Opinions/Input Requested:

[deeptekkie]

I've seen this question asked here in different ways, but this one is unique to me as this is my son. I respect your input. Thanks!
Keeping in mind that:
1) He has never had a motorcycle before
2) This will be his first and it will have to last several years, (at least through college)
3) He is a BIG guy, (at least 6'-1", 180 pounds)
4) I can still get a brand-new 2009 FZ6,
Do you think this is too much bike for new rider, considering the above parameters?

 

[macem29]

biggest variable is what goes on between his ears, and you can judge that
better than any of us, personally it would scare the crap out of me

 

[RJ2112]

180 pounds is not massive....... 250-300 lbs is. At 210 + gear, I have had 'contests' with Porsche Turbos and left them in the dust. It's all mental. Most 19 YO, they're better off on something with 25-40 HP, rather than 80+.

The best investment you can make, is in getting him through MSF BRC, then possibly into an advanced course..... then let him decide what makes sense when he has a MUCH better idea of what's involved.

 

[ELIZABETH]

The one parameter that you didn't touch on was his attitude about riding. Is he going to respect the power of the bike, or will he be easily talked into acting squidly by his buddies? This might be a difficult parameter for you (as a dad) to define, but an important one.
The FZ6 is my first bike, having never ridden before my MSF class last summer. But I am a 47 year old married woman, so my attitude about riding is quite different than a (17) year old boy. The bike has plenty of potential for me to get into trouble, but I choose not to behave that way. I guess any bike can get a young man into trouble.
The insurance rates on the FZ6 seem to be more reasonable than most other bikes, so that would be a plus for a teenage boy.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[Wolfman]

My 2 cents....he would be best off with a bike that no matter how hard it can be ridden, is still fairly gentle, and hard to get into big trouble on...maybe a Honda VTR250...

I remember having a "Postie Bike", or step through scooter as my first road bike....all 70cc of it...

Trust me, i could still have lots of fun, chucking it about, but really, it was quite slow, and terrible, but it did teach me a thing or two, and probably saved me from a bad accident or two along the way...cause if i had more power in my hands at that point, i would of used it, and i reckon i probably would of shoved it up a tree pretty quickly..

If i had got on something like an FZ6 at that point, i would of most certainly been a prime candidate for temporary citizenship...the FZ6 is very far from slow, and it's get well more than enough power to catch even well experienced riders, if they are ham fisted on the throttle, or brakes!

15-20 years ago, litre bikes were not putting out as much HP as the FZ6...and we would of considered ourselves insane to put a new rider on a litre bike back then...same applies for the current crop of full power middleweights...

:thumbup:

 

[motopete]

Anybody could get hurt or worse on a 50cc. It really depends on his maturity level (I know mine drops when I put my helmet on LOL), and common sense. I've been ridding for over 20 years, and I ride a 600. Yes I've ridden much bigger bikes, but now realize I don't need them. The best thing he could do is take a training course. If it teaches him one thing that saves his life its worth it. I belive thats why I've survived over half my life on a motorcycle.

 

[moopie]

As others have suggested, taking an MSF course and lots of riding with you will be the best thing for your son!

While I wouldn't consider the FZ6 near as bad as a real super sport, I still don't think it's appropriate for any rider to start out on. And that's not necessarily because it's so easy to get yourself into trouble. I just feel like a new young rider will gain better skills (quicker) by starting out on a tamer bike such as a Versys or GSX650F. Make the big boy bike his college graduation present!

 

[Fred]

Give him a small bike with average handling. Ninja 500's are great, as are GS500's. A Vstrom 650 is another nice option, since it's not all that revvy.

When he blows a corner on one of those bikes, he'll be doing a relatively low speed.

If he, on the other hand, exceeds the limits of the FZ6, he will likely be doing a ton or more. So by having a faster, better handling bike, the damage will be increased.

I think that the FZ6 is too much for 99% of new riders.

Fred

 

[Disco]

Speaking from personal experience, the FZ is my 1st bike and I learned how to ride on it. Spent only my 1st day learning to ride on a 250cc, every day ever since have not ridden anything smaller than a 500 (except for trail bikes).

The bike is not the issue, its the link between brain & right wrist where the problems lie.

 

[Motogiro]

biggest variable is what goes on between his ears, and you can judge that
better than any of us, personally it would scare the crap out of me

Yes I have to agree that the ECU between his ears is the most important factor. I believe you can do as much damage out of a turn or into traffic with a 250 Ninja. Yes the FZ6 is not a starter bike but then again there is no power range/displacement that qualifies for a suicidal monkey.

Yes, A misplaced throttle in a turn with the engine putting bigger torque and horsepower down to the rear wheel is going to make a difference but the FZ6 is not that squirrely unless your banking the RPM's at it's high end.

If you think you have to worry what he's going to do in the real world situations, then by him a car.

If you have a relationship that's pretty close and honest with him and you know you're connecting with him, then have the conversation with him about the reality of these machines. They must be respected!

Does he understand things like power band. If he does he has more respect and understanding of the relationship between him and the responsibility he has. If he doesn't and it's a matter of economic youthful transportation I would get him an inline or V twin 600cc or less to start with.

My heart goes out to you for this decision making process cuz no matter how big or how old, that's your baby...:hug:

 

[lonesoldier84]

He's not actually that big. 180lbs? Lol...come on.....

I'm 6'4" 250lbs....

You do realize the power even a smaller bike would have still WAY more than enough power to actually be a functional piece of equipment for a rider up to 300 or even 400lbs (although at 400lbs you might need to sort your suspension out....lol).

@ 180lbs a bike with half the power of the FZ6 would still not really notice the rider's presence all that much.

The argument of rider size vs bike is fundamentally flawed.

If you are talking about comfort and trip length....then that's another story. And the same thing applies. There are smaller displacement bikes which are equally and sometimes more comfortable for a large rider.

That being said I started on the FZ6 and survived. But I found myself in some pretty bad situations because of poor throttle control when in the high-rpm power band on wet roads a couple times.

That being said, the FZ is fine, I think. But that's just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[Ryan T]

As stated before, it's going to come down to how his attitude about riding and being responsible at all times. Really hard to judge, most will say they will be responsible but in the end, a quick lapse in judgment is all it takes.

Either way, proper training (MSF BRC), the proper gear, practice, and knowledge (being safe and smart, even when everyone else is not) is where it all begins.

The FZ6 was my first motorcycle, and the first time I'd every be the operator. I prepared with knowledge, training, practice, and final practical application.

Hope all works out well.

 

[afpreppie04]

Like some others in here, the FZ6 was my first bike after learning for a few days on a Nighthawk 250. I just took it slow getting used to it, and yes I stalled it a lot the first week. I actually wanted to get something smaller so I wouldn't kill myself, but this was back in 2007 and the new Ninjas weren't out yet. If I had known about it back then I would get a TW200, I'd still like to pick one up to play around with these days.

 

[Ridgeback]

If it was my son,I'd like him to get some time under his belt with something a bit more suitable to a novice.
The FZ6 isn't exactly a powerhouse,but can get you into trouble very quickly compared to lower powered machines.I don't think it's about the CC's as a 250 Aprllia can show a clean pair of heels to most 600's,it's about learning corners,braking and general survival on a bike.

 

[Chris]

He's just about my size. I would recommend starting on something smaller. He should be able to do fine on something like a Kawasaki Ninja 250.

 

[Hillbilly]

I would have to agree with Chis ^^^.
I've been riding for 38 years this summer and have a VTR250 for the city and an 09 FZ6 for highway and weekend trips.
The VTR250 and the Kawi 250 are pretty close in handling and performance. The FZ6 is a whole other beast. The 250 can still out accelerate 99% of the cars on the road, has a top speed of 170 KPH (106 MPH) and that's with me on the bike, 225lbs. My $.02, a 250 would be great to start on and much more forgiving when you make noob mistakes, and as others have said the main things would be MSF training and proper gear.
Good luck with your new rider and may he be a safe one!!

 

[joe1971]

I'm in a similar situation to you, similar aged kid as well. In my opinion the equation works like this; teen boy + 600cc SS = dr bills, totaled bike, property damage to 3rd party, that's if your lucky.

Myself, I say get him something along the lines of a dr250, ttr230. Their still fun as hell, easy to control, can be ridden either street or dirt, and not much to fix when (not if) he goes down.

Do you have any experience riding? if you do try to take an fz6 for a spin, if you don't then would you toss him the keys to an 08 vette and turn him loose? That's about the performance level your looking at.

 

[notjohndavid]

biggest variable is what goes on between his ears, and you can judge that
better than any of us, personally it would scare the crap out of me

I'd been riding a while when I rode the FZ6 and it still scared the crap out of me when i rolled the throttle all the way open.

I'm about 215.

I'd start with something smaller. regardless of what's in between the ears

 

[Wh0M3]

I started on an FZ6 and the only thing I would say to anyone wanting to get a bike is do a riders course and make sure you sit on it first.

I'm 5' 10" and around 250lb (slowly getting lighter) and I've had to pick up my FZ6 from the ground. :spank: It's not an easy thing to do but I can do it. A smaller bike will be lighter, a bigger bike would be heavier, I've always felt that you need to be able to pickup the bike if you ever drop it. If your friend doesn't think he would be able to do that then he might want to start with a smaller bike.

I think the one thing that causes people to buy a large bike for their first bike is pride, they want to have the image of starting out with something bigger. I've always thought of a 600cc as a good starter bike, but that was before I started riding and all the motorcycle articles I read were more about the liter class of bikes. I now understand the lower class with the 250s and the 500s. If I were to do it over again I would have kept the FZ6 because I like the style and the feel. I do at times wish it was more sporty or bigger but that is my pride.

Everyone is different and some people just want to say they had a motorcycle at one time and then they got over it. There are also the few who after they started riding fell in love with the ride itself.

 

[CarpeNoctumDC]

its the link between brain & right wrist where the problems lie.

While I owned 2 bikes prior, my new FZ6 is the only one that I seriously started riding on… At the time I was just over 6’2” and 185#... I went through the dealers for every manufacture of motorcycles (well sport anyways) to figure out what I wanted and what felt right… For me the new FZ6 was the best fit both fit/size and style… As far as the engine size goes? All just depends on his mentality.. I actually chose the FZ6 over the FZ1, R1, etc.. because I knew I didn’t need that much power…

After a Honda CB650 and a Secca II, when I pulled out of the dealership I wanted to see what the FZ6 could do… LOL lets just say I was happy with 0-100 (yeah I know bad idea for a new engine).

If he likes/wants the FZ6 I would tell him to go for it... On the contrary, if you think he is going to be prone to a spill or if he (or you) isnt sure or confident he wants/needs that much ... The FZ6 may get him into trouble..

He definitely needs to take MSF or something similar and invest in good gear… If he becomes a speed demon or is not very confident he will need it... An FZ6 is heavy enough that it’s a pain to get off you when it pins your leg…

Back to the comment about the brain/right wrist link... In some ways I do feel that once I became confident that the FZ6 only added to my problem with that link...

Max speed: 187 (helmet started flying apart... I no longer buy KBC..)
Speeding tickets: 110 134 168
(well.. what I was pulled over doing.. they wrote them for less..)
Rear tires in the first 8 months: 3
Worst riding habit? Repeatedly doing 65+ on the 101 during rush hour.. - Its a testimate and trial for evasive manuvers... LOL but fun? :Im With Stupid:

There are two types of riders: Those that will fall, and those that wont.
In those two types you will always have either responsible drivers or ... aggressive drivers. Whatever the case and whatever you decide, just know that the possibility exists that he will become confident and more daring.. (For some strange reason after a 30 MPH $4100 accident I became more confident...)

LOL sorry.. didnt mean to ramble.. Been working on a final and needed a break.. Actually thinking of that: I had to take a break from school after that $4100 accident.. Really only banged up my leg but the domino effect with work, bills, etc... caused me to get behind in everything so school was the first thing to go... A few years later I am 30 and finishing up my degree...

Food for thought..