I'm buying a Fazer, which is better?

[MrTwig]

Hi all, first post for me, since I don't even have a Fazer yet. But I will, in just a few days. My question is, should I get the old carbuerreted one, or the new fuel injected one. Have anyone in here had both? Which is better, more powerful, less thirsty, more fun, etc...
In my area there is one 2003 model going for 38K NOK, and one 2004 model going for 45K NOK. Most other specs are pretty much the same. Which would you go for?
I'm looking for a fun bike that can also go on long summer vacations through Europe.

[tommyardin]

Hello Mr T,
Welcome to the forum.


I am not qualified to give an opinion on the FZ6 injected Fazer 600, as I have never owned one or even ridden one.


On the other hand I an qualified to comment on the qualities of the older model the FZS as I have owned one for the last 5 years.


This is my opinion only, the latest of the FZS 600's are the best as they have an upgraded headlamp setup giving far superior illumination at night.


These later FZS 600 models are called Foxeyes because of the down-draft fox like appearance of the headlights, earlier models were called Boxeye for obvious reasons.
There are a couple other refinements on the Foxeye adjustable pre-load on the front forks being one of them, also, a slightly larger fuel tank, I believe their is also an extra adjustment on the front brake (Reach Distance).


The FZS 600 Foxeye is a fantastic machine, as are the Boxeyes.


I have been told but have no evidence of my own that the FZS 600 had more mid-range grunt than the newer FZ6, but I understand that there are a couple of versions of the FZ6 and some of the minor issues with the early ones have been ironed out, I think that the 2004 model would be one of the earlier ones.


The FZS 600 is a comfortable bike to ride, it certainly lacks nothing in the performance stakes and it is guaranteed to put huge smile on your face.
If you want to commute the FZS 600 will do a great job of it, the same if you want to tour far and wide, and if you want to hoon around the county lanes scratching then it will also do that for you.
Thinking about it I do not have a bad word to say about the carbed FZS 600, regular filter and oil changes and a yearly clean/service on the calipers and you are likely to keep that bike many, many years as a lot of us in here have done.


My old girl is a Foxeye FZS 600, I thought about moving up to the Mighty 1000 last year, but then I thought why? The 600 can make my arse clamp up on the seat under hard acceleration, she will pop wheelies (Often unintentionally? Actually always unintentionally) its good on fuel and it will give a lot of the out and out sport 600s a run for their money.


You probably gathered I love my FZS, I have thought about selling it recently as I am getting older, I have impact and rotation damage on my wrists (work related, no other causes ) But theer is no way I could sell it because I know the second someone rode off up the road on it I would regret it.
Good example are becoming rarer, and provided you like the retro Star Wars look of the fairing I am sure it would serve your purpose well. 

[MrTwig]

Thank you so much for post tommyardinyour , it was very informative, and your bike sure is beautiful. I'm definately getting a fazer no matter what, but I'm still not sure which to go for. I'm sort of a hobbyist chainsaw mechanic, so I figure I will be better equipped to do my own maintenance on the carbueratted one, but I hear people saying they are hard to start if wet, or if it has been left for a while. I had that problem with my old honda nsr125r. If I left it for a month, I would almost drain the battery trying to start it. That was so annoying, I'm not keen on a repeat of that.

I'm hoping this summer will be a warm and dry one. If so, I will be heading to Bergen, and catching a ferry to Britain, heading to Dover and then Calais on the eurostar, and cruise around southern Europe for a week before heading back through the alps.
Oh, by the way, how is the weather usually in Britain during the early summer?
Geez, I'm getting ahead of myself here. I haven't even got a bike yet
()
Anywho... My current dilema is which fazer to go for. What is for sale here, is anything from 1998 for 26K NOK (Norwegian Kroner) , to 2006 for 50K-
Or, should I go for the 2003  fzs 1000 for 55K. I supposte they are more expensive to run, fix and insure since they are rated for higher top speeds.
Still, they must be more fun

[Kenbob]

 Never had a problem starting my fzs600 wet dry cold or hot or standing for a while.

[fazersharp]

Never had a problem starting my fzs600 wet dry cold or hot or standing for a while.

Same here (touch wood) sometimes its left for 3 weeks and I only have to go near the starter and it fires up. I do keep it on a trickle charger/keeper though. I had a starting issue once and even though the sparkplugs looked fine I put a new set in and that was the problem fixed   

[agricola]

Hi all, first post for me, since I don't even have a Fazer yet. But I will, in just a few days. My question is, should I get the old carbuerreted one, or the new fuel injected one. Have anyone in here had both? Which is better, more powerful, less thirsty, more fun, etc...
In my area there is one 2003 model going for 38K NOK, and one 2004 model going for 45K NOK. Most other specs are pretty much the same. Which would you go for?
I'm looking for a fun bike that can also go on long summer vacations through Europe.

If you decide to go for the fuel injected model, then make sure that it is the later S2 version (2007 onwards). They have far better brakes, better swingarm

[Trebus]

Good luck whichever bike you go for. You have some beautiful scenery on the West cost of Norway if a little wet, I love it there 😀

If you’re heading to mainland Europe I would recommend going to the Harz mountains in Germany, superb biking roads.

[Grahamm]

Oh, by the way, how is the weather usually in Britain during the early summer?

Rain
Rain
Clear for a bit
More Rain
Sunny
Oh, no, it's raining again.
Sunny
Sunny again
Bloody hell it's a heatwave!
Drought. We need some rain.
Rain
Rain...



PS I have the FZ6 2004-2006 fuel injected model which is nice, although it has drawbacks such as the "hole" in the power curve between about 5000-6000 rpm where Yamaham de-tuned the Engine Control Unit to give better results on engine emissions tests!

If you get one of these, it's worth thinking about investing in a Power Commander III to re-map the ECU so the engine doesn't suddenly bog down when you're starting an overtake.

Apart from that, however, it's a very nice bike

[MrTwig]

Thank you all, valuable info there. Making a note of Harz mountains, and perhaps I'll do Britain on the way back instead That sounded a bit cold.
A 2007 would be too expensive, so I think I'll go the other way instead, and get a cheap 1998 model.
It sure is beautiful here in Norway, especially in the west. But it is awfully wet there and our speeding tickets are unmatched by anyone, except possibly the swiss. The last time I cot a bit careless with the throttle, it cost me roughly £1000

[fazersharp]

so I think I'll go the other way instead, and get a cheap 1998 model.

Thats the "Boxeye" model (like mine) so for touring and better lights you will be better with a couple of years younger bike and get a foxeye
   

[tommyardin]

so I think I'll go the other way instead, and get a cheap 1998 model.

Thats the "Boxeye" model (like mine) so for touring and better lights you will be better with a couple of years younger bike and get a foxeye
 

I'm with him ^

[MrTwig]

How about this one

https://www.finn.no/mc/all/ad.html?finnkode=116731238

[celticdog]

How about this one

https://www.finn.no/mc/all/ad.html?finnkode=116731238

That's a very nice bike Mr Twig. Is the price for this bike around £3350? If so it's much more expensive to what we would pay in the UK for such a bike with 40,000 miles on the clock.


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803224835470?make=YAMAHA&model=FZS600&advertising-location=at_bikes&advert-type=standard-listing

[MrTwig]

Yes, that's the norwegian tax level making them expencive. I think a new one today csts 120k, or £11000.
Perhaps I should think about importing one. What do they go for in Britain?