2007 Yamaha FZ6

[rhrose]

Looking for a ride report on the 2007 FZ6 from someone who has actually ridden one.  I am trying to find out if they fixed the wimpy low end torque and improved the mid-range performance.?  Also, did they improve the cluth engagement any?  TIA

[gjnockie]

I have an 07 Fz6.

Great bike, love it.

Fueling is perfect, mid-range is good.

Bike is very comfortable to ride, handles great and it goes like hell from 8k up!

Clutch performance is still not great, but I guess you can't have everything..

I also own a 06 Triumph Speed Triple.. great bike, but I usually ride the Yami because it just so easy to ride.

[OrangevaleFJR]

tough one. I have a 2007 FZ6 and while I haven't had it long enough to give you a great ride report, I will say that it has impressed me a couple times in low spead, high gear performance...meaning the torque is better than I thought it would be. It seems like a very capable bike to me. I never road any other FZ6 so I can't compare it to the other years.

Compared to the FJR? What's the point? Apples and Oranges. Compared to my DRZ400...uh...bananas and oranges?

There was one time I wanted to test torque so I slowed to 15 mph in third and then took off...the engine pulled it through the low RPMs without any bogging down.

The bikes wants to lift the front end a lot...

Here's my wife riding it.


Here it is next to the FJR

[Red FZ1]

cool pic- I am going to do that with my wifes' V star 1300    

[heronboy]

I have an FJR and the wife has a new red '07 FZ6 and loves it.  With only 70 miles on it we aren't exactly familar with it but here goes.  Note that all this is highly subjective.

Low end:  Nice, comparable to most other recent inline 600s.  Compared to her old ZX-6e, she no longer lags behind when we leave intersections.  She keeps up with me easily (note that I'm using a fairly light throttle on the FJR) from a standstill.  She never liked how she had to rev the piss out of the ZX-6e as she couldn't stand the racket.

Midrange:  Very similar experience.  As stated above she did not like revving the ZX-6e so she hung close behind when crusing at highway speed.  That way she didn't have to work the engine to catch-up.  This meant she was often TOO close and put us both at higher risk for a rearend collision.  Now with the FZ6 she feels comfortable lagging behind "because it's easy to catch up to you now".

Clutch:  Yep travel is short.  Should be about twice the distance.  But it's progressive enough to allow fright-free parking lot maneuvers.

[2Pokey]

I also have an 07 FZ6. The low tend torque is still kinda wimpy but its tuned to be much smoother than the race-tuned 600s. Midrange is fine, top end is superb. If low end torque is a huge importantance then a twin or a 1k bike may be better. I expected it to be very poor due to all the whining about the low end, but i don't see a real problem. Besides if you run the engine with a little higher rpm as its made to run, you will only see the low end of the spectrum on the launch for about 1 second. City, stop and go traffic is just fine.

The clutch range is tight, big deal. This is a non existant point. I had the clutch down after riding around the dealership 3 times and it hasn't been a problem since.

I researched my purchase to death and this bike is just what the Dr. ordered. Great engine, very little vibes, upright seating, under the tail exhaust (for side bags), excellent brakes and very stable suspension, all in a well fitted, beautifully polished package.

[robscomputer]

I'm really interested in the 2007 FZ6 as well. Any freeway buzz? As for the clutch, is this just a short throw or actually stickey?

Thanks,
Rob

[chornbe]

Looking for a ride report on the 2007 FZ6 from someone who has actually ridden one.  I am trying to find out if they fixed the wimpy low end torque and improved the mid-range performance.?  Also, did they improve the cluth engagement any?  TIA

It won a 3-way shoot out in the latest edition of MCN against the SV and another bike I'm forgetting at the moment. It basically walked away with the nod in nearly every single category and test.

[2Pokey]

I'm really interested in the 2007 FZ6 as well. Any freeway buzz? As for the clutch, is this just a short throw or actually stickey?

There is some slight freeway buzz. I think everything 750 and below has some buzz at certain speeds/rpm. It is nothing outrageous.

The clutch is just a short throw, not sticky at all.

[robscomputer]

It won a 3-way shoot out in the latest edition of MCN against the SV and another bike I'm forgetting at the moment. It basically walked away with the nod in nearly every single category and test.

Ninja 650. The review said the FZ6 was worth the extra money for the amount of performance you get.

[robscomputer]

There is some slight freeway buzz. I think everything 750 and below has some buzz at certain speeds/rpm. It is nothing outrageous.

The clutch is just a short throw, not sticky at all.

Thanks! I'm riding a 650 single and don't think any bike has worse vibration than mine but had to ask. My SV had a deep vibration at higher speeds, most of it went away with heavy bar ends.

Great, I heard some things about the clutch but wasn't sure why it was marked down compared to the others bikes.

Rob

[OrangevaleFJR]

I rode the FZ6 more yesterday. This bikes power plant is really surprising me every time I ride the it! This bikes likes to run, does it without hesitation and goes where you want it with typical Yamaha in turn stability. I'm glad I bought it! Sherri will be able to keep up with my FJR on this FZ6 with no problem...unless we're in the turns, then she'll run away from me (after she gets more practice)  

[DaddyO]

Is the new one that much better?  I have considered buying a used one, they seem to go for about $4k.  

[heronboy]

Is the new one that much better?  I have considered buying a used one, they seem to go for about $4k.  

I've driven both an '06 and an '07.  Unfortunately I was on the '06 for only a short period and the comparison wasn't back to back.  Given that it seemed to me that the '07 was a bit more comfortable in the seat for a tall rider (I'm 6'2").  The suspension seemed better (better controlled and less fore-aft pitch) on the '07 too but the difference was small enough it could be wishful thinking.  I don't recall any engine related differences.

What was noticeablely different were the brakes and the instruments.  The '07 had a nice improvement in brake feel/bite (understandable given its big upgrade in calipers).  The instruments were also an obvious and necessary enhancement.  I found the '06 almost unreadable in the bright sun.  The '07 has no such problems and is simply better laid out as well.

I would say that if you can live with brakes that are "average" instead of "above average", the dash doesn't turn you off and you find a sweet deal on an '06, go for it.  My dealer was only $100 more on the '07 vs. the '06 when I purchased it back in December. That made the '07 a no-brainer for me just based on the dash.  They have now sold thru their '07's and are working off their remaining '06 inventory.      

[OrangevaleFJR]

The new ones are faster colors.  

Actually, there have been some pretty significant improvments as mentioned by heronboy.

I think the front forks are a significant improvement as well as the brakes and instrument cluster. As my wife will be using this bike for sport touring, the other advantage is that we can get a aftermarket screen for the 07 easier than for the 06. The 06 screen was an integral part of the fairing, while the 07 is simple enough that aftermarket companies can work with it.

We're working with CalSci now to make a touring screen for Sherri. The prototype made a huge positve difference!

[heronboy]

Fantastic.  I'll have to keep an eye out for the new screen when it's introduced.

[NH YZF]

Looking for a ride report on the 2007 FZ6 from someone who has actually ridden one.  I am trying to find out if they fixed the wimpy low end torque and improved the mid-range performance.?  Also, did they improve the cluth engagement any?  TIA

Just picked up an '04, there is nothing wimpy about this motor.  Bike pulls cleanly from 2K and plenty of midrange around 5K.  Go buy a Vtwin if you want low end torque...

The clutch engagement is fine also. Never understood why everyone bitched about this bike  

[vitaminC]

What's the range on these per tank?

[Hickey]

What's the range on these per tank?

According to the MCN article mentioned above, 250+ miles per tank based on their average MPG of 52.8.  I'd guess the low fuel light would come on around 200 miles.

[Lucky_Devil]

I average about 45-47 mpg city and 50-55 mpg highway... depending on how aggressively I'm riding and how much stuff I'm carrying in my saddlebags.  I have gotten over 200 miles before the reserve kicks in... and then about another 40 miles on reserve.

[rmaudsley]

any heat issues with the under seat exhaust ?

[2Pokey]

any heat issues with the under seat exhaust ?

No heat issues with the drivers seat. I dont have a passenger report because my SO has only been on this bike once for a few miles. She prefers the touring rig.

[Nitro]

yep..bike ran same as all the other  600's for low end, mid is just fine for a 600, clutch worked just fine,  small bar buzz, but lotsa buzz in the pegs, cool bike tho!

[panther289]

How about soft saddlebags and the exhaust? Any issues in that area? I'm considering a new bike over the winter and this is one of my choices. Thanks

[Lucky_Devil]

The exhaust "can" that you see in pics is actually a plastic cover over the real exhaust.  It doesn't get as hot as one would think (the fact that it's made of plastic should be an indication).  I painted my exhaust cover black, and wanted to see how hot the cover got before I decided what type of paint to use... so I touched it a with a cloth between my bare hand and the cover and it felt a little warm, but not crazy hot.  So I touched it with my bare hand... it was hot to touch, but not hot enough to burn you if you touched it.  I highly doubt it would generate enough heat to melt soft bags.

A cheap option, if your concerned about bags touching the muffler, is to use a length of PVC pipe on the passenger pegs: http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2506383&postcount=14

[panther289]

Cool, Thanks for the info and the link L-D.

[Max Wedge]

Have Cortech soft bags on mine most of the time. 98 degree temps, sitting in traffic, no melting, no problems.

[wrightme43]

Thanks for the idea of the PVC pipe on the passenger pegs. I need that.
I have the Cargo Basics large expandable soft bags. They have been from western ky to deals gap twice. At steep lean angle the bags fall in enough to touch the tire. I didnt see how they could but the evidence is there on both bags.
With the PVC I see I could use it as a support.