I have not ridden for 25 years. I am looking at 2007 and newer FZ1's or FZ6's. I am in my early fifties and feel I have the maturity to be carefull with the extra power of the FZ1 but I do realize the learning curve will be easier on the FZ6 but am concerned I will want more power in a year. This would be used occasionally to ride to work, weekend rides and maybe eventually longer rides.

I have short legs, Has any one lower thier suspension on the a FZ1? The dealer tells me that I could use lowering links that compress the rear suspension an inch and also lower the front ride hieght an inch by raising the fork tubes in thier mount one inch. I wiegh 160 lbs and am 5'7". Is this acceptable?

Thanks,

Mario

I've had an FZ6 since '05 and I enjoy it very much. I use it for commuting, touring-ish rides, spirited runs on the twisties, track days....the whole lot. It's a very flexible bike that does lots of things quite well, but that also means it doesn't seriously excel at anything. Power-wise, it's more than adequate for street use, but if you're looking for torque you should go with the FZ1. Based off a couple rides on a friend's '03, I can tell you the FZ1 has enough low and mid range that it'll make you really lazy about downshifting. :)

The big issue with the FZ6 is adjustability. Dropping the bike down the forks isn't a problem. I actually did that myself to change the bike's geometry. HOWEVER...it does NOT have a link type rear suspension, so your lowering options there are extremely limited. You're down to stuff like shaving foam off the seat, etc, to lower the rear. So...if you're in need of lowering the rear of the bike, go with the FZ1.

why not go with the fz8? better power & better torque than a 6 and a sexy a$$ bike in general