Initial Impressions After 500 Miles

[newrider13]

I have been regularly riding my new FZ6 for a little over 3 weeks and I have put 500 miles on it. I have only begun to scrape surface of the bike and still have a long way to go, but I am enjoying it a lot more than my old Ninja 500.

A couple of my observations:

• The stock seat is terrible. After about 30-45 minutes my ass becomes numb.
• My right hand also becomes numb after a similar timeframe; although no issue with my left hand.
• Rear brakes seem to be a lot more sensitive (in comparison to my Ninja 500)
• Throttle on/off is very abrupt

 

[LERecords]

1. Look into top saddlery seats, they are worth ever penny!!

2. Grip Puppies will help immensely.. so will new grips

3. yes the rear is pretty sensitive.. but double check your tire pressure too, you would not believe how important tire pressure is when it comes to braking!!

4. You are absolutely correct that the throttle is also very sensitive.. power commander can help, or just more riding / practice..

otherwise the bike looks amazing!! congrats!!! where are you in MA??

 

[KingY]

all i can say is welcome to the FZ6!! lol

Deffo look into everything above ^^

 

[Xavias]

Personally, I find the stock seat to be an issue only when wearing non-riding-pants. My riding pants make it comfy as can be.

As far as the right hand issue goes, that's very common with the FZ6 handlebar. It comes back at a weird angle which can cause wrist cramping/pain/numbness. A common fix for it is to purchase the FZ1 bars from a yamaha dealer ($50 ish) and do the swap over. Took me about.. an hour? And it was WELL worth it.

My rear brake is a bit on the sensitive side, but I like it that way personally.
(It's still less sensitive than my friend's R6)

Throttle on/off is quite abrupt when you first start out (so is the clutch!) but you learn to ignore it, really. I'm a lot more comfortable with the throttle on other people's bikes now as well.

 

[FIZZER6]

Your ass will get used to the seat! I have put 18,000 miles on that stock seat. My longest trip was 1,600 miles in 5 days...my knees were worse off than my backside after that much FZ6 time.

 

[Xavias]

Your ass will get used to the seat! I have put 18,000 miles on that stock seat. My longest trip was 1,600 miles in 5 days...my knees were worse off than my backside after that much FZ6 time.

I've got about 16,000 on mine (30k total on the bike)
Longest trip was about 4,000 miles in 10 days. Air hawk seat pads work well for that.

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

Good for you man, 3 weeks 500 miles is pretty good. Keep learning every time you get on that bike

I find the stock seat comfortable, definitely check your seating position, make sure you are not riding up the tank. I usually try to keep my sit bones touching the rear.

Get the grip puppies and make sure you aren't gripping the bars too tightly, use your core a LOT and try to hug the tank with your knees. Basically take as much weight as possible off your arms and wrists. The FZ6 stock handlebar turns in at an angle. Look into getting a FZ6R (same rise as FZ6)handlebar or a little lower FZ1 handlebar.


The throttle is twitchy, look into installing the G2 Throttle Tamer. Increase the idle. There are other threads on this forum to help you with this specific issue.

Be very careful with the rear brake, if you do use it often and manage to lock it , make sure you don't immediately let off the rear brake as it could result in the rear gripping and causing a high side. I have some how formed the habit of using the rear only whilst performing a Quick stop or at very low speeds <20mph.


Hope this helps.Have fun.

 

[long101]

Ive only had my bike for 1.5 weeks and put a few hundred miles as well.

Of continous highway riding my ass lasts about 40 min too, but riding with an occasional stoplight I can last much longer. I will probably eventually get an aftermarket seat since I would like to do some long rides.

I went for a 100 or so mile ride and my right hand/wrist ended up swollen the next day, so I hear you there.

I actually like the rear brake. When going slow and my hand is hurting I can just use this brake.

The throttle does suck, especially around turns. That being said I think I will eventually get use to it.

 

[ront]

I just rode my 05 FZ6 784 miles in 2 days last week end. Last time I did anything close to that, I was in my early 20's. I have raised my handlebars a bit and installed a Kaoko throttle lock. While I was tired when I got home, I was pretty surprised how much I did not hurt. The stock seat feels fine to me, although I am sure there are better.

Ron

 

[FinalImpact]

I've found that @ss ache is proportional to vibes not so much seat itself. If your vibes are from 5000 RPM UP, its not the throttle body sync that will help. Its new plugs and likely tightening the plug caps to the wires WHICH IS ALMOST ALWAYS OVER LOOKED!!! >> http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/48874-cure-bad-vibrations-spark-plug-caps.html

Proper cleaning, lubrication and alignment of the chain will help smooth out the rolling vibrations. >> http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/40463-how-string-align-your-rear-wheel.html

Also, good quality and Fresh oil will free up the engine for smoother operation!

As stated, the FZ1 bars will help too. Do a Search - SEVERAL posts on this topic!

Be Safe!

 

[FrozenBiker]

If you can be w/o your seat for eight days, send it down to Spencer in Florida.
It costs $75 for him, and about $25 for round trip FedEx. He does a great job.
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I used a couch pillow on the bike while the seat was away :BLAA:

 

[pookamatic]

Congratulations on buying the fastest color available. *runs away*

 

[Recluse420]

You can grab the Yamaha comfort seat on Ebay for around $160ish. The stock does take getting used to, I was going to get the comfort seat but now I don't care.