My boy went to the dark side ..

[Zack]

Hi there,

After learning to ride and riding it for one season ('08) my son purchased 2006 GSXR 750. If you remember, last year we went to Buffalo together (from Toronto) and imported brand new FZ6, cobalt blue. We both shared it last summer and now he is very happy owner of the gixxer, yellow and black, beautiful, low km when purchased. So he switched a camps from Yamaha to Suzuki.

Anyway, one day he comes to me says:" Dad can I use your bike today, need to leave mine in garage". So he goes and tomorrow I ask him what is his impression of it now? He goes:

1. Too soft (shocks)
2. Brakes not that great
3. Dangerous to drive - feels every little thing on the road
4. Steering too light - front end
5. Shifting problematic

Now he got me thinking. I did try his bike and besides OMG performance it got me scared to I don't touch it any more.
Now item by item:

1. This is adjustable, I know. It is still in same position as it left factory and fine for me.
2. I never thought that brakes are not adequate but to all fairness his brakes are MUCH stronger.
3. Again truth. I drive FZ only and don't have any other experiences so it is kind of fine for me, however, I feel every patch, snake, bump or anything on the road. At the moment of hitting it steering goes left/right, like very short vibration. His bike has steering dampener and doesn't feel anything on the road.
4. Similar symptoms as #3
5. Shifting is not as precise and decisive as on gixxer. It will not kick into another gear every time. I described it in Tech help form section.

What do you think? Does boy have a point(s) or not?
Zack

P.S. I attached 2 pics so you can see what we are talking about here

 

[Zack]

That attaching pics didn't go well, sorry, here they are ...

 

[CrazyBiker]

he is all true. Ride the FZ1, you get the same feeling. FZ6 just feels anemic and powerless. FZ1 has a nice linear powerband and extremely strong midrange

 

[Zack]

he is all true. Ride the FZ1, you get the same feeling. FZ6 just feels anemic and powerless. FZ1 has a nice linear powerband and extremely strong midrange

OK, this makes it 1:0 for him

 

[Red Wazp]

Ahhh.... but he's screwing a Turtle while you sit nice and upright. Ask him how his wrists are after 250 miles.

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

I don't care how this it is and how that it is...it's a gixxer. The connotation alone is enough to keep me off one. Sorry, but I don't want to be lumped in with squids (fair or not).

Here's the thing. They're completely different bikes. The FZ6 is an all-rounder...touring, twisties, commuting...whatever you need it to do, it'll do. Yeah, it may not do one thing better than another bike, but it beats everything else when it comes to the total package (yes, even the FZ1, and I like the FZ1).

Never has the old saying been more true..."Jack of all trades, master of none". This fits the FZ6 perfectly.

 

[audible]

What is the FZ-1 HP factory out put?????:don'tknow:

 

[AdamDJ]

How tall is he? He looks like he is on the shorter side. The main reason I didnt get a Gsxr was because only my toes touched the ground and im 6' tall...

 

[Shinn]

What is the FZ-1 HP factory out put?????:don'tknow:

Wee bit off topic but 150bhp.

 

[Speedygonzales]

This is kinda pointless.

Sure the GSX-R 750 is a better sportsbike, it's disigned to be and it cost new almost double the money off an FZ-6.

 

[Zack]

This is kinda pointless.

Sure the GSX-R 750 is a better sportsbike, it's disigned to be and it cost new almost double the money off an FZ-6.

He paid 8300 CAD for '06 GXSR 750 with 2600 km on it. He got it from older guy like me so we are pretty sure bike wasn't abused. Seller had 2 more bikes, Harley and Vespa.

And to answer AdamDJ, Igor is 181-182 cm tall (6 ft). Gixxer is lower than FZ and feels lighter.

 

[Kriswithak]

Saying the brakes on the FZ6 aren't too great is a bit strange, unless your riding dangerously they are great and getting some new lines has apparently made them even better for alot of people. Its possible your pads are worn though if you have had it a while. My biggest gripe is the tyres the bike comes with, def. could be improved by 1000%
The steering and front end on the FZ6 is definately the only thing I was let down by, but again your paying alot less, and getting the front end setup with a dampener and fixing up the springs would probably help alot. Also in all my riding the dampener would only really have helped at speeds of maybe 150km/h+ on bad roads.
On good roads with nice (not too tight) windies the bike absolutely screams and handles amazingly
Dangerous because it feels everything on the road is a bit laughable.... thats where riding skill comes in. Getting feedback from your bike is what keeps you out of trouble.

Shifting on the bike is clunky, but problematic and it doesn't change? Obviously doing something wrong, changing without clutch is very smooth in the higher gears, and really only first to second jumps out as being annoying, its either something wrong with the bike or how you are shifting.

As others have stated its a very different bike. If you invested the money in the FZ6 thats the price difference between the bikes you would probably have everything except that extra power, with alot more comfort.

 

[Zack]

What kind of tires you would use?

 

[mcteague]

That attaching pics didn't go well, sorry, here they are ...

Jeans, tennis shoes, GIXER. Sounds about right.

Tim

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

Jeans, tennis shoes, GIXER. Sounds about right.

Tim

I hate these remarks... i ride jeans an shoes non stop. i hardly ever wear boots, and dont own road pants... Jacket helmet gloves.. not going to turn this into a ATGATT thread... but i get annoyed when people say "oh jeans and shoes, must be a gsxr" ...

 

[Kriswithak]

I hate these remarks... i ride jeans an shoes non stop. i hardly ever wear boots, and dont own road pants... Jacket helmet gloves.. not going to turn this into a ATGATT thread... but i get annoyed when people say "oh jeans and shoes, must be a gsxr" ...

Gotta agree with this guy, I wear jeans whenever I ride, draggins 99% of the time which look exactly like a normal pair of jeans. The other 1% is when they are in the wash and I wear normal jeans. I use the draggins because they are about the cost of two normal jeans, and are generally about 100x better made than the chinese crap thats considered fashionable these days and comes preworn by someone for 10 years to get the appropriate wear marks.
I do wear boots but they are the riding/walking boots made to be comfortable for all day wear, and while providing slightly more protection than a pair of sneakers it isn't a huge.

This kind of judgemental statement is just as bad as the 'squids', he isn't in a wife beater, shorts, and a pair of thongs, with a helmet worth 50% of his bikes value, so he is obviously doing alot more than most.

Obviously his dad could take to him with a stick to beat some sense into him (Everyone with lots of sense knows that the FZ6 is the best bike ever made after all) but we can let that slide... this time :justkidding:

 

[Hellgate]

Your son is correct, but for a few bucks you can update your Fizzer and keep the comfortable riding position.

1) SS Brake lines and Quality Brake Pads (EBC, etc)
2) Top Notch Tires
3) Fresh Oil Change with High Quality Oil (Mobil One, etc)
4) R6 Forks, or proper fork springs and emulators
5) All Balls Head Set
6) Ohlins Shock, or proper spring

It will never be a GSXR but those changes really transform and refine the FZ.

 

[Aleziel]

your son is right on most performance issues, but that's just half of the story... here are some nice questions from someone that got rid of his CBR to get the FZ6

*is he every going to put another passenger behind him on that ridiculous "seat"
*have fun riding in not optimal road conditions without an ABS
*oops, you dropped it from the stand? bye bye 500$+ for the plastic+paint+stickers fairings
*have fun filtering through traffic with that steering range
* travelling with perhaps more than a backpack? unlikely that you're going to install saddle bags on the gixxer

philosophical issue: do you really want your son to ride a bike that begs "please please lets go 250km/h"

there is no best bike.