then the bike will be very sensitive. I think I had mine about 1/4 inch up and this seemed to handle just fine with good turn in.
I still miss my FZ6 today and if it was possible I'd have another one.

Jerry

 

[FIZZER6]

Sounds mostly like inexperience on street motorcycles.

Any motorcycle will react quickly to your inputs, more quickly than a car would. Smoothness is something you learn over time and even the most finicky bikes can be smooth as silk once you learn to adjust your inputs to the bike! :thumbup:

I bought my 2006 FZ6 brand new and never once felt I should have bought something else. If you like sporty yet comfortable, easy maintenance and a fast bike that you can't really grow out of unless you are just greedy then the FZ6 is the bike for you!

 

[FLPicker]

I purchased a 2007 FZ6 about a year and a half ago. My riding experience was rather limited and spent solely on cruisers in the late 80s and 90s. If you are wanting to be a sit back "lazy" rider, a cruiser may be a better fit. I do not mean lazy in a bad way. There is certainly some merit in the relaxed ride.

My wife has an 850 cruiser and it is enjoyable on the straights, but like riding a sofa on the curves compared to the FZ6. I think you will get more comfortable with it and take advantage of bikes capabilities over time. I found the high-revving engine to be a bit odd at first and not to my liking. I was keeping it too low in the rev range because of my V-Twin experience.

I have added some foam grip puppies to reduce handlebar vibration, bar risers to make it a bit more upright and a Cee Bailey tall screen to make it a bit more comfortable for the long hauls. All good additions. I have put over 5,000 miles on mine and feel at home on it now. I am committed to it enough to have finally ordered a Corbin seat while in Daytona this week.

I will add, that I rode a number of new bikes in Daytona. Although some were "better" it really made me appreciate the attributes and value of the FZ6. I would give it some time before making any decisions

 

[mjesenovec]

Yeah I'm sure any doubts I have is just because i'm not used to it or comfortable with it yet. Even if I do come to the conclusion that it isn't the bike for me, I'm probably stuck with it at least until next year money-wise. So, I might as well enjoy it and ride it as much as possible. After all, it is my first bike and I love it to death. I'll give it a fair chance and see if I become more comfortable on it and use to it. Who knows, might really love it and keep it for years.

If not, something more performance-cruiser oriented might be in my future.

 

[MattR302]

Sorry for rubbing it in, but remember that time I posted this in your other thread where you were thinking about a FZ6?
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/showpost.php?p=604758&postcount=9

 

[mike_v]

You may want to consider doing a track day or riding clinic. Since you are in the northern IL region, check out motovid.com.

I've done sport riding 101 and 201 last season and learned more about riding in 2 days than 2 years on the street.

 

[Dry Martini]

Though I am always looking at other motorcycles, I still love my FZ6.

I never noticed the abrupt throttle response. I think you just need more seat time, to get use to the responsiveness of a sport bike.


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[FinalImpact]

Time in the saddle will help the "feeling" but there may be other reasons you feel that way.

Tires that are worn making the centers square off or even worn to much from leaning a lot will make the best bike an evil machine to ride. So if those tires are somehow original, they need replaced!! It can transform hate into love! :thumbup:
If you have a lot of nose dive in the corners, oil change to a heavier wt with a higher fill level can reduce this too.

Also setting the bars and levers to fit you can really help. Longer torso folks will need the levers rotated down so your hands/wrists are parallel to your forearm.

Next up: you have to relax. Go with the flow and become one with the bike. If you have death grip on the bars chances are your too tense to lean and this makes for late steering and more tension if you happen to be going wide in your turns.

The throttle chop can be reduced if you want. There are some inexpensive ways to help it. Let is know if this is of interest. Good tires are VERY important! Have a seasoned rider inspect those and give you some input.

O/T:
Coming down from the mountain the other day i found myself hands free steering with knees and pegs and bike falls in easily so as to run through most corners. As in, i lean, and it just goes there. Its good fit and very predictable. Its an absolute joy to ride!

 

[mjesenovec]

Sorry for rubbing it in, but remember that time I posted this in your other thread where you were thinking about a FZ6?
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/showpost.php?p=604758&postcount=9

Lol yes I remember. Any doubts I have really don't have anything to do with the power or anything. I'm not worried about not being able to handle it. I'm more worried with overall comfort and enjoying myself. I haven't had a BAD time on the bike so far. I just need more time with it.

I did just order a set of bar risers on amazon. If that makes it even a tad more comfortable, i'm sure i'll be fine.

 

[nitroheadz28]

Time in the saddle will help the "feeling" but there may be other reasons you feel that way.

Tires that are worn making the centers square off or even worn to much from leaning a lot will make the best bike an evil machine to ride. So if those tires are somehow original, they need replaced!! It can transform hate into love! :thumbup:

This, the FZ6 was my first bike as well and for the first couple weeks I was a bit jittery on it. What made it much worse was the fact that my tires were completely squared off for the first 3k of riding. After putting some Michelin PR3s in, it was like a totally different bike that practically begged to be leaned.

The throttle does take some getting used to, otherwise its a wonderfully smooth and responsive machine. The only thing I've come to dislike about it has been the throttle chop, which is particularly annoying when I'm doing low speed maneuvers during moto gymkhana.

 

[mjesenovec]

Good to hear I'm not the only one that was iffy about it at first. I'm excited to get some more seat time and really get comfortable with it. I'm also excited to get my bar risers I just ordered, as I'm sure that will just increase the comfort and cruise-ability of it.

 

[payneib]

If anything the FZ6 is a bit sluggish and slow to react.

Use a different gear. You're unnecessarily chugging the engine along if the FZ6 is sluggish.

As for the throttle issue, the same applies. Come down a gear and keep it in positive control and it's not an issue. Getting your chain slack set right really helps stop the delay when setting off from a standing start.

 

[2nd childhood]

+1 on the suggestion of a track day. I traded in my Yamaha vStar 650 (think underpowered undergeared overweight cruiser) for my FZ6 and the difference was startling. But within 2 weeks of purchase, I went to a track day and learned more about my bike and sport riding (all previous experience was cruisers or dual-sports) than I would have in a month of street riding.

 

[mjesenovec]

I'm sure a track day would be a huge help, but is it wrong to not really be interested? Taking a class on "sport riding" doesn't really sound appealing to me, as I have no interest in tracking my bike or ever getting to the point where i'm scraping pegs, dragging knees, or doing anything other than just putting around. I dunno, I might change my mind at some point, but I'm only interested in relaxing, chilled-out rides.

 

[thisisbenji]

Use a different gear. You're unnecessarily chugging the engine along if the FZ6 is sluggish.

As for the throttle issue, the same applies. Come down a gear and keep it in positive control and it's not an issue. Getting your chain slack set right really helps stop the delay when setting off from a standing start.

I meant as far as steering inputs go. The motor is no issue.

 

[FIZZER6]

I've owned my FZ6 longer than most (working on the 9th year!) and here's a couple things I've found that will help the bike feel better to you.

1. Lubricate your clutch cable! There's many ways to do this but I have found nothing better than a heavy duty ink cartridge syringe filled with synthetic motor oil, fill the cable sheath with oil from the lever side until it starts to come out at the clutch cover end. Do this every 3-4K miles. This alone will give you much smoother clutch control!

2. Lubricate BOTH throttle cables in the same way. This will help a lot with the throttle chop by allowing you to more smoothly and precisely give very small inputs to the throttle grip.

3. Adjust your brake lever and clutch levers properly! The front brake lever has 5 settings. larger number means the lever is closer to the grip when compressed. If you have smaller hands you want a larger setting! Clutch lever should have plenty of free play when released! I have found the clutch release to be much smoother and more control when the clutch starts to grab with the lever closer to the grip.

4. Low Speed control (parking lots): dragging the rear brakes is a great trick to keep the bike from jumping due to chain slap and/or snappy throttle response. I drag the rear brake when changing speeds while riding very slow (like in parking lots) as well as when making slow 90 degree or U-turns at tight intersections. If done right it can dampen the snappiness of the On/Off throttle as well as any chain slack chop. Practice it. I guarantee you find it smoother.