Is F6B a keeper?

[hiflyer]

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. .

I, on the other hand, in my 53 years of riding (age 58) have never enjoyed a bike as much as I have the F6. I've been a life long motorcyclist and have owned a couple of hundred bikes. I have put more trouble free miles on this bike, in the time I have owned it, than any other bike before it. I have won championships racing motorcycles, have been associated with the MSF for twenty years, and can't even tell you the miles I have logged on two wheels. I write this, not arrogantly by any means, rather to reflect on my opinion of this motorcycle. No vehicle can do everything, however, this one does everything "I" want a bike to do, to the point that for the first time in decades, I own ONE motorcycle, because this is the only one I want to ride. Good luck on finding the one that will do for you, what my Honda F6B does for me.

One other thing, me and a lot of other guys around here just love flicking this hefty behemoth around in the twisties.

[shooter]

HHB I'm not trying to be an ass and I'm not defending the B. You went from 500 lb bikes to an 850 lb bike. Big bikes aren't dirt bikes. Loose gravel is not a road. You should have put a little thought into your purchase. In your scenario an adventure bike might be more your cup of tea ie. part sport bike with some storage. Just sayin. I've lived on gravel roads and big bikes don't like loose gravel. If it's hard pack it is doable.

[Jimmytee]

HHB, My experience is completely different from yours, but then my other bike is a Valkyrie. I'm in E-town, where did you buy your bike? Dan Powers?

[bigbird]

II 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! .

It's funny that all of your "disappointments" have nothing to do with the ride, performance, or feel of the F6B.
Selling a brand new bike because the paint MIGHT scratch if you're not careful?
Selling a brand new bike because the helmet holder MIGHT need replacing?
Selling a brand new bike because it has gear whine that should have been noticeable to you during a test ride before buying?

Either you're trolling, or you have no idea about what makes a bike a keeper or not.

[Jimmytee]

It's funny that all of your "disappointments" have nothing to do with the ride, performance, or feel of the F6B.
Selling a brand new bike because the paint MIGHT scratch if you're not careful?
Selling a brand new bike because the helmet holder MIGHT need replacing?
Selling a brand new bike because it has gear whine that should have been noticeable to you during a test ride before buying?

Either you're trolling, or you have no idea about what makes a bike a keeper or not.

Actually his experience aside, I think he is a legit owner. The shop down the street from me said they sold one to someone that was coming from a Kawasaki sport bike. The bike he bought , I believe, was a trade they did from another dealer. The trade was for a particular side by side ATV and included taking the F6B in the deal.The dealer got the bike in on Friday,and on Saturday it sold to someone who just happened to come in asking for a F6B.

[srt8-in-largo]

MmmHmm... definitely a keeper.

[motozeke]

The F6B isn't for everybody. And sometimes those people buy one.

[Scotrod]

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

I got a crisp 20 that says the helmet lock ain't broke,,,,

But, if he's sellin it, no reason fer me ta tell him about the button,,,

[grendl]

HHB,
I am sorry you spent your hard earned money on something that does not please you or isn't what you thought it would be.
I still have my 1000 Hurricane parked beside my F6B. Most of my buddies thought I would sell it,most of my Gold Wing friends cant understand why I would keep the 'Cane.
They are two different bikes,man. Designed to do something different.
Granted I have to wax the h3!! out of my big black dragon,just rode her in the rain today so back to it again tomorrow.
My point is I love both my bikes and the difference.
On the handling issue,I am used to my 'Cane in the twisties,right? So I found myself dragging my toes riding the F6B in the twisties. Once you get over the mental thing of how big it is and just ride it it will lean and carve amazingly !..And pull out of curves,most of the time without downshifting to find power.
Neither of my bikes like gravel and they deal with it differently too. The 'Cane is twitchy and you need a steady hand and full attention. The Wing,just ride it on your course. I will admit stopping it and slow ,stop and go in gravel brings pucker moments but once it's moving,no problem.I rode today with a buddy that has a long ,uphill ,single car gravel driveway.I am still wondering what I was thinking to pull up in there,but I made it.Point and shoot man..
I hope you find what you'r looking for, just thought I'd give some perspective since I can relate directly to what you are probably feeling since I own both types of bike and switch back and forth.
Give the F6B a shot,ride it,forget about how big it is.
And if you dont like it, I'll bet you wont have much trouble finding someone that would love it at used prices.
The original question, Is this bike a keeper? ABSOLUTELY!I am not thinking about trading, selling,or parting with it.It is a wonderful thing....I think the only thing better than having one...is to have two of them.

[motoman]

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. 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.

I also had a ZX-14 and sorry to disagree, but that is not a 'sportbike'. It's more like a 'superbike'. It's also a great 'sport tour' bike with some soft luggage on it. However, after 3 tickets in one year, it was becoming a problem.

The F6B is a big heavy bike. The fixed fairing gives you a psychological disconnect from the road. However, it does handle well! You gotta have faith! Go ahead and lean it over in a curve, and lo and behold it won't fall over! There are videos on Youtube of full Wings leaned over farther than many sportbikes and we don't even have a trunk. But if you were happy with your ZX, not sure why you didn't get a similar bike like an FJR, Concours, maybe a BMW K1300?

As for gravel, nobody likes to ride in gravel, but you should not assume the F6B will just flop over at a moment's notice. Again, I think the weight and girth are intimidating you. There is a skill to riding in gravel, and the F6B will handle it as well as most bikes, maybe better with it's longer wheelbase.

My advice is to keep it a while longer and give it a chance. I know the first time I took my F6B through some twisties, I was thinking 'OMG, I'm going down!' but I had seen and heard about how well Wings handle, and sure enough everything was fine. Now I just basically throw the bike into a curve, and it almost seems to handle things on its own. Just don't panic and hit the brake. As far as your other issues go, not sure about that, bad PDI possibly?