Useless Gushing Post: I Love My FZ6R!

[Superzoom]

I am creating a new thread for no other reason than to say: I LOVE MY FZ6R!

I am 41 and have been riding motorcycles since I was 20. In order:

'80 Yamaha XS400 Heritage Special,
'72 Suzuki T250 two-stroke,
'82 Yamaha Exciter 250,
'82 Honda CB650 SC Nighthawk,
'78 Honda CB550 (great bike),
'08 Harley XL1200 Sportster Roadster (also great bike),

and finally my '09 FZ6R. The FZ6R is my first "sport bike", although I honestly think it's really a standard with a fairing. But that's a good thing, as it's comfortable and practical, but still attractive and fun. It feels really strange to me to have a bike that has decent suspension and handles well. None of my other bikes was remotely good in that department.

The strengths of the FZ6R are numerous:

- decent suspension and handling right out of the box
- good ergonomics for all-purpose riding
- good looks (especially for a budget bike)
- long service intervals
- low price
- low insurance rate
- electric smooth motor with perfect fuel injection and super-flat torque curve
- functional fairing (all my other bikes have needed windscreens)

All this in what is essentially an entry-level budget bike, making it a fantastically good value and a great choice for beginners and intermediate riders like myself.

The only thing missing right now is better aftermarket support, but that will come with time. There aren't enough choices now for seats and hard luggage, two things that are important to me.

Well, thanks for letting me gush like an infatuated school girl. I just love me new bike, and Yamaha deserves praise for this spot on bike.

Time to ride!

 

[atomoverride]

wow thats some serious love.

For me it was excite bike, then my fz6r LOL!

 

[clifford_05]

Hey its cool man. I pretty much said that to alot of my friends when I first got it and everyone asked if I liked it, I had to respond with "i love it" haha. For the price i think its a amazing bike and its perfect for me. Im sure since Im only 22 (my bday is tomorrow so ill be 23 ) Ill upgrade to a different bike down the road like a r6 or my personal fav the cbr but I wont out grow this bike anytime soon.

 

[Superfly]

+1

This is a great bike no question about it:iconbeer:

 

[bikerchick13]

Happy birthday CLIFFORD 05,And I also tell people the very same thing"I love this bike!!!!!" So you are not alone.It's an FZ6ER thing most people wouldn't understand.

 

[scoobienorth]

one of my good friends bought his fz6r last year and he knew i was torn between a bike and a sports car so he let me take his out for a little supervised drive and i fell in love, so i bought my own.

 

[tractorboy]

Love mine too!! Very predictable and fun to ride but no backache!

You can be a little agressive if you want or just putt down the village streets..I did SO SO much research and I did lament over it but Im so perfectly happy. I bought mine before the dealer even had the complete info on them!!

I wish the seat could be a little more comfy but I will have to fix that..its gonna be some bucks though I think........

Brother who has had a TON of bikes even really likes it...not enough to get rid of his ducati though!! haha

 

[BluePill]

All this in what is essentially an entry-level budget bike, making it a fantastically good value and a great choice for beginners and intermediate riders like myself.

Time to ride!

Traded my 2008 CBR1000RR (after 8 months and 3K miles) even for my 2009 FZR. Took a $3000 loss. Best money I ever lost!

FZR is better in every way except the motor. That sucker pulled like a tractor!! But comparing 78HP/600cc to 160HP/1000cc isn't close to fair.

 

[pyrocpu]

Traded my 2008 CBR1000RR (after 8 months and 3K miles) even for my 2009 FZR. Took a $3000 loss. Best money I ever lost!

FZR is better in every way except the motor. That sucker pulled like a tractor!! But comparing 78HP/600cc to 160HP/1000cc isn't close to fair.

What was it about the CBR that you didn't like?

I thought for sure I'd want to get a supersport/superbike after the FZ6R. But just sitting on my co-worker's Ducati 848 sport bike, after 5min, my arms & back were already whining at me.

That pretty much means the most aggressive bike I'll ever have is the FZ6R... oh wait a sec, I already have it.

Monster 796 or 1100 after the FZ6R. And if things go *just* right, I'll keep the FZ6R too!

 

[fz6rwolf]

Few years if the FZ8 comes to the U.S. maybe, looks good and initial reviews seem like FZ6R but more.

 

[Superzoom]

Happy B-Day, Clifford.

It's cool hearing everyone else use the word "love" in a sincere manner. This bike is definitely good enough to inspire feelings of fondness.

Bikerchick, I agree that it's something that other people wouldn't understand. I've read lots of criticism of the bike from people who have never ridden it and they all lament the fact that it has less horsepower than the old FZ6. They just don't know that every one of our FZ6R's horsepower is smooth, perfectly fuel injected, and usable in city driving. I can't believe my FZ6R can cruise along smoothly at under 2000 rpm. It's so useful in heavy stop-and-go traffic. I had to feather the hell out of my clutch on my Sportster in stop-and-go situations.

At least every single professional review of the FZ6R has been positive, if not gushing as well. The reviewers know a perfectly sorted bike when they ride one.

Tractorboy, I too did a ton of research, and I was so, so close to pulling the trigger on a new Triumph Street Triple, which is supposedly an incredible bike. But then I started to read good things about the FZ6R and when I analyzed its stats, I realized it was a perfect bike for my personal needs. Fun, light(ish), comfortable, practical, pretty... and all for a bargain price. The truth is, I might have bought the Street Triple if money was no object, but the FZ6R won in the end by being so well rounded and inexpensive.

BluePill and Pyrocpu, for real riders, comfort is king, and the FZ6R has one of the most rational riding positions of any sport bike. Every time I sit on a super sport bike I can't believe the insane reach to the bars. I feel like I'm being stretched on a rack. I think the forward lean position makes perfect sense going 100 mph+ on a racetrack, but is a real compromise when doing real world riding. I'm actually considering buying a handlebar riser (SW-Motech) that will put the bar higher and closer, but I'm still assessing the stock position.

I'm going to be giving a friend of mine a test ride on my bike. He hasn't been on a bike for decades. I'm guessing he's going to love the bike too.

 

[Insure Gal]

+1 !!!!!!!!

Was in at the dealership and met Zen (My bike) today. Love her already

Picking her up (hopefully if we do not get any more snow - 3cm here today ) on Tuesday!!!!

CAN'T FREAKIN WAIT!!!!

 

[Superzoom]

Wait until you ride her, Insure Gal. I would suppose the state you're in would be called puppy love. True love will come with a few hundred kilometers. And sorry about the snow. I'm going to ride out to The Rock someday, maybe even this summer.

 

[bikerchick13]

Insure Gal congrats on the new 2010 FZ6R.You will love this bike!!!!!!! And
WELCOME to the FZ6R fever! :welcome: :canada:

 

[clifford_05]

WELCOME to the FZ6R fever! :welcome: :canada:

Fever is right, haha. Ive already bought 5 things for it and I want more. Just not much else to get for the moment. Really really really wanna get an exhaust for it just $800 is kinda expensive to me but ill still shell it out for one, lol..

And thanks for the bday wishes bikerchick and superzoom

 

[Bigevildoer]

Every time I sit on a super sport bike I can't believe the insane reach to the bars. I feel like I'm being stretched on a rack. I think the forward lean position makes perfect sense going 100 mph+ on a racetrack, but is a real compromise when doing real world riding. I'm actually considering buying a handlebar riser (SW-Motech) that will put the bar higher and closer, but I'm still assessing the stock position.

You'd be surprised how comfortable the sport bikes with the forward lean can be. Sure, if you're in the city, it really kind of sucks, but once you hit highways speeds (55 mph / 90 kmh) the wind resistance really helps push you up, reducing the strain on your arms and shoulders greatly. In the city, you get respite from the strain at lights and the likes, so it's not really really bad 'cause you get to stretch and take a break.

I can ride my Buell 1125r just about as long as my FZ6R on any given day...

 

[Superzoom]

You'd be surprised how comfortable the sport bikes with the forward lean can be. Sure, if you're in the city, it really kind of sucks, but once you hit highways speeds (55 mph / 90 kmh) the wind resistance really helps push you up, reducing the strain on your arms and shoulders greatly. In the city, you get respite from the strain at lights and the likes, so it's not really really bad 'cause you get to stretch and take a break.

Hi Bigevildoer.

I believe you 100% when you say the lean is comfortable at highway speeds, but I live in downtown Toronto where gridlock and stop-and-go traffic, even on the expressway, are a given (sorry, don't mean to be condescending to anyone who doesn't live in a congested city). I do a fair bit of riding in the city, so realistically, I spend about 75% of my time on the bike in the city.