Yamaha FZS600 Fazer (1998-2004)

Hi guys This is my second review since 2010. Just bought my second Fazer 600 2003 model.... “what a bike"!!! It has had 2 previous owners, 20k on a clock, have done around 3k on it mainly motorways and really cant fault it. If you are after comfy, reliable but also fast bike then you dont need to look any further. Also would like to mention that i managed to hit 144 mph few times which is much higher then the original speed on the paper. It might be because i ALWAYS use VPover Shell petrol and Sport Castrol oil however i found this rather impressive:) Absolutely love it! Ta

I own a '98 fzs600 fazer, totally standard with 30k miles. I've had it a few weeks now so have got used to its pro's and cons. As a commuter its fantastically suited to this role, except for a clunky 1st-2nd gear change(common fazer complaint on forums) the rest of the changes are super smooth up and down the 'box, and always easy to find neutral. It starts and idles smoothly on choke, and once warmed up for 30 seconds is happy to run without choke and revs cleanly off idle in near zero degrees celsius. Brakes are excellent at the front, rear is ok. Headlight is rubbish. Common mod is to run a wire from the spare dipped beam feed(blue connector under the tank) directly to the righthand H4 filament bulb. So both headlights are on in dipped instead of just the left one with its H1 bulb. I run R&G heated grips and the charging system is fine with the slightly extra load. Fuel gauge is good, stays at full for ages then drops quite quickly down to empty, Needle goes just under empty before the reserve light comes on, then you have about 30miles till you run out of fuel. Average(very approx.) 55mpg or 180+ miles between fill-ups. Engine has a decent powerband at 8k which is great but sadly makes lower rpm torque seem lacking/not enough in comparison when in fact it is for most situations. Be careful not to get caught out overtaking tho as you will need to drop 2 or 3 gears quickly to get rapid acceleration burst(gears are spaced about 500rpm different so its quite close ratio gearbox). Its an engine that suits everyone, i tend to stay at lowish rpm, but others will get a thrill staying in the high rpm power. Suspension is very good as standard, fuss free, doesn't dive much under heavy braking, certainly doesn't bottom out like my 2011 Sv650 did! Overall its a bike that you grow to like more and more, and appreciate that it can do everything you want a bike to do without fuss, and the 80's looks it has are in fact half the reason i chose it! Paint is nice and thick on the tank and black powder coated frame is tough and long-lasting.

Does anyone know if the clutch plates for an American FZS600 after 2004 will fit the British FZS600. Yamaha didn't sell them in the US until 2004 (I presume,) but I've got a 2000 model from England (I think.) I live in the Caribbean and can only get parts from the US sent here. Love the Fazer - it wakes me up in the morning and I can't wait for work to end so I can ride it again.

This was my first big bike, and was well loved. I bought a 2000 for £1150 and it seemed fine. It performed well and was very very accommodating to me as a new rider. The power was there in the high revs, but pretty sparse lower down. This makes it a good winter hack cos you are less likely to spin the rear wheel in adverse weather, unless you are totally ham-fisted and deaf. Annoyingly, mine developed a stutter/shudder that had the mechanics scratching their heads. I discovered on a Forum that this is something that some Fazer's develop and no one really knows why. However, before it did that, it was a fantastic bike, perfect for the new rider, confidence inspiring and fun when you thrash it!! I often had remarks that it was a great bike from fellow road users. I would recommend it as a bike although it needs stainless steel downpipes, a louder end can, headlight mods's (riding at night was never fun) and braided hoses. If you can find one like that, with no engine troubles, then snap that bad boy up!!

Long hauls, communitng, track days, did the lot as on this as my first 600 and it nails all of them! Stainless steel downpipes and new end can are a must though.

How can a bike ridden by the crazy 88 in Kill Bill be bad? It's not a pretty bike granted but that's not neccessarily a bad thing in these days of bike theft, you won't turn any heads on one of these. It's comfy, it'll go forever & it can shift some as well. A forgotten gem not touched by its replacement.

I had 3 a 98/01/03 I loved each one. The exhausts are quite poor and if you are keeping it for a while put a stainless system on it. The engine is great grunty for a 600 & tunable and compared with the Hornet like a 750 but the hornet handles better. The earlier models have weak headlights and the rear brakes on all models need goodridge hose or similiar as they have a lot of travel and not as strong/progresive as it should be. Handling is great with good tyres and uprated springs shock but as stock is a touch remote soft. I put yam xjr1300 bars on and made a huge diff. Keep the battery in good nick with an optimate as they are expensive as are plugs. The bike takes to touring quite well I did lands end to john o groats on mine and got a lot more than 130miles out of the tank altough the later one has a bigger tank. My advice BUY ONE. The Hornet is a better handling bike but has no tank range and no torque.

I purchased my fazer after my 750 being written off thanks to someone pulling out on me :(. The one thing that annoyed me when riding the fazer was the small handle bars, it took ages for me to get used to them. I return on average 52mpg and around 45mpg at the very worst on sprinted rides. The handling is sublime, its easy to throw into corners and the r1 brakes upfront stop the fazer in no time. The gearbox i find is very clunky (this is a feature of the fazers i believe) and somewhat annoying. Low down torque isnt very good (then again i came from a 750) however wind it up and its like a pullman. Basic suspension means its not very good for pillioning. The bike is very comfortable on long journeys. The fazer is also very easy to maintain, the tanks held in place by two nuts and its very easy to access. One thing to watch out for is rotting exhaust header bolts and the rear caliper seizing.

I have a 1999 FZS600. I bought it with 25,000 miles, on the advice a friend who is long term fazer fan. I was reluctant mainly due to the fact it's so ugly... however 3 months and 5,000 miles later i can now understand the appeal due the fact the engine is an absolute gem. The handling leaves a little to be desired although i think with a little work on the front forks this could be improved. Other niggles include the head lights which are pathetic and the switch gear which is nackered. MPG isn't the best but tank range is good (up to 140 miles). Being an older bike, a trip counter is about the extent of the gizmos on board although truthfully this is quite nice. All things said for £1500 this bike is an absolute bargain and seems to have stood the test of time better than many of it's rivals (bandits, gsf's). Cheers, ride safe)

This my 1st review, since i purchased the fazer in 03. I have the 2000 model with the square head lights that has the the thundercat engine. Puchased this when it had 1500 miles on it and it has clocked 92,000 miles. Its my 1st proper bike. i cummute 80 miles a day and the bike is used througout the year including the winters. So lets start. Looks: They say the 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. Some people say the new BMW's look beautiful, some say they are plain ugly. The fazer looks weird from certain angles & chunky from certian. So its a matter of perpective. Engine: We all know that the detuned thundercat engine, is on of the best out there, so will not go into much detail. On the M25, i traffic, 1 can do 30 miles in 6th gear & there is no bucking from the engine as its smooth. Once you open the throttle, the power comes on smooth nothing like the sports bike, where u can have ur head taken off. The engine revs nicely taking the bike onto 135 miles without any problem. Between 5500 to 6500 rpm, there seems to be a bit of vibration from the engine but if your out of that zone, the engine is smooth. Full Consumption: i get about 50 mpg but this is steady at 50 to 60 mph. Comfort: Its got that upright right position which is so important when u do long distance and u don't end up with a bad back or hurting knees on the other side of the trip. Its ideal!! Equipment: Its a very nicely laid out dash, with the RPM meter as the main dial, speedo, you have a clock, trip meter and its easy to read. Nothing fancy just nice & basic. Tyres: i have the bridgestone touring, & get 20,000 miles out of it on the rear. i know some of you won't believe this, but thats to my driving, style. no hard take offs, no hard braking [only when required], steady driving at 50 to 60 mph. Realibility: My bike still has everything orginal on the engine, including the clutch plates. Its recommened that servicing is done every 6000 miles, but i get it done once a year ie 20,000 miles. The engine does not seem to mind this. It has never failed me till date. I have changed the rear brake caliper as its seized, but this was at 80,000 miles, i have changed the sproket and chain 3 times, that was partly due to my carelessness. Other changes are front and rear brake pads, spark plugs and oil filters, which are general maintance. it has some rusted bolts and a bit here and there, but thats acceptable consider the age and usage i have done. The thing you should care for is the downpipe as the quality is very poor. the bolts holding them to the manifold rust and one of them has broken so had to order new one at 45 GBP including the gaskets. Verdict: If you want a bike thats very very reliable, cheap [as there are so many] to run, maintain, have fun, commute, have a track day, keep up with the sports bike and have a good back and knees this is the bike you want. But make sure its got the thundercat engine. When i decide to buy another one, it will be the YAMAHA FZS600S, its the best every all rounder. its a shame that Yamaha had to kill it.