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Yamaha FZ6: The antidote to super-sizing

By Lance Oliver

Bigger is better. There's no substitute for displacement.

Yeah, right. And gasoline still costs a dollar a gallon, too.

If you're like me, you're ready to re-examine some of the conventional wisdom that drives the motorcycle market in the United States. The fact is, while we've all been focused on supersizing our bikes, our houses, ourselves and everything else, the motorcycle manufacturers have built an unexpected number of surprisingly competent mid-size bikes.

The example at hand for the moment is the Yamaha FZ6.

Yamaha FZ6
Engine	600cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, inline 4-cylinder
Bore x stroke	65.5mm x 44.5mm
Carburetion	Group fuel injection
Transmission	6-speed
Front brakes	2 298mm discs, 2-piston pin-slide calipers
Rear brake	245mm disc, single-piston caliper
Tires	120/70-ZR17 front 180/55-ZR17 rear
Wheelbase	56.7 inches
Seat height	31.3 inches
Fuel capacity	5.1 gallons
Dry weight (claimed)	423 pounds
MSRP	$6,799

Introduced in 2004, the FZ6 borrowed the R6's fuel-injected, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine. Yamaha bolted it inside a stylish aluminum frame, fabbed up some underseat exhausts, attached a half-fairing for wind protection and gave it all an upright riding position that would make any sport-touring machine proud. All for around $6,500 MSRP. (The price has risen since then to $6,799.)

Right from the start, the FZ6 faced tough competition, and the competition has only gotten stronger. Honda put an upgraded fork on its 599, Suzuki offers three very competent bikes with its sweet 650cc V-twin (SV650, SV650S and DL650 V-Strom) and Kawasaki offers three motorcycles that could be considered competitors with its new Ninja 650R, the still-going Ninja 500R, and the four-cylinder Z750S.

So if you're shopping this category, how do you know if the FZ6 is right for you? Just ask yourself this question: How do you feel about tachometer readings with five digits?

If big revs sound like big fun, you'll like the FZ6's supersport-derived motor. If you're the kind of rider who enjoys cruiser-like torque just off idle, well, look elsewhere.

Because while the FZ6's engine is tuned to provide more midrange than it does in the R6s (the previous version of the R6, now rebadged with an "s" and soldiering on in the lineup), it still loves — and needs — revs.

Actually, the FZ6 feels like two bikes in one. Below 8,000 rpm, it's a docile, nimble, around-town ride. But rev it above 8k, and that supersport howl comes alive, the power comes on like a wave, and suddenly it feels like you're on a sportbike — all the way to 14,000 rpm.

Yamaha kept the FZ6's price low by going slightly downscale on components such as the front suspension (non-adjustable) and brakes (pin-slide calipers), but everything still works fine on the street. If you live for track days, you're probably not shopping this category anyway.

With its short wheelbase and 51 percent of the weight on the front wheel, the FZ6 always felt agile. And while I personally don't mind those five-digit tach readings mentioned above, I did find two traits that detracted from the FZ6's overall goodness. One is the clutch, which has a narrow range of engagement. On city streets, I sometimes startled pedestrians who wondered why the rev-happy engine was hitting 5,000 rpm as I searched for the exact engagement point.

The other issue was the transmission. Shifting was high-effort and notchy in the lower gears. Since I was riding a 2005 model with more than 2,000 miles on the odometer, the transmission's uncooperativeness can't be blamed on the bike not being broken in.

Some testers complained that the FZ6's LCD-bar-style tach was hard to read. While I wouldn't say it's a great innovation, I didn't have any trouble getting what I needed at a glance. All you really need to know is if you're in the sub-8,000 Dr. Jekyll range, or the over-8,000 Mr. Hyde area. The remaining display area is fully equipped with a digital speedometer, clock, fuel gauge, temperature gauge and odometer.

With its upright riding position and decent wind protection, the FZ6 is plenty capable of touring, as well as hauling you to work or enjoying some sport riding. The underseat pipes may require some extra care when strapping on soft luggage, but I had no trouble carrying gear for a three-day trip.

For 2006, the FZ6 remains mostly unchanged. Yamaha gave the frame and engine a black finish and made the sides of the fairing all one color. (The bike shown in the top photo is a 2005 model.)

The FZ6 is a bike capable of doing just about anything except long-distance, two-up touring. And it also proves that there is a substitute for displacement: It's called 12,000 rpm. So, how many rpm do you like?