Yamaha dealer experience day - Jun 2016

June 2nd 2016

I was luckily enough to be invited along to Yamaha's annual dealer experience day. This is a 9 hour action-packed day providing the opportunity to ride Yamaha's 2016 fleet, from the N-max to the V-max. It's a combination of road riding, track riding and even an off road section (which I didn't do). A few seminars are thrown in too so you get clued up on things such as parts & accessories and finance.

Early start. Arrived at work for 6.30am to meet up with my colleague on an MT07, we fired up the bikes and were ready to go. I borrowed work's MT09 Tracer demo for the day (didn't want my Suzuki to go upsetting any Yamaha guys). We set off en route to Silverstone circuit, around 60-70 miles away from us.

I borrowed the MT09 Tracer for the trip to Silverstone and back. Great bike.

I have ridden the Tracer before and I know that I already love it but it really made the M42 much less dull than it usually is. You sit up nice and high with fantastic vision. Ergonomics are brilliant, everything falls into place perfectly with no aching wrists or lower back. The engine revs right up through gears with plenty of three cylinder power and it has three power modes (A, STD and B mode). I had it in standard mode on the motorway as it makes the throttle much less snatchy and everything feels more relaxed. 'A' mode is great when you're out for a proper blast around some nice, twisty roads where you want to be getting the power on nice and fast, but can be irritating on motorway slogs and in traffic. The bike handles nicely even though at times the front end can feel a little flighty under hard acceleration. Brakes are great too. I would go into further detail but that's a review for another day. All in all, a great bike.

Stowe circuit inside Silverstone

We arrived at Silverstone just before 8am in time for some breakfast and a cuppa whilst we wait for the day to start. Our first session was a talk on parts & accessories focusing mainly on the options for Yamaha's new MT-10 - you can get a massive front fairing if you ever decide to turn it into a tourer. After this we were up for our first of four track sessions.

Naturally, as the demos were released only about a week before, they had 8 MT-10s to choose from as well bikes such as the R1, R6, Mt09, Mt07 motocage, XSR 900 and a Tracer. Everyone jumped straight for the MT10 or R1s (as you'd expect) so for the first session I took out an MT09 as there were a few available. 

Waiting for my first track session. So nervous.

It's been a couple of years since my trackday so I was a little nervous jumping on somebody else's bike and cranking it round a track. We did a few warm up laps so we could all get used to the track (it wasn't the full Silverstone circuit, it was the Stowe circuit in the centre (pictured above). It was a left hand circuit which was pretty lucky as I'm usually a bit better around left handers (I have no idea why, must be psychological) it was also a pretty small circuit so it was rare that you ever went above 4th gear.

After a few laps under my belt I began to see what the MT09 could do. I've never rode one before but I've got to say - I was extremely impressed. The bike is pure minimal and is pretty much just a set of big, wide bars and a fat tank. It handles so well and feels really light and flickable, dropping it into corners was so fun and you always had that 113bhp triple to power you out. I found myself leaning all of my weight onto the bars to stop the front wheel coming up though. After pinning it out of the hairpin in second gear the front end kept lifting and sometimes even at really high revs in third too. It would be great wheelie machine (although I don't do wheelies). The only problem that I found was that the rear shock was like a pogo stick at times. This wasn't always an issue but one of the left-hand corners that was on a bit of a slope really tested your suspension and I could feel the back bouncing around a bit.

MT09 on the hairpin. Very impressed.

Next up we went out on the road which had basically every Yamaha bike to choose from, I jumped on the new MT-10 raring to go. We had a 12 mile route planned which takes us on all sorts of roads (many of them are very bumpy). I found the MT-10 brilliant. I preferred the MT09 for it's 'flickability' but the MT-10 had ALOT of power under it's belt, it was tamed down a bit with electronics as I only had it in 'B' mode (didn't fancy high-siding it down some wet, muddy road in Towechester). There was hardly any windblast, I was expecting to have my neck ripped off but I think because of how 'deep' you sit in the bike, it eliminates that problem. I found it very smooth and planted and it sounded very nice even with the original exhaust. Looks are an acquired taste but it certainly looks evil.

Quick briefing before the first road session. I'm on the far left, about to jump on the MT-10

You can almost see the torque bursting out.

I had another track session on the MT09 (as I enjoyed it so much the first time) and another road session on an XJR1300 which was a pretty cool experience. It was big, slow steering and heavy but it's what you'd expect really. However, the torque that the engine packs is something out of this earth. I couldn't believe how it could pull strongly from as low as 2000rpm. The Akrapovic exhaust made it sound really mean too. The suspension soaked up all of the potholed road's bumps better than any bike I've been on, it felt nice and relaxed when you went over them.

We stopped for lunch, watched a crazy stunt show based around the MT range and were then introduced to John Hopkins, BSB Yamaha rider which was brilliant. He even came out with us on the next track session. For this one I bagged myself an R1. Now, I've never rode a proper litre sportsbike EVER. So obviously I was shitting my pants as I clambered on the thing. The seat was so tall as to what I was expecting and when my feet were on the pegs I felt like my knees were slotted into my armpits. The whole dimensions of the bike were very similar to a 250; they are miniature - my SV looks a lot bigger than one of these. It is a very focused, nimble and agile sportsbike.

John Hopkins, BSB rider, just behind me on an FJR1300. Of course, he left me for dead shortly after.

I had a couple of moments to try and gather in all of the information given to myself on the dash. Power modes are one thing, but being able to customise your own mode is crazy, you can set up things like your traction control and power output at the flick of a button. I tried to set it up so it was fairly even, I didn't want full power and no traction control on my first go. Bizarrely, I found it harder to go as fast around corners on this than I did the MT09. I think it was the nature of the quite small, twisty track. I'm sure if I were to ride the R1 on a more open circuit it'd be a different story. It is super fast though, really fast. I would love to go into more detail about what the bike was like but because I was in so much awe, I really wasn't analysing it in my head. It was incredible anyway.

Coming out of the hairpin on the last session. John Hopkins behind me again.

We had a few more sessions where I ended up taking out the MT09 again, as the XSR900 and R6 were no longer available. Also for our final road session I took out the XV950 which was something new to try. Quite heavy and slow but hey - it's a cruiser, that's what they should be. It looks cool and offers you the whole Harley thing without you having to 'be' the whole Harley thing. I must've looked odd on it in my RST leathers with scuffed knee sliders though.

All in all, it was a brilliant day and a great experience. I don't think I've ever ridden so many bikes in one day before (or rode so fast). Thank you Yamaha!

I loved that hairpin...

Oh yeah and John Hopkins lapped me twice on an FJR1300 whilst I was on the R1. Damn.

Retro has never been this cool - Yamaha XSR700 Review

Today I was lucky enough to take out Yamaha's new XSR 700 on a 230 mile round trip to Newbury and back, riding through the Cotswolds and the North Wessex downs with a good mixture of town, motorway and B road riding.

Retro is cool!

Cosmetically, the bike is top notch - no paintwork's better than Kenny Robert's yellow and black 'speedblock' scheme and especially when it's complemented by the funky exhaust and a beautiful XSR logo stitched into the back of the seat. Another great thing about this bike is the amount of customisable options that you have, this bike is the perfect blank canvas for you to customise and make it your own. Yamaha provide a high level Akrapovic exhaust system which looks fantastic, as well as this there are canvas saddle bags, short fly screens and replacement solo seats - these are to name but a few of the long list of accessories available.

Small details like this just add to the oomph

The clocks are minimalist in terms of physical size but they hold quite a lot of information. There is a gear indicator, digital rev counter and temperature readings for both the bike and the slightly chilly March weather that we've been having. This bike also comes equipped with ABS (which I never had to test out luckily) and shares the same frame and engine as the popular MT-07, which could well be the secret to this bike's brilliance.

As a strong admirer of twins, I naturally loved the engine. It's silky smooth, revving freely through the gears and that gets me onto another thing - this thing is so easy to ride. It almost reminds me of riding a Suzuki Van Van for that huge turning circle and steady motor. It'd make a great bike for A2 license holders as this bike is easily restricted and will be perfect with new riders that want a bit of 70s style thrown in to their ride.

The bike complements the MT07 engine well

The seating position is comfy and well designed to a relaxed, upright riding position. Due to the style of this bike you really do sit 'on it' rather than 'in it' - there's no big tank to wrap your legs around and there's no clocks visible in the corner of your eye. You're upright, tall and have a fantastic field of vision, being able to see above most cars. However, I do think that this seating position may affect shorter riders which may be something to consider before you fall in love with one but the seat is low enough for the average rider I'd say.

The bike handles superbly around those tight, twisty bends and bombing around little round-a-bouts in town. The front end can feel a little floaty at speed and your neck muscles will be screaming at you to slow down but what else would you expect from a bike like this? And that's the biggest thing with the XSR... It isn't pretending to be anything it's not, it's a proper old school motorbike. Just an engine, wheels and handlebars - a proper 'man and machine' job.

Old and new... and yet both brand new?

Unfortunately I have a couple of niggly issues with it but nothing that takes anything away from the bike. First of all the mirrors seem very far apart and close to you, so I found myself throwing my head around a lot more to have a quick peek in my mirror. The gearbox is pretty clunky at times too but in a way I think it adds to the character and 'old school' charm of the bike. However the biggest issue that I found, (which drove me nuts at first until I got used to it) is that the indicator switch is practically microscopic and is so far down I kept thinking I was going to toot the horn. However, I soon adapted to it and can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed the 230 mile trip (except for a few neck workouts on the motorway sections...).

To conclude, I think this is great bike for new riders and older ones maybe wanting to feel like they're a teenager again. I think with great handling, cool 'retro' looks and a motor with more than enough power for a bike like this, Yamaha have certainly created a glorious, solid motorbike. Pricing is just over six grand... so at around a thousand cheaper than a Ducati Scrambler... I know this would be the one I'd empty my wallet for.

I'm just thankful it doesn't have retro brakes...

I'm back!

Hi guys

A lot has changed in the past year (can't believe it's been that long since I last posted something).

I had sold my Yamaha Fz6N just before starting my new job (I'll get to that in a minute) and bought a little Hyosung Gt250r as a commuter bike. To be perfectly honest, the Hyosung handled brilliantly and still had quite a bit of poke about it for something with less than 30bhp - didn't look too bad either! However, I was constantly battling with reliability issues and breakdowns - it's electrics are clearly made of Spaghetti.

After a few months I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the bike (and the butt of all jokes with my mates) so I ended up selling it as spares or repairs before purchasing my brand new L5 Suzuki Sv650s.

It's safe to say I'm much happier being back on an SV. That 70bhp V twin lump is just the perfect blend of everything you'll ever need on the road. It's one of those rare and great 'do-it-all' bikes that exist - except this one's only a few hundred pound more than the price of a 125! I simply cannot rate them enough.



As well as this I now work at a Suzuki and Yamaha dealer called Streetbike in Halesowen. I work in the clothing and helmets section, selling top brands like Dainese, Halvarssons and RST which is just amazing. In less than a year, this job has taken me away to the Silverstone MotoGP, training days with big helmet brands such as Arai and Shoei and even on a 3 day business trip to Italy where I visited Dainese headquarters and had a look at the new 2016 collection.

It's safe to say that I'm buzzing and I'm going to have plenty of things to write about. This job has completely made me fall in love with motorbikes all over again - which is no bad thing (unless you ask my missus).

Finally, I have two trips planned for this year that I hope to be recording and writing about, so keep an eye out for those! 

It's safe to say I'm back... and for good.

Losing my faith

Six massive months have passed since my last blog post. I really have no idea what's going on with me. I am busy but I can't really excuse being busy for six months. It's not that I never really have the time, it's that I haven't really made the time. I'm not quite sure what's going on.

Around the time of my last blog post I was really pushing my journalism career. I attended several 'GoThinkBig' open days (which I highly recommend) and ending up walking around the Motorcycle News office! I really interacted with the writers there, asking loads of questions and expressing my views on things (which is very unlike me). This led to an opportunity to meet Rupert Paul, a highly respected motorbike journalist. With a bit more forward talking, I explained to him just how much I wanted to become a motorbike journo and I think he really understood that I wasn't kidding about wanting to be a journalist.

Which led to a job opportunity. Very kindly, Rupert offered me the chance to gain some experience in professional writing - I was (and still am) in shock. I received my first freelance job; interviewing James Toseland and Neil Hodgson about the forthcoming MotoGP races - I still can't believe it!

The best part was rushing home with MCN sport under my arm, dying to flick through and find my name in the little black writing. I shown it off to all of my work colleagues with pride and my supervisor even photocopied it and hung it up on the wall! Not long after I was offered ANOTHER interview and this time it was with current British MotoGP racer, Bradley Smith! I was in my element, planning the rest of my future and thinking of all the amazing things I will do when I become a journalist.

I was on top of the world...

So what on earth happened?

Lately, things seemed to have gone down the pan. I've moved house since then which has made it so much harder to use my motorbike. I had a choice of leaving the Fz6 outside in the icy weather or to keep it at my parent's house in a nice garage, protected from rust and corrosion.

I chose to keep it at my parent's house but it's just really rare that I actually ride my bike anymore. I think not riding motorbikes has had a knock on effect with my journalism and my blog posts too (not to mention YouTube videos).

It's not that I've lost interest in motorbikes or journalism. I just think that I've lost that little bit of inspiration, in these dark winter days.

I went out on my bike two days ago for the first time in about two months! I was greeted by freezing temperatures, buckets of rain and a shortage of bacon at my local bike stop. Despite these things, I still had a whole lot of fun. I've also began planning a few road trips for this year (which I won't mention, in fear of being cancelled) and have started looking at new bikes to use on these trips.

It's time to be getting myself back on the road and back on the keyboard.

My first trackday

I'm staring at a back tyre. My mouth is dry. I smell exhaust fumes and burnt rubber. All I can hear is my heart, beating. My breathing became heavy. I felt choked. My hands tightened around the grips, my knuckles turning white. I raised my arm up to the sky, showing my wristbands and then I was given the nod. Lots of terrifying scenarios were racing through my head, causing it to ache. I was given the thumbs up and then the light turned green.

I was shitting myself.

I've never been one for nerves, I just can't hack it. I turn into a wreck, I begin to shake and twitch. My palms become sweaty and my speech becomes slurred and vague. No matter how much I convince myself that it's all going to be okay, I can never persuade myself enough. This trackday had been playing on my mind for days, making me more and more anxious as each day passed.

I would worry about the obvious... Seeing my bike sliding along some gravel, coated in scratches and dented pride. Then my ego would get the better of me, could I deal with people flying past me? Would I end up bitter and aggravated? Thankfully, neither of these things happened. Well, some people flew past me but I didn't get bitter about it.

Shortly after arriving, the confusion of where to go and where to check in made me all the more nervous. With no obvious means of direction myself and my friend, a fellow YouTuber, squeezed our way into one of the pit garages and parked up. After receiving strange looks from what were quite obviously professionals, their bikes complete with tyre warmers, track fairings etc... I felt a bit awkward. There was even a fourteen year old kid with a fully race prepped Rs125 in the fast group, kitted out in tailored leathers and sending a 2 stroke smell floating through the pit.

We did stick out a bit... but it's cool

A naked Fz6 and a Drz400 amongst a sea of race bikes. We must've stood out like a sore thumb, and that's exactly what I didn't want to do. Unsure of what to do next, I followed a few guys to the sound check where I received a nice little sticker on the windscreen. Then after half an hour of wandering around, we found the place to sign up and had our briefing. Forty minutes later and I was ready.

After my first session, I was in awe of the circuit and the experience but I wasn't really pushing myself or bike to any sort of limit which never gave me any kind of 'buzz'. However, three sessions later and my grin was wider than a Cheshire cat's. All kind of nerves that were with me before had vanished and I was in my element.

Overtaking a Zx6r on the hairpin - who needs fairings?

As I began to learn the track and the capabilities of my bike, my confidence grew and the speed definitely grew. The young lad on the Fazer, who was too scared to overtake people with a fear of doing something wrong, had changed. I began to overtake on the hairpin - the corner which I originally hated the most. A particularly favourite moment of mine was overtaking an R1 on that hairpin, I actually remember shouting the words 'Woohoo!' to myself in my helmet.

It was a fantastic experience. The mental buzz I received from each lap, ever growing faster, was just incredible. It was fun to see just how late you could brake before cranking the bike over into a bend. The triumphant feeling I earned from totally nailing a corner was the best feeling ever. I loved every second of it.

However, the biggest problem that has arose is the overwhelming urge to buy a sportsbike and take it to every track in the country. It truly has opened a new set of doors to my motorcycling - It's not just the Sunday blasts and road trips anymore. Trackdays are up in the mix now. I cannot recommend it enough. Just get out and do one, you won't regret it.

I'll be counting down the days to my next one.

One day maybe...

The Long way round's influence

I'll admit it, I was a sucker for the Long way round.

I was a latecomer for the show, not seeing the first episode until I was eighteen, but I was hooked from the start. The entire first episode was based around the preparations of their world trip and it was instantly gripping. The planning, bike testing and the 'video diary' style was right up my street, I actually began to feel excited for them and had nervous butterflies in my stomach when they first left Shepard's bush.

The aspect of the series that made me fall in love with it so much was that I was picturing myself as them; sat on an r1150Gs in Siberia, meeting interesting local people, dicking around with my best mate at the road side - I just imagined myself in their trip.

Courtesy of www.charleyboorman.com

I had always been interested in travelling but this documentary opened up my eyes so much more than before. It shows you countries that you'd never think of visiting, such as Kazakhstan or Slovakia. It reveals so much natural beauty around the world that is often tucked away, hidden from the west. It makes us ponder on our ignorance, overlooking the poverty and beauty in these eastern countries. It brings you back to earth.

What I particularly admired was that throughout the entire trip it had a natural charm to it - these were real people on real motorbikes. They didn't get the producers to cut bits out that may have caused embarrassment (Ewan falling off frequently, Charley arguing with Russ Malkin) they kept it in and shown us, the public, the true reality of the trip. This honesty and integrity is continued throughout the book, where they reveal the odd squabble or periods of discouragement.

Sadly, this doesn't continue with their following trip 'The Long way down'. Perhaps it's just me but I felt that a lot of the aspects which made the original adventure so brilliant were lost in this trip and it became much less natural. Time keeping was the biggest issue, adding stress onto both riders and the support crew. As well as this, I became very annoyed when McGregor began to include his wife in the trip -  It took away the whole 'two bikes, two mates, one road' thing away and really agitated me. Perhaps I'm being silly but that's just my opinion anyway. Nevertheless, it was another brilliant trip, just with a stronger second half than first half.

Courtesy of www.kickasstrips.com

I'm certain that both adventures will always hold their place on my DVD shelf and in my heart.

But the most impressive thing is that not only did Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman conquer the world on a pair of 1150 Gs' but they made BMW cool.

Now that's a pretty big accomplishment.

The best laid plans...

Stolen from the poem 'to a mouse' or the better known novel, 'of mice and men' the quote:

'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]'

Translated, this line reveals a hard fact of life. No matter how much you can plan something or prepare yourself for it, something will always go wrong - expect the unexpected. On several occasions over the past few years, this has been so relevant to my biking life.

Since we returned from our 50cc Fairbourne road trip in August 2010, I have done nothing else but plan, research and organise future adventures. I have priced up fuel costs, estimated mileage and discovered interesting places to stay. It pains me to say it but... I haven't done half of the things that I've planned to do.

A very wet trip to Woolacombe

Something always comes up and throws a spanner in the works, for instance our 2011 Woolacombe trip was plagued with delays, people dropping out and awful weather. So it ended up being a very wet four days as opposed to the sunny week we had planned together. My France trip in 2012 was originally planned as a tour of Europe - exploring France, Italy, Germany and Belgium but due to money and people still on CBTs, this plan was scrapped and I visited family in the Charente on my own instead.

Last year we decided to drop our ambitions and plan a cheaper trip - so it would be more doable for everybody. Scotland was in our sights; legal wild camping, beautiful scenery and relatively close to us. It sounded perfect and more importantly, cheap. However, in what seemed no time at all, people were dropping out and this was yet another flop.

This is the main reason why I'm reluctant to reveal upcoming trips that I'm planning because (from past experience) they'll most likely be delayed, changed or perhaps just scrapped altogether.

However, pessimism aside, I have two trips planned within the next 3 months. If everything goes to plan I shall be leaving for Scotland on the 23rd of August, spending nine days out in the highlands. Hopefully I will be accompanied by a couple of members from S.L.A.P and other YouTube Vloggers that I have met before.

The next trip is a big 'maybe' but I'm really pushing to execute it. My 21st Birthday is two weeks into January and I thought; what better way to spend it than on an epic motorcycle adventure? So over the past few months I have been planning a 2500 mile overland trip of Morocco. We will be riding to Portsmouth and catching the ferry to Bilbao in northern Spain. After riding through Spain, we'll board the ferry to Morocco and the rest of the adventure will unfold...

The atlas mountains in Morocco

... but that's not the best part - we're doing it on 125s.

I'm determined to do them. I'm positive that there will be no more flops. I'm pushing harder than ever to make these trips happen and have came to realise that it's okay to do things on your own and not to be put off if others can't make it.

So in six months time, I may have some interesting stories to tell...

Let's hope that these laid plans unfold.

A love for modifications

It's something that not all of us will be interested to do. Some people hate the idea of spending money on things that won't increase the value of a bike. A £900 set of Akrapovic exhausts will never be made back - is it really worth it? Why would you want to make changes to your bike that aren't really necessary? Do you actually need that seat cowl? In all fairness, I actually agree with them... well, maybe just a little bit.

However, customising my bike is something I love to do. There's something a bit special when you see a big super naked, loaded with trick bits, making a scene at your local bike meet. You can go and see a stock bike in a showroom - these are bikes are one of a kind.

But why do some of us have this love for modifying our bikes? Is it to show our creativity? Imagine showing off your homemade bobber, complete with a custom made tank with the paintjob to match and that beautiful, powder-coated frame. Talk about a conversation starter!

Of course, many people customise their bike to produce better performance. They may replace their wheels with super light magnesium Marchesini rims to produce better cornering. Changes to suspension or brakes could be made, producing better stability and stopping power. And of course, engine tweaking. Bigger bore kits, heavy duty clutches or maybe even engine swaps, are just a few of the many things that owners change to make their bike perform exactly how they want it to.

Are aftermarket cans a must?

Some of us may only wish to change the appearance of our bikes. Adding or removing bodywork, to suit the look we want to make. Fitting exhausts to give that oily, noisy engine the appreciation it deserves. We see our bike as a blank canvas, ready to be turned into that mean machine that we dream of.


Although not all modifications have to be cosmetic or based around performance. Commuters and tourers might want to add practical modifications to their bikes. Scottoilers, hard luggage and heated grips can make your bike so much better suited to what you use it for. Not all modifications have to be produce bragging rights.

Not all modifications have to be performance based.
A simple windscreen on a naked bike makes a huge difference.

I've always changed features on my bikes. Admittedly, I tend to buy bikes that already have a few extras on them which I find necessary, such as an aftermarket exhaust or that bellypan that I would've wanted to buy, because quite obviously, this saves me a lot of cash.

Some might not care much for standing out from the sea of standard bandits and 1200gs' but to others, such as myself, I think it really represents what biking is all about. It gives you an option to be different, a reason for people to have a look at your bike and perhaps, with an ego like mine, a chance to damn well show off.

Thoughts on the Fz6...

I've owned the Yam for almost two months now. I've done a bit of commuting, a bit of Sunday scratching and a 300 mile day around Wales. So I'm starting to recognise the good bits of the bike and also the more niggly bits.

First impression:

A bloke in his mid twenties reversed his van onto the drive. He greeted me with a firm handshake and introduced himself. Then the back doors of the van swung open. I remember telling myself not to get too excited about it because it may cause me to buy something I may regret. But as I got my first glimpse of those two underseat scorpion cans and that fat 180 tyre, the excitement got the better of me.

We wheeled the bike out onto the driveway and began to inspect it. There were a few stone chips on the tank, to be expected of a naked bike really, and a few wear marks on the grab rails. This really didn't bother me at all. It had full service history, receipts, the red master key - everything. With only 16,700 miles on the clock and a modest asking price, I knew I was onto a bit of a bargain.

It's dripping with extras, which is not bad thing in my book! It arrived with carbon fibre side panels, a carbon hugger and front mudguard, this compliments the metallic black colour scheme and (in my opinion) looks really trick - far from tacky. A Dynojet power commander is mapped to the twin scorpion exhausts, improving fuel economy and power delivery. Some of the more sensible extras include a smart looking bellypan, to keep the downpipes in good condition, and a decent sized, genuine Yamaha flyscreen - which makes so much difference.

It seemed a shame not to buy it eh?

First ride:

12 hours after buying it, I was finally able to ride it. After taking the fly screen off and the er... decibel killer out I started it up. It was so much louder than the Sv. It was a constant, noisy, buzzy engine and it sounded awesome.

I pulled off the drive and that's when I began to panic. I knew that riding an inline four would be different to a V twin but I don't think I realised just how much different it is. Used to keeping my revs low whilst trundling down my road, at 2,500rpm the Fz6 was spluttering and jerking all over the shop - it just couldn't do it like the Sv could.

I spent a good few hours embarrassing myself around my hometown before deciding to actually take it for a proper ride. So I headed down some familar roads to see how it performed... and performed it did. It is literally the polar opposite of the Sv650; gutless and jerky at lower revs, the Fazer struggles around town, overtakes have to be taken in lower gears and the bike just doesn't suit calmer riding.

However if you take the digital rev counter above 8,000rpm, it sure shows you what it's made of. If you really give it some wellie, the front end feels light and those ridiculously loud pipes are screaming at you, spurring you on. It is such a massive thrill. But what makes this acceleration feel faster than what it probably is, is the fact that you have no wind protection. So when you're pinning the throttle back, the wind is pinning you back. The first time I took it to high revs it took me by surprise and shifted me to the back of my seat, I was clinging on with all my might. It is physically draining. High speed riding is when my fly screen comes in handy, it eases so much strain on your shoulders and neck, you really will be thanking it after a day's riding, even if it looks a bit bulbous.

The first time I used the brakes I was caught out. Taken straight from the R6, these have great stopping ability, superior to the Sv650's poor Toxicos. It handles around corners well and I don't find it worse than the Sv, and that handled brilliantly. The previous owner had dropped the forks of the Fz by 10mm or so, to make it turn sharper. I haven't tried it standard yet so I'm not sure how big of a difference this makes. I've also recently added some flat renthal bars on it which has changed the riding position and handling significantly - I prefer it as it feels much more 'whippy' around corners even though it does lean you a little further forward. Besides - they look cooler and surely that's a good thing?

So how does it compare to the Sv?

On paper, the Fz6n is better in every way. It has over twenty extra horsepower, it's much comfier, better on fuel (but only with the power commander fitted), the brakes are better and it gives you so much more of an adrenaline rush. I personally feel and know that it is a much better bike. But I still feel like there's something missing.

It doesn't have the bubbly, lumpy quirks of that glorious V twin engine. The Sv's engine feels like a playful pet, purring along to that beautiful V twin beat. Whereas the Fz6 engine feels like an energetic insect - brutal and buzzy, must be raced otherwise sat in the garage. Anything in the middle doesn't work quite right.

It just doesn't quite have the character or personality that the Sv had. Maybe it's psychological. I might just be a bit strange, personifying bikes by using words like 'character' but I personally believe that is one of the most important things in motorbikes, it gives a bond between rider and machine. It's a good thing.

That's not to say that the Fz6 is a bad bike of course. As I've said, with decent brakes and a well performing engine, this is one cracking bike, much better than the Sv. With a few issues with snatchy fuel injection on the earlier models and a clunky gearbox being the only real problems, this really is a fantastic bike. The earlier Fazer's from 1998 onwards are brilliant too. There's a lot about and they've been tried and tested over time, meaning only one thing - they're ace.

The Sv still has a place in my heart though. You won't be forgotten.

Why I picked the Fz6

If you have read my previous blog post: 'Thoughts on my next bike' then you may be wondering why I bought my Yamaha Fz6n. A Fazer wasn't mentioned at all - I was originally looking at bikes such as the 650 Vstrom or the Xt660r. I didn't consider the naked 600 an option at all.

However, in my specification I stated that I would like a bike with better fuel economy, superior comfort and practical, hard luggage. For some reason I totally bypassed bikes like Fazers, Bandits and Hornets. How many middleweight nakeds do you see with hard luggage doing road trips? Loads.

The Fz6 ticks all of my boxes... kind of.

The new beast - Yamaha Fz6n

First of all, there is an obvious change in comfort. Compared to my old Sv which had fairly low bars but (more importantly) very high foot pegs, this Fazer feels like I'm sat in an armchair. My 6"1 frame fits comfortably into the roomy saddle. My wrists are no longer aching as the raised bars give me hours of riding with minimal complaints. But the foot pegs make the biggest difference, my flamingo legs are no longer touching my elbows, they are much more relaxed without compromising much ground clearance - although my foot peg has hit the floor once or twice.

Although my bike isn't currently fitted with any hard luggage it quite easily can be. Top boxes are the easiest and cheapest form of luggage for my 2005 model Fz6n. Being a pre-07 model, the pillion foot pegs are welded to the subframe as opposed to being bolted on like later models - this restricts the ability to add on panniers. This is a fairly big deal as the underseat exhausts prevent most soft throw-overs from being used - they'd just melt. Luckily, I have obtained a pair of semi-rigid panniers that fit fine, without coming into contact with the silencers. My trip later in the year is to tour Scotland, nine days wild camping. So by using an upcoming Wales weekend trip in July as a trial run, I will test out my throw overs and see whether buying a top box would be necessary.

Finally, fuel economy. Standard Fz6s average at around 45mpg but with the aid of the power commander fitted to my bike, it's hitting over 50mpg - and that's not bad considering I don't take it that steady. This is about the same, if not better than the Sv's fuel consumption. So there's nothing to complain about, but it's nothing to rave about either.

How well will it cope for a long haul? Only one way to find out...

Compared to the Sv, it is better in every way; it is more economical, comfier and has over twenty extra horsepower. So it fits the bill alright but is still yet to be tested on a road trip, this weekend to Wales will be the test to see how it performs.

Yet the biggest reason I picked this particular Fz6 is because... it was a bloody good bargain! And we all love a good deal, don't we?

Let's just hope I've made the right decision.