Is F6B a keeper?

[motozeke]

I'm keeping the F6B for the long haul. Literally & figuratively.

Yep, this, exactly. I know pretty much every motorcycle on the market and have closely checked out pretty much everything in the touring category (except for the cruisers, which don't interest me at all). So I can state confidently, having eliminated other options, that the F6B is as close as the market provides to exactly what I'm looking for in an all-day comfort, beautiful, fun to ride, feature-rich, reliable motorcycle. Modding it to more closely fit my needs has been easy, and I'm almost done. I've stacked double the amount of miles this last year as I ever have on a bike. This one's a keeper.

[opas ride]

I am not one of the people that bought at the right time to get these "good deals" so to speak...Even so, I got what I felt was a decent price on my trade, a 2011 Victory Vision, and a nice discount off MSRP at a time when Honda was not offering any discounts. Had bike custom painted at dealer and other goodies installed at delivery...Pipes, grips, chrome kickstand, etc. and love my F6B and plan to keep it for a while..At 74 this may, perhaps, be my last bike I don't know right now, but after owning many, many, bikes this is by far the nicest ride of them all!!..Spent the last couple days taking advantage of good weather in Michigan and stopped at a few dealers around the state. Harley, BMW, Victory,Indian...Nothing currently out there compares to the F6B, in my opinion, and for the money this bike is the best deal around....Ride safe and enjoy the day....

[Scotrod]

Another reason folks may trade early is B/C they are coming in from the land of V-twins,,, The 6 is quite unlike a V-twin,,,.

If you define as the single pin sound cranked up to 11,,, the tiny bits to keep all polished and clean, and a 'lifestyle',,,, well, the 6 may not be 'fulfilling',,, Might be downright bland,,,

Different strokes for different folks.

[kcmike]

It's possible that some of the F6B's he's seeing for sale are by owners who are looking to get a later model, hoping for cruise control or the upgraded tranny. Doesn't necessarily mean that all of them are disgruntled. Just sayin.

[red dog]

finally, adequate tork adequate horse power adequate roll on power on the fwy....pulls a passenger real nice...bike makes me want to jump up and shout.......rolls real well through mountain passes .......finally got a bike out of the box that kicks ass.......pulled up alongside a pack of 15 or so hd riders heading south on the 101 out of ventura last week .......cracked the throttle and rapidly rolled on by .....watching them disappear in in my rear view mirror.....big grin on my face.....laughing and scratching as I jammed up the conejo grade.....like the doobie sing it ........ooooooohhhhhhhh rollllllinnnn down the highwayyyyyyy............no more planned obsolescence for me.....see ya later.......

[Clutch]

I'm not a gear head at all -- I leave that to my husband. I just love to ride, and a bit on the aggressive side.

I came off a Street Glide, so I'll compare the F6B to that. Here's my very simple, non-technical review ...

Between the F6B and my old Street Glide, the Street Glide wins the "Shiny Chrome" competition and the "Multitude of Accessories" competition. I suppose it also wins the "BWAAAAAAAP!" competition too.

Yay.


There are other differences:

• Not sure what the big deal is about gravel. For me, riding on gravel took some time to learn. The F6B feels like it slides more than the old Street Glide did. Of course, I had different kinds of tires on the bikes, and both bikes balance differently. I had to become accustomed to the F6B's difference in balance. It wasn't a big deal.
• The F6B sits up higher than the Street Glide. I'm a short rider, so I felt really uneasy at first on the F6B. I had the stock seat modified to lower me about 2", and now I'm all set.
• F6B's fairing is lower than the Street Glide's, so you MUST buy a taller windshield to get the same wind protection.

A few cons with the F6B:

• Wanna change your seat? Street Glide had one thumb screw, so you can change out your seat in two minutes with no tools. F6B has a gabillion screws and it takes like 30 minutes to change out a seat. Pain in the butt.
• Wanna change your windshield? Street Glide had three screws, so it only took a few minutes. F6B requires more dismantling and takes a good 15 minutes.
• You can't lock just one saddle bag as you see fit. You either lock them both, unlock them both, or permanently set one (or both) unlocked by removing the seat and making an adjustment. (Really???)
• Keys, keys everywhere! Need a key to start the bike, for the gas cap, for the glove compartment, for the saddle bags. My Street Glide had a fob. That was awesome.
  I think the Keymaker from the Matrix helped to design the F6B:
  Attachment 9033

A few pros with the F6B:

• It's faster, corners better, and totally outperforms the Street Glide. WAAAAAAAAAY more fun to ride, esp for technical riding. Take it out on a twisty road, you'll see the huge difference.
• Because the pipes are quieter, I can actually hear my music now and ride early in the morning or late at night without waking anyone.
• F6B's center of gravity is lower, so I can pick up this bike if I accidentally drop it.
• The ride on the F6B is much easier than the Street Glide. In the beginning, I'd catch myself going 100, thinking I was only going 60, because that's how the wind and engine felt compared to the Street Glide. It's so easy and effortless. I don't feel beat up after long rides. It's much more comfortable.
• These guys constantly walk up to me and ask about my bike and say they want one. It's kinda cool
  Attachment 9032

My apologies for the missing analytics of technical specifications and for the horrible attempt at humor (I'm sick with a fever today ... I get kinda silly when I'm delirious)

This is my very simplistic comparison between the two bikes as a semi-aggressive RIDER (not a mechanic or gear head).

Mucho respect and the best of luck to you sir!

[bigbird]

[*]Wanna change your seat? Street Glide had one screw, so you can change out your seat in two minutes. F6B has a gabillion screws and it takes like 30 minutes to change out a seat. Pain in the butt.

Whaaaat? The 'B requires that the passenger grab rails be removed: 4 bolts. Then the 2 bolts that hold the seat in place. That's 6 bolts. If you have a Deluxe or have the optional backrest and/or carrier, that's another 4 bolts. So either 6 bolts minimum or 10 bolts maximum. If it takes you 30 minutes to do that, then you should get better tools. Sorry.

[Clutch]

When I had my seat modified, the bolts no longer aligned. Took forever to figure out how to install the modified seat.

In any case, one thumb screw is easier than 6 or 10 bolts requiring tools.

[Steve 0080]

When I had my seat modified, the bolts no longer aligned. Took forever to figure out how to install the modified seat.

In any case, one thumb screw is easier than 6 or 10 bolts requiring tools.

+1

[RcBtx1999]

When I had my seat modified, the bolts no longer aligned. Took forever to figure out how to install the modified seat.

In any case, one thumb screw is easier than 6 or 10 bolts requiring tools.

It did take me a while to get the Mustang seat to fit properly, but it was all worth the effort. Once I figured out the plastic seat pan was going to have to flex to make it work right, I used a a couple of drifts to align the new bolts in a cross pattern, then it went right on. I have not taken it off since, but I bet the problem is fixed by just riding it and letting it settle into it's proper alignment.