Right Direction?

[BLAZEX09]

Hello I am an R6 rider looking for a bike that is a little easier on the rider, I love the power of my 6 but most of my rides are longer 400km plus in a day. Basically I’m looking for a bike with some grunt so I can have some fun on short twisty rides, but also something I can hop off of after 400+ km and not feel like an 60-80 year old.

Am I looking in the right direction with the FZ8?

Here’s a bit more information which might help you answer my question.

I’m still a young guy (basically 24) so I don’t need cruiser comfort, just something a little more forgiving on the longer trips. I know the FZ8 doesn’t have the top end power of an R6 but the torque/hp figures would suggest that the FZ8 is no slouch. Plus I’m not a thrill seeker, I have checked all the high speed boxes I want to on the R6, I just want something with strong smooth acceleration, that doesn’t feel too weak compared with my R6.

I have ridden naked bikes at speed before so I know what to expect wind wise. My first bike was a GS 500f just 16 pounds lighter than the FZ8 so I also know what I’m getting into weight wise as well.

I know other people have criticized it, but the looks of the FZ8 have me drooling (yeah I like it a lot).

Now that I have wasted a few moments of your life, it would be awesome if you could provide me with some feedback as FZ8 riders.
Thanks!

 

[Vapordan]

I rode an r6 last week and was fooled into believing the z8 was faster. So zing-wise, it's not a disappointment. The upright sitting means you can quite literally burn through a tank of gas without any fatigue, pressure points or pain. Suspension wise, it is weak on the rough twisty stuff. I have not had a problem on other roads.

 

[Mrpacis]

Ive taken my bike to the twisty canyons of GMr. It rides pretty good. Downside is when I leaned too low I scraped the peg but that's something that can be fixed with an after market rear sets

 

[BLAZEX09]

Awesome

Thanks for the reply! That’s good news for me as I am already addicted to the looks of the bike. I took my R6 on a road trip down to Cali, we covered over 3,000 km in five days that is quite a distance but I felt like i had put on closer to 12,000km lol. I had the bike at the dealership picking up some new tires; I meandered into the showroom and saw a majestic naked beast painted a sinister black. A few more minutes of inspection; then sitting on the comfy seat while looking at the bikes specs on my smart phone, and I was hooked.

My R6 is not an ugly bike

and it will always have a special place in my heart, but this thing is just killer.

 

[Wolf_Hook]

You're right it doesn't have nearly the top end of an R6, it does still have all the characteristics of an i4. She spools up and after 6K it feels like warp speed (got it to 148mph indicated) haha. I commute 45 miles each way to work 5 days a week on my FZ8 without any issues (90% hwy at 80mph). Works out great since 6k is around 80mph. Every weekend I'm up in the mountains (Angels crest hwy, big bear, GMR, hwy 2 ect..) I'm pretty ignorant to what a good suspension feels like since everything I've ridden before this was either a 1979 GS1000 or a DRZ400sm so both have pretty soft suspension set ups. I haven't had any issues yet with it, I'm 6'4 and 200lbs. the front end is a little squishy when braking and I have the rear shock set at 7 instead of the stock 5 to keep me from wallowing up and down.
I was torn between getting a super sport or the FZ8. FZ8 just turned out to be more practical.

 

[TY1981]

Where in BC are you? There is already one in the lower mainland...no more are allowed I

 

[BLAZEX09]

Where in BC are you? There is already one in the lower mainland...no more are allowed I

Lol Abbotsford ftw

 

[GarryM]

I had a 2006 R6. I loved it to death. I'd still own it today but unfortunately I crashed it and wrote it off. Between when I bought it and when I killed it the speed limits on most roads where I ride have been reduced so another supersports bike like the R6 was a waste. So I went with something different, the FZ8.

You are right in that it doesn't have the top end of the R6 but it has more go down low so overtaking and the pull out of corners is better. And if you find yourself in the wrong gear the extra torque will help you out. As others have said though it still gets up and boogies over 7000rpm.

I'm not sure about your model R6 but the handling of mine was like a hot scalpel through butter. Just think where you want to go and you go there. You will notice the extra mass and not so direct steering of the FZ8 but the higher, wider bars and more upright seating position make it much easier to ride slowly through roundabouts etc. Ground clearance is a bit lacking. It's quite easy to grind the hero blobs on the footpegs.

The ride is more plush than the R6 but nowhere near as well controlled. Depending on your riding style you might want to factor in a suspension upgrade. I've changed the rear shock, turned the bars back a bit and slid the forks up the tripple tree a smidge and I'm quite happy with the results.

I really love riding the FZ8. It's quite happy to tool along with the traffic but just as happy blasting through mountain passes. It does exactly what I bought it to do, even if it lacks the character of the R6. I do miss the manic madness of the R6 sometimes. I dont think anything will put a grin on my face like the sound of that stumpy exhaust at 16000rpm.

 

[Vapordan]

Thanks for the reply! That’s good news for me as I am already addicted to the looks of the bike. I took my R6 on a road trip down to Cali, we covered over 3,000 km in five days that is quite a distance but I felt like i had put on closer to 12,000km lol. I had the bike at the dealership picking up some new tires; I meandered into the showroom and saw a majestic naked beast painted a sinister black. A few more minutes of inspection; then sitting on the comfy seat while looking at the bikes specs on my smart phone, and I was hooked.

My R6 is not an ugly bike

and it will always have a special place in my heart, but this thing is just killer.

That's a stunner right there!

 

[kbrink]

Wow, I think adding the 50th anniversary fz8, with the red & white paint scheme, would look great next to your red & white R6. (IMO)

I think the 8 would fit your needs perfect. I came off an 07 FZ6 (almost the r6 engine) which was a high revving with good top end power, and the fz8 fits me well, it was a good transition. Good Luck!

 

[hutru01]

R6 vs FZ8

This should shed some light on the subject.

2006 R6 Dyno Charts

2011 FZ8 Dyno Charts

As you can see, the R6 has more horsepower (at a higher RPM of course). Although, if you compare the torque, the FZ8 actually reaches its max torque at a lower RPM (between 6K-10K RPMs) compared to (10K-12K RPMs) with the R6, therefore giving you more power quicker. This turns into more real power from a stop and at lower RPMs.

If you live in a area that has stop signs and red lights, you have a slight advantage in terms of accelerating at lower speeds / RPMs.

Hope that helps!

 

[BLAZEX09]

I had a 2006 R6. I loved it to death. I'd still own it today but unfortunately I crashed it and wrote it off. Between when I bought it and when I killed it the speed limits on most roads where I ride have been reduced so another supersports bike like the R6 was a waste. So I went with something different, the FZ8.

You are right in that it doesn't have the top end of the R6 but it has more go down low so overtaking and the pull out of corners is better. And if you find yourself in the wrong gear the extra torque will help you out. As others have said though it still gets up and boogies over 7000rpm.

I'm not sure about your model R6 but the handling of mine was like a hot scalpel through butter. Just think where you want to go and you go there. You will notice the extra mass and not so direct steering of the FZ8 but the higher, wider bars and more upright seating position make it much easier to ride slowly through roundabouts etc. Ground clearance is a bit lacking. It's quite easy to grind the hero blobs on the footpegs.

The ride is more plush than the R6 but nowhere near as well controlled. Depending on your riding style you might want to factor in a suspension upgrade. I've changed the rear shock, turned the bars back a bit and slid the forks up the tripple tree a smidge and I'm quite happy with the results.

I really love riding the FZ8. It's quite happy to tool along with the traffic but just as happy blasting through mountain passes. It does exactly what I bought it to do, even if it lacks the character of the R6. I do miss the manic madness of the R6 sometimes. I dont think anything will put a grin on my face like the sound of that stumpy exhaust at 16000rpm.

My R6 always handles like it`s on rails, I don`t push it too much in the corners but I have a friend who rides a cruiser and he is scraping peg a lot when he rides at my pace, or tries to ride at my pace (but that's not saying much lol).

I`m sure the handling will be different from the R6, I`m guessing it will be closer to my GS500f. I guess I`ll have to test ride it and see.

 

[BLAZEX09]

Thanks hutru01:

I have a friend with a Kawasaki 650r which has around 70hp and 50 foot-pounds of torque from the Parallel twin. His bike has pretty good grunt down low but nothing in the higher RPM's.

I understand when people say usable power, the 650r's 'power' is right there from the start, whereas on my R6 I have to build the RPM's up a bit, before I get to the good stuff.

 

[pastasauce]

I came off an 03 r6 and I can tell you, you won't be disappointed. The FZ8 IMO handles as well as the R6 in the twisties (based on my skill level) and is far more comfortable in mundane daily riding. It really is an all around bike that you can have fun and be comfortable with.
My old R6.

 

[sinclap2]

My first bike was a GS500F too. IMO the FZ8 feels lighter because of that torque. I remember on the GS trying to accelerate out of some corners that (once I got use to it, as it was my first bike) it just felt heavy. In Australia the GS is a learner bike, because of its power to weight ratio. So, in that respect (to the weight) I have found the FZ8 easier to handle on the move than the GS. My opinion only

 

[BLAZEX09]

@pastasauce: that is a sharp looking bike! Thanks for your input.

@sinclap2: I think the GS500 is a starter bike everywhere; I was bored with it after 3 months lol. Yeah It makes sense that the FZ8 would handle better, it is a higher performance machine so you would hope that they worked on the handling quite a bit.

 

[Vapordan]

I came off an 03 r6 and I can tell you, you won't be disappointed. The FZ8 IMO handles as well as the R6 in the twisties (based on my skill level) and is far more comfortable in mundane daily riding. It really is an all around bike that you can have fun and be comfortable with.
My old R6.

Nasty piece of machine it is. But can it chew a hill like lance Armstrong all doped up?

 

[Larry P]

Man everybody beat me to the punch on this one. Owned a Gs500f, R6, and now the fazer 8. You won't miss the top end of your R6. If you *truly* enjoy running your r6 at the 12k+ rpm range on a street (speed limit ~35-45), then keep it. If you want a smooth enjoyable ride with power on tap all the time, grab a fazer 8. The Fazer is 100x the streetbike the r6 is. The r6 needs to be wrung out pretty hard to get it going. It's the design of the machine. I'm still in the break in peroid on my fazer and even a jolt of throttle at 35 mph feels like its going to rip my arms off. The only other bike to ever do that was a hayabusa. I can't wait to pass the 6k range and break the sound barrier. The seat on the fazer is much harsher than my old r6's. That's a lot to do with weight distribution. R6 spreads weight into the handlebars and across the tank. On the fazer, it's all in your bum. But my arms/back/shoulders/hands haven't been sore once since I went to the fazer.

I'm really surprised about the large debate regarding power. all of these bikes in the 600 class and upward provide more than an ample amount of power to use at some point in the engine. The fazer is built for street usage. The R6 was built for track. Sure, you can put them both in the opposite element and they will do fine. A lot of this is impulse control too. Can you ride on the street knowing a liter bike will beat you in a race? If you can say you have nothing to prove to those types of bikes, you're a perfect candidate for a fazer.

And a final note: I'm pretty sure I'm still more ergo comfortable on my old r6 compared to my new fazer still. This new position is still weird and will take time to get used to. Especially the seat. Seat is way too squishy. I sat up on my passenger's seat during a ride and felt right at home, haha.

 

[Camo]

It all depends on your budget really. The questions that need answers before you spend your hard earned are
- What sort of work will the bike be doing?
- Am I going to need to spend money on the bike after purchase to get it the way I want?
- is it bang for buck or high quality I'm after?
- What bikes fit the bill?
- What sort of money can I afford to spend.

I love the looks, the way the power is usable and the way the bike operates on a good road surface. The ergos are good and the price in the states is probably it's two best points but it falls down in the handelling department and the stock rubber is rubbish. Anything marginally worse than a smooth surface and the bike easily gets out of shape especially if the bumps are mid lean.
If I'd known what I know now and had the experience I had yesterday, I'd spend a little more money and buy more wisely.
Sorry guys, I've given this bike nearly a year and over a 1000 bux in suspension mods and am almost to the point of trading it in. I'm a big lad and that may play a part... as the closer you get to jockey size, the better the bike appears to perform in stock form.

Do yourself a huge favour and ride everything in your price range over varying roads and make a decision based on feel.

 

[Black Widow]

I think because the 8 looks sporty, people forget that it is a regular standard motorcycle, not a super sport bike, then start comparing to R6 and R1 type bikes, there is no comparason, they are in a different category for a reason.. If you buy an 8 knowing it isn't a sport bike but a standard naked bike ,then you will be more than happy with its suspension and handling.