Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (2004-current)

I've had my FZ6 18 months now and covered 14,000 miles. Overall I think the bike is more for people who ride as a hobby than serious commuters. It’s got alot of good points, nice strong engine, good brakes and great looks. You can have alot of fun on it in good weather. The fairing / screen offer limited protection and seem to generate alot of wind whistle / noise, addition of a touring screen makes this worse (I've now realised this is a common complaint amongst FZ6 riders). The headlights are so terrible they're dangerous, when riding at night I frequently miss my old CBR125 which had much better lights. Also as noted in the MCN review corrosion is an issue, despite waxing and using anti-corrosion spray this bike simply doesn't like all year round use. My bike didn't have any rust when I bought it, but 18 months on you'll struggle to find a bit that isn't corroding. In terms of reliability it’s only let me down once, water got into the fuel injectors, so another sign the bike is not that great for all year/ all condition riding.

I've had my bike for just over three years now and it does everything I bought it to do, commute and be reliable. The fuel economy is okay with my bike averaging around 50mpg, the ride is soft enough to stay in the seat for a number of hours and it's nice and narrow for filtering. The best feature of this bike is its reliability. I have put on over 30 thousand miles riding all year round and it has never let me down. I keep it outside on the street and although the finish tarnished quickly at first it has not worsened since so still looks good. You can have fun on the bike but the revs must be kept high as the mid range is not great but from 8-12000 revs the bike pulls well and I can stay with my mates on vastly more expensive models. The downsides are few but include a clunky gearchange which makes you feel like the engine will drop out and when pushed hard the suspension and brakes are left wanting. I have toured France on the bike two-up which was okay but covering distance (over 300 miles each day) was energy sapping. Overall I think my bike is a great commuter and can do other jobs adequately if you need it to.

I bought an '06 plate S2 as my first big bike. It had the feel of a 'proper' bike & the riding position really seemed to suit me. Not sure I could recommend it to new riders though, primarily because I found the handling to be twitchy & unnerving at anything more than slow to moderate cornering speeds. The burst of top end acceleration was tremendous fun in the right situation, but the trade off (lack of any usable low-mid rpm torque) became a source of frustration, especialy when carrying a pillion.

I've had my fazor 600 for just over a month now ! So far i'm really impressed. Straight away you feel very comfortable with the more up right riding position, although surprised at how responsive and lively the engine feels even at low and mid range , rev her past 9000 and there's an obvious surge of power ! I've had gsxr's and cbr's over the 7 years i've been riding, and i'm confident I could keep up with the sports 6oo's on a sensible ride out, the handling is good, but being used to the gsxr, it's a little steadier now around the corners, but there's plenty of feel, which does inspire convidence. Brakes are an absolute peach, feel 3 x as good as gsxr k1 brakes! Only critisism is the seat is a little hard, other than that, what a fantastic bike. I brought a fazor because I want to do some touring aswell as weekend riding, but because of the all round capability of the fazor, I will be communting too !

Shocked at how fast this bike is considering it’s a budget bike. When on the FZ6 I manage to keep up with my mates who are on litre bikes as long as I keep the revs up. A bit of a Jeckel and Hyde character as it's calm and sensible when riding low down in the revs but turns into a monster when you open it up. In other words it’s a good bike if you want to commute to work Monday – Friday and use the same bike for a fast ride out on the weekends. I would also add it’s very comfortable I have toured over 300 miles a day on this bike and found it no problem. Overall very good all round bike for under £3000

I have an '05 FZ6 with 7k miles and i have to say i love it. Such a fun bike to blast about on. And when i say blast i mean blast because if you're not above 8k rpm you might as well get off! Have to say that the handling and brakes are spot on and the reliability has been A OK so far. Only grumbles with the FZ6 are no centre stand fitted as standard which can be a hassle (guess it adds to the stripped down look) and maybe it's just me but the seat is rock hard! After as little as 30 miles you want to stop a while... And also, the bike is too damn quiet as standard. Nice induction noise from the airbox but nothing from the exhausts so nice aftermarket jobbies give the bike a bit more soul. All in all a great bike, enjoy! :-)

It goes well when I need it to.It is very sure footed in wet weather. I can understand why some might say that the gearbox is clunky.This bike is not best suited to novices.I have completed 25,000 miles on mine and have no complaints at all. It reminds me of riding a big two stroke in that to get the best out of it you have to be smooth and have good coordination between your throttle,clutch and gear pedal.I also found that it pays to sit still and let this bike do all the cornering for you. My attention to chain lube, oil filter changing etc have been rewarded with excelent reliability.If this is what happens when a motorcycle company detunes a race engine and puts it into commuter clothes, I reckon the recipe is about right.

I passed my test about 5 years ago but at the time couldn't justify a bike as I was running two cars at the time. A change of work location was the excuse I was looking for to justify buying a bike for the 40 mile round trip commute (London to Guildford). Essentially, I had next to no riding experience so even though aspirationally I wanted a litre sports bike, practically and financially I couldn't make that step. I looked around for about 2 months at SV 650s, CBF 600s and FZ6 Fazer's. None of them really grabbed me but in the end I settled on a 06, <6k mile FZ6 in what seemed near perfect condition for £3k. Looking back over my last 2 years of riding I have been very happy with the FZ6. I have done around 12k miles and other than servicing and a set of tyres, the ONLY additional cost I have incurred is a rear brake light bulb. Apart from that nothing has gone wrong with this bike, no starting issues, no reliability issues,literally nothing which is fantastic. Yes, as I have become more experienced there have been a few niggles - I want more power, particularly around 4-6k revs, I want a bit more volume from a safety perspective and I have issues (as most Fazer owners do) with the gear changes (particularly changing down or getting a false neutral between 5-6 at high speed). Apart from that it has been/is a great bike. I am currently looking to trade up to a GSFr 750 or similar but not in any hurry. Would I recommend a Fazer.....absolutely. I would describe myself as a keen biker who likes to ride quickly (but safely) and the Fazer has allowed me to do just that whilst costing next to nothing to own and maintain.

Ive got an 05 with 10k on and i love it! Fantastic fuel ecomomy 50mpg even when pushing it! good handling and great rush above 8k!

I had an fz6 for my first bike and i loved it, The gearbox was bit clunky all the time but otherwise a great bike and a really good first big bike. It loves to rev and you soon get used it, brakes are really good as well, and its one of the fastest restricted 600s out there with more BHP than the hornet and its really good on long distance's to. All in all a great bike