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Just How good is the FZ6 two-up?

S.D.Willie

S.D.Willie

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I'm a new member here and have seriously considered the FZ6 or Bandit 1250 as my next bike. I dont have a passenger that often but i DO remember that my vstrom 650 was a bit sluggish when i had someone on the back. How is the performance with another body on the back on the FZ? The bikes its come down to for me are close in price range and as you can tell im undecided. I still have a ways to go to pay off and sell my other bike before i can really do anything. Thanks for any thoughts on the whole two-up response for the yamaha.
 
I don't know about your weights, but my wife and I are under 280 lbs combined. That being said, the performance is outstanding for me. She also loves being able to see over me from the elevated seating position unlike my VTX. The only thing I don't like is when I brake - she kind of pushes me (and the family jewels) into the gas tank a little bit. Could be resolved with some different riding techniques - I'm sure. She doesn't ride with me very often, though. Hope that helps.:Sport:
 
I'd guess based on power the Bandit has the edge for that low end push. As for comfort they are probably equal. I had a girl that weighed 180 on the back...the bike certainly knew she was there, but it was manageable.
 
FZ-B said:
I'd guess based on power the Bandit has the edge for that low end push. As for comfort they are probably equal. I had a girl that weighed 180 on the back...the bike certainly knew she was there, but it was manageable.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of girl....
 
The FZ has plenty of power (so I've been told by sportrider)! Also, out of 6 different motorcycles, the FZ was the most comfortable by far, as a passenger. Trust me, you will have no issues with power! :thumbup:
 
Never had my FZ 2 up, use my FJR for that.
I think the 6 would be down on tourque needed for smooth 2 up riding. If I didn't have the FJR I would have bought the new Bandit for a single bike with multiple uses.
Go with the Bandit/ABS for what you want. Read some real sweet reviews on the new Bandit. Get the ABS!
I do have it on my FJR, helps save you butt when you need it most.Really sucks that the FZ has ABS in Europe and not here.
 
280 lbs combined for 2 people is quite light i must say :rolleyes: . im 6' , 194lbs.
thanks for all the comments, you guys are very fast at responding here! Thing is i dont do 2-up THAT much and i have to admit, although i really love the looks of the bandit, i think the FZ wins out with the nicer fairing look IMO and the blacked out engine. But i guess the torque is the biggest difference. by the way, i thought i read somewhere the oil filter on the FZ6 is a cartridge and not a regular spin on? is that true? easy to replace? my dads saturn has a cartridge and its cake.
 
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S.D.Willie said:
280 lbs combined for 2 people is quite light i must say :rolleyes: . im 6' , 194lbs.
thanks for all the comments, you guys are very fast at responding here! Thing is i dont do 2-up THAT much and i have to admit, although i really love the looks of the bandit, i think the FZ wins out with the nicer fairing look IMO and the blacked out engine. But i guess the torque is the biggest difference. by the way, i thought i read somewhere the oil filter on the FZ6 is a cartridge and not a regular spin on? is that true? easy to replace? my dads saturn has a cartridge and its cake.
Click to expand...

I'm not comfortable riding with my wife on the back of my FZ6. My wife seemed to affect the center of gravity too much for me to feel comfortable with and the mid to low torque didn't feel adequate. I am not, however a very experienced rider yet (only 3 months of almost daily riding). We solved the problem by buying a Honda VFR 800. The V4 makes alot more usable torque than the I4 of the FZ6.

I have no complaints about the handling of the FZ6 while riding solo, but you may want to go with the Bandit, FZ1, or maybe a Z 1000, if you want a naked sport/standard bike that will be competent with a passenger. My wife and I are about 340lbs together and I feel alot more in control on my VFR.

As far as the oil filter, the change on the FZ6 is not hard at all, and it uses a normal cartridge style filter.
 
I ride with my wife on the back a lot. She is such a good passenger that I don't even feel her back there. My riding buddies are impressed that I can ride the way I do with her on the back. My wife is about 115 or so and I'm about 225 and I have no problem at all with power. I also gave a ride to a larger woman, and I could feel the difference, but that was the first time she had ever been on a bike so I took it slow. With a little more riding time, I'm sure we would get used to things and I could start going faster, but not as fast as I do with my wife. As far as power, I really didn't have problems with that, I just have to get used to different shift points. But when I needed some more power, the FZ6 delivered.
 
CanadianFZ6 said:
I own the Bandit 1250 and the FZ6.... For two up... hands down, buy the Bandit....:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I agree...For two up the bandit is the better of the 2 bikes, but for daily single rider commuting, the smaller FZ6 would be my choice.

I was also considering the Bandit for 2 up riding, but since my wife now has her own bike:thumbup: I am glad to have the FZ6 for the daily grind.:D
 
nlheikki said:
That's a lot of girl....
Click to expand...

wow, and i thought everyone here was respectful..... :(


I am the passenger on my husband's FZ when we ride 2up (not often) and from what I can tell, there doesnt seem to be much lagging going on (though I dont know the difference from riding it to passenging it). When I have ridden his bike, it has good pull, and when I am on the back it also seems to have good pull.
 
My wife and I have done 2 large touring trips together on the bike and it does fine, even crusing in 6th at 80, you still have more pull to use if need be. She is a great passenger thanks to my previous bikes that she learned on. If your passenger is squishing you against the tank while braking, tell her to use her thighs to tighten up when she feels the brakes being applied. This puts pressure on the seat and slightly on your butt. It keeps helmets from smacking together and her weight on your back.
 
you said you had a vstrom 650 before and you find that sluggish when 2up,,,if thats the case you should go with the bandit 1250 because the fz is worse than the wee-strom when it comes to over 300lbs 2-up..i switched directly from vstrom650 to fz6 last year and first thing that i compared was 2up riding since im into long rides with my wife...but it is so uncomfortable compared to the wee,i gave up taking her to long rides,,,,there is not much room to stretch while riding,,,seat is less comfortable and as someone said earlier the center of gravity moves way back,because of the passenger seat being more higher than the riders seat..
bandit would be a much better bike if you are constantly going to be 2up....2-3 hour rides are fine but it gets real painful after that with 2up...
bandits looks and weight is the cons about that bike compared to the fz...
fz6 is an ideal bike if you are willing to ride alone :)

(if you are coming from an r6 than ignore what i just wrote about the fz6,i just compared it with vstrom 650 and bandit1250)
 
keira said:
wow, and i thought everyone here was respectful..... :(


I am the passenger on my husband's FZ when we ride 2up (not often) and from what I can tell, there doesnt seem to be much lagging going on (though I dont know the difference from riding it to passenging it). When I have ridden his bike, it has good pull, and when I am on the back it also seems to have good pull.
Click to expand...

Sorry, it was a joke.
 
Don't sweat it, I posted that because to make the point that the FZ6 could pull both of us...I'm pretty sure 30 lbs. was boobs though...:thumbup:
 
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