Not sure what to do.

[noggythenog]

I'm really fighting the itch for a newer bike....it is all consuming.


Old fzs is good but there's allot of money still needs spending to get it up to scratch....i really dunno if it is worth doing.


So i need to spend considerable dosh to get it up to scratch & future proof it a bit.


It is my fun bike...for fast A & B roads.....power is good but suspension is lacking.


I dont want to waste time doing on the cheap....i neither have the tools or the expertise....& i've kinda had enough of messing about...i prefer the riding to the fettling...just being honest...minor stuff is enjoyable.




So here's what i reckon i need to get it to where i need it:-


-Front suspensionK tech fork springs, heavier oil & any other bits that would be wise to change on them whilst being upgraded.....i can't find fzs600 specific on the k tech website but looks like £85 for the springs....so after factoring in oil, maybe seals plus fitting costs i reckon safe to assume £180.




-Rear suspension-ok no foccing about.....Nitron made for my weight...nice & easy.....but circa £400....so couple hours labour max guess & I'm looking at circa £450 fitted.




-Chain & Sprockets.....ok they arent terrible but i dont know when they were last done......so a DID gold plus sprockets....change in teeth for more accelaration....lets estimate £160 fitted.......(edit...these are just consumables so shouldn't really be factored in....same as tyres i now need.




-Brakes-i already have new pads & fluid but i also have a nice thou caliper sat in my shed.....so fitting & replace & bleed fluid.....very rough estimate £40.....the hoses are still original so braided lines will be needed...not sure of exact cost of them but lets say £100 for all braking needs.


-Tank.....ok my tank is useable but looks shit as it is dented in & touch up painted over.....£60 off ebay maybe.


-Headlight......i really need rid of the scabby MX headlight....i dunno....something else for £100.


-Carb balance....£40?






So basically i'm looking at £1000 to get the bike up to a good standard........plus another £450 in consumables.....so yep i'm sure it will be an absolute beast & be tip top in the handling stakes....a bit of a A road blaster etc.......but it will still be an old bike subject to the usual bad earths, tps issues, stutters etc etc....but equally may never suffer from these niggles.


Here is my dilemma.




Coz a £1500 spend is allot of wonga.....i could buy a decent fazer for that money...one with consumables already done.....but it still wont handle as good as my modded bike so still not worthwhile doing..but christ i could sell my bike as is easy for £800.....then buy a nice £1500 fazer with new tyres, sprockets, chain etc...& use the £800 to mod it & end up with a stunning bike.


Plus at the mo I'm third party fire & theft.....ill get none of that dosh back if it is nicked or crashed so i really gotta go fully comp & declare loads of mods so higher premiums.




Or do i just plod along....spend £450 on consumables & continue on until next year & buy a newer bike, one that handles well straight outta the box....ok so i'll be looking at 4k for something decent....but it will be nice & new, not crashed, insurable as is.ok so i'd be spending 3k more than just modding my bike.....but if i managed to get 1k for my bike as a good project (needs a new tank & fairing, only done 14k miles)...or stripped for parts if applicable then only 2k difference.


So only really talking 2k effective spend to get a 4k bike....so an FZ8, Fz1, Street triple......seems to make most sense....would like a newer bike....would be different story if my bike was mint & had no damage.


But interested to hear others thoughts on it.

[bigbluebear]

Noggy....if the itch is that strong it needs scratching....if it was me I wouldn't waste £1500 on a £800 bike that could potentially be worth less (not worthless) once all the mods were done and you still might have that itch.....would it be worth £2,300...I think not.

If, as you say, you could budget £1500 on a new bike and have £800 to spend....or buy that £4k bike that needs nothing....what I wouldn't do is compromise and spend £450 on an £800 bike to make it worth £1000.

If you have the cash go the full monty (pun intended) and buy the £4k bike now.....sell the noggyfighter as is for £800......don't wait until next year when the your itching to buy the new bike now cause you'll be scratching for a year........simples....sorted.

Cheers

BBB

[noggythenog]

Ye makes allot of sense that does Mr bear.




I dont quite have the money for the new bike yet & i wanna get some mileage outta money already spent,p,us my missus is out of work so i need to have those reserves just incase but soon as she's back in work it'll be ka ching!!!!££££££


I did 800 miles last week while the sun was out & i plan on many more.....im gonna ride it from Wales to scotland in June to visit the parents & then head to the highlands with my old man so i'm gonna rack up another few thousand before the season ends.....if it is just another year then my chain & sprockets will be fine so all i need to do is get new tyres & prey that she passes the next mot without too much fuss...so £300 spend & then ride it.


If i just dithered about then i'd be happy but i enjoy hooning & so i reckon i deserve some kind of tricker set up & theres so much out there.






It is a shame that more folk didnt mod up their suspension on the 600 when they were new.......coz then there'd be loads on ebay for cheap or lots of 600's to buy fully modded but i suppose the standard setup is ample for most plus no offence but it isnt like the mature owned thous that have had that spending & upgrading input over their years of cherishing.


I dont even want outright speed......just something foccin quick up to a tonne that handles a dream on back roads.

[Exupnut]

Spray it BLU... Job done :-)

[johna6968]

Always had a battle with myself whether or not to modify bikes to make more personal and also to be slightly different from the rest.. Truth of the matter is, a bike has its value depending on mileage/condition etc, unless you are going down the route of full on bespoke fabrication.. Even with the latter, rarely the money spent is ever recovered.. Generally the well serviced, stock, unmodified bike is the more sound route economically.. Doesn't ever stop the urge tho 

[noggythenog]

Spray it BLU... Job done :-)

I said upgrade...not degrade

[bigbluebear]

Ye makes allot of sense that does Mr bear.




I dont quite have the money for the new bike yet & i wanna get some mileage outta money already spent,p,us my missus is out of work so i need to have those reserves just incase but soon as she's back in work it'll be ka ching!!!!££££££


I did 800 miles last week while the sun was out & i plan on many more.....im gonna ride it from Wales to scotland in June to visit the parents & then head to the highlands with my old man so i'm gonna rack up another few thousand before the season ends.....if it is just another year then my chain & sprockets will be fine so all i need to do is get new tyres & prey that she passes the next mot without too much fuss...so £300 spend & then ride it.


If i just dithered about then i'd be happy but i enjoy hooning & so i reckon i deserve some kind of tricker set up & theres so much out there.






It is a shame that more folk didnt mod up their suspension on the 600 when they were new.......coz then there'd be loads on ebay for cheap or lots of 600's to buy fully modded but i suppose the standard setup is ample for most plus no offence but it isnt like the mature owned thous that have had that spending & upgrading input over their years of cherishing.


I dont even want outright speed......just something foccin quick up to a tonne that handles a dream on back roads.

Every now and again I get the same itch and once put my mighty fazer thou up for sale.......when a prospective buyer came round I pointed out all the bad bits...not there was any and put the guy off with a huge sigh of relief.

Now when I get the itch I look at the bike with all the modifications in all its glory...foccin mint I tell ya.......take it for a spin and remember why I'd spent almost 2k getting running perfectly....look at my bank balance.....and mysteriously the itch is gone

[esetest]

You could try scratching the itch with some demos on other bikes , you will either think the Fazer is the best bike for you , or you might like one of the others enough to buy one either on PCP or another 2nd hand version , you may end up keeping the fazer and having another bike .
I did a load of demos before I bought the Fzs , it completely changed my preconceptions of the best bike for me  .

[Wookee]

Just to add a bit to your maths....


The Nitron will be changeable on to your next bike for a charge of £100 so you won't lose it when/if you sell.


I can't see how any of your mods will increase your insurance? It's not as if you're sticking a turbo on it!   Why would a more expensive and powerful bike be cheaper to insure?


Have you factored in the depreciation you'll suffer on the newer bike? Vehicles, at some point in their lives, reach a basement price before some start rising again as classics. I'd suggest yours is at or in the basement so you aren't going to have the depreciation to contend with, just the loss on some of your parts.


Incidentally, before going on your planned trip check the front sprocket to make sure you can delay the chain and sprockets change.

[Dave48]

Your bike is not going to depreciate anymore now its 14? years old BUT don't expect to recoup any further money spent on it if you decide to sell in a year or so. I completely understand where youre at-(Is the grass greener on the other side?). You  are going to have to get some test/demo rides in on a variety of bikes to decide whether theres a "better?" bike waiting for you. Shame you have to pay out labour charges to others but as you say youre getting the miles in and hopefully enjoying them.  Mods wont affect your insurance premium unless they affect outright performance-that's what my insurers tell me anyway.
good luck-there are worse mental torments than this one!

[Punkstig]

Rear shock you and a mate can change yourself very easily, it's just a couple of bolts.
That's £50 saved!

[noggythenog]

Oh some interesting replies here...best place to put the question as only other bikers would understand, it is not always a straight forward decision & often sense goes out the window to make room for what the biker heart wants.




A couple of points i've already contemplated.....the longevity of a Nitron....correctly mentioned is actually a shock for life


Insurance isn't too much of an issue....i suppose what i was saying was that id never get those upgrades back on insurance...but then most crashes would right off such an old bike anyway & id get its stock worth.


I think doing these upgrades would in effect kill the bike long term as i'd prob only ever break it due to all the goodies i could sell vs the measly price id get for the whole package.....it would never appreciate even if fazers did get that way because it isnt an original and non crashed example.


Test rides are a good idea....like has been mentioned umpteen times before though...the fazer is a good bike & often outperforms supposedly better stuff.....now the big comfy bikes like the thous just aren't as nimble as id ideally like & 2 up will be a rarity......fz8 is a bit boring but still a good bike....but heavy & over priced....TRX sounds ideal but they're so old & id prob wish id kept the fazer, wish they had a modern version though....which brings me to the BMW f800r....looks pissy small & i aint small...gen 2 thou very nice but i dont need all that top end.


I gotta say i am right now the most tempted with the triumph street triple r.....theres a garage doing 0% funnily enough  ......but i think i'll wait til next year & see if things have changed.




But i dont think ill be doing the mods sadly....well unless i get some test rides & decide that i dont like anything else.


So the answer is i can spend allot of money on my bike.....but i aint getting it back & i could get something else for that money.

[Yamazer-92]

Understand your itch completely, even recently I had to stop myself trading in my Fazer for an old CCM supermotard. Main things stopping me are I do actually like the Fazer a lot and don't want to potentially lose a load of money in selling it and buying something else. I'm going to have to spend about £300 this month just to make it run correctly, let alone even begin thinking about suspension upgrades. What makes you think you NEED the suspension upgrades? Have you experimented with pre-load settings? Fair enough if you're over 15 stone I imagine it must be annoying, luckily I'm not and my Fazer handles very well on stock suspension I just jacked up the rear preload 2 notches and re-built the forks last summer with 15w oil.


I would like to test ride other bikes but find myself thinking what for? A supermoto would be badass no doubt and handle the ever worsening roads amazingly, but cant imagine what doing trips to Wales with my Dad would be like on one. The only thing missing on the Fazer is big character in my opinion, it does everything well to the point that it can be a bit bland sometimes. This, the state of the roads, having to constantly repair things on the Fazer and the sound and Mad Max feeling of a big single cylinder motard are what is itching at me.

[Yamazer-92]

Then again, I was thinking the other day when I ride my dads SV650 I initially think "haha this is great fun, like being on an angry warthog" but after a while I start to want to be back on the Fazer as it just feels like a more grown up, well made and more powerful bike. Having never ridden a big supermoto, I guess I'd come to the same conclusion test riding one of them although the SV is also small and poorly suspended like the Fazer so the sheer size and awesome suspension of the SM will appeal to me I imagine.

[noggythenog]

You know what yamazer...i've studied your posts over the years & i reckon we're pretty similar.....except im a fat bastard at almost 16 stone at the moment....so kitted up i might be up to 18 stone & that aint good for stock fazer suspension.


But it equally wont be good for any stock suspension......ok so i am losing weight & 14 stone is my ideal.....even when i was 19 years young & doing daily 8 mile runs i was still 13 & a half stone.....which is prob still too heavy for jap designed stuff.


I've faffed about & im now pretty happy with 5 rings front preload & 3rd from top on the rear.....but with being streetfightered the front still feels a bit light going into corners.


I cant really fault the power...3rd gear is a bit slow to pick up but nowt the sprocket changes wouldn't solve.




Ok im hardly a Rossi.....mr Crisp can leave me on his thou & he got a heavy bike & a dodgy shoulder but i dont do too badly.




It's the finer things that get to me.....like the fact that my bike wasnt as mint as it looked on photos when i first got it...it had clearly spent some time outside even though it had low miles & the budget tyres & being lowered screamed budget or female...or fairy...so i dont think it was exactly cherished....just not enough miles to be trashed....& i didnt help by crashing it .
But i look at bits like the bottom yolk etc & think they look a bit passed their best & no ammount of telling myself that ye they still do the job is good enough....i'm half way between extreme ocd & someone who doesnt give a foc....possibly leaning towards the ocd just a smidge.




All these folk who think they're hardcore & bike is just a means to get to work & it doesn't matter how clean it is are foccin mental.....legs will get you there too mate you foccin mentalist..no kid looks at their dads bike magazine & thinks oh yeah.....i could get to work on that bad boy.....or look at a porno & think ohhhhhhhhh....she could cook my dinner!!!!........get some bubbles on that steed you twats

[Hedgetrimmer]

I don't think this itch is going to go away until, as BBB says, you scratch it Noggy. The test ride idea is a good un I reckon. Get out there and try a few different bikes, see what you think. I certainly wouldn't throw loads of money at the Fazer. If you were to stick with an FZS6, it'd probably be better to go for the lowest mileage, cleanest one you can find and then mod that to your taste.

But I reckon that's not going to keep you happy for long. We all love our Fazers here, but experiencing different bikes is all part of the fun and excitement of the biking life, and you shouldn't feel limited to one thing. You could maybe keep your current bike as a hack, keep it in roadworthy trim and meanwhile save a nice deposit on a 2nd bike? At least that way you've still got something to be going on with while you get the pennies together for the next one.

In the back of my mind, I'm wondering if you're suffering from the experience I had with my FZ750. I really loved it, but then I stacked it - nothing serious, minor damage to the bike, and a minor injury to myself. But somehow, I kinda lost the enthusiasm for that bike after, and wound up trading it for an RG500, which wasn't as nice nick, but brought a manic grin to my face every time I rode it.

I thoroughly recommend to anyone to try some different bikes through your riding career - it definitely adds to the overall biking experience - you can always come back to a Fazer again another time if you wanted to, and I'm sure you'd still be welcome here as are many 

Whatever you do decide to do, I wish you the best of luck, hope it all works out and keeps the 2-wheel spirit alive for you 

And was just going to post when saw your last - when following you on those Welsh roads, I wouldn't want to be going much faster, but I have been riding the gen 1s for quite a few years now, so guess I'm just really used to them and know what I can get away with - which is a good deal less than many (eh Kosmic?    ).

Ahhh, maybe I was right about having dropped it - as said, you wouldn't be the first to feel that way 

[noggythenog]

Cheers Nick.....i think you're right you know..it never was quite the same.....i got it running & got back on as soon as i could but it has history & it is a bad one.....i remember as a kid i got this computer game from a market & was sick as a dog around the same time.......every time i picked up that game for years to come i would instantly feel as sick as i was that day.




Im not gonna give away my bike so maybe as you say i can keep it running as a dog until it finally gives in......& then i can strip it....i know my old man would appreciate a bike when he comes to visit.




& again a test ride will confirm...if i ride new stuff & it is crap then i wont feel bad spending a grand on the fazer.




I gotta make the most of this year though on the fazer...it needs to go out with a bang.....metaphorically speaking of course ....will try get to as much meets as possible.

[noggythenog]

P.S..nick...im off out tomorrow morning with a mate on his gsxr600 & his mate who is apparently test riding an old R6 from the shop.......& the shop just happens to have a FZR 750 exup......i'll get you a pic

[JoeRock]

Understand your itch completely, even recently I had to stop myself trading in my Fazer for an old CCM supermotard. Main things stopping me are I do actually like the Fazer a lot and don't want to potentially lose a load of money in selling it and buying something else. I'm going to have to spend about £300 this month just to make it run correctly, let alone even begin thinking about suspension upgrades. What makes you think you NEED the suspension upgrades? Have you experimented with pre-load settings? Fair enough if you're over 15 stone I imagine it must be annoying, luckily I'm not and my Fazer handles very well on stock suspension I just jacked up the rear preload 2 notches and re-built the forks last summer with 15w oil.


I would like to test ride other bikes but find myself thinking what for? A supermoto would be badass no doubt and handle the ever worsening roads amazingly, but cant imagine what doing trips to Wales with my Dad would be like on one. The only thing missing on the Fazer is big character in my opinion, it does everything well to the point that it can be a bit bland sometimes. This, the state of the roads, having to constantly repair things on the Fazer and the sound and Mad Max feeling of a big single cylinder motard are what is itching at me.

Sorry mate but I've got to disagree with you on one point - stock Fazer suspension is pretty bloody crap to be honest, but you'll only realise that when you try another bike out with proper suspension! I really can't see you liking a supermoto that much either to be honest if you prefer getting back on the "proper" Fazer, supermotos are literally bicycles that have a wheelie button on the right hand bar in my experience!

[stevierst]

Been there, done all that, went back to a fazer every time!
First bike, boxeye (put 30k on it in just over a year)
Aprilia Futura.
R1 (ended up streetfightering it as I wanted a fazer thou, and kept it 7 years)
Gs500 for work (as well as the R1)
Sv650 for work (yawn)------"-------
Fazer 600.---------"----------
Sold the fazer and R1, then bought
Tiger 1050. Kept for 4-5 month and swapped it for my FZ1 which I still have.
Inherited my sons boxeye for work for 10 months and gave it back(when he got his licence back).
Bought a tdm(Zzzzzz). Swapped it after 3 months for a bandit 600(big yawn). Sold bandit after 2 months and got a thundercat which I like. Still crave a fazer foxeye though!

This doesn't include bikes I've borrowed, ridden, and given back in a hurry.

All this has taken 12 years, but the moral of the story is, I've always gone back to a fazer!!

Get out there and try other bikes by all means, but you'll still have that warm spot for probably the best do-it-all bike of the last decade and a half.

[noggythenog]

One thing is for sure......yous guys will glad to see the back of my wondering......& one of you will get to sell me your fazer when they are getting sky high money.

[Lez72]

Noggy, I feel your pain mate. I'm going to agree with the foccers who have advised you to scratch the itch. As you know, I have been wondering whether to go for something different recently aswell, albeit for different reasons to yours. There is nothing wrong with the FZS600 in the real world and I guess that's what makes it such a loveable little bike but there are a shit load more machines out there to try and cliché, "We are here for a good time, not a long time".

If it were me faced with your dilemma I personally wouldn't spend too much on your current Fazer. I would keep it safe and roadworthy and that's about it and then ride it until you have worked out a suitable replacement. Definitely go on a few test rides before taking the plunge if they are available. The whole bike buying decision lies with working out exactly what you want from a bike and doing your research to enable you to find the right machine at the right price. You mention a ballpark figure spend of around £1500 to get your Fazer to where you want it. That's a hell of a lot of money to put towards something else.

Agreed, you could go down the suspension upgrade route but I have personally decided with my Fazer that it would be false economy as she rides pretty good on the stock stuff. I've had a fair few bikes over the years of which the majority have been new (ish) sports bikes and the little Fazer feels no worse than any of them and has very predictable and confidence inspiring handling. Besides, I personally think its nice to have to work a bike and kick it back into line when it shakes it's head. If you did replace the suspension and the bike suddenly became the most awesome thing you had ever ridden you would still keep thinking about buying something else as the seed in your mind has already started growing and you also appear to have fallen out of love with the way your bike looks and the fact it has been crashed.

In short, Start thinking about your next bike by thinking outside the box. Consider what you want from a bike and include bikes that you previously wouldn't have thought about owning. I bought my boxeye on a bit of an impulse but have enjoyed owning it. Go on as many test rides as you can and keep saving the pennies. If your budget is around £4000 that can buy you a hell of a lot of bike these days. If you do regret moving away from the boxeye it's not like there's a shortage of them in circulation and I'm sure you could bag yourself another one easily enough if you wanted to.

Oh, and most of all good luck. I'm sure you will make the decision that's right for you in the end 

[Chris]

As the others have said Noggy, if you fancy a change then go for it! But try lots of things before you get rid of the fazer, test rides can really surprise you. No point spending loads of money on the fazer when you could just buy something that has better suspension or more power etc. Same as people chaving up a 1.2 corsa with a loud exhaust and an induction kit from Halfords, it might give them 1 extra bhp but at the end of the day it's still just a 1.2 corsa... plus they've weighed it down with a stupid body kit etc... Just make sure and try lots of different things before you sell the noggy fighter.

All the best though for the decision!

Chris

P.S. no matter what you do I'm sure you can still stick around here! haha.

[mickvp]

Hi Noggy,

Not much more to add mate, Im in much the same boat myself (though as you have probably seen, I have made the decision to part with my Fazer for something else). I would like a Fazer Thou as its replacement, but in reality there are loads of bikes out there I would like a ride own, and could see me owning (VFR800, Super Blackbird, ZX12R Ninja, ZX10R Ninja, Hayabusa, Superduke to name but a few) so Ive certainly not limited myself to any one marque or model when browsing.

Im a big lad as well and I find the fazer suspension is not great for me, even near max preload. I also dont like its lack of torque, and want something more torquey - although the speed is not an issue once you get it wound up, its not the style of riding i do really.

I would rather ride something that I can adjust to suit me more or less out the box without changing over suspension compenents etc, like you, I prefer riding bikes to tinkering with them.

I cant really offer any advice for you that others have not said here. I dont think upgrading your Fazer is the way to go personally, now that you have the idea in your head of trying something else, you will likely always be thinking of the "what if's" instead of being happy with your upgrades, so it will be a bit tainted. Best to just go for it and scratch the itch mate. If its not for you, there still a lot of Fazers in circulation, and the one your letting go is not mint by your own admission, so you wont struggle to find one matching its condition.

Oh and even if you do go away from  a Fazer - stick around for the banter!

[darrsi]

Sat on a Tuono, years ago at a bike show, then a courier roared up on one at work and i thought "I've gotta try one of those!"
Bit miffed with the ugly headlight, but it's probably 10 times brighter than the lame lights i'm using now so shouldn't complain really.
Time will tell.