Hello everyone. I’ll be a new rider this spring. (as soon as all this nasty weather clears up). MSF course is scheduled for April.
I’m 39, 6′ 1″ and weigh in at 195.
I have read many reviews and have heard many conflicting positions and opinions on the subject of beginning motorcycling. I almost feel as if every new person who is entering and the advice they are given is more geared toward viewing cycling as only a sport and not the value of it as a viable form of transportation. I’ve also noticed that advice and opinions are quite different depending on which side of the ocean we live on. (UK vs US). Europe seems to be much more geared toward discussing motorcycling as transporation rather than just pure sport and fun time.
I’m looking into two bikes in paticular for my first motorcycle: Yamahas new FZ6R and the Suzuki GSX650F. The specs on these are very close with Yamaha coming in at slightly more HP. And I guess that’s my big question. Being that I’m not at all familiar with cycles my biggest concern is to have something that is going to handle well on the highway at normal highway speeds (which around this area is 70-90mph).
I’ve heard the arguments about 600cc motorcycles. However it doesnt take much time in research to realize that not all 600’s are created equal. It’s all in how the engine is tuned that seems to determine how much power these will actually produce and how they will handle.
For example the Yamaha R6 has twice as much power as the FZ6R but the same 600cc displacement. So my big question is that coming in at 78hp, what can someone with any riding experience tell me what I can expect from the FZ6R?
Will it be “good” enough for highway riding while keeping up with fast moving traffic? Or should I be looking at more power than this?
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