I'm in a similar situation where I'm after a bike that will get the mileage at a decent rate in the upper end but still perform nicely and be good for city traffic for all.Little background........been riding dirt for 20 yrs on trails. Rode street for long time about 15 yrs ago then took break. Got into it again and picked up the FZ6R it has been an awesome bike for me.
I use the bike 90% to/from work. I drive odd hours and its all highway for 60+ miles one way with next to zero traffic. I think I have taken the FZ6R to its limits on the highway. When I bought th FZ6R my commute was half of that and on city streets so would never able to "open" it up. I liked the upright style the FZ6R offered in traffic on the city streets I was looking for something that would be nimble have decent mpg's and still have sporty look and feel at that time. However that upright position now with all the hwy miles catches some air even with my Puig on there.
I am trying to decide if I should jump all the way to the R1 now with the current situation. I am confident enough for sure with my abilities to handle the bike. This is going to sound assinine I know.......... but I am looking for the one that will have better mpgs in my riding range. I ride around 85mph on the hwy. I was able to avg mid 40's all day on the FZ6R when I kept it under 80 however like I said I am getting up there in the mph's.... have 18k miles on the FZ6R so the mpg's will add up. The other thing is the huge gap in insurance for either bike here in the city. The R1 is double the R6. I really wish there was an R8 or an FZ8R,,,,I am just not fan of the FZ8 at all. I want a full faired bike.
I am looking at 06-09 R6's and R1's. I have found the 08 6's seem to be highly regarded. Any input wold be greatly appreciated. Any major differences in model years? Thanks ahead of time.
Right now I'm looking at 2 bikes:
- Yamaha FZ1 with the fairing kit which really makes it look good and gives you wind protection, you will have to lay down on it on the upper end but not too bad, it's definitely a nice handling bike and handles turns very easily. So it's fun but still performing for commuting which is what I need. I was able to take one for a good 10-15 minute drive and if it wasn't for the oil leak on it I would have gone home with it that night...
- Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - it's a brand new model for 2011 but it's based off of the z1000, it has a different cluster fairings and supposedly a bigger tank on the z1000sx (that's the european designation for the ninja 1000) but I haven't been able to find any real confirmation on that one though.
That seems to be the only 2 bikes in this class of more sport oriented touring bikes that have the full side fairings available that I have been able to come up with at this point. They both seem like they are great options though.