GSR 600 - look at it and weep

[JetSwing]

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

Yeah, I'm getting pretty tired of looking for a sexy naked bike like that in the states. I might be forced to get a bike with fairing next... but at this point I don't really want to... I've just noticed a slight change in my opinion of them from "Fairing is for pansies!" to "Fairing is for quasi-pansies!". And I blame it all on the lack of decent naked bikes.

[Phaedrus]

I really like that a lot. Anyone up for a boat trip?  :lol:

..but I still like the Honda 599  

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

I really like the Honda 599 too, except I want fuel injection... that's probably my only gripe.

[pandy]

I really like that a lot. Anyone up for a boat trip?  :lol:

I'm in!    :lol:

Yeah, I'm getting pretty tired of looking for a sexy naked bike like that in the states.

Have you looked at the FZ6?

[RedShift]

If you're tight on space, I'll stay here and you guys just bring back one for me.  

I endorse Pandy's point about the FZ6.  Never underestimate the value of a wind screen.  

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

I'm not a big fan of Yamaha, and I kinda think the FZ6 is ugly  :dunno:
Though I've read a lot of positive reviews for it.
At this point I don't even know if I want a V-Twin or I-4. At first I was all about the twins, but latley the testosterone in my blood has been calling out for a I-4.
Oh, well. I have a year or so to figure it all out.

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

Never underestimate the value of a wind screen.  

Since I don't have one now, all I have to do is never ever ride a bike with a windscreen and I won't know what I'm missing  
Actually a windscreen would be nice for the cold winter months... which is like Sep-May here.

[JetSwing]

gsr 600 has much better styling, stance, demeanor...it just looks tough and mean. aesthetically, the engine area should have the most weight so it looks grounded. fz6 is non the above.

fz6 is just...feminine. i don't know how ele to put it :dunno:

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

Yeah, it kinda looks to me like it just saw a spider and is pulling it's skirt up. Also a little... flamboyent... like if it had wrists, it would be flailing them around a lot when it talked. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[RedShift]

If you haven't sat on one, you really can't rule out a bike like this.

It wasn't until I tried one on for size that I realized the GSX-R and similar sportbikes were for shorter riders that didn't mind a jockey-like seating position.  Looks great but not right for me.

At 6'4", the FZ6 felt to me like the GS500's bigger sibling.  Ergonomics are very similar, feels bigger up front, and has a large (though bulbous) tank.  I'm not a fan of under-seat exhaust, but the rest of the bike is fine.

It boils down to personal taste.  Caveat as you wish...

[pandy]

If you haven't sat on one, you really can't rule out a bike like this. ...  At 6'4", the FZ6 felt to me like the GS500's bigger sibling.  Ergonomics are very similar, feels bigger up front, and has a large (though bulbous) tank.  I'm not a fan of under-seat exhaust, but the rest of the bike is fine. It boils down to personal taste.  Caveat as you wish...

Well said and described, RedShift. I actually do like the jockey position of the GSX-R600, so I'm seriously looking at that one as my next bike. This is actually the one I've had my eye on ever since I started my motorcycle journey (I'm going to rent one for a day and try it out).

The FZ6 is a very nice bike, but I'm not as into the upright, standard feel of it.

As for FZ6's seeming feminine to some...well...  :dunno: I guess it's a matter of personal taste, as RedShift said... I've only ever seen males riding them.  :mrgreen:

[Alphamazing]

Edit: I'm a retard. See next post.

[Alphamazing]

If they broght the naked FZ6 into the states, it might sell better. It looks FAR better than the faired version.

[RedShift]

... I actually do like the jockey position of the GSX-R600, so I'm seriously looking at that one as my next bike. This is actually the one I've had my eye on ever since I started my motorcycle journey (I'm going to rent one for a day and try it out). ...

Ahh, the pleasures of being petite, or at least much smaller than 6'4", 225 lbs.  

Oh, and I've also only seen guys riding them -- perhaps showing their feminine sides?  :dunno:

[RedShift]

If they broght the naked FZ6 into the states, it might sell better. It looks FAR better than the faired version.

Wonder how the Honda 599 is selling compared to the faired version (CBR600F4i for $900 more). Noticed they skipped a year here in the states.

Perhaps not a good example -- the CBR600F4i is fully clothed whereas the FZ6 is only frontally covered.  :dunno:

[500rider]

If they broght the naked FZ6 into the states, it might sell better. It looks FAR better than the faired version.

Wonder how the Honda 599 is selling compared to the faired version (CBR600F4i for $900 more). Noticed they skipped a year here in the states.

Perhaps not a good example -- the CBR600F4i is fully clothed whereas the FZ6 is only frontally covered.  :dunno:

I just saw in Cycle World that the Honda 599 is coming back to the states in 2006 with inverted forks.  Don't know what other upgrades there might be.  Also Kawi is coming out with a ZX650R, parallel twin.

[Alphamazing]

Holy crap, you're right. The 599 uses the same engine as the F4i.

All the same, the naked FZ6 looks far less ugly than the faired one.



See? That's a hell of a lot prettier than the faired one.

[500rider]

Oh yeah, the Kawi has an under engine silencer a la Buell.  Looks like a cool bike.

[JetSwing]

fz6 uses the r6 engine...so what doesn't mean crap

it may be the same engine but not exactly the same performance