Hi Fraser,
Sorry I didn't update this thread with the outcome.
I took the bike back to the Yamaha Center that sold it to me, and they kept it for a week and lent me an FZ-1N for the duration. So, they took it on 3 test rides, 1 was the owner of the shop, and 2 with the chief mechanic.
They couldn't find anything that they considered to be out of the ordinary with the bike, but they still checked everything that they could do:
- Tightened all the engine mounting bolts
- Checked the brake pads and discs
- Front wheel bearings
- Drivetrain
He told me that every bike has it's own special feeling and sounds, and to just live with it and get used to it. however, when it came back, it did feel a lot less pronounced to me. Perhaps something to do with the engine mounting bolts were a little loose or something. Anyway, it doesn't bother me anymore. I just try to stay on either side of that rev range.
I also read here:
http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-used/used-review-yamaha-fazer-600/4313-2.htmlPage 2 (under engine) says: "One of the few bug-bears is a vibration at anything between 6-8000 revs. They all do that, Sir."
So it seems that this is normal behaviour. The problem I had is that I've only ridden an XT600e which is only single cylinder and feels entirely different. I'd had no experience of a 4 cylinder bike until that point, so i didn't know what to expect. Anyway, i've got used to it now and it feels really sweet otherwise.
James