I had a 2004 FZ6, but I sold it earlier this year because I didn't have time to ride. I was well-pleased with the bike. It looked great, ran like a champ, and was fucking fast. That said, it's not an "R" bike. I constantly found myself shopping around for CBRs/GSXRs/etc while I owned the FZ6. If you have to have something with R in the title, you probably won't be happy with the FZ6. Also, the FZs have the under tail exhaust, which is awesome until you want to upgrade it. I couldn't find a decent set of pipes for mine for less than a grand.
Thanks for that. It's pretty much how I figured I would feel if I got an FZ6. I guess if I can make it work, I'll need to go for a real sportbike. My other option I was considering was to put some money into my bike to try and make myself like it more. Namely, I hate the fairing on the 2002 SV650S, so I would convert the bike to naked, keep the clip ons, throw a fender eliminator on it, and maybe a few more things. But this seems like a bigtime gamble to me because I don't want to put several hundred dollars into the bike just to find out that I don't really like it any more than I did before modifying it. I guess it's going to come down to calling insurance companies to figure out whether decent coverage for me on a sportbike is going to cost a fortune.
Whenever I see a bike that has been converted to naked for any reason, my first thought is "wrecked." Do you just have the upper fairing on the SV650S? A friend of a friend had an SV with the full fairing kit and it was one of the best looking bikes I've seen. It's an accessory from Suzuki, not an ill-fitting aftermarket piece, but as I recall it was about $500. If you want to improve the performance, go -1 tooth on the front sprocket and +1 on the rear. It will affect your gas mileage, which means it will be slightly less than great, but will really improve its acceleration. A slip-on pipe is nearly useless in terms of real performance. I have an '05 ZZR, which I love and have put 21000 miles on. When they were being sold by Kawasaki they were the best deal in sportbikes. I looked them up on Craigslist and found an '06 listed near me for $3000. My insurance is only $156/yr. through Geico, but I only have liability on it - and I'm 41 and married. The good thing about your SV is that they are highly recommended for beginners and also have a cult following, so they hold their value better than a lot of other bikes. If you decide to move to a sportbike it should be easy to sell.
My SV just has the upper fairing, it's pretty much a bone stock 2002 with an M4 slip-on exhaust. I guess that's another question I have. Do most people with sportbikes just go with liability insurance? I have no idea how much it usually costs to fix a bike that gets laid down, but I'm guessing this is why you see so many bikes that have been repainted. Is damage to a sportbike usually cosmetic when you lay it down, or do you usually start bending the frame/forks/causing a lot of damage? Are you just better off taking liability, putting a good set of sliders on the bike, and riding carefully?
Most accidents are mostly cosmetic. I'd still get a good set of sliders, and if you had a full fairing'd bike I'd recommend full coverage just because of how expensive they are to replace. When I downed my bike it was mostly cosmetic but plastics cost so much that the bike was considered totaled. I ended up taking the pay out and buying my bike back. No matter what you do, I still recommend riding carefully. If you have a local track, go out for a track day. The instructors will take their time to show you proper lines, entry speed, body position, etc. However, keep in mind that if you go down at a track insurance most likely won't cover it. (a good reason to keep the SV as a track only bike!)
So I sold my 2002 SV650 about 2 weeks ago and picked up this last week: Spoiler 2005 Yamaha R6. It has a bunch of performance mods on it, which I'm not sure that I love. I might take some of them off, put stock parts on, and sell the aftermarket ones, but I haven't decided yet. Spent a few days this week cleaning wiring up because it was really fucking confusing. This bike had a squid for a previous owner, I'm sure, because it had the stupid red ground effect LEDs mounted on it, but they weren't hooked up. Definitely an impressive bike though. The power delivery is absolutely brutal.
Why don't you like? I see an exhaust, SS brake lines, steering damp, frame sliders, tail lamps, at a quick glance. Only thing i might take off is the steering damp. I cant wait until i can actually afford a bike again. Sold my old one the day i signed papers for my house, had one lined up that i was going to buy, but stupidly or smartly how ever you want to look at it, i decided that a house was a better investment, and haven't been able to afford a new bike anytime soon, stupid reno's. But anyways, my buddy had an 05/06 R6, absolutely loved the thing, so sexy. Just remember the first time i hoped on it, 160km/h in 2nd gear with something like 2-3k rpm left to go, i feel in love right away.
I'll give you that a lot of the mods on the bike are very tasteful. Some of the things you might not see: Ohlins rear shock and damper, Woodcraft engine covers, Vortex rearsets, HID headlights, and a Driven 520 chain conversion. The change in gearing is what's getting to me now. I kind of want to feel the bike in it's stock form, but a guy in the local dealership assured me that a 1 down front / 2 up rear conversion (what I'm pretty sure is on the bike) is WAY better than stock. In which case I need to get a Speedohealer to fix the speedometer because it's definitely wrong. The only reasons I question some of the stuff is the fact that I just spent a week with the bike torn apart going over all of the wiring. One of the previous owners had put those stupid red fluorescent ring lights over the headlights. The only way to get those out? Put the headlight assembly in the oven to loosen the glue. The bike was also rigged with red ground effect LEDs, but none of the wiring was connected. The wiring overall was a total mess, black wires connected to red, etc. Also, I was told that some time in the past the bike had been stretched. Fuck if I know, I just know it has clean plastics and runs pretty well now, so I'll take the bike and make it mine.
Yea, i would get rid of the stupid ground effect light dam quick, but nice you got a bike with alot of the popular mods already done. Great bike, hope you enjoy it.
If you just want to accelerate fast, the 1 down/2 up conversion is the best way to do it. A few years ago, Ricky Gadson ran a sub-10-second 1/4 mile on a stock R6. The only mods were the sprockets and lowering the rear and strapping the front. However, your bike is always in a lower gear than stock, so you will use more fuel and show more miles than you actually ride. If you're just riding on the street the stock gearing and 525 chain are a better setup.
Get used to how the bike rides in it's stock setup. There's a big difference from the bike you just sold to the one you bought. Next year, if you think your R6 needs some more low down power, by all means, do the sprocket conversion but in the mean time get used to all the new power you have on tap.
Putting the bike away this week. The weather has just been so crappy, the nights have been cold, and the forecast isn't looking good for a while. I almost smashed a deer in my car the other day and that's another reason to put it away. This is my first time storing a bike for winter. Do I need to do anything special like drain the tank or something? I am complete bike newbie.
My basic winter maintenance(when i had my bike) is to put fuel stabilizer run it for a bit to make sure it gets through the hole system. Fuel up to the top and drive straight home, no air in the tank means no room for condensation. Change the oil after you bring it home, don't start it after you change it, this keeps the oil from turning acidic and keeps it from etching everything. Then i take the battery out and keep it out of the cold and put a battery tender on it.
The above recommendations are really good, but I'm pretty sure those suggestions only apply if you intend to let the bike sit for the whole season. Personally, I would go outside and start the bike once every few days, and get out and ride it on winter days when the weather isn't terrible. But from what you just said, you made it sound like the bike is going to sit for several months. Do what wexton said.
So I'm moving next week and have more or less stopped riding for the season. I bought myself a trickle charger last week. As I understand, the necessary steps for motorcycle storage are to change the oil and fill up the gas tank, as well as taking out the battery and keeping it charged over the winter. I've also read about shutting off the fuel petcock, pouring a bit of oil directly into the cylinder, and turning the engine over once or twice. Also, ensuring the tires are adequately pressurized. Is putting the bike on its centre stand enough to keep the tires from getting fucked up over the winter? I was planning on putting on a new set of tires come spring anyways, as the current set are older than I'd like. I've also got a question about storage. I'll probably put my bike straight into storage for the winter after I move, if I can't put it in the underground parking at my new apartment. What's a good price for storage? I see ranges going from $80 to $600, with various levels of sketchiness. And something just doesn't seem right about some random place in Gatineau offering to hold onto my baby for six months. My bike isn't particularly theft-prone, but I'd like it to still be there next year.
I can't speak to specifics, but I'd be sure to empty out any ethanol-containing gas you may have as much as you can and fill it (and run it) with as high octane (non-ethanol containing) gas as you can. That shit breaks down WAY WAY faster and will eat through and gum up shit in a hurry. Also put in a fuel stabilizer, and follow the directions. If you're not going to run the thing every few weeks, then just let it sit and don't try to start it up when you go pick it up in the spring. I prefer to change the oil immediately after a long sit, and then turn the engine over with just the starter (coil pulled) for a while with the new oil in it to get shit lubed up. Then I'll let it sit for a while to penetrate/soak a bit, plug the coil back in and fire it up. For my race car I'll also drain the old gas (with the stabilizer in it), and fill it full of new shit. Might not matter on a street bike, but I want to replace all old fluids completely before thrashing on it again on the track. Back when I had a bike, I took it to the dealer and had them winterize and store it for me, as well as to the unpacking/prepping tune-up in the spring when I went and picked it up. I could trust them, and it wasn't that much cash (all things considered), and it was heated storage, with battery tenders, etc. Might not matter for a cheap old bike, but I didn't mind doing it. My dad does the same thing with his Harley. You also might want to just go and talk to the service department that looks after your maintenance, if you have one. Ask them what you should be doing. They're usually pretty good and walking you through that shit and helping you out. $0.02
Oh, and take the battery out and put it in a warm place, well away from concrete. Never lay a battery on concrete (like a garage floor, etc), or it'll leech the fuck out of it. I have a shelf in a back closet of my house where I store my batteries and they have a string of battery tenders (not trickle chargers), connected to them. Battery tenders are cheap as fuck, and worth every penny.
Careful Nett, you're really showing your age with that one. Years ago that was true when manufactures made their battery cases out of rubber, but since they've switched to plastic, this isn't a concern anymore. Here and here and here and here last one