Interested in the FZ6R - Looking for a friendly owner in Michigan

[UselessPickles]

First a little back-story...

My wife recently upgraded from a Honda Rebel 250 to a Honda Shadow Spirit 750. She likes the increased power, it's comfortable, etc., but the cornering clearance sucks, and she likes cornering fast. The Rebel could actually corner very well, and I would have a hard time keeping up with her on some freeway entrance ramps on my Yamaha FJR1300. The new Shadow drags pegs around almost every corner, even sometimes just turning at an intersection (usually left-hand turns with the wider radius and longer time to accelerate through the corner).

So I've been looking for alternatives that would be (or could be easily modified to be) comfortable for long trips, is light enough and/or has a low enough seat height that it can be maneuvered easily in parking lots, but can corner quickly and has more power than a 250 so that it can comfortably cruise on the freeway with passing power available. The FZ6R looks like our best hope.

Now here's the problem...

No dealer within southeastern Michigan seems to have an FZ6R in stock, so we can't even find out if it's a bike that my wife could comfortably sit on, hold up, etc. I also just missed the only Yamaha demo ride event in/near Michigan for the year. Is there anyone in the metro Detroit area that would be willing to meet up to talk about the FZ6R and let my wife sit on it? I'm in Farmington Hills and would be willing to travel a bit (~50 miles or so) to see a bike in person.

If the sitting session goes well, it would be a huge bonus if we could make some kind of arrangement for a test ride. We could go for a ride together with my wife on her bike so that you can evaluate her riding skills first, then maybe swap bikes in a parking lot and spend some time getting used to the low speed behavior of the bike (clutch, brakes, turning) in the parking lot before heading out on the road together for a fully supervised test ride.

I know that most people would never let a stranger ride their bike, so I won't push for a test ride if you don't want to allow it, but I'd at least like my wife to see one of these bikes in person and sit on it to find out if it's worthwhile to consider purchasing one. Any volunteers?

 

[Harda toenail]

I'd have no problem doing this if you offered up some collateral while she was test driving. However, I'm in SouthEast Missouri.

 

[madmike]

I know this is totally not the answer to your question...can't help you out there but...

The FZ6R, while more upright and comfy than a true supersport, is NOT a cruiser, isn't even remotely close to a cruiser. It could certainly cure her cornering woes, but you'll be trading off in every other area she may or may not love in a cruiser.

If she just wants to do a general sit and see if the CLASS of bike is a possibility, see if any of the dealers have a Ninja 650R or the Suzuki GS 500 or GSX650F. Those bikes and the FZ6R are all fairly comparable as far as the intended market and the overall setup. They will be slightly different from each other, certainly, in the way they sit and drive, BUT are far more similar to each other than they are to her cruiser. Sitting on any of them will tell her if she'd enjoy this class of bike at all or not. On of your local dealers is bound to have one of these bikes she can sit on.

Regardless, coming over from a cruiser she's going to notice the stress put on the wrists and shoulders, no matter how comfy the bike is. Despite being more upright than a SS, it's still a fairly forward riding position.

Edit: The more experienced members can shout me down if I'm way off base here

 

[Harda toenail]

Good idea about sitting on a 650r. Driving them are totally different though. The fz6r delivers smooth power through the range with it's inline-4. The v-twin has more power, but not nearly as consistent.

Also, when your wife sits on the stock bike, it wont give the full idea of what the bike will be like. I have 1" risers on the bars to make my back straight. There is little to no strain on my shoulders and arms. I can tuck in the rain just fine still. I am planning on getting a different seat also. Many things can be modded to conform to her comfort. However, make sure she likes the location of the foot pegs because I doubt we ever see any adjustable rearsets for this bike.


If she wants to do a lot of highway riding, this won't be a good bike. However, if you live around backroads and curvy roads, as well as city driving, I think this is a great bike.

 

[UselessPickles]

If she just wants to do a general sit and see if the CLASS of bike is a possibility, see if any of the dealers have a Ninja 650R or the Suzuki GS 500 or GSX650F.

That's a good suggestion. A dealership is having a "wild game cookout" this weekend, so maybe we'll stop by for some free food and to check out these other bikes.

Regardless, coming over from a cruiser she's going to notice the stress put on the wrists and shoulders, no matter how comfy the bike is. Despite being more upright than a SS, it's still a fairly forward riding position.

If you have stress on your wrists and shoulders, then you are probably sitting incorrectly. The FZ6R seating position is nearly identical to my FJR (as determined by Motorcycle Ergonomics), and I don't have any stress on my wrists or shoulders. You should be using your core muscles to hold your body up, and your arms should be relaxed with your hands only resting under their own weight on the grips. Read more about the "Master Yoda Riding Position" here: Master Yoda's Riding Position - BMWSportTouring Forums

Now that I've been reminded that the seating position is very similar, I could have my wife sit on my FJR while it's on the center stand to see if the general position is comfortable for her. If that test is passed, then the specifics of particular models of bikes become important: can she flat-foot on a particular bike and hold it up comfortably, for example. For that, a Ninja 650R wouldn't help answer any questions about the FZ6R.

 

[JSP]

If she wants to do a lot of highway riding, this won't be a good bike. However, if you live around backroads and curvy roads, as well as city driving, I think this is a great bike.

Why do you feel it is not a good highway riding bike? It is an excellent bike for that... It makes for an excellent smaller touring bike.

 

[UselessPickles]

Why do you feel it is not a good highway riding bike? It is an excellent bike for that... It makes for an excellent smaller touring bike.

That was my understanding of this bike: a light-weight sport-tourer.

My wife enjoyed a trip from near Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge and back on her Rebel 250, as well as a couple other longish day trips that included long stretches of freeway riding. Her main complaint there was the inability to consistently keep up with the rest of the group (70mph top speed, varying with wind direction/speed, hills, etc.).

If she could do long rides on the Rebel, I'm sure the FZ6R could easily be adapted to be even more enjoyable for long rides (bigger windshield, comfy seat, throttle lock). We're not aiming for Iron Butt rides or anything crazy like that. Just longer trips involving 300-400 miles/day max with a mix of freeway and back roads.


Please don't forget the purpose of this topic: let me know if you are near the metro Detroit area and would be willing to meet up so my wife can check out a FZ6R in person

 

[Harda toenail]

The seat kills it for highway riding in my opinion. Also the vibration at cruising speeds can get annoying. However, when on curvy roads, slightly shifting your weight and leaning the bike take the pressure off your back. Also, the seat is at a forward slope. My pecker inevitably gets smashed up against the tank when just riding straight. I'll be modding my seat slope soon and posting my process for others. I know your wife is probably lacking on man parts but seat mods are a must.

 

[speedracer51]

I am not sure about the test ride, but you can come to Lapeer, MI and take a sit on mine.

 

[UselessPickles]

I am not sure about the test ride, but you can come to Lapeer, MI and take a sit on mine.

So what I hear you saying is that you'll let me take it for a spin at Lapeer Dragway? I need to go there sometime to try to improve my best time on my FJR: 10.82s @ 126mph


Thanks for the offer, but I just found a local used bike for sale by owner. The owner agreed to let us come check out the bike even though I told him that we currently have no intentions of purchasing. If it wasn't a color that my wife hates (yellow), then there would be a good chance that we might end up buying it if she likes it. With the color issue, we'd have to get the bargain of the century on it so that we can pay for a paint job.

If the sitting test today goes well, I'll have to start doing some more reading on the forum so that I know what to look for in a used bike, then start looking for a used bike and a buyer that would be willing to do something like a 1 hour, 50 mile money back guarantee in case my wife just hates the way it rides.

 

[bigddy263]

Good luck with the sit test

Everybody is different. I am quite happy with my fz6r for highway riding or back road riding. I put a different front sprocket on it to keep the revs down a bit on the highway, and I love it. For me the seat is great, no smashed man parts. I am currently riding with it in the high position. I have had the bike since March and put 2600 miles on it. The longest ride I have had it on at one time is about 165 miles without getting off of it, and I had no discomfort. If the day was longer I would have ridden further.

 

[UselessPickles]

Thanks again to everyone for info and offers. We checked out a local used 2009 for sale by owner. My wife found the seat height acceptable and mildly liked the bike.

Then the owner offered a test ride. I rode it first as a safety check and to offer tips to my wife for her ride. She slowly and nervously rode out of driveway, visibly tense. A few minutes later, she zipped around the corner and pulled back into the driveway like it was her own bike. With a ridiculous grin, she said, "that was the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle!" ... and that was just a 5-minute ride through a residential area. She determined that after riding that bike, she would never want to go back to riding her Honda Shadow. She must have an FZ6R, or else she just won't want to ride at all.

The particular bike that we tested (2009 with ~4k miles) had quite a bit of cosmetic damage and panels not quite fitting together properly (dropped at least 2 times, also crashed into a car once), bald stripe down the center of the rear tire (burnouts?), completely dead battery, a couple missing inner fairing panels (removed while installing flush-mount turn signals; he said they weren't really necessary anyway), etc. He also told us about how he has a horrible driving record and can't afford insurance anymore, which is why he is selling. All of this, and he was asking $4700, which is almost the blue book retail value for a bike in excellent condition at a dealer. Too many red flags for me.

We found another used 2009 on craigslist with 1800 miles, and only about an hour drive away. It included some kind of diamond extended warranty until 2014, and had been used by a responsible-sounding father-of-four to commute to work occasionally. A short phone conversation involving me explaining that I have cash in hand and am looking to pick up a bike today led to his asking price of $4500 (firm), which I gladly accepted without any haggling. When I arrived, he informed me that there will be an additional $50 transfer fee for the extended warranty, so he included a magnetic tank bag, a bike cover and a battery charger/maintainer to make up for the additional cost (or he could take $50 off the price of the bike; our choice - we picked the extra stuff).

It looks great and runs great. No signs of misuse/abuse. Other than 2 very small chips in the paint on the fairing, it could probably pass as a new bike after a detailed cleaning to remove a few bug smears. Less than 24 hours after seeing an FZ6R in person for the first time, my wife is a proud owner and more excited than she's ever been about her previous motorcycles.

 

[CrazyCawi]

If it wasn't a color that my wife hates (yellow), then there would be a good chance that we might end up buying it if she likes it. With the color issue, we'd have to get the bargain of the century on it so that we can pay for a paint job.
.

The yellow bikes are faster bro....why would you pass that up over colour?




By the way congrats on the purchase, you sir move quickly from being a "Stroke" aka tire kicker, to a buyer!!!! Im sure you made someone very happy, and looks like you got a smokin deal, 3k less miles than mine for the same price!

 

[popeye]

Looks like you found a friendly owner "your wife", she looks like she can't wipe the smile of her face.
Beautiful bike congrats on the purchase

 

[madmike]

Awesome end (or should I say new beginning) to the story. She looks thrilled. Now watch yellow become her favorite bike color.

Oh, and get her to join the forum now...she's the one with the FZ6R, she's the one we wanna talk to.

 

[UselessPickles]

The yellow bikes are faster bro....why would you pass that up over colour?


you sir move quickly from being a "Stroke" aka tire kicker, to a buyer!!!!

I'll have to inform my wife of the bonus performance that came with her yellow bike.

I like to do enough research and number-crunching ahead of time so that I know exactly what I'm looking for and what I'm willing to pay based on logical reasoning rather than emotions. When I'm looking to buy, it means I'm ready to buy right now I had already done enough research to determine this bike (the FZ6R in general) was probably the best option. My wife's test drive experience was just the final step from "curious" to "serious buyer".

she looks like she can't wipe the smile of her face.
Beautiful bike congrats on the purchase

That's a pretty accurate assessment of her mood. Thanks

Now watch yellow become her favorite bike color.

Oh, and get her to join the forum now...she's the one with the FZ6R, she's the one we wanna talk to.

She hated the yellow before we went to look at the first bike, but she's already starting to like it and thinking of keeping it yellow. She likes how it looks like a bee/wasp from the front.

I'll suggest that she sign up on the forum and see what happens.

 

[Mr Citrus]

congrats on the purchase!
+1 for gear!

 

[Rabbitman109]

The yellow bikes are faster bro....why would you pass that up over colour?

I'll have to inform my wife of the bonus performance that came with her yellow bike.

Here we go again....I don't know how many times I have to say it, the Ravens are faster, because of the tigers blood in the paint...not only that, the yellows are only faster than the TYB and White because of the Star power that is infused with the Cadmium....her new bike doesn't have the star anymore....tsk tsk tsk....gotta get the star back....lol

Of course I am :justkidding:

Welcome to the club, and I am sure that she will enjoy it immensely. Time for a little modding!!