New FZ6 Rider on board

[left5x]

Hey all, I'm the proud new papa of a 2009 Raven FZ6.. Although im not new to riding i am new to sport bikes, and i have a few ?.. on my last two bikes a 2006 Honda vtx 1300c and a Yamaha 650 classic i would never pull over in the rain. I know this bike handles like a dream compared to those but how is it on wet roads?. Also how is this bike for road trips 300-600 mile day rides"seem like it would be fine", also what are you guys using for luggage?.. i have been reading this forum for a few days and it seems like you guys know what your talking about, As with the vtx i found that a good forum is worth its weight in gold when it comes to knowledge.. So i guess i would appreciate any tips as well...
Thanks Ron...

 

[mstewar1]

Hey Ron, welcome and congrats.

You'll get an ear full about using the search function -- oops, there's the first one. But seriously, the site is pretty well divided into respective sections where we can often find info that's on point. And we recently had someone figure out how to use google to search on the site.

I found the stock saddle to be flat out uncomfortable. Opinions vary but I have, and like, a corbin saddle. It's all about finding one that lets you sit on your sit bones and not on your butt.

And I run a givi top case. (and also have a givi sidecase setup) Where I live I can't have anything "soft" exposed, it'll just get ripped off. It changes the looks -- most will agree it just kinda makes it ugly -- but I'm old, so I am not terribly worried about being stylish. I want it to work for me.

As for wet roads, I find the FZ6 handles just fine -- confident and predictable. As you probably know from riding your previous bikes, ya just gotta be smooth with the controls when the roads are wet.

See you around.

 

[sideshow_downs]

:welcome: to the forum and more importantly congrats on the new FZ.

mstewar1 covered all your questions pretty well. If you have any more question search them or feel free to ask.

 

[CHEMIKER]

:welcome: to the forum Ron!

I don't know about the weather in Illinois, but I have ridden in the rain quite a bit here in California and have no complaints. The handling is impressive actually, but I don't have any experience on different types of bikes in the rain so I can't compare. Here's a video I took of a mountain ride clinic I did this winter. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIot80-ycyo"]King's Mountain in the rain[/ame]. Our European friends ride in the rain as a matter of course and can probably give even more information.

Long rides (on stock seat) lead to hip and leg cramps for me, not sore butt. The cramps are more due to just sitting one position for long periods. But I'm below average height and weight, so probably not your best bet to give advice.

I use a Cortech Sport tailbag for luggage and like it. I just carry around small things like lunch, raingear, and laptop. I like the soft bag because it's easily removable. But like mstewar1 pointed out, if it's soft you have to take it with you. Hard cases change the looks but you can lock them on and not have to carry around with you. Take a look around the site and you'll find some pictures of different luggage setups. I think Botch has a nice photo of the most heavily loaded FZ6 ever.