thisisbenji
Member
Like the title says, I test road the FZ09, R6, and Bolt today.
STREET REVIEW
Let me start by this is from a street prospective at speeds that I would ride on a daily basis.
Three VERY different bikes.
I started with the FZ-09, what a bike. The first thing I noticed sitting on it was how small the bike felt, it was almost as if I was sitting on the front wheel. I'm not sure that I liked the handlebar position they could be about an inch farther forward. Once I got on the gas I completely forgot about the handlebars. Wow, does this bike have some get up and go down low. It's got an amazing motor.
After the FZ-09 I moved on to the R6, what a difference. The R6 has a rather aggressive seating position IMO, it actually kind of hurt my bike after about ten minutes. Yet, every time I hit a corner I completely forgot about the fact that I was laying on the tank, this bike was a freakin' rails. The engine on the other hand was nothing to write home about. It didn't feel any faster than my bike, if anything it felt a little weaker down low. It was a huge loss in power compared to the FZ-09.
Finally I hopped on the Bolt, it's not for me. The brakes sucked, the seating position rivaled the R6 in comfort, and it was slow. I kept bouncing it off the rev-limiter. The Bolt did however seem well put together, I'v never ridden a HD 883, but I would imagine the Bolt competes with it just fine.
At the end of the test ride I came to a conclusion of what bike I would buy.
The Bolt was the worst of both worlds, it was uncomfortable and slow. I put it third on my list.
The R6 cornered like it was on rails, but felt rather weak in the motor department and my back didn't agree. I would buy it in a heart beat for track days, or if I lived somewhere with canyon roads. Here in the Midwest, it just doesn't make sense to me as a street bike.
The FZ-09, all the negatives in the reviews are B.S. The throttle response is great, even in A mode it's no problem to get onto the throttle smooth. In B mode the throttle gets even more smooth although the power is reduced to R6 levels. The FZ has gobs of torque and is easy to control in a city environment. In addition it was extremely comfortable. Power is more usable than the R6 and it's more comfortable than the Bolt. It would be my bike of choice for street riding.
P.s. I'm currently riding a 2009 FZ6, it's a sport-standard similar to the FZ-09 and uses a retuned R6 motor.
STREET REVIEW
Let me start by this is from a street prospective at speeds that I would ride on a daily basis.
Three VERY different bikes.
I started with the FZ-09, what a bike. The first thing I noticed sitting on it was how small the bike felt, it was almost as if I was sitting on the front wheel. I'm not sure that I liked the handlebar position they could be about an inch farther forward. Once I got on the gas I completely forgot about the handlebars. Wow, does this bike have some get up and go down low. It's got an amazing motor.
After the FZ-09 I moved on to the R6, what a difference. The R6 has a rather aggressive seating position IMO, it actually kind of hurt my bike after about ten minutes. Yet, every time I hit a corner I completely forgot about the fact that I was laying on the tank, this bike was a freakin' rails. The engine on the other hand was nothing to write home about. It didn't feel any faster than my bike, if anything it felt a little weaker down low. It was a huge loss in power compared to the FZ-09.
Finally I hopped on the Bolt, it's not for me. The brakes sucked, the seating position rivaled the R6 in comfort, and it was slow. I kept bouncing it off the rev-limiter. The Bolt did however seem well put together, I'v never ridden a HD 883, but I would imagine the Bolt competes with it just fine.
At the end of the test ride I came to a conclusion of what bike I would buy.
The Bolt was the worst of both worlds, it was uncomfortable and slow. I put it third on my list.
The R6 cornered like it was on rails, but felt rather weak in the motor department and my back didn't agree. I would buy it in a heart beat for track days, or if I lived somewhere with canyon roads. Here in the Midwest, it just doesn't make sense to me as a street bike.
The FZ-09, all the negatives in the reviews are B.S. The throttle response is great, even in A mode it's no problem to get onto the throttle smooth. In B mode the throttle gets even more smooth although the power is reduced to R6 levels. The FZ has gobs of torque and is easy to control in a city environment. In addition it was extremely comfortable. Power is more usable than the R6 and it's more comfortable than the Bolt. It would be my bike of choice for street riding.
P.s. I'm currently riding a 2009 FZ6, it's a sport-standard similar to the FZ-09 and uses a retuned R6 motor.
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