She's amazing

[Tommyk]

Which do you prefer and why ?
Never having ridden the thou Im in the dark all I know is
Sometimes I wish I had a little more grunt

[Hedgetrimmer]

I used a 600 for a couple of weeks when my last thou was in for some work. I liked the 600, especially after having been lumbered with a GS500 for a while. I wasn't in a hurry to get the thou back exactly, as the 6 was a good bike, but I've been used to large capacity machines or looney bikes for most of my biking life, so always go back to them. You can't really go wrong with either imo. But I get some pretty long rides under my belt, so the thou is probably a bit better for that. I also like having to work to get the best out of it, again, it's what I'm used to. I'll be looking for a second bike when I've moved, but I wouldn't go for a Fazer 6 to sit with the thou. Too similar in too many ways, despite the lighter weight and revvy-er feel of the 6.

It all depends on what is the most important aspect of your riding. For town and shorter commutes, the 600 has to be a better choice. For tight, twisty B road stuff, same again. But if you want to load it up and do distance work, or on fast, open A road sweeping stuff, the thou is the better bet.

If you want more grunt, then the thou is certainly worth considering. If you'll only have one bike, I think it's the better choice. In fact, with a few mods, I still don't think anything newer really beats it by that much as a do-it-all bike. You have made your 600 handle a lot better - you can do this with the thou too.

But I wouldn't argue against either; they're both good bikes at the end of the day.

[unfazed]

Which do you prefer and why ?
Never having ridden the thou Im in the dark all I know is
Sometimes I wish I had a little more grunt

To be perfectly honest, I really don't know, I love the nimbleness and gearbox of the 600 and I love the power and speed of the 1000,  but if I really really  had to make a choice  , it would probably be the 600 mainly because it is lighter.

I spent a lot of time sorting the 1000 and it now handles like the 600, but in the real twisties the 600 is definitly quicker.

[Tommyk]

so if you going distance would you choose the thou for comfort?
And the 600 for a quickblast?

Don't mean to be a pain just want real feed back from someone who has both
And not the usual pub talker

Cheers

[unfazed]

so if you going distance would you choose the thou for comfort?
And the 600 for a quickblast?

Don't mean to be a pain just want real feed back from someone who has both
And not the usual pub talker

Cheers

I have used both for both, once did 800 miles two up on the 600 in 30hours when I missed the ferry from Roslare to France after riding from Cork (120 miles from Rosslare) and rerouted through the UK to Dover and down to Angers in France
Furthest I have ridden the 1000 in one day is 400 miles and 275 two up.
Downey (another one of the Foccers on here) and I did 120 miles in an hour on the 1000s coming back from the UGP last year did not do much for the fuel consumption. but great for the adrenaline
My wife likes going on both so which ever is closest to the garage door

Unfortunately I cannot answer the question 

[kebab19]

I had a Bandit 12, then FZS 600, then a FZS1000 and am now back on an FZS 600. Big engines spoil you, even if they bring a lot of extra weight to the party.

Logically, the 600 should be all you need as a road bike, providing you work it through the gearbox and keep her on the boil. It can after all do about twice the UK speed limit if properly caned.
The 1000 with its 45+ extra ponies doesn't need anywhere near the same enthusiasm & effort to get it moving at warp speed, and that extra grunt is very, very addictive. But it's heavier, taller & has a longer wheelbase. It adds up to slower handling & a slightly higher Centre-Of-Gravity which at 5'8" I occasionally struggled with.
I find myself gunning the 600 to get to 80mph, whereas I found myself cruising on the 1000 at around the same speed, then deciding to gun it. When I fitted a 46t rear sprocket on the 1000 I found myself accidently speeding almost everywhere... if you have little self-control you could amass point very easily on the bigger bike.
If you add a passenger and luggage the 600 becomes less attractive, whereas the 1000 shrugs it off.
The 1000 guzzles 25% more fuel but gives 50% more power, but the running costs are not hugely different eg I could get nearly 6k from a ST rear tyre.

I'm currently trying to resist the lure of another 1000 but both bikes make great machines as long-termers

[Tommyk]

Think maybe stick with the 6 then I already have two bikes don't think swmbo would be to happy if I came home
With a third bike and anyways still got lots of mods to do to the 6
Thou on the back burner for now

Anyway who can tell me how to properly adjust my new usd's
Or show me link on it would be most grateful
I thought I was buying 5 jj's but then discovered they were 4 xv's that's eBay for you
Cheers

[Slaninar]

The way speed limits are endorsed more and more strictly (unmarked cars with cameras, cameras, sensors etc) I'd be happy with a nice FZS400, if they were more widely available.


1000 is heavier, costs more (fuel, maintenance, tyres) and if you are really tired of changing gears on a 600 (with almost 100 bhp), then you could look into a nice scooter and retirement. 

[unfazed]

Strangely enough I found the Fazer 400s my sons had were lovely bikes to ride and for some strange reason was a good bit lighter than the 600 even though they looked almost identical to the 98-99 model 600s with better lights.
It is a shame that all the carb Fazers were discontinued because all of them were good all rounders even the 400. The 400 was even more nimble then the 600 because of the less weight and with the 600 intake rubbers fitted would top 120mph easier

[Slaninar]

Yup. 200 kg is a magic line for me - bikes lighter than that feel much more nimble - for both riding and pushing up hills.

[kebab19]

Slaninar: Fortunately I don't live in mainland UK, the traffic branch of the police force here are diminishing and they don't even have the budget for speed cameras. I can also do trackdays locally and if necessary get my excess road kicks via a short ferry trip to the Isle of Man. I realise that the UK has become a surveillance state, but not everywhere is as bad.

Your extra weight comment is correct, but where is your evidence that the 1000 costs more for maintenance or even tyres? Valve service intervals are the same - 24k miles. Furthermore, I never found my 1000 to chew up tyres faster than either of my 600s

The 600 makes nowhere near 100hp, it makes about 80 @ the rear wheel, which does not seem that excessive in the world of motorcycling.

Finally, I assume your scooter retirement comment refers to automatic transmission as opposed to being attracted towards smaller engined  2 wheelers ...as you appear to be  Indeed, I believe there are 150cc bikes made in India if you really want a superlight version of a Fazer

 

[Slaninar]

I've been very happy Suzuki GN125 owner. Stil take it for a ride sometimes. The thing I don't like on that motorcycle is the lack of power to run away when needed (traffic danger situations, not from cops).


The highest cost in running vehicles is tyres and fuel. 1000s are usually heavier (compared to similar 600cc) so they will run through tyres more quickly and use more fuel. Do you really want to tell me that Fazer 1000 doesn't use more fuel or tyres more than a 600?


 500cc is the sweet spot IMO. 400 to 500.

[JoeRock]

While there's a lot of truth in that - I think the 600 does make it easy for the rider. It's a very forgiving bike, and gives a good amount of feedback (with the right tyres) - it flatters a decent rider, and makes them look another stage better.

Much as the Thou boys blag about their machines, in anything but a straight line, they will lose to a similarly skilled rider on a 6. The 6s handle better, turn faster, and are more responsive on the twisties. The Thous have power and 20mph more. And that's it, really.

I'm assuming you mean both Fazers Christo?

In general it does depend on the road/track type - riding a 1000 is a completely different experience, it's about slamming up to the corner as fast as possible, braking as hard as possible, slamming it through the corner whilst minimising the time you're spending leant over and then getting it upright ASAP so you can open the throttle hard and use the engines power.
600s you can usually have a higher entry speed and you can stay leant over for longer, as you'll be able to get the throttle pretty much to the stop whilst leant over without an incoming highside!

[JoeRock]

I've been very happy Suzuki GN125 owner. Stil take it for a ride sometimes. The thing I don't like on that motorcycle is the lack of power to run away when needed (traffic danger situations, not from cops).


The highest cost in running vehicles is tyres and fuel. 1000s are usually heavier (compared to similar 600cc) so they will run through tyres more quickly and use more fuel. Do you really want to tell me that Fazer 1000 doesn't use more fuel or tyres more than a 600?


 500cc is the sweet spot IMO. 400 to 500.

Not Fazers, but I've got a ZX-9R, my best mate has a ZX-6R. Assuming we ride the same roads (we're about similar abilities), we use almost identical amounts of fuel. On long motorway runs though my 9 is actually better - tends to get about 53mpg sitting at 80-90 where as Tom's 6 gets around 50! I would imagine I might use tyres slightly faster, but in my ownership of 1000s and 600s I've not noticed a massive difference to be honest?

[Slaninar]

Not Fazers, but I've got a ZX-9R, my best mate has a ZX-6R. Assuming we ride the same roads (we're about similar abilities), we use almost identical amounts of fuel. On long motorway runs though my 9 is actually better - tends to get about 53mpg sitting at 80-90 where as Tom's 6 gets around 50! I would imagine I might use tyres slightly faster, but in my ownership of 1000s and 600s I've not noticed a massive difference to be honest?

I am sure 1000 is more fuel economic on the motorway, no doubt about that. Tested. However, after a year of riding, which bike will cost more for fuel and tyres: 600, or the 1000. From all I know, 1000 will use both more fuel and more tyres for the same mileage/riding style. Unless you ride motorways over 50% of your entire riding.

[kebab19]

Slaninar: Two posts above your original, in relation to fuel consumption, I stated:

The 1000 guzzles 25% more fuel but gives 50% more power

Regarding tyres, I'd say the difference in wear is not that significant: I've managed to get 6k out of a rear BT023 on the 1000 and am not sure if I'll get much more with the same tyre type fitted to my current 600. Perhaps its riding style (mild fear & subliminal restraint on the 1000 versus feeling confident enough to push the 600 on a bit more) but Joe Rock's post makes me think I'm not alone here.

However, Tommy asked for owners who had experiences of owning both Fazers and not just pub talkers  So for me, I've loved both bikes, but loved the 1000 just a bit more

[Andy FZS]

I've had the fzs600 and currently have a fzs1000. I can't coment on tyres as I've never worn any out. Mpg the 600 did almost 60mpg the 1000 does slightly above 50mpg I like the extra size and weight of the 1000 and the torque alowing less gear changes I ride steady  (slow) anyway so the perceived handling / performance difference doesn't matter to me.  But I do like the 1000.
Andy

[JoeRock]

I always forget I did actually own an FZS 600 for a while 


To be honest as others have said, the 600 handles a bit better as stock (the 1000 shock is crap - although less so for me than most as I'm lighter than most and its at least easy to sort). The 1000 obviously packs a fair bigger engine punch.


Personally, I think for every circumstance (bar commuting - and I mean if that was ALL you did on it) I'd take the 1000 - for me at least the extra weight is more than mitigated by the extra power, and I also found it more comfortable (one and two up) than the 600.


The 600 I didn't have for long - whilst a very capable bike having owned larger bikes for a couple of years before I got very bored with the engines performance

[Tommyk]

Has anyone tried fitting a thou engine to thier 6?

[stevierst]

Or just buy an R1 and fit a Renthal conversion. Best of both worlds, and a Hell of a lot easier to do.

[Tommyk]

Fair point, well made

[mark g]

Just had a similar dilemma on deciding which Fazer to get, in the end I got a Gen 1 thou, I too have got used to 'big' capacity bikes over the years, with the exception of a 95 CBR600 which was awesome....too awesome in fact I had to sell it before I lost my licence!. But what is nice about a big cc bike is the grunt ! overtaking cars without having to rev the tits off it is a big + point.......my mate always says ' A good big un beats a good little un' . As for the thou being more expensive to run...who cares, mine's only used in the summer these days, whatever you ride enjoy it 

[Tommyk]

Just logged on first time in ages seen this post up the order and thought I would share feelings on the fork conversion after having it done for a while

Well worth it not as difficult as I thought it would be to do. people were saying they didn't
Think the forks were that bad in the first place
I still think it has made a massive difference to the handling not being a riding God myself
I can only explain by saying that the bike
Just feels way more stable than before
Which has made me feel more confident
And in turn improved my riding ability
I seem to be more in control  maybe that's
All in my mind but that's the effect of it for me
Well worth it in my opinion
And the main thing is I'm enjoying my bike
More than ever
Which is the most important thing !!!!

[midden]

Be careful when riding  near hedges