Yamaha FZ6.

[Paulvt1]

Anyone owned / ridden one?
I'm toying with the idea of picking up a cheap one as a second bike just for sporty riding. I can't do the race rep thing any more - due to a bad neck and i want something light and revvy as a counterpoint to the S10.
Is it a good choice for said task?

 

[Twitch]

Hey Paul…I have a 2006 FZ6 that I picked up used earlier this year to have a smaller motorcycle for commuting, errands, gatherings, etc; plus my 17 year old son uses it when we do father/son rides and trips. At the time I was looking specifically at the FZ6, Versys and Wee for those rolls as I also went carless first of the year. The FZ6 was top of the list from pure research, but when it came down to it, they were widely available here, as in I probably had eight or so to choose from at the time…and much cheaper than the alternatives. I got mine from a dealer, OTT for US$3,500 with a nice set of Givi V35 cases.

The bike is smooth and rides nice. Although it’s more upright in the ergos, I did have to put about an inch of rise on the bar to get comfortable and I’m currently looking for a difference (wider) set of bars. I find the controls real twitchy, which may be largely due to going back and forth between three different bikes. My 2006 definitely has light switch throttle and there’s hardly much of a friction zone on the clutch. On the former, I installed a G2 Throttle Tamer that helped a lot (there’s an install post in my blog somewhere). On the later, I've found that there's a modified clutch slave for that, but haven't had the time to run it down. I’d also add that the shifting is rough in the first couple gears, sorta slams gears like a Harley, but this is common. The newer models are apparently devoid of these issues. Overall, it's been a decent bike for the uses I got it for...and Yamaha quality, support and a wide range of accessories.

Glad to respond to any specific questions and also there’s a good forum for information that you should check, below. Good luck.

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/cmps_index.php

 

[Paulvt1]

Cheers Bill. Ace man cave you have!

 

[Yamaguy55]

I had a 2004 FZ6, traded it in on the S10.(only so many sq ft in garage) it was a very nice bike, ran like a champ, and was a blast on back roads. The newer ones have a very detuned engine, not the original 98 HP ex-R6 engine like the early ones. Mine was a very worthwhile bike, and sometimes I regret getting rid of it. But you only ride so any, and the garage is only so big...until I build that pole barn, that is...

Highly recommended. If you have the forks and shock redone by someone that knows their stuff, you'll have a very nice bike. They also should have the steering head bearings replaced with tapered roller bearings: the 2004s used the older style loose balls as a cost control thing. The engines are very robust and quite good performers. Mine usually got 50 MPG, and I ran the snot out of it. It was pretty good on dirt and gravel roads as well, but had zero engine and pipe protection. I'd look for an early one with the silver engine/frame: they are drastically easier to keep looking clean than the black ones.

 

[Paulvt1]

Cheers.

 

[Yamaguy55]

Hope it helped.

 

[OregonS10]

I had to give up my 04 FZ6 that I loved because of my neck problems. I had risers on it to sit up straighter among other mods. When riding it I had to lift my head slightly, with the wind blast caused lots of problems in my
shoulder and neck muscles. Bought the Super 10 and haven't had any problems with my neck. FZ6 is a great bike! If I didn't have the neck problems I'd still be riding it. Now my husband is loving it. Good luck with what you choose.
Janet

 

[True Grip]

Hey Paul the FZ6 is all those things you mention you want. Cheap to purchase sporty with better ergos, somewhat light and definately revy. I had a 07 for a few years and enjoyed it after a few mods. Not sure how big you are but the suspension is on the cheap side. I weigh 160lbs so the rear shock i lived with but the forks need alittle attention for sporty riding. The forks have progressive springs (undersprung as usual) and Yamaha put very light weight oil in them. The front dove really bad on braking and rebounded very fast at the apex of every curve. Very nerve racking but easy to fix cheaply. I put some .90 sonic springs in and went to a heavier oil to slow down the rebound. A little over a hundred dollars and that little thing would rail. I especially liked curvy roads where i could keep the rpms between 10 and 14 k it was a blast. As you would expect on this bike the seat is crap. I kept searching the fz forums and found a corbin close for half price. For a second bike you should be happy. I sold mine to buy farkles for the Tenere. That money went faster than the bike. Good luck on your search hope I helped Mark

 

[Jagermeister]

I had an 07 which was traded toward the Tenere. As others have said, it is a sweet little bike. It has a really smooth engine, and is very flickable.

With a couple minor tweaks, it's a lot of fun. At the top of that list would be beefier suspension (like every bike), the CO jumper mod (almost identical to the Tenere), and a Cat-less Arrow mid-pipe. Handlebar risers helped me a lot. The clutch is a little twitchy, which can be remedied with a lengthened cable link.