I went down to price a VTEC 400 today, and while down there saw this gem (at least to me) for only 10k more.
They have both the naked version and the fairing clad model for 308k and 338k respectfully. 98 horsepower, a nice fairly upright riding position, awesome appointments for pillion rider and a far superior frame/suspension to the little Honda.
I would like some of the big bike boys opinions on this machine. The naked version is nice too but has the ugliest headlight I’ve ever seen. Was assured by the dealer that this can be swapped out. I’m leaning toward the fairing version though…
Had you thought of getting one of those Suzuki v-twin 650s? There are the “sport” models – the SV650 and SV650S (don’t know what the difference is) and the kind of dual purpose V-Strom 650. They look really nice. They are popular and have had great reviews. I suppose they must be quite pricey though.
I was attracted to the increased displacement, and nearly double the horsepower for not much more money…It also “feels” better. I’m not a small guy, and the FZ6 is alot more expansive. I’ll also be using it as a DD, not a mountain racer, and will be carrying a passenger often. The riding position seems a nice compromise between upright and crotch rocket.
The 400, while very cool, just feels small…
An extra 45 ponies is the main selling point though…
What kind of engine problems has your friend been having? From what little I’ve seen on the net, it’s gotten very favorable reviews.
Sandman, I got quoted 292,000NT for the CB400, and 308,000NT for the naked version of the FZ6.
Isn’t this just a tuned down R1 motor? Was always under the impression that this mill was very reliable.
[quote=“MJB”]
Was always under the impression that this mill was very reliable.[/quote]So was I. I’ve known a few Yam 400/600 owners over the years and I’d say all the problems they had were due to pilot error, lack of experienced wrench and access to parts.
I’d also go for the extra displacement. More cubes>VTEC. Get the nekkid one
I think if you got the 400 you might feel a bit dissapointed the first time someone on a 20,000n.t. NSR passes you on a straight…and you can’t keep up. On the FZ6…much less likely.
now it’s getting tough… if it’s only a 10K price difference it’s a tight call… The FZ6 is a good, but flawed bike… it’s important to remember that it’s a “price point” bike… Yamaha had three main criteria for creating it… firstly they had to replace the fantastic Fazer 600 since it was carb aspirated and EU regs killed it… second they had to make a Hornet killer since Honda’s 600 was the industry standard naked middleweight since, well forever… and thirdly they had to make it cheap… as sandman pointed out it’s MSRP is only NT$200K…
it has a detuned version of the R6 supersport’s engine… which sounds like a good thing but in fact it retains the revvy, high end nature of it’s track focused donor and requires fist fulls of revs and clutch slipping to get the most out of the engine which also means more cog swapping than a 400, and with a heavy clutch and throttle that’s not much fun… all in all it just seems wide of the mark on a 600 street bike where you spend the vast majority of your time in the midrange… and the modest 43.1ft-lbs of peak torque is at 9900rpm!.. it’s also a tad heavy at 187kg before gas, coolant and oil…
the engine is the biggest let down… the handling is fine, even good for the price point… rider and passenger comfort are fine for a middle weight, but underseat cans will get mighty hot in Taiwan summers… overall spec and components are merely okay, which is what you’d expect from a “price point” middle weight bike but will seem like handcrafted exotica compared to anything made in taiwan…
strong points compared to CB400:
high tech cast alloy frame
great looks / styling, underseat cans etc
90bhp
better handling / more clearance than CB400
better fairing / weather protection
marginally better brakes
easier for clueless local mechs to work on since only 1 set of valves.
weak points:
absurd 14k rpm redline, zero midrange, all ‘go’ is above 9k rpm oddball engine
heavy throttle and clutch
somewhat budget spec, suspension, finish etc.
underseat cans tend to cook pillions
overall if you’re looking for a commuter first that’s fun on the weekends, will carry 2 people in an acceptable fashion (bear in mind that on either of these bikes putting a passenger on the back will result in the bike handling and accelerating like a geriatric mule) then, well… you know I was going to say
[quote=“hsiadogah”]How much does the SV650 go for here? I had a rip on one in Aus and fell in love with it. Lovely handling and midrange torque…[/quote]They sell them in Taichung at the Suzuki dealership on Wenxin South, near the big police station. I can’t remember how much. I remember I looked at the price and thought “Oh well…” But anything over 100,000 is in that category for me so it might well be worth checking out.
So if this is the case. Why not just get the Honda Hornet MJB? Getting the SV650 or a 750 will put you into a new tax bracket. But the Hornet should give you the best of everything. If they sell it here…
Also, don’t know if this is just a rumor or not. But someone told me that next year when they open up the freeways to big bikes…it will be for 600cc and above. So 400s won’t be legal on the freeways. That’s what I heard.
[quote=“Mordeth”]…someone told me that next year when they open up the freeways to big bikes…it will be for 600cc and above. So 400s won’t be legal on the freeways.[/quote]:eh: Huh? That doesn’t make any sense. A 400 can easily keep up with freeway traffic.
Oh waitaminit. I just remembered where I am. As you were. Sorry.
The only way that’d be even remotely true is if it read "a bloody good rider on a scooter can keep up with a big bike being ridden by an absolute moron on the mountain roads…" even on the tightest of the tight stuff I’ve never seen a scooter rider who can even come close to even an average rider on an average big bike… unless you mean proper big capacity scooters with actual ground clearance…
well Honda has yet to show its face in any official capacity on our little godforsaken rock… that means they are few and far between and brought in by private importers… not necessarily a big deal although getting any kind of warranty work done could be impossible… also the Hornet is showing it’s age… steel backbone frame, carbs, skinny forks and unadjustable everything put the mighty Hornet in a bygone era… I’d be surprised if there isn’t a replacement on view at the Milan show this September…
you’ve got a point about keeping capacity under 600cc for tax purposes…
the SV650 is a great entry level twin… nice twin based grunt although with a very modest 70bhp @ 8800rpm… it’s light though at 169kg dry which helps acceleration and stopping alike… excellent engine for it’s purpose though plus it’s obviously got a Suzuki fan-bloody-tastic gearbox…
only downside is that it’s got clip on’s instead of proper handle bars making it sportsbike-esque uncomfortable for real world Taiwan bumpy roads and commuting… plus its got fairly small rider ergos, definitely a bike for riders in the “average size” category… plus it needs dealer attention every 5800km as apposed to the FZ6’s 10,000km service intervals…
the SV650 and the FZ6 have the same MSRP in the EU anyway, so even here prices shouldn’t be too far apart…
[quote=“hsiadogah”]A buddy of mine, not long in Taiwan, wandered onto freeway by mistake. Okay, he’s not exactly Einstein… His experience was that about one in twenty cars would spot him on the bike, start honking and waving at him to get off the freeway (like how, straight off the embankment?) and when he didn’t immediately comply, tried to squash him into the armco or sandwich him with another vehicle.
Somehow I don’t think a change in the law is going to change that mindset very much…[/quote]
I regularly [DO NOT] take the GS onto the elevated expressways, not the freeway mind, the elevated express ways… I’ve never had much trouble, some people are surprised, some are amazed, most including the cops in regular patrol cars are oblivious… the only outrage is from Ricers in shitty low pro, body kitted cars when you blow by them and their "king of the road egos and ‘fast and furious’ daydreams are rapidly deflated…
right… got you… great bike, no doubt… Like Kawarider I’ve only seen the naked SV1000 out on the roads of TW before, but what Joesax says about seeing SV650s in the Taichung Suzuki dealer does ring a bell so I think both exist, but local bikers would rather be seen in frilly pink polka dot leathers than have their very first bike other than a 90cc scooter be anything but a 1000cc plus sportsbike, so I suppose you just see more 1000’s out there…
a good bike for sure, but IMHO the Kawasaki Z750S still beats it overall… and… they’re on sale at the Taichung Kawasaki dealer on Wen Xin with a sticker price of NT$399k, and there’s a lot of room to move there for sure… I’d say 350 would be about right for a 2006 model…
[quote=“plasmatron”]I’d say 350 would be about right for a 2006 model…[/quote]Well shit, if they’re that cheap I’ll just go right down there and buy two!
[quote=“hsiadogah”][quote=“plasmatron”]I’d say 350 would be about right for a 2006 model…[/quote]Well shit, if they’re that cheap I’ll just go right down there and buy two!
Kawasaki also offer a warranty, do they not?[/quote]
yep, 2 years unlimited milage…
you joke… some local retard with more money than sense walked into Taichung BMW and bought two identical K1200S bikes… I say identical, they are different colors… what the stupid SOB was thinking is anyone’s guess, but doubtless he thinks he is ultra suave and sophisticated for having pulled this utterly brainless purchase and doubtless he thinks others will think the same of him for having two identical BMW bikes… they say a fool and his money are soon parted, well this guy parted with a cool 2.4million NT$ to look the fool on his identical machines and that’s before fake carbon bits and aftermarket add ons… and in case you’re wondering, no he doesn’t let one of his mates ride one, he rides them himself, chosing whichever colour catches his eye that day… :loco: :help:
Plasmatron, that story reminds me of what happened at the BMW dealership my buddy works at. He told me that this guy bought a RT, rode it for a month, it fell over in his garage. Just a minor scratch to the left side minors, it was nothing. Guy sells it back to the dealership for a $100,000NT loss, then orders a brand new RT, exact same color and everything. Bimmer bike owners in Taiwan are a special breed (read retarded but rich). With you and Skylarkpuma being the exceptions.
:loco: :help:
