Went to Carlisle Bike Show (2008) today. Rode an FZ6, R6, and R1. To spoil the ending, the R6 is my favorite.
The FZ6 is kinda pathetic. That's compared to the Rs and even my 650R. The exhaust note is just wimpy, the suspension is soft, and the bars are wonky. Nothing falls to hand for me, and they make it turn in ridiculously easy. Out on the road, I twist the throttle and the RPMs jump, but there's no corresponding increase in speed or thrust. Everything works, but it's not torquey, there's no top end hit as far as I saw, and the peg/seat/ bar relationship reminds me of the KLR more than anything else. I'm sure it does plenty of things right, but the fun factor just isn't there for me. I know someone that owns one- and his son ones one- he occasionally rides. Seems to like it.
The R1 is a beast. Not the insane, "blast-off" torque of the B-King though. More refined, but it still wants to chew up everything else on the road. Ergoes are semi relaxed for such a compact bike. Clutch action is predictable and gear changes are smooth. This thing is capable of speeds far beyond my ability. One of the SCPMC guys rides one on the street and summed it up perfectly: "At 4-,5-,6- thousand, it's pretty docile. At 7-,8-,9-, 10- thousand, things start to happen very fast." Even in second/third gear, 9 thousand is cutting reaction time short.
The R6 is awesome! I've heard you have to keep it in the very top of the RPM range, and that you just can't do that on the street. I don't believe it. No, it doesn't like riding under 6k- in fact, it loves to be reved way out, but it's tons of fun to wind it up. Pegs/seat/bars aren't too bad. I could get used to humping the tank for short periods. One thing I can't stand is the kink it put in my neck! We didn't hit any really good turns, and never got much above 50mph, but this thing handles like a rolling scalpel. Of all the bikes I've ridden, I could see having this one as a dedicated canyon carver/track machine. I wish I could have taken it back 30 on the way home.
Even saying that about the R6, I love my 650R. Good handling, power perfect for the street, no kink in the neck, and I like the looks and color better than anything on the Rs. Everything works
right and it just plain pushes my buttons :cool
The rest of my pics for the weekend are
here .