Anyone have any experience with these bikes.It has the sportbike look but your not supposed to be hunched over the tank.The pictures I have seen with a rider on it shows a nice upright riding position.

They are pretty upright, but not as upright as a Sporty.

Also, the motor is the polar opposite of a V-Twin. Redline is 14,000 RPM and the powerband doesn't even begin to wakeup until you're well over 5 grand.

That being said, I've strongly considered buying one as a light duty, middleweight touring bike. Retails under $7K and the only bike I know of in that price range with a center stand.

Motor is bullet proof, and with the 08's being the 5th year of this model in production, all the FI issues have been sorted out.

If you don't mind listening to the wail of an I-4 that needs to run about 7,500 RPM to be happy, then it's a great bike for the money.

~Mike

been thinking about the same bike or one of the new GSXR's (750)

Everything is opposite of the Sportster. My only real complaint was lack of low end torque (as compared to 1200 Sportster). You must be a good enough rider to ride with a high reving motor if you want to ride close to the limit, but by then you are way beyond street legal speeds. Things happen a lot faster. It is a good bike.

I'd check out the Aprilia Shiver 750,Kawi Versys and Suzulki SV650S before going for the FZ6. The Aprilia is typical Italian...absolutely beautiful styling and performance oriented in its spec sheet. The Kawi is also nice in a more SUV type of way. The Suzuki SV has been a perennial 10 best winner since its inception and can do just about anything from commuting to touring to a track day. Either bike will give you more torque than the FZ6 and you won't see yourself at every stoplight.

If I were looking for a bike right now, I'd be down at the Ducati and Aprilia dealers. Once you've been spoiled with the torque from a 1200 sporty or any other healthy V-twin, the FZ will seem pathetic around town. I had a Suzuki Bandit 600 before my Harley, and while it was an entertaining bike, it had no wear near the pull of my 1200 off the line unless you revved the piss out of it.

www.motorcycledaily.com (http://www.motorcycledaily.com) has a new Shiver review as well as older reviews on both the FZ and SV. The Versys is a brand new 08 model and has not been reviewed yet.

I'm keeping the Sportster, but I am replacing the old CBR in a year or two.

I've had a lot of fun on 4 bangers. I learned on a Kaw 750 standard style. Revving it to 7500 RPM was still very smooth. I owned a 600cc Honda CBR for 10 years. I can drive it at low RPM, but the fun kicks in over 9k (the old CBR had a 13k redline). Once you get used to the "waaaaaa" sound, its all fun.

I even have to admit that my back never got sore with the CBR's positioning, and I put in a few 7 hour drives from Minnesota to Illinois and back on it. My back notices that ride on the Sporty.

I don't really understand the problem people have with high revving vehicles. Just like exotic sports cars, some have to be revved high up for power, while some have power down low. You just have to drive the vehicle the way it was designed. Fast take offs? Rev it and feather the clutch. Low power at low RPM? Drop down a gear. Whats the big deal? I think a lot of people just don't like the sound of the exhaust and try to ride it with the revs too low.

Drive the bikes, keep an open mind, and go with whatever experience is the best. Good luck with your choice. :)

To say that an FZ6 doesn't even begin to wake up until way over 5000rpm is an over exaggeration. If you line-up an FZ6 and a Sportster 1200 for a roll from 40mph, Sportster in 5th gear and FZ6 in 6th gear, the FZ6 will run equal or even pull away slightly. And that's from around 3300rpm for the FZ6. Often people "feel" that a v-twin pulls stronger in top gear roll-ons, but the real acceleration times tell a different story.

Because of its smoothness and lower gearing you're naturally running an inline 4 at higher revs without noticing. I think the 600cc inlines feel pretty strong from almost any speed in any gear, and magazine times back that up.

Thing is, you could limit an FZ6 to 7000rpm, and it would still go neck-to-neck with a Sportster 1200. If you see it that way the FZ6 is not so peaky in character anymore. You could see it like this: What you get above 7000rpm is a nice bonus.:)

i have just traded my FZ6 S2 and my XL1200c :(( for a bike my wife is more comfortable on (she has MS) the FZ is a absolute blast in country lanes and the brakes are a dream 2x4pot mono blocks on the front stoppie anyone, the handling is sharp due to the short wheel base and it will cruise all day at 75-80 and if you do poke it a 100+ appears in 3rd :) if ridden sensibley will do over 200miles to a tank wind it up and it will halve that