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FZ6 Fazer - a begginer's bike?


razvan
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Hi all,

I'm 24 and I´m looking to buy my first bike. The list has shortened and the last options are the Yam Fazer and the Honda Hornet. Same price, though the half fair seem very sedductive.

All the reviews are complaining about the midrange gap in the charts... How would that annoy me as a begginer? Could I learn to live with it? Even if I get a test ride I don't think I'm able yet to make a comparisson due to my lack of experience...

My riding would by mostly in the city (Bucharest - Romania, quite a crowded one) and short trips of 200 - 400km. Has anyone *toured* with this bike?

Thanks & Cheers

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Yes, the Fazer 600 is deffinitely NOT underpowered.........it uses the same engine as the R6 and the Fazer can still nail 0-60 in less than 4 second!!! Doesn't sound slow to me. 8)

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:hi to the Forum razvan.

There's no question - go for the Fazer without a doubt!

It will out-perform the hornet in every department, is much more fun to ride and will cost a lot less to run.

I use mine for commuting during the week, Instruction at the weekends, and rides out when the opportunity arises. It's light and easy in traffic, but keeps up with mates on larger machines without too much problem at all. 8)

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Go with the fazer without any doubt. When I got mine I was chosing between the fazer, sv650 and hornet. I sat on the hornet and the seat felt like a bit of black cardboard, not comfy at all. Oh and you'll never be able to go on long runs out as you'll be forever at the petrol station.

The fazer is a very good touring bike too. Loads of people have done loads of touring on the fazer, I'm planning a trip round spain next year on my little baby.

If you (not someone from a magazine) actually notice a midrange problem then just change gear at a higher revs. Seriously there's a few little things that can be done to improve the bhp so don't fret about it being boring, you won't be disapointed.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Short story. I passed my MSF first time in May as a "50ish" newbie. I agonized over used, new, anything I could to make my first bike perfect. I sat on dozens of bikes and read hundreds of reports from seemingly countless naysayers. I finally said to myself-'NUFF!

The FZ6 was purchased 30 Jun (from the place I had first started in April-gadzooks!) and the rest is big grin time! I started slowly (had to learn a little throttle/clutch control ya know) and took it one step at a time.

I've now got 4k on it in all sorts of conditions-twisties, city expressways, stone backroads. I've done 400 mile days with only mild "butt burn".

The bike is tight as all get out and the looks and thumbs-up I get from admirers only add to the fun. (Oh, and the scowls from the old folks in cages are a hoot, too).

Buy It! Yammie's got a winner here me thinks!

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  • 1 month later...

The Fz6 is not what I would consider a beginner's bike by any stretch of the imagination.

-no bike with ~100 hp should be piloted by a newbie

-no bike worth $6500 should be piloted by a newbie

An EX500 would yield better MPG, be cheaper purchase cost, less costly to operate, cheaper insurance, less likely to be stolen, cheaper for parts, more used parts out there, more forgiving, cheaper to repair when dropped, and u'll develop your riding skills quicker on a smaller, less intimidating bike. A used beat up starter bike ex500 will be easier to sell with minimal depreciation (often times no depreciation if u do things right) than the Fz6 once u are done learning on it and u'll have less $ tied up in the bike in case u decide motorcycling is not for u down the road.

(a Yamaha Seca II, GS500, Bandit 400 or 600 would fit the bill here as well)

The overwhelming majority of new riders drop their bike at least once when learning...it'd be a shame to mark up a brand new Fz6 and u'd hardly be able to realize the performance envelope of this bike riding in a crouded city.

Take the $ u saved and purchase a beginner rider course in your country if they are available and some good motorcycle specific boots, gloves, helmet, pants, jacket.

Good luck!

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Yes, the Fazer 600 is deffinitely NOT underpowered.........it uses the same engine as the R6 and the Fazer can still nail 0-60 in less than 4 second!!!  Doesn't sound slow to me.  8)

Eh ?

One could say that of almost any superbike though ?

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  • 1 year later...

I'm looking to get a new bike...I've been riding for a year or so...and the fazer is looking really good...I'm also partial to the BMW 650Cs though...

It'll be my commuter bike...what sort of mpg do you guys get?

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I'm looking to get a new bike...I've been riding for a year or so...and the fazer is looking really good...I'm also partial to the BMW 650Cs though...

It'll be my commuter bike...what sort of mpg do you guys get?

Hey there,

can't even believe you are considering the BMW. Had one - went back to the Fazer it wins every time, comfort, reliability, fuel consumption and goes when you need it.

dawn

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Hey there,

can't even believe you are considering the BMW. Had one - went back to the Fazer it wins every time, comfort, reliability, fuel consumption and goes when you need it.

dawn

lol....well..it's one of the two...what kind of fuel consumption do you get on ur Fazer?

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

does anybody have some fuel consumtion details for the Fazer 600 ~2004 models? I saw something about ~5-6 l/100km's. can anyone confirm this. The main reason i'm will b getting the bike is for commuting

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I just traded my 04 FZ6 in for an 06 FJR. Fuel consumption for the FZ6 was very good. I averaged around 5.5l/100km combined on country roads with some steep grades - near sea level to 350m in only a couple of km - and speed limits of 90km/h (read 110-120), to city roads and traffic jams. Only down side is that the tank is a bit undersized; a one-way commute for me was 65km so I was fueling every other day on the way in to make sure I had enough to putter around town and get home. I had mine equipped with a pair of Shad SH43 side cases, which gave plenty of room for gear, and strapping down a briefcase across the rear seat wasn't a problem. Handling in traffic was very good - very flickable machine with lots of power to accelerate out of the way of cagers on cellphones, writing notes, reading their papers, and all the other stupid stuff they do when commuting. I have no problem recommending it as a commuter bike at all.

As for a beginner's bike, I have to agree with bstr13 that this is not one for a novice. Even Yamaha doesn't recommend it for novices. IMHO it has too much power and torque for a newbie. And it's desire to cut through the curves at speed is just too tempting - sure recipe for a newbie to end up with road rash or worse. Certainly the GS500, Vulcan 500 Ltd or one of the small 250cc cruisers is enough bike for a newbie. Maybe even a good used Radian if you can find one.

My two cents worth.

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i looked into getting a fazer but found it to tall and its high centre of gravity was off putting for me. i went with a hornet in the end as i love the look, a great reliable bike, comfy, lots of potential (even though i eventually brought one which needed nothign done to it :) ). if not a 600cc then possibly a honda cb500 or even cb 250, or an old school yamaha rd250 or 300 lc are great bikes.

whatever takes your fancy to be honest. As long as your careful and ddon't regret buying it then that seems to be the way to go.

good luck

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In the end the guy is going to be more than happy with a 2004 Fazer, it's a smooth predictable ride so unless he's stupid with the throttle he isn't going to kill himself. And as he gets more experianced, the bike doesn't need to be changed, as in the right hands a fazer will do mcuh of what most 600 supersports can do ...but he'll be doing it slightly more comfortably.

He's going to use it for commuting, so lets put things in concept.

Fuel consumption : Good (lots better than a Hornet)

Tank size : Good for this size bike (19litres I think)

Tyre wear : Good, should get about 6000miles to a rear tyre.

Comfort : Good

Reliability : Good

Commuting suitability : Good

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thanks guys!!!

my round-trip per day is like 80km's......

I've been riding for about 1.5yrs now and commuting everyday for the last 7 months..so i'm not a total newbie...I'll be riding at speeds ~100 and 140 km/h....

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