Yamaha FZS600 Fazer 600

Overall - a brilliant bike. After 35,000 miles over three years of ownership I have complete faith in my Fazer. She starts every time (well, apart from once which was my fault because I was lazy with the servicing.)

Supremely reliable and easy to work on at home. Oil, plugs, filters and carb sync all I've done asides from consumables. Speaking of which, the bike is very kind to tyres, chains and pads. Very affordable to run, insure and maintain.

Ride - stable, easy and fun. The engine has loads of grunt and the bike is fast away from the line. Will cruise all day at 80 happily. Weather protection is amble, touring screen is great, feel like falling asleep so comfy...

Brakes - front from an R1 so brilliant. Rear is OK too. Although they need to be cleaned in the winter to stop from binding up with lack of use. Easy to bleed and service at home.

Suspension - a tad on the soft side but does the job. Never bothered changing the rear shock or fluid and still works fine.

Cool stuff - real work stuff is handy; fuel gauge, centre stand, rev counter and hazard warning lights. Plus little extendable hooks on rear for bungee cords.

Power - smooth, smooth, smooth. Says about 105bph but real world, she's faster than the majority of the vehicles on the road. Away from the lights have scalped BMWs, Porsche and loads of bigger bikes. Shame.

Value - basically can buy a clean one for pocket money. For the cash, the only bike I've had that comes close is the ZZR600.

Stuff that broke - 12k - chain . 31k - clutch cable. Failed to start due to plugs once.

Drawbacks - just niggles. The mirrors are next to useless. Carb icing is a problem without PRO FST. Rear brake pads are a nightmare to replace (pin system.) Styling is a bit bland. Most riders will outgrow performance. Can be a greedy girl if you're rev happy.

Never ridden before - bought a Faz on recommendation of a few mates - had to have it lowered TWICE and side stand shortened - but he is fabulous. I am only 5'2" but have a long body and short legs - forks, suspension and dog bones ALL taken down - and the ride is still lovely - got a mate whose had them for years to check out the ride to make sure balanced and hadn't affected the steering or handling - he was SURE it would - but he came back grinning - that rides NICE he said!!! It's an '02 so has good low end torque - but plenty of throttle to play with. A very forgiving first bike - and yet stretches you and allows you to learn and grow. Perfect :) !!!

I bought the Fazer when I passed my test in 2006. It was my first bike and seven years later I am still riding it.

I have never felt the need to change. It is fast, comfortable and reliable.

Being 6'8" there are few sports bikes that I both look and feel comfortable on. I have done over 600 miles in a day across France on it and was comfortable all the way. I would recommend this bike to anyone.

So I recently passed a DAS course and went hunting for a good first bike. Being 6'5" (196cm) with a 36" inside leg I am not a small chap and this rapidly turned into a problem. I can fit on most bikes but not many are comfortable for more than an hour or so. Then there I tried the '98 FZS600 and it was fantastic. Reasonably high saddle and reasonably low pegs mean your not too cramped, even when you're hiding behind the fairing (though a double bubble screen is a good addition if like me you're lanky). The only complaint is the cut outs on the tanks are a little too low for my legs to fit in, something that was changed from '03 onward.

Handling is good, responsive but not twitchy, and very confidence inspiring both a speed and around town. The engine is lovely, manageable power around the lower revs and puts a big grin on your face if you bring it up above 6000rpm. It's set for Japan/European motorway speeds so it's not massively smooth at 70mph, but at 80 (or 130kmh) it's virtually vibe free and you can sit there for hours. Fuel efficiency is good, around 200 miles to the tank or 50mpg both in town and on the motorway if your kind with the gears. On the subject of gears first and second clunk when you shift down into them, not that I mind but I know those that do.

Overall great with a few minor niggles. If you want a good bike to get started on you could do a lot worse than the Fazer 600 and I doubt you could do much better.

So I have the FZS 600S, 2000 yr model since 2003 and purchased with 1,500 miles on from Ebay. Last week just completed 100,000 miles and still going strong. I use the bike to commute 80 miles a day come Rain, Wind, Snow and sometimes even the Sun.. So let me give you my take on this. PS My bike is completely standard.

Looks: From some angles it looks weird and from its chunky & from some looks very nice. So that’s subjective

Comfort: You sit low in the saddle which is well padded, so your bums don’t numb. That make the centre of gravity low and you can plant both your feet on the ground even if your 5’ 6” and I am 5’ 8”. Handle bars are high so your elbows don’t take the weight of your body, none of this bums up hands down position. They are not wide which helps if you filter through traffic. Controls are well placed and easy access. The pillion rider sits slightly higher than the rider and there is a decent grab bar.

Dashboard: It has the standard Speed and RPM meter, plus 2 trip meters and a clock and it’s well lit. Surprisingly the Thundercat [from which this bike is derived and it’s a sports tourer] does not have a clock.

Headlights: They are not that great, but have seen stuff on the net about modification, but I haven’t bothered as it does affect me.

Brakes: They are absolutely fantastic, nothing comes close if you compare similar bikes. I changed the rear brake calliper @ 80,000 miles as it sized. The cost of the original was £ 300 + but managed to get a reconditioned one at £ 150.00. Front callipers are still original.

Engine: What can say? It’s the BEST!!! What’s really great about it is that you can cruise @ 30 mph in the 6th gear without the bike, stuttering or bucking, it’s very very smooth. It helps in traffic and once it clears you can just open the throttle and the power comes nice and smooth. Even from a standstill start, the power delivery is very smooth, predictable, none of the sports bike surge, so even if you want to, you won’t kill yourself. The best use of the power is between 50 & 80 miles, that’s where the power band is, but the bike can effortlessly reach 135mph, no vibration, very stable. mine still does. Apart from changing the spark plugs, the engine is untouched, even the clutch plates on my bike are still original. But that depends on how use the bike. I drive like a Nun, 55 mph, so I get 75 to 80 mpg. [look at the petrol price] I use the Bridgestone BT touring tyre and get 20,000 miles from the rear. Some may laugh, but you don’t buy a Fazer to drive like a GP rider, it’s all about comfort and practicality but can still give some of the 600cc sports bike a run for their money.

The manual says ‘service every 6,000 miles’. I do that once a year, so that’s approximately 15,000 to 20,000 miles but the bike’s never complained.

@ 85,000 miles changed the radiator as one the pipe outlet broke. Got a new one @ £ 100.00. Also had the head light assembly changed. That was my fault, I tried to change the bulb and the clip on the bulb holder broke. The bulb constantly vibrated and we could not fasten it to get the correct focus. That’s a MOT failure. Price for the original is £ 350.00, got one on ebay £ 139.00

The first thing you MUST & HAVE to do when you buy a Fazer is, change the downpipes. The originals are made for thin gauge mild steel with very very poor paint and corrode very fast. You get a SS 304 grade 3mm thick pipes from £ 169.00. trust me, I learnt the hard way.

Apart from the regular maintenance, ie brake pads, plugs, oil, tyres, wheel bearings etc haven’t spent more than what’s mentioned above.

If want a ultra-reliable, safe, fast, smooth comfy bike. This this one to go for…..but make sure it’s the one with the thundercat derived engine. When my bike dies on me, the next one is a FZS 600S Fazer.

I have had my Fazer FZS600 (2003) for over 18 months now and can honestly say I have not regretted buying it once!

I love it as it’s easy to maintain and has a sweet engine. I am not a slim person but the bike has no issue carrying me AND a pillion! Great acceleration and the breaks are amazing. I have serviced the bike myself and done endless upgrades from the basic mode, I’m not a mechanic (it’s such an easy bike, I don’t need to be)! The only gripe I have about my bike (not sure if this is an issue for all Fazer’s) is that in winter and especially hot day’s it can take time to start. In the heat I think it may just be fuel vapor lock so it’s no biggy but can get annoying at times.

I have added handlebar risers to my bike as I like an upright ride and with these for me, it’s a real comfortable ride and I have ridden 6 hrs before with nothing but some general stiffness so it’s just another reason why I love this bike.

I haven't trailed it yet, but expect it would handle that too! After 30 yrs in the saddle nowadays I like bikes that can be ridden in top that way I can spend more time planning a way through the crazy traffic in the U.K. these days. This bike delivers on that, pulling, with some vibes admittedly, from 20 to 120mph, without a glitch, coming on strong above 70 - useful for real world overtakes. When your touring abroad with long, difficult days on unfamiliar roads this is motor is very useful and makes for a much more stress free ride than dancing on the gearlever all day - less boot wear too!

Unfortunately the motors sublime pull is accompanied by vibes from what is nonetheless a near perfect real world motor. This may be carb balance as its got worse oflate, but is a common complaint, and surprising since its rubber mounted @ the front. Not the end of the world, as you just ride around the wrost patches and 3-4 and 6-7 k. Cane it above 7 and it flies, even though its not light by current standards, making up for this by rather low gearing. However, the fuel consumption is a revelation, even with 3 fig excursions it still gives 55-60mpg, which is real world useful with £1.50/l rapidly approaching. gentle use will see it match my old GPX6 which regularly managed 65mpg whilst backroads touring in France - another great old school bike (crap finish-strong motor. No injection nonsense here, just well sorted carbs - last of the few.

The brakes, well front at least are on this 13 yr old bike, simply the best I've ever used, being strong, but very progressiv ewith great feel - the back a bit weak, but thats no bad thing as its still got useful feel.

The only real fly in the ointment for me is the suspension - not chassis - coming off a 99 CBR6 FX which is about as good a real world bike as money can buy, though that really doesn't trail that well! The suspension being fully adjustable high quality stuff puts the Fazers totally unadjustable stuff to shame, the latter being choppy - particularly when cold - while the CBRs just tracks over everyhting like it isn't here keeping the all important front contact patch glued to the road - always. To be honest that is the only budget angle on what was always a budget and fantastic value bike. You just ride around it, but with worn tyres understeer is alwyas on the agnenda and it bravery gets the better of common sense, it soon runs out of ground clearance for boots. Hey its not a CBR is a mantra I find myself chanting alot inside the helmet these days.

Its comfy, though your rear goes after less than 2 hrs in the saddle, but this covers what must one of the biggest & most useful underseat storage spaces ever. This is accompanied by many more practical, real world features, like folding bungee hooks, proper grabrail, etc.

The lights are poor, as reported elsewhere. Short term I will be witing them up with relays direct to the battery (to save the wiring loom) to they both come on in dip

Having been in cars and off bikes for 36 years my son decide to take his cbt test!! for his new 50cc ped. I wanted to keep him company and one thing lead to another.I passed my CBT and asked my trainer for lessons to do the direct acess course.

I passed the Theory test and eventually passed the practical after putting my foot down on the slalom the first attempt. I had been using a 500cc Kawasaki. I asked Andy my Tutor for some recommendations for a next step bike.The Yamaha 600cc fazer came up as one of 3 possibles. I found an 03 plate with 5800 miles on the clock.Since passing and buying the fazer I have been getting used to the bike .I can honestly say this is better than a good orgas-m. I regret not going back to bikes 20 years ago. Although only 600cc and not being an expert on bikes this has changed my life .I live in the lake district and some of our roads were built to ride a bike round. Thanks to Andy for his encouragment and Yamaha for the FZS 600 Fazer.

This was my first bike bike after passing test and having a 125cc for 6 months prior to that (mid life crisis re biking). Got this bike from a friend who had kept it in good condition and low miles. I used it in all weather all year round and NEVER let me down. Even my limited mechanical skills able to do the simple things on it.

Power was a massive difference from the ER5 I learnt on and you soon find it has a second powerband at @7000 where the smile does come to your face!!

Overall I would thoroughly recommend one to any new rider as it does everything you ask of it and more. Cheap but if looked after will keep on going (looked after means bit of spit and polish or scottoiler and polish!)

After doing my apprentiship on this for just over 2 years I have now upgraded - to a Fazer 1000 lets see how that goes.If its owt as good as the 600 it will be perfect!

Being a learner, the fazer was recomended to me as the perfect first big bike. I've had it a month now, covered just short of 1,000 miles on it and i LOVE it. superb, does everything you ask it to, great on fuel, has boosted my confidence no end, very very happy with i :D