Lately I have seen quite a few posts, and have even contributed myself, that have focused on increased horsepower for the FZ6. Like you, I dislike the, "why didn't you just get an r6?" question, there are too many reasons to list why I chose the FZ6 over the R6.
That being said, I have a 2006 FZ6, factory specs for Horsepower and Torque are fairly respectable.
Horsepower: 96.55 HP (70.5 kW)) @ 12000 RPM
Torque: 63.10 Nm (6.4 kgf-m or 46.5 ft.lbs) @ 10000 RPM
Using the specs for a 2006 YZF-R6 as a comparison point (same year as my FZ6), and I would assume something that people who want a horsepower increase would shoot for, they are as follows:
Horsepower: 131.15 HP (95.7 kW)) @ 14500 RPM
Torque: 68.00 Nm (6.9 kgf-m or 50.2 ft.lbs) @ 6930 RPM
As you can see, there is a respectable difference of about +35 Horsepower.
As many of you know from reading other threads and posts on this forum the typical 'alleged' horspeower gain from mods such as, airfilter, airbox, exhaust and Power Commander seem to be in the 5-10 horsepower range, narrowing the gap between the FZ6 and R6 to a difference of about 25 to 30 Horspeower at a cost of between $1,000 to $2,000, for an average cost of $200 per 1 Horsepower increase.
An alternative that I have not seen or heard discussed would be a straight up engine swap with an R6 Yes, I am being serious here, after all you can get a used R6 motor on ebay for between $1,500 and $3,000, which would give you a 35 Horsepower increase, at an average cost of $64 per 1 Horsepower increase.
Now for the big question: I have ridden with friends that have the R6, and it makes me wonder, how does this +35 Horsepower translate into real world performance, I mean it's not like they are kicking my a$$ in the twisties. And obviously there are other factors such as, rider, skill, tires, suspension, etc...
So if real world performance is the motivation for this Horsepower obsession, where should we, in order of priority, be putting our money to get the best real world performance possible out of our FZ's?
That being said, I have a 2006 FZ6, factory specs for Horsepower and Torque are fairly respectable.
Horsepower: 96.55 HP (70.5 kW)) @ 12000 RPM
Torque: 63.10 Nm (6.4 kgf-m or 46.5 ft.lbs) @ 10000 RPM
Using the specs for a 2006 YZF-R6 as a comparison point (same year as my FZ6), and I would assume something that people who want a horsepower increase would shoot for, they are as follows:
Horsepower: 131.15 HP (95.7 kW)) @ 14500 RPM
Torque: 68.00 Nm (6.9 kgf-m or 50.2 ft.lbs) @ 6930 RPM
As you can see, there is a respectable difference of about +35 Horsepower.
As many of you know from reading other threads and posts on this forum the typical 'alleged' horspeower gain from mods such as, airfilter, airbox, exhaust and Power Commander seem to be in the 5-10 horsepower range, narrowing the gap between the FZ6 and R6 to a difference of about 25 to 30 Horspeower at a cost of between $1,000 to $2,000, for an average cost of $200 per 1 Horsepower increase.
An alternative that I have not seen or heard discussed would be a straight up engine swap with an R6 Yes, I am being serious here, after all you can get a used R6 motor on ebay for between $1,500 and $3,000, which would give you a 35 Horsepower increase, at an average cost of $64 per 1 Horsepower increase.
Now for the big question: I have ridden with friends that have the R6, and it makes me wonder, how does this +35 Horsepower translate into real world performance, I mean it's not like they are kicking my a$$ in the twisties. And obviously there are other factors such as, rider, skill, tires, suspension, etc...
So if real world performance is the motivation for this Horsepower obsession, where should we, in order of priority, be putting our money to get the best real world performance possible out of our FZ's?