Kriswithak
Senior Member
Well I don't know if I mentioned but over the weekend I went to visit my grandparents who live near Inverill, which was having its yearly Classic/Restored bike rally.
Its always an interesting event with lots of old codgers on equally old bikes, which despite not being my cup of tea has really great people, and is well worth the effort. (Also got some pictures of quite a cool street fighter that turned up!) I think there was 4 FZ6's there too, which isn't a bad number, since apart from much older bikes there wasn't many bikes with more than one or two present!
Anyway my dad has an old Norton he rides every year, and we both rode up there from Sydney for along weekend to take part.
I went on the FZ6 with topbox and seat bag and he went on his 910R.
Naturally I spent most of the trip ribbing him about his bike which I was constantly told was damaging my chances of getting to ride it which honestly didn't bother me!
Anyhow, on the way back to Sydney I was quite honoured to be offered to ride it between two of the towns which was about 40km.
Keeping in mind that he rode the entire trip sitting no more than 3km over the speed limit it was relatively boring and extremely slow, so the chance to ride his bike seemed like something to break the boredom he created because he couldn't grow a pair. (I'm not what you call a fast rider, probably the opposite but on the open country roads out that way there is plenty of vision, reasonable roads, and the cruising speed is generally not the signposted 100km/h, at one point a garbage truck even over took us!)
Anyhow, so I jumped on the 910R and sure enough its got a very snatchy throttle, but manageable, its a bit more lively than the FZ6 in this department (right off the mark, but not so much in mid mid revs), but my aftermarket exhaust removed that really horrible on/off throttle motion.
Its got less torque down low, but pulled reasonably nicely and has a nice growl when your riding it (has a horrible coughing note when your listening from a distance).
I didn't really rev it hard but it seems to have a relatively flat torque curve down low, and was more boring than the FZ6 in this regard!
It also doesn't seem to have a cruising speed in any gears, the throttle is on or off, with no relaxing point for just riding along, which is good for cornering but not so good for just riding along. In the same way its impossible to tell what speed your doing just by feel and the control panels aren't visible without really looking down. (Not a glance either, a good look).
It was relatively comfortable sitting wise, with the seat being better than you would think, and having a good upright seating position, you feel like you are higher than on the FZ6 despite it being a smaller bike in most dimensions.
It also handles like an absolute dream, it requires practically no input to corner, and was definately a step ahead of the FZ6 in this regard. This being said due to the speed restrictions the FZ6 wasn't really in its zone, which is more the 120-140km/h in the sweepers (at which point it both screams and handles like a dream).
Now your thinking thats not too bad is it? Well the suspension was still set on the stock settings, and let me tell you, it was the most PAINFUL experience in my life.
The smallest bumps on the road that you don't even feel on the FZ6 where like having someone punch you in both kidneys, while your spine felt like it was compacting in a painful way.
It was jolty, painful and downright depressing!
I really had trouble figuring out why he hadn't fixed it while we where up there to which he replied he didn't want to make it worse (something I doubt was possible).
Anyhow after the 40km I did on the bike I basically ran back to my FZ6 and was extremely happy to jump back in the saddle, while I did notice dad giving the FZ6 wistful looks.
I think its rather obvious that the 910R needed the suspension set up properly, but after about 1800km on the FZ6 over 5 days, I can definately tell you that I wouldn't have traded.
The Yamaha Topbox was awesome for the trip, the fuel mileage was about 50% better than the 910R when we left the city and probably 30% better out on the open road.
He also lost one of the panels that sits under the seat and over part of the engine, which apparently clips in, and one of the bases of the mirror was already cracked. The mirror is being fixed under warranty and hopefully the sidepanel too. (Since it mysteriously fell off.)
Overall I wasn't that impressed with the 910R, but will hold off final judgement till he gets the suspension fixed up for a more suitable weight.
I'll try and get some pictures up over the next few days.
Its always an interesting event with lots of old codgers on equally old bikes, which despite not being my cup of tea has really great people, and is well worth the effort. (Also got some pictures of quite a cool street fighter that turned up!) I think there was 4 FZ6's there too, which isn't a bad number, since apart from much older bikes there wasn't many bikes with more than one or two present!
Anyway my dad has an old Norton he rides every year, and we both rode up there from Sydney for along weekend to take part.
I went on the FZ6 with topbox and seat bag and he went on his 910R.
Naturally I spent most of the trip ribbing him about his bike which I was constantly told was damaging my chances of getting to ride it which honestly didn't bother me!
Anyhow, on the way back to Sydney I was quite honoured to be offered to ride it between two of the towns which was about 40km.
Keeping in mind that he rode the entire trip sitting no more than 3km over the speed limit it was relatively boring and extremely slow, so the chance to ride his bike seemed like something to break the boredom he created because he couldn't grow a pair. (I'm not what you call a fast rider, probably the opposite but on the open country roads out that way there is plenty of vision, reasonable roads, and the cruising speed is generally not the signposted 100km/h, at one point a garbage truck even over took us!)
Anyhow, so I jumped on the 910R and sure enough its got a very snatchy throttle, but manageable, its a bit more lively than the FZ6 in this department (right off the mark, but not so much in mid mid revs), but my aftermarket exhaust removed that really horrible on/off throttle motion.
Its got less torque down low, but pulled reasonably nicely and has a nice growl when your riding it (has a horrible coughing note when your listening from a distance).
I didn't really rev it hard but it seems to have a relatively flat torque curve down low, and was more boring than the FZ6 in this regard!
It also doesn't seem to have a cruising speed in any gears, the throttle is on or off, with no relaxing point for just riding along, which is good for cornering but not so good for just riding along. In the same way its impossible to tell what speed your doing just by feel and the control panels aren't visible without really looking down. (Not a glance either, a good look).
It was relatively comfortable sitting wise, with the seat being better than you would think, and having a good upright seating position, you feel like you are higher than on the FZ6 despite it being a smaller bike in most dimensions.
It also handles like an absolute dream, it requires practically no input to corner, and was definately a step ahead of the FZ6 in this regard. This being said due to the speed restrictions the FZ6 wasn't really in its zone, which is more the 120-140km/h in the sweepers (at which point it both screams and handles like a dream).
Now your thinking thats not too bad is it? Well the suspension was still set on the stock settings, and let me tell you, it was the most PAINFUL experience in my life.
The smallest bumps on the road that you don't even feel on the FZ6 where like having someone punch you in both kidneys, while your spine felt like it was compacting in a painful way.
It was jolty, painful and downright depressing!
I really had trouble figuring out why he hadn't fixed it while we where up there to which he replied he didn't want to make it worse (something I doubt was possible).
Anyhow after the 40km I did on the bike I basically ran back to my FZ6 and was extremely happy to jump back in the saddle, while I did notice dad giving the FZ6 wistful looks.
I think its rather obvious that the 910R needed the suspension set up properly, but after about 1800km on the FZ6 over 5 days, I can definately tell you that I wouldn't have traded.
The Yamaha Topbox was awesome for the trip, the fuel mileage was about 50% better than the 910R when we left the city and probably 30% better out on the open road.
He also lost one of the panels that sits under the seat and over part of the engine, which apparently clips in, and one of the bases of the mirror was already cracked. The mirror is being fixed under warranty and hopefully the sidepanel too. (Since it mysteriously fell off.)
Overall I wasn't that impressed with the 910R, but will hold off final judgement till he gets the suspension fixed up for a more suitable weight.
I'll try and get some pictures up over the next few days.
