first impressions of my FZ6 after a year of vstrom riding

Hey Guys!
i'm sure i will be changing some of my thoughts as i get used to riding my new 07 FZ6 S2 but i just wanted to share my first comparison between the FZ6 and Vstrom 650 ;

Actually i think the only common thing that they both have is 2 wheels
they are 2 completely different bikes with different characters...Vstrom is a tall bike and because of that although they are about the same weight you feel like vstrom is a heavier bike,,,,it is definitely not a good thing...i was very happy with my vstrom but i'm done with 1000 mile long rides for now so i did a little research and picked FZ6 instead of Honda Hornet 599 and Suzuki Bandit 650...i think i did the right choice,,every opinion is welcomed

i like the 4 cylinder sound but as you enter the highway and start going faster than 100 km/h or 60 mph it starts to be noisy,,im sure i'll get used to this because i still am comparing it with the vstrom...today just an hour ago , i was going a steady speed of 120 km/h and i actually tried to shift to an imaginary 7th gear couple of times because i thought the engine was working too hard for that speed.....on the other hand with my old vstrom with a 16 tooth counter sprocket instead of the original 15 , i was usually cruising on 5 th gear at that speed and didnt even bother to go up to 6th except for those a day long trips..
because of this comparison i decided that FZ6 is not a long ride bike... i may or may not change this decision in the future....i only rode the FZ6 for 60 kms so far....

but another thing happened to me today which cannot be done by vstrom...thats a wheelie just by accelerating on 1 st gear,,,,it was pretty smooth and controllable too....i was used to doing it before with race bikes but i wasnt sure if fz6 would do it,,and it did very easily...vstrom had no chance of doing it,,clutch was the only option for wheelies...

and of course reaching the speeds of 200+ km/h very quickly is another plus for FZ6....
it looks like im going to be upgrading my windscreen with a taller one,,i just dont know which one is preffered,,,i need your help on that.....when i was going over 120km/h today,,i just didnt freaking know where to hide you should have seen me trying to bend over and get behind the little screen,,it didnt work of course....

As a result ,after putting a lot of kms on a vstrom 650 switching to a complete different type of bike is a funny feeling but im sure i will be forgetting how comfortable the vstrom was on a long ride and start enjoying the power and beautiful handling of the FZ6...i forgot to mention that FZ6 is much more easy to ride in traffic as it is a closer to ground bike.....

sooo ,,give me some time with the FZ6 and i know that i will enjoy more of it as i put more miles on the bike...
thanks for reading!!

when I'm riding at freeway speeds I normally rest my left forarm on the tank just behind the bars and tuck, just looking over the top of the windshield. the air is much calmer there. as far as looking for seventh, sometimes I still do that but normally only when I'm short shifting. you'll get used to revving it complairing a V-twin to an inline 4 is like compairing apples and oranges.
in my opinion apples are better!!!

Welcome Welcome, glad your here.

You will get used to it.
I came from a Ltwin ninja 250, wanna talk about crazy revs. LOL
12,000 rpm down the freeway around 90mph.
To me the FZ is all sedate at freeway speeds.
I hope you enjoy your new bike.

Welcome, Tolgatt! So, are you keeping the VStrom or did you trade it in on the FZ? I'm actually thinking of buying a second bike for touring-type duty, and the VStrom is on the short list.

Botch said:

Welcome, Tolgatt! So, are you keeping the VStrom or did you trade it in on the FZ? I'm actually thinking of buying a second bike for touring-type duty, and the VStrom is on the short list.

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Thanks Botch !

My Vstrom is actually for sale right now , i left it at a local dealership here in windsor , its got lots of extras including power outlets , chainoiler , givi e460 topcase etc.. i tried to sell it for $5000 for a while , its a 2004 and still has warranty till march 2009...i couldnt get that much because of the mileage..its got 80.000 kms on the bike im sure it will do another 80.000 kms without any problems , it is in great condition but obviously it wouldnt be the first choice if you want a vstrom ...so i decided to ask $4000 , the dealership was already giving me 3750 for it , but i told them i need 4000..so it is for sale over there right now...i would highly recommend vstrom if you want a dual sport bike..

it looks like im going to be upgrading my windscreen with a taller one,,i just dont know which one is preffered,,,i need your help on that...

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If you have a 2007, there are several choices for higher windscreens. I have a CalSci and am very happy about it. It is pretty tall (9.5" higher than stock) but it offers great protection. If you search this forum you should find the reviews.

Welcome!

I have an '06' that I put the taller Yamaha windshield on and it works much better than the original.

:Sport:Welcome to the wonderfull world of the FZ6, congrads and you will see and feal a diff. The FZ6 is a "REVY" but that the sweet thing about it. I usually coast in 3rd going around 50-60mph just to hear and feal the motor. Oh by the way, dont be intimitated rideing at 8000 rpm, it likes it there. After 6000 rpm's it just "LAUNCH'S FOR A WHILE(till about 14000rpm), and it's a mid range bike, not knocking the top or bottem end, it just loves the RPM'S. So have fun and welcome.