kevlarorc
Junior Member
I just bought an FZ6 and have only put about 50 miles on it so far around town and on the highway. I thought I'd post some observations coming from a 2009 Ninja 250r to the 2007 FZ6.
1. The FZ6 feels super planted! I think it's mostly the suspension difference since my 250r has some decent Pirellis on it. I can finally take turns and hold the line with confidence. I think the suspension on the 250r was too stiff to the point that any bump made me think the bike was on the verge of sliding out from under me.
2. The bike feels physically much bigger (because it is). It is both taller and wider. I'm 6'1" so the FZ6 actually feels perfect whereas the ninja feels a bit cramped going back to it. My legs look goofy at a stop because they are bent so far on the ninja. I can imagine for shorter people the FZ6 would be a bit unwieldy at a stop.
3. The power: It's an even bigger burst of power than I was expecting. I've been riding the 250r for 3.5 years so I've felt comfortable wringing the bike's neck for quite a while now. I jumped on the highway today and was at 100 mph before I even got over to the left lane. On the 250r it would take the entire 1/2 mile stretch, pinned throttle, staying as low as possible, and I might maybe hit 98 indicated.
4. The clutch: I was a bit concerned when researching the bike because so many people said that the clutch was really short. I found the clutch to be not much shorter than the ninja and something I'm not having much trouble with.
5. The throttle: This is a different story from the clutch. The throttle is very jerky when you chop it on or off. It's possible to launch smoothly by modulating the clutch but letting off the throttle completely when decelerating on the FZ is significantly more jerky than on the 250r. It will be harder to get used to this.
I also bought a crampbuster because the throttle seems a lot tighter on the FZ6. I'll test it out later this month when I take a 1000 mile trip. Because of my job and the other work that I do my wrists feel pretty carpal tunnely though I haven't been to a doctor to actually diagnose it. I couldn't ride more than 20 minutes before my wrist was starting to burn.
6. Brakes: FZ6 has some pretty badass brakes. I did some emergency stops (though not super hard because the bike needs a new front tire) and it stopped very quickly and the brakes just felt more solid than the 250r.
7. Suspension: HOLY ****. I never knew my crappy apartment complex parking lot could feel so smooth. I never adjusted any preload or anything on the 250r but now I know it must have been wrong this whole time. The 250r is quite stiff but I had just gotten used to that kind of handling. The FZ is so much smoother and very planted.
Other random notes:
1. I love having no fairing, it makes maintenance easier. Only downside is I have started burning my knee on the crank case LOL.
2. Exhaust note on FZ is a beauty. My 250r has a Two Bros slip on and to be honest I was getting a bit tired of how loud it was. The FZ is very quiet until about 6k RPM and then it sounds like the wonderful I4 monster that it is.
3. Having a digital dash is pretty fantastic. People had a tendency to randomly reset my trip odometer on the 250r which was a pain because I used it to track chain lube intervals.
4. The gas tank on the FZ6 doesnt let you see to the bottom like you can on the 250r so I guess I will have to actually track my mileage now. Before I just opened the tank and peered inside and sloshed the bike back and forth to see how much gas I had. I saw that the FZ has a reserve tank that will flash on the dash so I will try using that to find a base mileage to work off of.
1. The FZ6 feels super planted! I think it's mostly the suspension difference since my 250r has some decent Pirellis on it. I can finally take turns and hold the line with confidence. I think the suspension on the 250r was too stiff to the point that any bump made me think the bike was on the verge of sliding out from under me.
2. The bike feels physically much bigger (because it is). It is both taller and wider. I'm 6'1" so the FZ6 actually feels perfect whereas the ninja feels a bit cramped going back to it. My legs look goofy at a stop because they are bent so far on the ninja. I can imagine for shorter people the FZ6 would be a bit unwieldy at a stop.
3. The power: It's an even bigger burst of power than I was expecting. I've been riding the 250r for 3.5 years so I've felt comfortable wringing the bike's neck for quite a while now. I jumped on the highway today and was at 100 mph before I even got over to the left lane. On the 250r it would take the entire 1/2 mile stretch, pinned throttle, staying as low as possible, and I might maybe hit 98 indicated.
4. The clutch: I was a bit concerned when researching the bike because so many people said that the clutch was really short. I found the clutch to be not much shorter than the ninja and something I'm not having much trouble with.
5. The throttle: This is a different story from the clutch. The throttle is very jerky when you chop it on or off. It's possible to launch smoothly by modulating the clutch but letting off the throttle completely when decelerating on the FZ is significantly more jerky than on the 250r. It will be harder to get used to this.
I also bought a crampbuster because the throttle seems a lot tighter on the FZ6. I'll test it out later this month when I take a 1000 mile trip. Because of my job and the other work that I do my wrists feel pretty carpal tunnely though I haven't been to a doctor to actually diagnose it. I couldn't ride more than 20 minutes before my wrist was starting to burn.
6. Brakes: FZ6 has some pretty badass brakes. I did some emergency stops (though not super hard because the bike needs a new front tire) and it stopped very quickly and the brakes just felt more solid than the 250r.
7. Suspension: HOLY ****. I never knew my crappy apartment complex parking lot could feel so smooth. I never adjusted any preload or anything on the 250r but now I know it must have been wrong this whole time. The 250r is quite stiff but I had just gotten used to that kind of handling. The FZ is so much smoother and very planted.
Other random notes:
1. I love having no fairing, it makes maintenance easier. Only downside is I have started burning my knee on the crank case LOL.
2. Exhaust note on FZ is a beauty. My 250r has a Two Bros slip on and to be honest I was getting a bit tired of how loud it was. The FZ is very quiet until about 6k RPM and then it sounds like the wonderful I4 monster that it is.
3. Having a digital dash is pretty fantastic. People had a tendency to randomly reset my trip odometer on the 250r which was a pain because I used it to track chain lube intervals.
4. The gas tank on the FZ6 doesnt let you see to the bottom like you can on the 250r so I guess I will have to actually track my mileage now. Before I just opened the tank and peered inside and sloshed the bike back and forth to see how much gas I had. I saw that the FZ has a reserve tank that will flash on the dash so I will try using that to find a base mileage to work off of.
