ronNoc
FZ6-Curious
Hi all,
I've been trying to figure out what my next bike is going to be after learning on my Kawi Ninja 500. I want/need a daily commuter that can lane split like a champ and also tour when I want to ride out of LA up to Seattle, the Grand Canyon, etc. Fuel economy is important, too.
At the moment I'm in a deadlock between the BMW F800ST and the FZ6. My pro's and con's follow:
FZ6 pros:
- great price
- outstanding reliability (this bike appears to be mostly free of mech. issues)
- good instrumentation
- good ergos
- good hard case options
- good lane-splitter
- good fuel economy
- larger fuel capacity (5.1 gal.)
FZ6 cons:
- engine has been described as 'peaky' (which is cool- just not what I need)
- regular chain (not yet using maintenance-free belt drives)
BMW F800ST pros:
- Torquey 800cc parallel twin
- gotta love the carefree belt drive
- less on insurance than the FZ6
- good instrumentation
- good ergos
- good hard case options
- good lane-splitter
- amazing fuel economy (5-10mpg better then FZ6 - not much difference)
BMW F800ST cons:
- much more expensive
- read about some reliability issues in f800riders.org
- has alot of stuff I don't want/need (onboard computer and such)
- I don't really want ABS (and certainly don't want to pay for it)
- smaller fuel capacity (4.1 gal.)
So basically it comes down to three things: reliability, the engines of the bikes, and the price. If you guys are happy with the way the FZ6 performs when stopped at Santa Monica and La Cienaga, trying to push past the Ferrari's and Ducati's or when you're on the freeway and have to get by the a**hole who keeps squeezing into your lane then let me know.
For city riding I want something that has good torque in the low to mid range and I want to know if you guys are happy with the remapping of the FZ6, especially in the '07- models (because those are the ones I'd be looking to buy). I suppose this is my biggest question-mark with the FZ6: can the engine pull enough to my satisfaction in the low to mid range? It I was satisfied with that, then I would go ahead and opt for the FZ6 in a heartbeat.
Thanks for your help!
I've been trying to figure out what my next bike is going to be after learning on my Kawi Ninja 500. I want/need a daily commuter that can lane split like a champ and also tour when I want to ride out of LA up to Seattle, the Grand Canyon, etc. Fuel economy is important, too.
At the moment I'm in a deadlock between the BMW F800ST and the FZ6. My pro's and con's follow:
FZ6 pros:
- great price
- outstanding reliability (this bike appears to be mostly free of mech. issues)
- good instrumentation
- good ergos
- good hard case options
- good lane-splitter
- good fuel economy
- larger fuel capacity (5.1 gal.)
FZ6 cons:
- engine has been described as 'peaky' (which is cool- just not what I need)
- regular chain (not yet using maintenance-free belt drives)
BMW F800ST pros:
- Torquey 800cc parallel twin
- gotta love the carefree belt drive
- less on insurance than the FZ6
- good instrumentation
- good ergos
- good hard case options
- good lane-splitter
- amazing fuel economy (5-10mpg better then FZ6 - not much difference)
BMW F800ST cons:
- much more expensive
- read about some reliability issues in f800riders.org
- has alot of stuff I don't want/need (onboard computer and such)
- I don't really want ABS (and certainly don't want to pay for it)
- smaller fuel capacity (4.1 gal.)
So basically it comes down to three things: reliability, the engines of the bikes, and the price. If you guys are happy with the way the FZ6 performs when stopped at Santa Monica and La Cienaga, trying to push past the Ferrari's and Ducati's or when you're on the freeway and have to get by the a**hole who keeps squeezing into your lane then let me know.
For city riding I want something that has good torque in the low to mid range and I want to know if you guys are happy with the remapping of the FZ6, especially in the '07- models (because those are the ones I'd be looking to buy). I suppose this is my biggest question-mark with the FZ6: can the engine pull enough to my satisfaction in the low to mid range? It I was satisfied with that, then I would go ahead and opt for the FZ6 in a heartbeat.
Thanks for your help!
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