Considering changing mk1 600 for a 1000?

[Wade90]

Should I change to a 1000?
Whats sort of MPG are you guys getting, I currently get between 52-58 out of my 600 doing a 160 miles a week commute filling up once.
Be interested in any comments form owners who went from a 600 to a 1000 about handling, comfort, performance etc..
Sell it to me!

[MadDogMcQ]

.....Sell it to me!

• Faster
• Heavier
• Greedier (fuel, tyres, insurance)

[bludclot]

the ups:


there's nothing quite like a 1000cc engine in a bike, especially when it's derived from a sports bike. there's grunt from everywhere and that 'there's nothing that can out run me' feeling on the road that's priceless. the feeling when asked 'what do you ride?' from the reply 'fazer thousand' is similar too.  200 miles is easily reachable from a tank of fuel when ridden on real roads with the constant thought of a camera van round every corner. the liquid cooled engine looks great in a well proportioned bike and is easier to keep clean than any air cooled finned engine ever. the ride is comfortable and the handling is quite alright (as standard). it's a great bike and the early gen 1s are starting to creep into the cheap as chips category to buy.


the downs:


it will drink a bit more fuel than a similarly ridden 600. there's a pesky exup to keep on top of and tax, insurance and general running costs are a bit more too. there's those that will feel a certain pressure to ride faster because it's a 'faster' bigger engined bike. (the look the part feel the part syndrome) the standard suspension is marginal, the rear especially goes off quickly and is not great to start with. (pogoing rear end anyone?) there's less thousands about than 600s so used parts are less plentiful and a tad more expensive. mirrors could have been better from new (although this is relative, they're not sports bike bad) and headlights are just about ok at best. it's not the most thrilling bike and doesn't stand out at bike meets.


the reality:


a thousand cc is not necessary for the road. (there's those that will take issue with this comment but even a 20 stone bloke with a lardy missus can be carried along all day by a 600 fazer without having to battle cars at lights.) once a biker always a biker - so the grin factor is there whether riding a 1000 or a c90, so it's not necessary to have a 1000 for fun. gen 1 fazers are old bikes now (with only a very few exceptions even the youngest are 6 years old) so the usual buyer beware caveats are well in force already.


it all comes down to the individual and what fits and feels 'right.' the fazer 1000 is a special bike and special people buy and ride them. the same can be said for any other bike however. really it's up to you.

[red98]

Should I change to a 1000?
Whats sort of MPG are you guys getting, I currently get between 52-58 out of my 600 doing a 160 miles a week commute filling up once.
Be interested in any comments form owners who went from a 600 to a 1000 about handling, comfort, performance etc..
Sell it to me!

just changed from a 98 / 600 to a 54 / 1000.....your commute will be about a tank full approx £18 / £20....if its town riding i woud say the 600 is better,lighter and slimmer for filtering.....just come back from a tour of england and wales and the thou was great,mostly a roads with lots of luggage,very comfotable one day over 350 miles could`nt of done that on the 600,handling i would say is better the extra weight helps i used to get a lot of bouncing / jumping about when riding  the 600 on the edge the thou is very smooth and you dont notice the weight when your on the move.
   best case is to have both 
 

[Dave48]

Its strange how many of us would consider changing bikes without a test ride of sorts. You can study all the performance figures & specs but the real decider will be how does it feel to YOU riding it? Two excellent bikes-thats not in dispute, and why were talking on this forum. For commuting id opt for the 600-for all round enjoyment including 2 up travel its the thou for me. As said, costs more to run  the thou but depending on age/experience costs neednt be much greater. If you can do your own servicing youll find the thou an easy bike to work on-its mainly regular attention to items like EXUP valve that saves expense down the line. But for the recession    I would run a second bike & it would be the 600!

[kebab19]

I moved from the 600 to the 1000.
Drinks about 25% more juice, but then it delivers 50% more power... still pretty good economy for a litre bike, tho.
Heavier than the 600. Steers slower than the 600, although this is fairly easily rectified.
Standard suspension just as p1sh as the 600, again fairly easily rectified with Ravenrider fork mod & R6 rear shock swap. Unlike the 600, the back brake actually works.
Fewer revs needed to go fast so more relaxing, until you look down at the speedo. Fewer gear changes...all the litre bike benefits, really.

If you're commuting only, or economy really matters, stick with the 600. If you use the bike for other purposes as well, then consider upgrading.   

[tomjimtom]

As above really, I had a square eye 600, went to a gen 1 and all I really noticed was it was much faster throughout the rev range and I didn't have to change gear as much


Just got 41 MPG, seems about average to me, I got very similar on the 600 so you might get more


Only thing I have as a con is the seat is much more comfortable on the 600 for both rider and pillion, the gf and I came back from France, did about 450-500 miles without stopping and were fine, 150 miles on the 1000 and we're waddling round (not good for pro bike points... )


But yeah, I'm glad I upgraded


Tom

[ZiggyCol]

I had two 600s (a square eye from new and then a near new foxeye) before getting my current gen1 thou.
 
Agree with most of what has been said above. I loved the 600s but when my last one was written off I was struggling to find a really good replacement. I've never liked the FZ6 (no offence owners  ) and finding a 'like new' FZS600 was by then virtually impossible. However there were still some very good examples of the thou available as they continued to be made for longer.
 
A patient search found me buying a 3000 mile 2005 thou. Never regretted the purchase. A Nitron shock and progressive fork springs have sorted the suspension, Ivanising transforms the motor, and a bit of colour matching of the black bits and various mods have given me what I think is a striking looking bike (Lava red with black engine) that does everything pretty well. I used it for my daily commute but am quite happy to go off tent and panniers attached on tour and it rates pretty well for a weekend thrash as well.
 
Performance is in a different league to the 600 but you pay a price at the pumps. Peculiarly I also find it a more leisurely ride just because of the easily accessible power and I think overall build quality is better than the 600. About the only downside I found initailly compared to the 600 was also related to the greater power - you get far less opportunity to really wind it up because it is just so quick. Whereas I seemed to have ample opportunity to thrash the 600 there seem more limited occasions to do the same on the thou and as a consequence it does sometimes seem like less fun to ride. But don't get me wrong - I still enjoy it immensely and it's a great bike. If I could have a new FZS600 now I wouldn't go back from the thou.

[BMCfaz]

If you only use it for commuting, I'd probably stick with the 600 and spend the difference on some upgrades. You probably won't go any faster on the 1000, and it will cost a bit more to run.
That being said, if you want to change bikes because you've had enough of yours, go for a thou. It's getting hard to find really good 600s now, whereas there are a lot of good 1000s about, people tend to look after bigger bikes better, 600s become hacks!
I kept my 51 plate 600 for 6 1/2 years, the longest I've kept a bike in 40 years of riding, px'd it for a new Honda CB1000R, but ended up coming back to a 54 plate 1000, about 14 months ago, because they're just such great do-it-all bikes!

[know your limitations]

MPG for my current Gen1 1000 over 5 months and 3000 miles...
Best 46
Worst 37
Average 42.5
Longest distance between fill ups 194 miles. I could have got more but not enough to see me to the next available petrol station.
There's a Gen1 owner on here who's got 250+ miles out of a tank.
If you're interested, I'm selling mine here   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160855044446?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_946wt_1186

[fireblake]

I must be a real pussy i get 50mpg nearly every ride, best was 52 and worse was 46. on the motorway my preferred cruising speed is about 95, i never do 70 if the road is clear enough. To be honest my commute is 5am and 6pm. When out for a thrash i tend not to rag it silly but i get a move on. The Exup is an easy job and is worthwhile doing often just so you remember how to do it. My  bike has R1 forks (Mike) and an R6 shock (Luke) and has a full Monty (Mike). The best all rounder ever IMO. I'm so pleased with it.

One of my first posts on a Fazer forum was i was underwhelmed with the bike. I previously had a 929 FireBlade with K-Tech sussies which was so pin sharp i only had to think where i wanted to go, the standard suspension left me thinking i'd made a big mistake. But with help and advice from the Guru's on this and other sites i've done a few mods that have transformed my bike into something that suited my riding preferences. Best thing i ever did and will not change it for anything.

[tiggr2]

If you're interested, I'm selling mine here   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160855044446?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_946wt_1186

However if you watch the video dont worry despite the chicken strips on the back being wider than some tires be assured FZ1000's can also be leant over in corners very effeciently 
  keep smiling only pulling your leg, each to thier own..

[red98]

lots of help there.........but everyones missing the main difference......................ones red the other silver

[CRH]

  ............boasting are we red?.....your garage door in better nick than my thou!!!!....

[red98]

............boasting are we red?.....your garage door in better nick than my thou!!!!....

i wish....my neighbours garage,mines just a single 

[Hogi]

I changed from 600 (5 years) to my current Thou (4 years). Have to echo what's been said, although the extra expense isn't huge and is outweighed by the increase in power and torque, resulting in less gear changing and a more flexible drive.

I've had mine Ivanised - stage 1 only - and to me it felt like it brought a bit more mid-range torque that finds you at unexpected speed. The ease with which the engine achieves this is why I think some (non-owners) have commented that its a bit anonymous. Some people aren't impressed unless they are bouncing off the limiter with a big can on, advertising it to the world and his wife. Keen on having their nuts anodised as well  But if you appreciate stealthy speed, achieved with no fuss, no drama then the Thou is the one for you.

While you shouldn't try to keep up, I found that I had to work the 600 too hard when doing so. Not so with the 1000, I had a week in Scotland with RED riders and for a balls out blast I had no problems. My usual pace is below-red, cruising (comfortably) at 80 and I average 50 mpg but with those red boys, 42.

I wouldn't change back again but if I only wanted a commuter and the odd Sunday run then the 600 is fine. However I like having the extra oomph and think the costs are worth it. You should really get a test ride and see what I mean

Hope this helps. 
 

[Rusty]

How did you manage to edit your post Hogi?

[Hogi]

How did you manage to edit your post Hogi?

There's an icon on the top right of your post named Modify. I think its one that only you can see - as the author of your post. Click and you can change your text!!