Born again Biker looking for a new thrill

[Akatosh]

I'd always mainly been on heavy 'slower' bikes;
Viragos, Drag Stars, and an 883 Sportster, to name a few.
That was until I got married a little over 5 years ago.
(She made me sell them all to pay for the wedding).

But 2 weeks ago, I was really missing the freedom that 2 wheels brought me, and picked myself up a Yamaha FZ6 with 23,000km for £800. (Bargain!)

Despite being a lot faster than what I used to ride, I'm already getting bored with it. I don't fancy myself as a fan of the faster, plastic-rocket style bike, but maybe something with a bit more presence...

Should I maybe streetfight it, strip it naked and do some crazy fibreglass stuff, or go for something bigger and noisier?

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

[arry]

I'd not ruin it nor spend money making it something different. You got it cheap and you'll sell it for same again when you want to upgrade - but you won't if you mess with it

[waffles]

Either sell it and buy something that tickles your pickle or else book up a trackday and give that a whirl.
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[daifuco]

Well, since it was a bargain I would keep it until spring and sell it for some profit.
Fazer is a revvy bike they are considered a bit bland at low revs. Since you were into bigger torquier bikes I guess the Fazer must feel a bit bland.

If you dont want a big engine I think you should consider a twin or a triple engine. BMW F800, Speed tripple....
Or if you want the best of both words get a big 4IL, Bandit 1200, CBF1000 will give you smoothness and power at anytime.
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CBF125 - CB600F Hornet '12

[Rogerborg]

Did you get "shot" of the wife?

I wouldn't call the BMW 800 twin exciting. Efficient, Teutonically capable.

If you like v-twins, then how about an SV1000 or Firestorm?

Oh, inB4 "born again bikers are by far the most likely to plant themselves in a tree".
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[talkToTheHat]

Is the problem that the fazer doesn't feel as fast as a cruisery thing for a given speed?

Or are you missing the big wide spread of torque of a cruisery twin?

Are you trying to ride your revvy inline 4 like a cruiser? It'll be at at it's best with the revs needle to the right of vertical.

I've just got myself a sensible bandit 's' after 3 years on an xv535. It's taking some mental adjustment. 4000rpm sounds like twice that from a twin and as such getting my head around keeping the bike over that has been difficult.

Without a bolt on screen, i found the 535 uncomfortable much above so it was kind of self-limiting speed wise. Motorway speed felt like near enough flat out. First a bolt on screen and then the half-faired bandit saw comfortable speeds increase, so id take the screen off the 535 if i was going for a recreational ride on a warm day.

Make sure you're getting the best from the fazer, and perhaps see if you can borrow a naked bike.

Alternatively try a vmax
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Matt B]

[ADSrox0r]

[stevo as b4]

If you want a big naked with presence and are not bothered about customs or cruisers anymore then I say air cooled IL4 naked with 1100-1400cc in the mill would be my idea of presence and sheer cool too.

Otherwise I might be tempted by a big bore powerful custom bike like those suggested. I always like the Kawasaki eliminator 1000 just because of the name really which suggests it should be a drag strip take all comers king! In fact it would be fun to build a tuned ZZR 1200 lump for one, with an air shifter and a big nitrous bottle on the side too. If I had such a bike I could at least pretend I had a huge cock then!

[talkToTheHat]

Put some serious miles on the bandit in the last few days. Much rain. The difference between cruiser tyres and sport touring radials is impressive. Not the kind of things you'd find in a testride, just in the moments of dodging the aquaplaning van and other such feats of staying alive you wouldn't seek to replicate.

Have you considered the range of il4 muscle bikes that abound? XJR1300, ZRX1200, CB1100, and the venerable bandit 12?
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Bandit. does. everything.