Is F6B 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!

[HHB]

I bought a new F6B on September 10, 2014 and I have never been more disappointed with a new bike in my 35 years of riding. After 18 days of ownership, it's going to be finding a new home this week. Perhaps part of my problem is that I have always ridden sportbikes, my latest one being a 2008 Kawi ZX-14, but that is not the whole reason that I am so disappointed. I am disappointed to pay nearly $20 for a bike that has paint that will scratch at the slightest touch. I am disappointed that the helmet holder lock won't work and is going to have to be replaced and I've never even used it yet. The shorty windscreen that came standard on the bike was useless, so I bought the tall Honda windscreen. Imagine my further disappointment when I removed the front fairing pieces to install the taller windscreen and found lots of loose hardware, such as screws, that had only been started in their holes, but left untightened. And then there is that God-awful gear whine that is as annoying as hell! I bought the deluxe Honda helmet headset and right out of the box, the first time I turned it on, the left speaker buzzes like a bee in my ear. And then, there is the heft of this bike that makes it totally unmanageable on my 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. It simply won't go in gravel and I'm having to park it in my barn which is close to a blacktop road. So, as you can see, my experience with the F6B has been a total disappointment. I plan on trading it off this week as I have to have a bike that I can ride without all these problems. It's just not fun to ride! Through the years I've owned Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Yamahas... all of which have never given me a bit of trouble. This is my first Honda and it will be my last. Yes, I hate this bike and can't see it leave my garage soon enough! Honda Motors, you should be ashamed. Thanks for listening to me complain guys; I certainly wish my experience with the F6B could have been different. Peace everybody, HHB.

Hey respectful forum,

I am coming to a honda f6b community from years of riding american choppers and large cruisers.

Recently I test rode an F6B and was amazed how well bike handles and smoothness of a ride. I started looking at ebay and craiglist for f6b's for sale. One thing i noticed in common that quite a few f6b owners sell their bike within a year of ownership. For example I see bunch of 2013 F6B's under 2000 miles online for sale around 15K, mileage various from 200 to 2000. It makes me believe that ownership turnover of f6b is high, much more then I have seen on harley's, big dog etc...
Taking into consideration that F6B is technically solid machine and has 3 year warranty, I rule out technical problems.
What is forcing owners to sell bikes within a year of purchase? Is that a wrong image in a harley country? Lack of extreme?

Any ideas from the forum would be appreciated...

Thanks all!

[XKnight]

I bought a new F6B on September 10, 2014 and I have never been more disappointed with a new bike in my 35 years of riding. After 18 days of ownership, it's going to be finding a new home this week. Perhaps part of my problem is that I have always ridden sportbikes, my latest one being a 2008 Kawi ZX-14, but that is not the whole reason that I am so disappointed. I am disappointed to pay nearly $20 for a bike that has paint that will scratch at the slightest touch. I am disappointed that the helmet holder lock won't work and is going to have to be replaced and I've never even used it yet. The shorty windscreen that came standard on the bike was useless, so I bought the tall Honda windscreen. Imagine my further disappointment when I removed the front fairing pieces to install the taller windscreen and found lots of loose hardware, such as screws, that had only been started in their holes, but left untightened. And then there is that God-awful gear whine that is as annoying as hell! I bought the deluxe Honda helmet headset and right out of the box, the first time I turned it on, the left speaker buzzes like a bee in my ear. And then, there is the heft of this bike that makes it totally unmanageable on my 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. It simply won't go in gravel and I'm having to park it in my barn which is close to a blacktop road. So, as you can see, my experience with the F6B has been a total disappointment. I plan on trading it off this week as I have to have a bike that I can ride without all these problems. It's just not fun to ride! Through the years I've owned Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Yamahas... all of which have never given me a bit of trouble. This is my first Honda and it will be my last. Yes, I hate this bike and can't see it leave my garage soon enough! Honda Motors, you should be ashamed. Thanks for listening to me complain guys; I certainly wish my experience with the F6B could have been different. Peace everybody, HHB.

Sounds like the F6B is more bike than you can handle. Fairly common problem. Not sure why so many people buy the biggest bike they can find only to figure out it simply doesn't work for them. Good luck finding a bike that works for you.

[motoman]

Sounds like the F6B is more bike than you can handle. Fairly common problem. Not sure why so many people buy the biggest bike they can find only to figure out it simply doesn't work for them.

The F6B is cheaper by the pound than any other bike.

[XKnight]

The F6B is cheaper by the pound than any other bike.

That's a good way to look at it and when it fits just right it's hard to beat. The power, handling and comfort are second to none when it comes to big touring bikes. The paint is a bit soft and scratches easily, but I can always get it repainted down the road if needed and I'll still be ahead of the game.

[F6B1911]

I bought a new F6B on September 10, 2014 and I have never been more disappointed with a new bike in my 35 years of riding. After 18 days of ownership, it's going to be finding a new home this week. Perhaps part of my problem is that I have always ridden sportbikes, my latest one being a 2008 Kawi ZX-14, but that is not the whole reason that I am so disappointed. I am disappointed to pay nearly $20 for a bike that has paint that will scratch at the slightest touch. I am disappointed that the helmet holder lock won't work and is going to have to be replaced and I've never even used it yet. The shorty windscreen that came standard on the bike was useless, so I bought the tall Honda windscreen. Imagine my further disappointment when I removed the front fairing pieces to install the taller windscreen and found lots of loose hardware, such as screws, that had only been started in their holes, but left untightened. And then there is that God-awful gear whine that is as annoying as hell! I bought the deluxe Honda helmet headset and right out of the box, the first time I turned it on, the left speaker buzzes like a bee in my ear. And then, there is the heft of this bike that makes it totally unmanageable on my 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. It simply won't go in gravel and I'm having to park it in my barn which is close to a blacktop road. So, as you can see, my experience with the F6B has been a total disappointment. I plan on trading it off this week as I have to have a bike that I can ride without all these problems. It's just not fun to ride! Through the years I've owned Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Yamahas... all of which have never given me a bit of trouble. This is my first Honda and it will be my last. Yes, I hate this bike and can't see it leave my garage soon enough! Honda Motors, you should be ashamed. Thanks for listening to me complain guys; I certainly wish my experience with the F6B could have been different. Peace everybody, HHB.

Wow, I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience, I'll give you the paint issue. The helmet lock should be replaced under warranty.
I hope you have better luck with your next ride.
Ride Safe