Maintenance Ease

[ninjamon]

For those of you who have logged alot of miles on the 6R how would you describe the maintenance ease or difficulty. I'm really thinking of moving up from my ninja 500R in the future, and am considering the 6R and the Versys. I consider them both to be beginner friendly standard ergo bikes, so maintenance chores might be a consideration. Thanks. ninjamon

[Roaddawg]

Oil change every 4k...about 20 minutes. Lube chain every 600-1k miles (depending on your conditions)...5 mins. It's real easy. Every 26k, is a valve adjustment. That's one reason I went with this model. The maintenance is little and easy. I'm at around 10k now. No issues thus far.

[dart1963]

two words.... it's a Yamaha
(ok, three).
Yeah, it's pretty easy to do routine maintenance. I haven't tackled any of the "major" tune ups yet, but it should be fairly easy with the right tools. And, now available, with a center stand, chain maintenance should be a breeze.

[ninjamon]

Thanks for the rapid replies guys. I noticed the 26,000 mile valve check on several reviews, so that's a big plus. ninjamon

[99vengeur]

Yeah, the maintenance is a breeze. As a former car guy, I had never worked around bikes. But the layout of everything is super idiot-proof and I had no trouble doing the work myself.

Side note: One thing you might want to consider about the Versys... The thing is freaking tall. The seat height is ridiculous if I remember correctly.

[FitZ6R]

Agree with all the above. I haven't done any major maintenance yet, but based on what I know about the FZ6R (and lots of wrenching on my previous bike), it's perfectly average for an inline engine, chain drive bike - no surprises. Basic stuff like chain maintenance, oil changes, filters, and spark plugs are very easy.

Compared to the Versys, the 6R has twice as many cylinders and will require more time for throttle body and valve adjustments, but I really wouldn't let that be a major decision factor. The 6R has more plastic bodywork over the engine, but we're talking a few screws and a couple of minutes to remove and reinstall (plus, you don't have to be as careful about cleaning the engine ).

To ramble on a bit, I looked at the Versys, but the Ninja 650 R fit me better, height wise (scalp altitude = 66"). The big difference between the Versys and Ninja is supposed to be that one is an "adventure bike" and the other is a sport bike. But I kept asking people what I would do with the Versys that I couldn't do with the Ninja, and I never got a solid answer. So, once I decided that the difference was more cosmetic than functional, I focused on the Ninja, which (except for its strange handlebar angle) is very comparable in ergos to the FZ6R. It was close, and I probably could have been happy with either bike, but the Yamaha just seemed to offer a more comfortable, refined, balanced package. I test rode the FZ6R, and it instantly felt totally smooth and confidence inspiring. No regrets.