Welcome to NESR! Most features of this site require registration, including replying to threads, sending private messages, starting new threads, and uploading files. Click here to register.

Results 1 to 25 of 25

The great search...

  1. #1
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    The great search...

    Hey guys, I'm going to be in the market for a new bike as soon as the insurance company finishes up with the paper work from my last bike. I'm coming from a Kawasaki ZZR600 and I want to stay in the 600cc bracket. Don't know if I want to get another ZZR or try something new. Being the fact that I can't ride every brand of bike before I buy I'm putting this question out there for those of you who've been riding your favorites for years. I'm looking for suggestions on dealers and brands. Why do you like your bike? I chose the ZZR for comfort reasons and it was also affordable, but I've heard some of the newer sport bikes out there have gotten better with their ergonomics. I'm still healing from my accident, so I've got plenty of time to browse, but hope to be back on a bike within the next month or so.

    I live in leominster and so far Sohegan Valley have the best prices as far as Kawasaki goes. Tell me what you guys think. I go for performance over speed, but I don't want one that's gonna be slower than my ZZR.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Last edited by Bowflex; 05-25-08 at 09:00 AM.

  2. #2
    Goodbye Sweet Dreams BLACK SQUIRREL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Somewhere between Has Been and Never Was
    Age
    54
    Posts
    4,003

    Re: The great search...

    Alot guys are nuts for the FZ6 Yamaha, They seem to do everything the sportbikes do just a little more comfort. and far better touring

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Zip Tie Alley Racing #444


    Signature edit by Tricky mike

  3. #3
    Lifer
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Carlsbad, CA
    Age
    38
    Posts
    1,216

    Re: The great search...

    the new Honda CBR F4i's are fairly comfy, sort of the same type of bike as the ZZR.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  4. #4
    Just Registered schleppy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Beverly, MA
    Age
    41
    Posts
    3,289

    Re: The great search...

    Another vote for the FZ6. If I hadn't bought my SV I most likely would have ended up on one of those. Awesome bikes from what I've heard, and quick too.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  5. #5
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    How are the half fairing and fighter style bikes compared to the full fairing sports? I have to say I've liked the full fairing bikes on cooler days where I can hug my tank to stay a little warmer. Though, due to my recent accident, they considered my bike a total because the cost of getting it fixed apparently exceeded the worth of the bike. The whole outer shell needed to be replaced along with the sub-frame and a part here and there. I still don't see how there could be over 4.5k in plastics on the bike.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  6. #6
    Just Registered Doc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Jericho, VT
    Posts
    19,396

    Re: The great search...

    If your trying to stay warm on a sportbike you need to get a more Touring oriented ride.... FZ6 fits the bill

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow"
    Bikes: Ducati: 748 (Track) Honda: RC31 (Race/street)/ CRF 110 Mini Moto/ Hawk Endurance Racer Kawasaki: ZXR1200R
    BOMO Instructor
    EX# X

  7. #7
    Just Registered KillBill's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Southern, NH
    Age
    44
    Posts
    11,726

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bowflex View Post
    Hey guys, I'm going to be in the market for a new bike as soon as the insurance company finishes up with the paper work from my last bike. I'm coming from a Kawasaki ZZR600 and I want to stay in the 600cc bracket. Don't know if I want to get another ZZR or try something new. Being the fact that I can't ride every brand of bike before I buy I'm putting this question out there for those of you who've been riding your favorites for years. I'm looking for suggestions on dealers and brands. Why do you like your bike? I chose the ZZR for comfort reasons and it was also affordable, but I've heard some of the newer sport bikes out there have gotten better with their ergonomics. I'm still healing from my accident, so I've got plenty of time to browse, but hope to be back on a bike within the next month or so.

    I live in leominster and so far Sohegan Valley have the best prices as far as Kawasaki goes. Tell me what you guys think. I go for performance over speed, but I don't want one that's gonna be slower than my ZZR.
    I can't say enough good things about Souhegan Valley Motorsports. Sean, his Dad and his brother are great guys that give you straight answers without the bullshit.

    Makes me wish sometimes I bought a bike from them and not Best Cycle.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  8. #8
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by KillBill View Post
    I can't say enough good things about Souhegan Valley Motorsports. Sean, his Dad and his brother are great guys that give you straight answers without the bullshit.

    Makes me wish sometimes I bought a bike from them and not Best Cycle.
    They are great guys and i wouldn't mind dealing with them again, i'm just not sure I want another ZZR after the work and time I put into that last one. Now that I've felt how fun 600's are I'm just curious as to what others think of the brands out there and what would be comparable to the ZZR's handling/speed. Maybe there is something out there that would give me a better ride

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  9. #9
    Just Registered slowrider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Bedford, NH
    Age
    55
    Posts
    123

    Re: The great search...

    I think Nault's might still have a leftover CBR600F4i - basically the Honda version of your ZZR. I don't think they're making it anymore. I used to have carbed version of the F4 (maybe only 1 year it wasnt fuel injected), but I really loved that bike. 100x more comfortable than my 675 & the engine is still way more capable than I will ever be. I think it makes an excellent 600 cc sport tourer.

    Check out the FZ6 too, don't shy away from half faired bikes. The upper half is the business end I've had half faired and wind protection was never an issue (imo).

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Kevin
    2011 KTM 530 EXC
    2012 Ducati Streetfighter S
    2013 BMW R1200GS

  10. #10
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    Just got to find me a close good yamaha dealer and I'll check the FZ6 out.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  11. #11
    Lifer
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    8,244

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by Doc View Post
    If your trying to stay warm on a sportbike you need to get a more Touring oriented ride.... FZ6 fits the bill
    I absolutely love my Ninja 650R. I traded down from a 636 because the riding position on the 636 was killing my back and wrists. The 650R is more upright. I can do 200 miles in a day and my butt is a little sore. The handling is great. I highly recommend it

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Original

  12. #12
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    :lurk:
    Posts
    12,694

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by jnm988 View Post
    I can do 200 miles in a day and my butt is a little sore. The handling is great. I highly recommend it
    are you talking about riding your bike 200 miles?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    EX 105
    Sponsors: Motul, Michelin, K&N, Woodcraft

  13. #13
    Rider. Just a rider... DucDave's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Southern NH
    Age
    74
    Posts
    8,825

    Re: The great search...

    Are I4s your only consideration? There are quite a few Twin Fans here and most of us will speak highly of the way they put power down and the tons of fun in the lower bands...

    If you would consider a Twin there are many choices. I LOVE the new Ducati 848 as well as the new Monster 696. But the SV650 is a strong, do it all contender too...

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
    Muhammad Ali.

  14. #14
    Lifer
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    8,244

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by DBConz View Post
    are you talking about riding your bike 200 miles?
    Maybe?? If you knew the nickname my closest guy friends have for me, you'd probably think not!

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Original

  15. #15
    Just Registered Crash Dummy Denno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Foxboro, MA
    Age
    42
    Posts
    7,486

    Re: The great search...

    monsters are a blast - not much wind protection - but very comfortable to ride

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Denno - CCS|LRRS EX#49
    2006 Yamaha R6
    LRRS Rookie of the Year 2008

  16. #16
    Senior Member Mr Bread's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Cottonwood Heights, UT
    Age
    40
    Posts
    607

    Re: The great search...

    +1 On the Monster. Fun as hell.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  17. #17
    Lifer reiobard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Bennington, NH
    Age
    45
    Posts
    2,308

    Re: The great search...

    i have an 07' FZ6 and love every minute of it, I was coming off of a yzf600r which is very similar to the zzr600 and i am very please with my decision.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  18. #18
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    Well today so far I have found 1 dealer that has the FZ6 in stock but only the blue one. I gave it a sit and it's much less aggressive than my ZZR. It's even the same height seat wise as my ZZR was. I do have to say I like a lot of the features on the FZ6 that my Kawa didn't have such as the fuel injection, easy access to oil filter, center stand, gas gauge and the under tail exhaust is interesting. Being the fact that my hand was crushed at the beginning of the year has made sitting on my ZZR uncomfortable after longer rides, so this might be a bonus that the FZ6 has. Myself and the dealer talked about what I was looking for in a bike and he also suggested the SV650, but I still think it looks ridiculous in the front end. I want to see what the black FZ6 looks like in person, and trying to find a dealer with one in stock is another difficult task. The fazzer looks like it could be a comfy ride.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  19. #19
    per-diem member lady flyin' low's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Melrose, MA
    Age
    39
    Posts
    518

    Re: The great search...

    I'm getting an FZ6 in about 2 weeks i love everything about the bike and have done a little test ride on a friend of mines. Its a great bike and i can't wait to get it!

    so +however many ppl voted FZ6

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  20. #20
    Lifer Fitz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    New Boston, NH
    Age
    46
    Posts
    1,383

    Re: The great search...

    Huge props to Sean and Scott at Souhegan Valley. I went to them to discuss my plans for racing in '09 as well as run a few ideas by them. Sean spent 2+ hours with me pointing out the differences in various bikes and lettign me sit on pretty much everything in the shop before I even mentioned I was also looking for a street bike. I went back to them a week later and bought an 07 zx6r leftover. Since then I've continued to make the trek out to Wilton and now Milford even though I literally work next door to Hudson Kawasaki. I have nothing bad to say about Hudson, but the Mullin's have treated me right from day one so why take business elsewhere?

    Fitz

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  21. #21
    Just a Guy banzairx7's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Age
    49
    Posts
    295

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by jnm988 View Post
    I absolutely love my Ninja 650R. I traded down from a 636 because the riding position on the 636 was killing my back and wrists. The 650R is more upright. I can do 200 miles in a day and my butt is a little sore. The handling is great. I highly recommend it
    The suspension on the 650 is a little "budget". Coming from the ZZR he'll probably be disappointed. You can swap a 636 front end on, but for the cost you probably should have started with a different bike.

    Power is a whole different ball game than the ZZR. The 650 has nice low end grunt and makes it a dream to drive around town. 3k rpm is smooth and pulls from that speed nicely, it's very torquey. 6th gear rollons on the highway it will pull most 600's. If your into triple digit speeds though the 650 is not for you. After about 90 it really loses steam & maxes out about 125. It does make a nice sport tourer with the full fairing and more upright position than the SS bikes. Oh and no stupid carbs to deal with like the ZZR, I love EFI!

    I looked into the SV also. At the time it wasn't available with a full fairing. It also has a side mount exhaust where the 650 has an under engine one. I liked the 650 one snce it was damn near impossible for my GF to burn her leg.

    What were the likes & dislikes with your ZZR?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Last edited by banzairx7; 05-27-08 at 07:28 PM.

  22. #22
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by banzairx7 View Post
    What were the likes & dislikes with your ZZR?
    It was the first bike I sat on that made me feel comfortable. I did like the power she had and it was fun to ride. My dislikes...I didn't have a problem with the carbed engine, it's what I was used to so it didn't bother me that much and it gave me an opportunity to get to know my bikes inner workings when I shimmed the needles to get rid of the flat spot that was in the power band between 4-5k. I didn't like the lack of fuel gauge but then again when I hit my reserve I simply reached down, turned the knob and then went on my way to eventually get to a gas station. The ZZR wasn't as aggressive as a lot of the other sportbikes out there so it was easier on the back and wrists. It was a hastle to change the oil or do just about any maintenance on the bike because you had to take the fairings off to get to the filter. I liked how I fit very well while hugging the tank, which I did frequently especially on the highway. After seeing some of the bikes at the dealership today I can see that the ZZR really is outdated. They haven't changed the design since it used to be the Ninja, which wasn't always bad because you can get tons of parts from the 98-02' ninja J model and they fit for the zzr so there were a lot of choices for mods. It's a great bike and I will truely miss it, but I also want to try something new.

    ...now if I could just decide on a color...black is always my standard...but the blue is pretty too

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  23. #23
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Southern NH
    Posts
    37

    Re: The great search...

    Have you looked into Suzuki's new GSX650F ? IIRC, it has a tuned Bandit engine, with full fairings and supposedly comfortable ergonomics. It has been getting decent reviews so far.

    GSX650F at Suzuki.com

    Its new for 2008 - so might have some initial kirks to be ironed out in the coming years. However, not in the motor front - as the Bandit motors are time-tested.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  24. #24
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Leominster
    Age
    44
    Posts
    112

    Re: The great search...

    I actually did inquire about that bike because at first glance I thought it was a gixxer until I saw the rear end. If it weren't for the fact that it looks so much like the gixxer I'd consider it. I don't need to be thrown into squid category just because people think it's a Gixxer. That and because it's new this year, I'm always weary about how the bike performs when they throw a new model out there and they are always prone to problems. The only thing I like about the Gixxers are from the 2007 model front headlight. I also see suzuki's everywhere around my area, I like to be a little different.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  25. #25
    Just a Guy banzairx7's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Age
    49
    Posts
    295

    Re: The great search...

    Quote Originally Posted by venk25 View Post
    Have you looked into Suzuki's new GSX650F ? IIRC, it has a tuned Bandit engine, with full fairings and supposedly comfortable ergonomics. It has been getting decent reviews so far.

    GSX650F at Suzuki.com

    Its new for 2008 - so might have some initial kirks to be ironed out in the coming years. However, not in the motor front - as the Bandit motors are time-tested.
    Bike is a tank though, Very heavy. I thought it looked really bad also. But thats just my opinion.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

Similar Threads

  1. search
    By SVRACER01 in forum Site Info & Suggestions
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 04-24-12, 03:04 PM
  2. The Great Search...is over...
    By Bowflex in forum General Bike Related
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 06-05-08, 07:29 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •