Mid-week getaway to west Michigan

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UselessPickles

Making Grand Canyon replicas from air boxes...
Joined
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I got a good deal on a 2-night stay at a bed & breakfast on the west side of Michigan, but only during the off-season and mid-week (we would have preferred to go about 2-3 weeks earlier if we had a choice). I convinced my wife to take the motorcycles. This was her first trip on her FZ6R.

Here's some pics (I'm too lazy to include them all directly in this post).

If it wasn't for the cold crappy weather on day 2 (45°, cloudy and 20mph winds) and the equally cold last half of the ride home on day 3, she would have really enjoyed the trip. With my giant VStream windshield and heated grips, even I was experiencing some discomfort. She has a tiny windshield and no heated grips, plus she absolutely hates being cold. Her whole body what sore from shivering by the time we got home. We've had a touring windshield on back-order over a month now that would have helped a lot on this trip.

Day 1 was the best. Temps in the mid 60's and sunny. Day 3 was sunny and got into the mid/upper 50's. We found that right around 55° is the wife's temperature limit for complete comfort. All things considered, it was actually a pretty decent motorcycle trip for November in Michigan.

 
Nice pics! I've been to some of them places way back when.

Headed to Michigan tomorrow - via cage - to meet up with cousins for deer season; We'll be around Napoleon area.

 
Heated gear is all I can say. Once you buy some and try it you will wonder what took you so long to get it. I bought my first heated vest along time and ago and now have heated jacket and vest. Heated grips also which are really nice to have. Looks like a good trip. Qaulity time with the wife is always a good thing. If you live in the Northeast and want to extend your riding season and be comfortable heat is the way to go.

 
Really great piccies...sorry your wife got so cold.

That Yellow and Black scheme on the FZ6R looks real nice. How does she like the bike? Is it pretty peppy for a 600?

 
Heated gear is all I can say.
I've been getting by just fine without heated gear. I ride down to the mid-30's (not long trips; just local commuting, etc.), and it's usually my feet that get cold. I suppose some heated socks could add some comfort.

My wife would probably just consider heated gear too much of a hassle, especially for the usual riding that we do together. Most of our riding is about an hour or two local ride in the evening on a weekday when her sister can watch the kids. The hassle of it doesn't really matter anyway, since it gets dark too early this time of year for us to do those rides.

That Yellow and Black scheme on the FZ6R looks real nice. How does she like the bike? Is it pretty peppy for a 600?
She loves the bike. She started with a Honda Rebel 250, then moved up to a Honda Shadow Spirit 750. She loved the looks, smooth shifting and smooth cruising on the Shadow, but the thing just really did not like to turn. She was scraping pegs at almost every corner, running wide on corners because she was trying to go faster than the bike could go around the corner, etc. She actually hates sport bikes, and yellow is her least favorite color, but that was easy for her to look past after a quick test ride. She actually really likes the look of the bike now and plans to keep it yellow (initial plans were to get a custom paint job almost immediately).

It's nothing like a 600cc sportbike. It has quite a bit less power, it doesn't rev as high, its torque is more concentrated in the mid-range, and it's heavier due to a cheaper steel tube frame (rather than cast aluminum). It actually has a torque curve shaped very much like the FJR's, as well as the seating position and the steering geometry. It feels like a mini FJR that doesn't accelerate as hard, but is more nimble due to the lower weight.

 
....It's nothing like a 600cc sportbike. It has quite a bit less power, it doesn't rev as high, its torque is more concentrated in the mid-range, and it's heavier due to a cheaper steel tube frame (rather than cast aluminum). It actually has a torque curve shaped very much like the FJR's, as well as the seating position and the steering geometry. It feels like a mini FJR that doesn't accelerate as hard, but is more nimble due to the lower weight.
Thanks for the review...

 
Thanks for the review...
I should mention that even though it is not as powerful as a 600cc sport bike, it is much more enjoyable to ride as a commuter/sport-tourer than something like a CBR600RR due to the mid-range torque and the way it is geared (and the seating position, of course). It actually accelerates faster than the 600cc sport bikes up to about 40mph, so it's got plenty of power for lots of fun on twisty roads. It's not until about the 50+mph area that a 600cc sport bike starts to completely rip the FZ6R to shreds.

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The best part is that it's just fun, easy and comfortable to ride. On the previous 2 bikes, my wife needed some significant miles before she felt comfortable and in control of the bike. With this FZ6R, she felt more comfortable on it at the end of a 5 minute test ride than she ever felt on her previous bikes.

 
Nice pics, but that is some wicked weird sand formations.
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I assume this in on the Lower Peninsula since this is obvious "trolling"

 
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