FZ6 must go

T

troyw

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Hello all,

With great sadness, and much anger at my own body, it would appear that I must seek to get out of this great bike. I tried the FZ1 bars, I tried gel grips, I tried rolling the bars forward, back, gripping the tank with my legs, using back and stomach muscles, etc. My wrists just hate this bike, and that is that. It's actually the third sportbike I've tried, and couldn't ride. For my own sanity, I need to go back to heavy, underpowered cruisers.
This is a very stressful situation, as I traded a bike worth a lot for this FZ6, and now it's worth next to nothing, apparently, even with the new parts I've put on. I have it listed in the for sale section, and would appreciate anyone taking a look. It's in new condition, and I've already sunk an additional $500+ into it. It's either that and trade it immediately, and deal with what I've done to myself.
You're a great group, and I appreciate you all making me feel so welcome.

- Troy
 
Sorry to hear that nothing helped your hands/wrists Troy. Just out of curiosity, what type of work do you do? Do your hands hurt when typing, using hand tools, stuff like that?

Mine don't usually cause me much grief but when I ride my bicycle for a relatively long ride they get pretty numbed out. If I follow that with a FZ ride, it definitely gets painful.

Not an expert on cruisers, but I hope you find one you like.
 
troyw said:
Hello all,

With great sadness, and much anger at my own body, it would appear that I must seek to get out of this great bike. I tried the FZ1 bars, I tried gel grips, I tried rolling the bars forward, back, gripping the tank with my legs, using back and stomach muscles, etc. My wrists just hate this bike, and that is that. It's actually the third sportbike I've tried, and couldn't ride. For my own sanity, I need to go back to heavy, underpowered cruisers.
This is a very stressful situation, as I traded a bike worth a lot for this FZ6, and now it's worth next to nothing, apparently, even with the new parts I've put on. I have it listed in the for sale section, and would appreciate anyone taking a look. It's in new condition, and I've already sunk an additional $500+ into it. It's either that and trade it immediately, and deal with what I've done to myself.
You're a great group, and I appreciate you all making me feel so welcome.

- Troy
Click to expand...
Seems a shame. Cruisers obviously aren't what you want. Have you tried bringing the bars higher and closer to you? I've tried up and back risers - which were good, and I'm now running straight-up risers and higher bars. I can sit up fully straight and still ride with no issues. And I can still lean forward when riding aggressively too. If you have the bars at a position where you can sit up without having to lean your weight on them it should help. You can install much higher bars but may need to install longer brake lines etc. Someone on here installed proper cruiser bars from a drag-star or something. Have a look round...
 
Sorry to hear that. My wrists also get sore after a few hours in the saddle, and I'm sure it would only be worse on the more aggressive positioned sport bikes; R1, R6, etc. Fortunately, it's not bad enough I'm going to turn the bike. Taking breaks and taking pressure off wrists has helped but not eliminated it completely.

FZyLarry, my hands get sore on long bike rides as well, but it's primarily a numbness. Haven't been able to cure that issue either, and I like riding my road bicycle too much to stop.

Hmmm, sounding a bit like a masochist. :spank:
 
That sucks. My wrist bothered me too because of the bad angle. I went with a set of Pro Taper bars and it has not bugged me since.
 
sorry to hear that you can't get the bike to work for you, it really is a great bike, but it goes to show that no bike is perfect for everyone...
 
That's a really unfortunate story. Are you sure you don't have carpal tunnel syndrome? Must be something physiological like that. The FZ6 is a great bike, but hell, there's other good bikes so don't give up. Maybe there's somebody out there with a cruiser who wants a sport bike - you could get a trade going. Or maybe there's another sport/touring bike with your name on it. Anything is better than having to ride in pain, that just takes the fun out of it.
 
dean2287 said:
That's a really unfortunate story. Are you sure you don't have carpal tunnel syndrome? Must be something physiological like that. The FZ6 is a great bike, but hell, there's other good bikes so don't give up. Maybe there's somebody out there with a cruiser who wants a sport bike - you could get a trade going. Or maybe there's another sport/touring bike with your name on it. Anything is better than having to ride in pain, that just takes the fun out of it.
Click to expand...

Im sorry to gear the bike didnt work out and Im sorry I have to jump on this soapbox...

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a syndrome a list of symptoms with a common cause. Wrist pain is rarely if ever CTS, thumb/pointer/middle finger numbness tingling pain weakness are common signs of CTS...

In the meantime I am pretty sure it would be your positioning... If there are any other environments that the same pain occurs Id get it checked out I dont know if the warrior is a choice for you but I hear people rave about how it straddles cruiser/sportbike
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/60/home.aspx
 
Sorry the FZ6 did not work out for you. I heard Honda has a new motorcycle that is a cruiser/sportbike. They call it the DN-01. It combines comfort of a cruiser with looks for a sportbike, but it has an automatic transmission like a scooter. Very interesting. Anyways, which cruiser would you get after the FZ6 if you had the choice?
 
Try the Ducati Multi-Strada. Definately not a cruiser, and not really an aggresive sportsbike either, but in between that can carve the canyons pretty damn good. What about a BMW?
 
If I really couldn't deal with the riding position of the FZ6 but didn't want a cruiser either about the only middle-ground I can think of is the Harley XR1200 - maybe be sporty enough to keep you happy but upright enough to keep the weight off your hands.

That said, given all things you've done to the FZ I can't imagine giving up without trying bar-risers (especially the up and back variety), Maybe you could find some other obliging owner close enough to you that has them to check it out with buying them.
 
VEGASRIDER said:
Try the Ducati Multi-Strada. Definately not a cruiser, and not really an aggresive sportsbike either, but in between that can carve the canyons pretty damn good. What about a BMW?
Click to expand...

Good thoughts the Multi is a little more upright than FZ but not much. Or course it might not take much. Something like an 800GS would maybe be a good balance.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the support. It's not an easy decision. The reason I got rid of the VTX was just the weight issue. It was a fast bike, as I tuned it, but not quite the FZ6. I have tried all positions of the bars possible, and I really don't like those risers. I am a graphic artist and musician. I play several instruments, but concentrate on drums and bass. On that train of thought, playing a 6 string bass with small hands often poses similar discomfort. I manage to do it because I don't always have to lean on my wrists or hands when playing. Also, after about an hour behind the drums, my wrists start to bug me. I don't know if it's carpal or not. I don't experience numbness or anything, just a bad pain when leaning for a time. I get the same thing when standing for more than, say, 20 minutes. I'm also a fitness nut, and run a lot, which bothers my joints for a little while, then they settle down.

I really did want to get a Roadstar Warrior in the worst way, but I can't seem to get the price right on that bike. Next choice would be either an M109 or a Victory Hammer. Those are out of sight price-wise too. I'm just lower middle income, so an abundance of money is not a factor here. So, with that said, I probably will get the best deal on a leftover VTX 1800...again. SIGH...too heavy a bike, but it's still a great machine, even if the valves have to be adjusted every 8k miles...LOL! It's a capable performer when set up right, as I did my last one. The guy who bought it calls me to tell me awesome it is, and the work I did is the best. I was hoping to get there with the FZ and just destroy my cruiser riding friends.

I guess I'm just a bit of a freak. What works for most just doesn't for me. I can't even buy clothes without a major ordeal. I guess there aren't many 5' 6" men out there weighing 130 lbs. with a 30 inch inseam.:D

- T.
 
Oh well... at least you can make claim you have piloted one of the best bikes out there.

For me the handlebar is the Achilles’ heel of this bike. One day it can be comfortable and another horrible - if it only had less pull-back.

Anyway good luck on your next bike.
 
DaveOTZ said:
Im sorry to gear the bike didnt work out and Im sorry I have to jump on this soapbox...

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a syndrome a list of symptoms with a common cause. Wrist pain is rarely if ever CTS, thumb/pointer/middle finger numbness tingling pain weakness are common signs of CTS...

In the meantime I am pretty sure it would be your positioning... If there are any other environments that the same pain occurs Id get it checked out I dont know if the warrior is a choice for you but I hear people rave about how it straddles cruiser/sportbike
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/60/home.aspx
Click to expand...

:spank: geez, should have gotten my MD before I opened my stupid mouth...
 
Those bars are a nice idea, but the center isn't wide enough. There's some bars I may have to try at the dealer, but they're $65. Looks like they're dirt bike bars with the cross brace that I'd have to take off. Yeah, called dealers about my options, and none of them are even close to feasible. I made the bed, and looks like I'm stuck in it now. Now, don't get me wrong boyz n' girlz, it's me and NOT the bike. This is a fine motorcycle. I'm in the best shape of my life at almost 40 yrs old, but my hands do not like this bike at all. But, I'm going to have to learn to live with it and grin and bear it when my cruiser riding friends are scraping their pegs. I'll have to learn to just smile through the pain and say, 'yeah, my hands hurt bad, but YOUR PEGS ARE GONE.'
I'm going to try to get a deal out of Corbin as well. Perhaps if they can make me a great seat that's lower by about an inch, it may help as well.
I don't really know what to do, but I can't just give away $4k because sportbikes can't hold any value. To get a cruiser back means coming up with another $6-7k. I just can't do it, and it really pisses me off. But, you guys will talk me through it, and hopefully I'll get the joy back.

I don't really know any of you, but the words mean a lot. Forums are good at these times, and having biker brothers to encourage is a good thing.
Thanks again.

- Troy
 
have you talked to a wrist specialist?

do it.

he will give you good tips at least on things you can do, or maybe even find out what it is.

at the very least he can give you advice on things to do before/after/during that will alleviate some if not all of the pain.
 
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