Help deciding on my new ride.

[raja777m]

Hello guys,
This is Raj, My job contract with my previous company ended in Aug 2016, so, I sold my FZ6, Charlotte*, NC.

I placed an ad in march or so, and got it sold in the least expected month, August. Now, I'm going back to Charlotte, for another project, hopefully, 18 months again(after that, history repeats, unless I search for a FTE).
I'm confused whether to get back to my beloved model FZ6 or get the newer model FZ-09, just thinking about the resale value (not about money, but time to get rid of it).

FZ6 is a great all-rounder bike. I bought groceries on it, took it to tracks, swept a lot of twisties, and, did so several weekend overnight tours with it to TOD and Claw of Dragon. A total of 15k miles in 15months period. BTW, I have only one vehicle, I do not have a car.
3 of my buddies got FZ6 for their own in 2016, just because of me(they test drove mine and fell in love).

Currently, there are a couple of options, when it comes to FZ6, one less than 18k miles and other two less than 5k miles; S2 versions.

Please advice, whether to go back to FZ09 or stick to FZ6, and place an ad way before, like last time?

Pros:
Insurance is cheap for me, IMO, $500 per year for 100k/300k policy, full coverage. This time, I will not take Collision, to save around 220$ per annum, since the govt. value of the bike is 3kUSD only.

Cons of FZ6:
It is the FZ6, there are no cons, other than, cannot sell it quickly.

Pros of FZ-09:
Less weight than FZ6.

Cons:
Less mpg than FZ6, even capacity, so, more stops.
An inch taller, but can be easily fixed.
Insurance premium might be a bit high:
FZ09 is well known for crashes and insurance claims, I'm Single and 27yrs old, non-citizen. Also, I have only 5 yrs of exp. in USA, as they will not count my other 5yrs from India.

*As I'm a contract programmer, I do not know which city/state I'll go next (Which I'm totally fine with).

 

[Botch]

Raj, I would go for the -09 (and check out the -7 while you're at it). They might be better, at worst they'll be very similar.
And if you don't like the new bike, bet you could "trade down" to someone with... an FZ-6.

Life's short. Try new things.

 

[raja777m]

Thanks for the tip, and I personally don't prefer FZ07, I read from a lot of people, even novice riders get bored with it pretty soon. So, 6 or 9

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I would wait and see where you end up. Hopefully out west, it's much different vs the east coast.

 

[raja777m]

As of now, I'm starting my next(hopefully 18months, but atleast 12months) project in Charlotte, starting from mid of April.

 

[SandyN]

You will get 10 different answers from 10 people. This us a decision only you can make.
I'd go for a later model bike like the 09 as I feel people don't always like buying "old" bikes. The 09 will therefore be easier to sell if need be.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[SAAVA]

I can offer up some suggestions since I have ridden the bikes on your list.

My first suggestion is to try for some seat time. Look for demo rides or make contact through the FZ09 forum to see if someone will let you try one out. I test rode an early example of the FZ09 when it first came out and I was not a fan. Some say they made significant improvements with the newer models. Since then I have also test rode the FJ09 and XSR900 both much nicer platforms of the same engine. The FJ09 would be the most similar to the FZ6, but I felt the XSR was much nicer right out of the box (ie slipper clutch, geometry and suspension). With that said, I didn't get either. I do quite a bit of two up riding and the XSR was not comfortable for my passenger. While the FJ09 was a nice bike, I actually preferred the 2012+ DL650 Vstrom as an everyday rider. I also agree with your sentiment about the FZ07. It was lacking top end that I am use to on the FZ6. Now with all that said, I still have my FZ6 since it is still running well, still puts a smile on my face and can't be beat for its value compared to the other bikes. Good luck.