MikeC
28-12-06, 03:31 PM
After riding an SV650S yesterday, this morning I went out (in the rain! :( ) to test ride a Fazer 600 FZ6. Both bikes were completely standard, so this is probably as good as it gets for a comparison.
Anyway, first impressions were once again good. It feels better built than the SV and, although I thought it was a bit ugly in the pictures, it looks much better in the flesh (thou still not quite as sporty as the SV). The riding position is much more upright (bars vs. clip-on's I guess?) too.
The bike felt quite a bit heavier, particularly at slow speeds, and I found the clutch a bit jumpy too - the biting point wasn't as progressive as on the SV. This wasn't helped, perhaps, by less low-down power than the SV seems to have, but it was an awful lot smoother and I soon got used to the clunky-but-firm gearbox too. At low cruising speeds in built up areas (30mph & 40mph) the FZ6 is smoother, if not as much fun as the SV.
Out on the road, it was pretty quick low-down still, but nothing like the SV. However, hit 7,000rpm and it really took off! I have no idea how far I managed to hold on to the revs for but I'm sure it was nowhere near the 14,000rpm (?) redline. It also made a pleasant growl if you were toodling at 40mph in 6th and opened the throttle - very nice. Whilst not having as much 'roll-on' acceleration in top, knocking it down a couple of gears provided all the grunt and revs necessary to make very quick progress indeed.
Bad points - not many for me to be honest, just wish the clutch was a little more progressive but I guess that can be adjusted, right? Biggest issue was for the missus - I was expecting this to be infinitely better for her as a pillion than the SV and largely it was - bigger, lower seat, better grab rails, more in line with my body height to act as more of a windbreak...but the two bits of upper rear fairing that stick out really dug into her legs! Does anyone know if this is a common problem, and can it be overcome at all? It seems ridiculous to have these bits of plastic jutting out for no reason! You can see them in line with and below my lid in the first pic, with 'Fazer' written just above them:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/mikecoulton/Bikes/Image004_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/mikecoulton/Bikes/Image011-1.jpg
Also, some info on the FZ6 would be good to. Does it still use an R6 engine and R1 brakes as with the original FZS600, and what is the suspension and frame from or are they an 'FZ' design?
All in all, if I can sort those bits of plastic out, or move/adjust the pillion pegs to suit, then I think I'll pick the FZ6 over the SV650S...any helpful opinions and suggestions appreciated :D
Anyway, first impressions were once again good. It feels better built than the SV and, although I thought it was a bit ugly in the pictures, it looks much better in the flesh (thou still not quite as sporty as the SV). The riding position is much more upright (bars vs. clip-on's I guess?) too.
The bike felt quite a bit heavier, particularly at slow speeds, and I found the clutch a bit jumpy too - the biting point wasn't as progressive as on the SV. This wasn't helped, perhaps, by less low-down power than the SV seems to have, but it was an awful lot smoother and I soon got used to the clunky-but-firm gearbox too. At low cruising speeds in built up areas (30mph & 40mph) the FZ6 is smoother, if not as much fun as the SV.
Out on the road, it was pretty quick low-down still, but nothing like the SV. However, hit 7,000rpm and it really took off! I have no idea how far I managed to hold on to the revs for but I'm sure it was nowhere near the 14,000rpm (?) redline. It also made a pleasant growl if you were toodling at 40mph in 6th and opened the throttle - very nice. Whilst not having as much 'roll-on' acceleration in top, knocking it down a couple of gears provided all the grunt and revs necessary to make very quick progress indeed.
Bad points - not many for me to be honest, just wish the clutch was a little more progressive but I guess that can be adjusted, right? Biggest issue was for the missus - I was expecting this to be infinitely better for her as a pillion than the SV and largely it was - bigger, lower seat, better grab rails, more in line with my body height to act as more of a windbreak...but the two bits of upper rear fairing that stick out really dug into her legs! Does anyone know if this is a common problem, and can it be overcome at all? It seems ridiculous to have these bits of plastic jutting out for no reason! You can see them in line with and below my lid in the first pic, with 'Fazer' written just above them:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/mikecoulton/Bikes/Image004_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/mikecoulton/Bikes/Image011-1.jpg
Also, some info on the FZ6 would be good to. Does it still use an R6 engine and R1 brakes as with the original FZS600, and what is the suspension and frame from or are they an 'FZ' design?
All in all, if I can sort those bits of plastic out, or move/adjust the pillion pegs to suit, then I think I'll pick the FZ6 over the SV650S...any helpful opinions and suggestions appreciated :D