600/650 sportbikes set up for touring? lets see em...

I should have my yamy fz6r ready by Sunday. I ordered up some goodies to set this bike up as a mini fjr. I have already taken it out for some decent rides to figure out what I want to do with it. I have already got the gears set up for slightly longer legs, I went +1 up front, and -3 in back. this drops the revs by a solid 1k on the highway. I have the Givi v35 hard cases and the trunk. I have also ordered some grip guards and will be getting my heated grips on order soon. I ordered the bar risers to bring the bar up and back an inch each. I am going to try to find a rear strut that can handle weight more than the stock, I may go to a custom made one from c2p.



I will post some pics of the after soon as the rain passes by and I can put it together.


In the mean time, lets see what ya got. I am looking to see your ideas. I hope to get some FZ6R's, GSX650F's, and of course the NINJA 650's, and what ever else is out there in the similar class. There is a deffinitely no shortage in the dual sport class, and there are plenty of posts for the typicals, so let's see em!



for now this is how she sits.....













my wifes idea of luggage...LMAO

Same cases, bags, and GPS, two different bikes.

Last month I did around 2700 miles on my SV in a week and a half - still gotta put together my ride report on it. Corbin seat, Givi A760 screen, +1 on the front sprocket, cruises effortlessly at 75-85. A buddy of mine loaned me his Cortech Sport Bags, and they fit the bike perfectly, but in the end I realized I didn't need to bring that much stuff. Everything I needed to bring I could fit inside my topbox and tankbag.

what about the saddle bags on FZ6R are they feasible. I would also want to know from the owners and riders of FZ6R, that how does it fair in off-tarmac conditions like slush, mud, pebbles and some small water spots (i.e. if they have done it).


Alos my friend is going to buy Ninja 650R and since the road conditions out here in India are smooth but bumpy at times, hence I dont think that the side pannier boxes are good idea (coz of vibrations) hence what all you expert would suggest for the touring, saddle bag??????

There is an offshoot of the FZ6 forum for the FZ6R, you may find it useful:

http://www.fz6r-forum.com/forum/cmps_index.php

Alos my friend is going to buy Ninja 650R and since the road conditions out here in India are smooth but bumpy at times, hence I dont think that the side pannier boxes are good idea (coz of vibrations) hence what all you expert would suggest for the touring, saddle bag??????[/QUOTE]

I've put 40k miles (including quite a bit of dirt and gravel) on my Givi cases between the two bikes above with zero problems. Be sure to use a threadlocking compound on the bolts during assembly to ensure nothing vibrates loose. Otherwise, just ride.

600 sportbike set up for touring:

FWIW, the extra drag from saddlebags can kill your fuel mileage, especially with a 600-class machine at interstate speeds. Better to keep them small; best to do without and stick to a tank bag and tail pack/trunk.

I'm in the same boat See Red, I wanted a smaller FJR-like sport tourer. I've decided against hard luggage because I love to strip her down and ride her naked.

My FZ6R has been great for all my touring trips! I use soft bags but I know from many others on the FZ6R forum that the bike is awesome with hard bags as well.

My YZF600R was the best all around bike ever! My fat 40 year old butt could spend the day in the saddle with little complaints.

There are some people on the 6r forum that do but most of them are into trying to make it a sports bike rather than a touring.


I like the 650r there! that looks sweet with the side cases. I was on the fence between the yamy and the kawi. but my wife was tired and just went out and got the 6r for me while I was out of town. lol! came home, problem solved. that is gonna be the bike for now.

Here is my old SV650S I did a bunch of rides on with just a duffel bag, backpack, and a set of protaper bars. I took it across the country 4 years ago, some 4000 miles. Did some other small trips into mexico on it, as well as around Colorado. I loved that bike!

That is sexy Ed. Ummmm, the bike, not your 40 year old butt. Just wanted to clarify. I love those YZF's.

The fizzy-6 does great on one up touring!

My Y2K Concours was big, smooth, roomy, & fast. For 11 years she met my needs well. As I got older & smaller, she got bigger & heavier. When I saw a 2009 GSX 650 F at the right price, I jumped. This bike has, oddly, exactly the same ergos as my old Connie (which were perfect for me) The seat-peg-bar relationship was almost identical. She's heavy, @ 500 lbs full of gas, but after the Connie, she feels like a bicycle. I added hot grips, Motofizz tankbag, and a Kreiga 20 L. tailpack. I've got 4000 miles in 4 months & so far it's been a real gem. The old Connie was smoother & the speed was almost effortless, (I have Ct. State Trooper performance awards to prove it) This 650 is just as fast, but it takes more revs & means more wind in the face. That's a good thing. This time, when the troopers congratulate me, I'll at least know what they are talking about. I thought that a new seat would be in order, but after 4000 miles, the stocker seems to be breaking in. I'll hold off on that Sargent seat for another year & see. A Vario touring screen might also be in my future, but again, I'll hold off & see. It's slightly less fun to blast down the slab to get somewhere (like N. Que., BRP, Mid Ohio) but it's a lot more fun once I get there.

Pics Jim? I only say that because I think the 650F is a very nice looking bike. That is actually the bike I was planning on buying last winter but Suzuki did not bring any new models in and I didn't like the blue/white or orange/black colors that were leftover from 2009. Not that there is anything wrong with those colors, but I wanted a more solid colored bike. I rode a friends 650F on a couple weekends in 2009 and really loved that bike and how it rode. Eventually I got tired of trying to find a new leftover 2008 in black/silver and I bought the FZ6R...and 10 months later I have zero regrets. The seating position was just slightly more forward than the 6R. Both ride extremely well though. I wish Suzuki would bring some of the same colors that you can get in Europe and Australia. I posted a pic in the "sexiest road warrior" thread of a really nice blue/gray 650F. Okay, I'll stop now, I just think the 650F is one nice looking bike. I'm sure someone else will say it's ugly, hehe, to each their own.

I would absolutely agree that the gsx-f is a beautiful bike, one of the dumbest things suzuki did was stop bringing them in 09. I like the trio of "standards" but my ultimate pick would have been a new 650f, I was able to drive both the yamy and the kawi but none of the dealers for suzuki would let me test the dam thing I didn't want to even consider it. I wouldn't buy a car with out test driving it either.


I like your sv, I have seen a few put together well for touring.

wait thats not a sv! lmao! oops.....

Found this when I was shopping for my bike last year. Love this bike...kinda wish I owned one.