mastakilla
Junior Member
Yes it is true, I have sold my trusty FZ6. It was my very first bike, and I bought her brand new last year, a red 2007 FZ6 S2 Fazer. I added a Puig Dark Smoke Racing screen, a belly pan and LeoVince carbon exhausts. She was a beauty, and I loved every minute of riding her. See picture below.
The reason why I bought an FZ6, is because I didn't want anything heavier than 600cc as first bike, and because I wanted a bike big enough for me (I'm 6'3 and the Suzuki SV650 felt small), an upright riding position, because I wanted plenty of comfort for longer rides, but at the same time a bike that was sporty and powerful enough to have fun and grow on. I always knew that I'm not a crotch rocket kind of guy. Although I love the R1 and the Honda Fireblade, I just can't imagine ever owning a bike like that. The FZ6 fit the bill perfectly, and it clicked immediately when I first saw her. Found a great deal on it too.
But exactly one year and 8.000 miles later, she is no longer with me. I didn't and won't use my bike to commute (I have a company car), it is purely for fun. I found myself doing longer rides more and more (3 to 400 miles), and each ride had a big part of highway riding. I live in a very uban area, so I need to travel a certain distance to get to the good stuff, and highway speeds are often around 100mph.
So in the past few weeks I started to feel the FZ6's shortcomings. I longed for better wind protection, for even more comfort during long rides. The Puig screen was already a huge improvement over the stock screen, but upgrading to a touring screen wasn't an option, as this alone wasn't going to solve all my gripes. With longer trips also comes the need to take luggage, and although there's plenty of stuff to equip the Fizzer with, I wanted to make sure that this was the bike I was going to stick with before investing in bags or cases. I also found the Leo exhausts too loud, even with the DB killers inserted. Especially while riding long stretches at higher speeds, the engine's screaming at 9.000 rpm started to annoy me. I was aware of the high-revving nature of the engine when I bought her, and I love the slingshot launch above 8.000 rpm, but it doesn't supply a very smooth relaxing ride. And yes, I thought about replacing the Leo's with the stock exhaust again, but you know... And finally I got a bit tired of always having to downshift before having any power. I wanted a more torquey engine. And I wasn't too crazy about the brakes either...
Don't get me wrong, I still think the FZ6 is a fantastic bike, and I would immediately buy her again. Hell I might even buy another one in the future. It's just so much fun, the handling is sublime, it gives so much confidence in all conditions, riding the twisties was just heavenly, it looks good, the list goes on.
But still, as a rider, I felt like I had evolved towards a full-blown touring bike. I didn't think that making my FZ6 quieter with the stock exhaust, mounting a touring screen and even full fairings, plus a top case and side cases, was going to turn my FZ6 into the bike I wanted...
I'm sure some of you (if not all of you) think that I'm too inexperienced to step up to a 1300cc bike. A lot of you would also advise against a FZ6 as first bike. And perhaps you're right. It's also true that I have not met the FZ6's limits yet, and that's she capable of much more than I am right now. But I take riding very serioulsy, I always wear full protective gear, I take new riding classes regularly, I read books about riding techniques, and I practice a lot, also on parking lots. I'm mature and disciplined enough to know my limits, so that's not really the issue to me.
Choosing the FJR1300 then was easy. It's more or less the only sports-tourer that I really like. I don't like BMW's, the Honda Pan European is not sporty enough to my taste, and the Kawa Concours 1400 is just too freakin' big. My brother-in-law has a FZ1, but I think that's too much power for me, even set up as a tourer. And then there's also the Honda VFR, but again, it just didn't click with that one. The FJR is beautiful, with or without the side cases attached, I've read nothing but good reviews about it, and my local Yamaha dealership had a used one for sale that I just could not resist. Plus I got a good price for my Fizzer. Sold! Here she is:
Sorry about the long story so far. Let's get to the comparison already!
*) Engine
Yeah baby, this is where the FJR shines. I have ridden bikes like the Kawasaki VN900 Vulcan, a Cagiva Brutale, a Honda CBF500, a Yamaha MT-01 and FZ1. Not too many to compare to, but the FJR feels so smooth and powerful, you'd never want anything else. It's strong, but not overwhelming. Gun it, and it will fly, but it won't kill you. Accelerating from a stop to redline through first, second and third gear feels so good. The power to weigth ratio is more or less the same as the FZ6 (it has 50% more horse power, but it weighs 50% more also), so it won't really catch you off guard. The greatest thing is the torque at lower rpms. Last week I rode Belgium's finest twisties, and when you twist the throttle coming out of a corner in third gear at 40mph, it immediately starts pulling hard all through the gear, awesome! It's more relaxing yet more sporty at the same time. You don't need to shift all the time, and there's always plenty of power. I guess you get my point here.
*) Comfort
So does it deliver the comfort I was looking for? Hell yes! The seat is adjustable in heigth for starters, which gives me a better knee angle. I had read about buffeting with the adjustable windscreen in the highest position, and this is unfortunately true. However, lowering the screen an inch fixes the problem for me. I still feel the wind going over my helmet, but it's a constant stream, which doesn't bother me at all. So yeah, I still catch wind, but I'm not sure I'll ever upgrade to a higher screen which would put me out of the wind entirely. The fairings do their job perfectly too. So whereas a I used to dread long highway rides, I now actually look forward to them. I feel like a king on my throne
*) Suspension
I had my FZ6 pre-load set to 4 or 5. The FJR is already on the hardest setting, and I feel like it could use some more. The suspension is also something a lot of FJR riders "complain" about, so this may require an upgrade in the future. It's even more noticeable when riding two-up. Although it won't lift it's front wheel during heavy acceleration with my girlfriend on the back, I do have the impression it gets pretty light up front, even at lower speeds. I guess I need to become much more confident on the bike first. I didnd't take my girlfriend out on the FZ6 before I had 4.000 miles on it, so I felt comfortable taking her along right away.
*) Throttle on/off reaction
This is so far the only thing that really bothers me. Especially at low speeds, you have to be really gentle on the throttle. And this surprised me, because my FZ6 didn't have it at all, and I hadn't read about it either. When coming out of a slow turn in first or second gear, like at 20 to 30 mph, if you roll on the throttle, it tends to "wake up" suddenly and stutter a bit. Kinda disappointing but again something I'll get used to (I hope). Not sure if there's a solution for it.
*) Looks
I mean, seriously, look at the pictures... One of the best looking bikes out there IMO. Bikes like the Honda PanEuropean ST1300 look like crap without their side cases, but the FJR looks ready for the track without them! So again, the best of both worlds united in this fine piece of machinery.
*) Brakes
Another big plus here. It has ABS, and the brakes feel rock solid. Merely looking at them brings the bikes to a safe, quick and controlled halt. Wonderful! The FZ6 loses major points in this department.
*) Handling
It's big, I mean really big, but you don't feel that until you actually sit on it. I wasn't worried about how it would handle, but I was afraid it might not be as much fun as the Fizzer. And to an extent, that is true. The FJR is a lot less flickable, but again, nothing I didn't know in advance. Cornering above 40mph goes super smooth, I counter steer into the turn, and it holds it's line no problemo. At lower speeds it requires more input from the rider. It doesn't tend to "fall into the turn" (like for example the MT-01 has in an extreme way), but it's more work to keep it steady compared to the FZ6. It may be due to my inexperience, and I plan on practicing this a lot. But see, that's what I like about the FJR. It will be a challenge to really master this bike, and it will probably take me a couple of years, but it's fun to ride from day 1 nonetheless.
But I have to admit that I miss the effortlessness of the FZ6 here. The FJR constantly reminds you that it's big and that you need to earn it's respect whereas the FZ6 does anything you threw at it without blinking. So I have a bit mixed feelings here, but I know why I bought the FJR, and for my purposes it will undoubtetly be the perfect companion.
Also manoeuvering it around the garage and parking spots requires more concentration. You don't want to lean this one over too far! But I haven't had any problems so far.
*) Riding 2 up
Ok this also surprised me. Took my girlfriend out for a test ride, and I expected her to feel like she was a passenger in a limosine. But apparently she was more comfortable on the FZ6. Women!! :spank:
First thing is that she was sitting higher on the FZ6. She could look over my helmet, whereas on the FJR her head is on the same heigth as mine. So her view is limited, especially forward. Also on the FZ6 she would lean against me, so she could relax her upper body and just go with the flow. On the FJR she is sitting upright, and our bodies don't touch. This means she has to brace herself during every acceleration and deceleration, which is fatiguing. I guess I'll have to put on a top case for longer rides with a back rest. She did say the back seat offers a lot more room, but it's not like she was cramped on the FZ6.
Performance wise, the FJR feels her weight much less than the FZ6, so she'd better hang on! I already said that I feel like the bike's front wheel is a bit lighter riding two up, which is weird, but it might just be my imagination.
*) Final thoughts
Ok, so am I happy I traded my FZ6 in for this beast? Short answer: you bet! Although I miss the flickability of the FZ6 and it's handling in corners (especially at low speeds), I'm sure I'll grow on the FJR and play around with it just as easily. The FJR's engine alone is worth the purchase, it's such a joy. Plenty of power, torquey down below, quiet and comfortable at any speed, wonderful brakes, just a more mature bike overall. I look forward to developing my skills on this bike during the next couple of years. To be completely honest, I wish I could have kept the FZ6 as well, but I guess you can't have it all. Huray for the FJR1300!
Right, that's it. Thank you, come again :thumbup:
The reason why I bought an FZ6, is because I didn't want anything heavier than 600cc as first bike, and because I wanted a bike big enough for me (I'm 6'3 and the Suzuki SV650 felt small), an upright riding position, because I wanted plenty of comfort for longer rides, but at the same time a bike that was sporty and powerful enough to have fun and grow on. I always knew that I'm not a crotch rocket kind of guy. Although I love the R1 and the Honda Fireblade, I just can't imagine ever owning a bike like that. The FZ6 fit the bill perfectly, and it clicked immediately when I first saw her. Found a great deal on it too.
But exactly one year and 8.000 miles later, she is no longer with me. I didn't and won't use my bike to commute (I have a company car), it is purely for fun. I found myself doing longer rides more and more (3 to 400 miles), and each ride had a big part of highway riding. I live in a very uban area, so I need to travel a certain distance to get to the good stuff, and highway speeds are often around 100mph.
So in the past few weeks I started to feel the FZ6's shortcomings. I longed for better wind protection, for even more comfort during long rides. The Puig screen was already a huge improvement over the stock screen, but upgrading to a touring screen wasn't an option, as this alone wasn't going to solve all my gripes. With longer trips also comes the need to take luggage, and although there's plenty of stuff to equip the Fizzer with, I wanted to make sure that this was the bike I was going to stick with before investing in bags or cases. I also found the Leo exhausts too loud, even with the DB killers inserted. Especially while riding long stretches at higher speeds, the engine's screaming at 9.000 rpm started to annoy me. I was aware of the high-revving nature of the engine when I bought her, and I love the slingshot launch above 8.000 rpm, but it doesn't supply a very smooth relaxing ride. And yes, I thought about replacing the Leo's with the stock exhaust again, but you know... And finally I got a bit tired of always having to downshift before having any power. I wanted a more torquey engine. And I wasn't too crazy about the brakes either...
Don't get me wrong, I still think the FZ6 is a fantastic bike, and I would immediately buy her again. Hell I might even buy another one in the future. It's just so much fun, the handling is sublime, it gives so much confidence in all conditions, riding the twisties was just heavenly, it looks good, the list goes on.
But still, as a rider, I felt like I had evolved towards a full-blown touring bike. I didn't think that making my FZ6 quieter with the stock exhaust, mounting a touring screen and even full fairings, plus a top case and side cases, was going to turn my FZ6 into the bike I wanted...
I'm sure some of you (if not all of you) think that I'm too inexperienced to step up to a 1300cc bike. A lot of you would also advise against a FZ6 as first bike. And perhaps you're right. It's also true that I have not met the FZ6's limits yet, and that's she capable of much more than I am right now. But I take riding very serioulsy, I always wear full protective gear, I take new riding classes regularly, I read books about riding techniques, and I practice a lot, also on parking lots. I'm mature and disciplined enough to know my limits, so that's not really the issue to me.
Choosing the FJR1300 then was easy. It's more or less the only sports-tourer that I really like. I don't like BMW's, the Honda Pan European is not sporty enough to my taste, and the Kawa Concours 1400 is just too freakin' big. My brother-in-law has a FZ1, but I think that's too much power for me, even set up as a tourer. And then there's also the Honda VFR, but again, it just didn't click with that one. The FJR is beautiful, with or without the side cases attached, I've read nothing but good reviews about it, and my local Yamaha dealership had a used one for sale that I just could not resist. Plus I got a good price for my Fizzer. Sold! Here she is:
Sorry about the long story so far. Let's get to the comparison already!
*) Engine
Yeah baby, this is where the FJR shines. I have ridden bikes like the Kawasaki VN900 Vulcan, a Cagiva Brutale, a Honda CBF500, a Yamaha MT-01 and FZ1. Not too many to compare to, but the FJR feels so smooth and powerful, you'd never want anything else. It's strong, but not overwhelming. Gun it, and it will fly, but it won't kill you. Accelerating from a stop to redline through first, second and third gear feels so good. The power to weigth ratio is more or less the same as the FZ6 (it has 50% more horse power, but it weighs 50% more also), so it won't really catch you off guard. The greatest thing is the torque at lower rpms. Last week I rode Belgium's finest twisties, and when you twist the throttle coming out of a corner in third gear at 40mph, it immediately starts pulling hard all through the gear, awesome! It's more relaxing yet more sporty at the same time. You don't need to shift all the time, and there's always plenty of power. I guess you get my point here.
*) Comfort
So does it deliver the comfort I was looking for? Hell yes! The seat is adjustable in heigth for starters, which gives me a better knee angle. I had read about buffeting with the adjustable windscreen in the highest position, and this is unfortunately true. However, lowering the screen an inch fixes the problem for me. I still feel the wind going over my helmet, but it's a constant stream, which doesn't bother me at all. So yeah, I still catch wind, but I'm not sure I'll ever upgrade to a higher screen which would put me out of the wind entirely. The fairings do their job perfectly too. So whereas a I used to dread long highway rides, I now actually look forward to them. I feel like a king on my throne
*) Suspension
I had my FZ6 pre-load set to 4 or 5. The FJR is already on the hardest setting, and I feel like it could use some more. The suspension is also something a lot of FJR riders "complain" about, so this may require an upgrade in the future. It's even more noticeable when riding two-up. Although it won't lift it's front wheel during heavy acceleration with my girlfriend on the back, I do have the impression it gets pretty light up front, even at lower speeds. I guess I need to become much more confident on the bike first. I didnd't take my girlfriend out on the FZ6 before I had 4.000 miles on it, so I felt comfortable taking her along right away.
*) Throttle on/off reaction
This is so far the only thing that really bothers me. Especially at low speeds, you have to be really gentle on the throttle. And this surprised me, because my FZ6 didn't have it at all, and I hadn't read about it either. When coming out of a slow turn in first or second gear, like at 20 to 30 mph, if you roll on the throttle, it tends to "wake up" suddenly and stutter a bit. Kinda disappointing but again something I'll get used to (I hope). Not sure if there's a solution for it.
*) Looks
I mean, seriously, look at the pictures... One of the best looking bikes out there IMO. Bikes like the Honda PanEuropean ST1300 look like crap without their side cases, but the FJR looks ready for the track without them! So again, the best of both worlds united in this fine piece of machinery.
*) Brakes
Another big plus here. It has ABS, and the brakes feel rock solid. Merely looking at them brings the bikes to a safe, quick and controlled halt. Wonderful! The FZ6 loses major points in this department.
*) Handling
It's big, I mean really big, but you don't feel that until you actually sit on it. I wasn't worried about how it would handle, but I was afraid it might not be as much fun as the Fizzer. And to an extent, that is true. The FJR is a lot less flickable, but again, nothing I didn't know in advance. Cornering above 40mph goes super smooth, I counter steer into the turn, and it holds it's line no problemo. At lower speeds it requires more input from the rider. It doesn't tend to "fall into the turn" (like for example the MT-01 has in an extreme way), but it's more work to keep it steady compared to the FZ6. It may be due to my inexperience, and I plan on practicing this a lot. But see, that's what I like about the FJR. It will be a challenge to really master this bike, and it will probably take me a couple of years, but it's fun to ride from day 1 nonetheless.
But I have to admit that I miss the effortlessness of the FZ6 here. The FJR constantly reminds you that it's big and that you need to earn it's respect whereas the FZ6 does anything you threw at it without blinking. So I have a bit mixed feelings here, but I know why I bought the FJR, and for my purposes it will undoubtetly be the perfect companion.
Also manoeuvering it around the garage and parking spots requires more concentration. You don't want to lean this one over too far! But I haven't had any problems so far.
*) Riding 2 up
Ok this also surprised me. Took my girlfriend out for a test ride, and I expected her to feel like she was a passenger in a limosine. But apparently she was more comfortable on the FZ6. Women!! :spank:
First thing is that she was sitting higher on the FZ6. She could look over my helmet, whereas on the FJR her head is on the same heigth as mine. So her view is limited, especially forward. Also on the FZ6 she would lean against me, so she could relax her upper body and just go with the flow. On the FJR she is sitting upright, and our bodies don't touch. This means she has to brace herself during every acceleration and deceleration, which is fatiguing. I guess I'll have to put on a top case for longer rides with a back rest. She did say the back seat offers a lot more room, but it's not like she was cramped on the FZ6.
Performance wise, the FJR feels her weight much less than the FZ6, so she'd better hang on!
I already said that I feel like the bike's front wheel is a bit lighter riding two up, which is weird, but it might just be my imagination.*) Final thoughts
Ok, so am I happy I traded my FZ6 in for this beast? Short answer: you bet! Although I miss the flickability of the FZ6 and it's handling in corners (especially at low speeds), I'm sure I'll grow on the FJR and play around with it just as easily. The FJR's engine alone is worth the purchase, it's such a joy. Plenty of power, torquey down below, quiet and comfortable at any speed, wonderful brakes, just a more mature bike overall. I look forward to developing my skills on this bike during the next couple of years. To be completely honest, I wish I could have kept the FZ6 as well, but I guess you can't have it all. Huray for the FJR1300!
Right, that's it. Thank you, come again :thumbup:
