Hey notorious, welcome to the forum,only just noticed your questions & sorry you havent had sooner replies but the sun is out, its the weekend & everyones no doubt busy playing, or arguing he he
.the site is very active & a great place to keep enthusiastic during the winter months & get out n about & socialise in the summer.I was new to biking this time last year & ive learnt a great deal from this site as everyone is extremely helpful & the more information you have about a problem the more detailed & helpful they get.i knew nothing about bikes but with foccers help i managed my own basic service last year with no problems & the bike was very easy to work on even for a novice.
I think Stevierst summed the fzs600 up very well recently-"All the bike you'll ever need, just not all the bike youll ever want".The bike does it all & in a friendly manor & i personally dont want for anything else just yet because i know ill regret selling it.
Dont discount the box eye either, its looks will grow on you & mine still gets at least 200 miles from the tank & you could save a couple hundred quid because the foxeyes are generally a tad more sought after.that said though if you'll do any night riding then the foxeye has far better lights.
Many owners return to the Fzs600 after trying out other desireables & that's also why the best ones are kept for a long time by the current owners who've tried other stuff.you will regularly see bikes on here for sale but usually from folk who've joined up just to sell or folk that have only just bought the bike so if im honest i'd say dealers & bike trader etc are probably just as likely to turn up a good'n although finding one here from a long term member will provide a searchable forum history.
Theres an issue with the front sprocket nuts not being fit for purpose.be sure to check that any bike you see has got a nut still on the shaft & hasnt stripped itself off & that the new uprated nut (deeper with more threads) has been fitted, it's a cheap fix & using the search option here & typing " front sprocket nut" will give you endless info.
The gearbox is normally clunky going into 1st gear, 1st to 2nd should be done gracefuly without mega revs or youll soon damage the gearbox & for the rest of the time the lively motor loves to dance around the limiter as it needs to be revved to bring out its best.
Anyway hope this helps buddy,like i say im a newby & theres lots o folk here with vast knowledge so if you have more questions p,ease ask.
Cheers
Fras