Warming up to the F6B

[choptop]

Over the last 18 or so years, I have had (2) Harleys and (2) RoadStar Warriors. Love the Look of the V twins, the sound and what you can do to them, accessorize wise. Warrior has been gone for a month or so. The '90 FL w/127 ci Ultima engine is all that is left. I am trying to warm up to the F6b, I am used to a shiny engine, shiny wheels and all kinds of shiny parts that required hours of cleaning/shining to keep it shiny. The F6B is so black and their is hardly any chrome to shine and it just looks so different from the style I love and am used to,but I think I like the look. I think I would like the freedom of not having to keep all that chrome shiny and maybe ride more. I think it would be great to have a fairing and shield to keep some of the wind and road off of my face, to hear some music while riding and the different feel of a bike w/a lower center of gravity and the feel that comes w/it. I check out the forum everyday, it is different from most other forums that are talking about adding shiny things and looking for more power and speed, I am kind of liking listening to people talking about the day long comfortable ride, the great power and comments they get. Wi riding season is quickly coming to an end, I will keep reading and trying to warm up to the F6B and hope, in the spring, to have (1) shiny Harley and (1) black F6B, in the Garage.

[MichaelG]

Choptop, if there is anything that I, or we, can do to assist you in this quest, please let us know. We are happy to answer questions, give opinions based on actual experience, and even share insights from many years of riding on these platform of bikes.

If you wait...February is the best month to buy a bike, especialy where you live.

If you wait even further, and have not made up your mind by then...attend an F6B rally early next year, and I will let you ride my bike, so you can have first hand experience with a bike that is properly broken in, and has a fee accessories on it.

Really !

[choptop]

Thanks Miles, the forum has been answering all of my questions by all of it's favorable comments. If someone had told me 6 months ago that I would be considering a Gold Wing, I would have told them that they were nuts and it would never happen, I kind of seeing it happen, YET I really like the Stratoliner deluxe but them I am back in the vtwin thing again and I had to laugh at the husband and wife that went to pick up his F6B and she test rode it and traded her Stratoliner, I think,in, that says a lot. I will keep reading and learning and make my decision in the spring.

[hiflyer]

Choptop,

I spent the last 23 years riding Harleys and BMWs. After a late summer trip to Yellowstone, I knew I wanted something different. I got to the point that I absolutely was disgusted with the amount of heat the Harley's engine made. No way could I stand to ride a Harley in the summertime with lowers installed and I deplored the lack of wind protection to the legs without them. Maybe has something to do with the fact I'm getting older. I have had my F6b for about three weeks now. Today I rode from OKC to Ft. Worth and back, 430 miles, to visit the kids. On and off rain and temps in the 50's and 60's and I loved it!! The smoothness and the power, the balance of the bike, the wind protection, all good. Do yourself a favor and go to a dealer and sit on the bike, pick it up off the kickstand and see how light it feels. And guess what? My bike is covered in road film, and I'm not even concerned. The fact that you are here on this forum, leads me to believe, we'll be hearing from you soon, as a new owner like myself. Ride the bike, buy the bike, you won't regret it. BTW, the only bikes I saw on the interstate today in the rain and cool, were Goldwings.

[opas ride]

My new F6B is 3 days away from my garage and me. Had it custom painted Brandywine Red and saw parts of it today at the dealer being put together..Cobra pipes, Kury grips, other goodies and I am really excited.. Traded my Vision, which was a great bike, but after owning a Valkyrie flat 6 motor for several years and switching to several V-Twins later, I too got tired of the heat and vibrations that come from most of them and am really looking forward to the power and smoothness of the F6B....

[choptop]

Thanks guys, love hearing that stuff.

[MOODY]

Choptop the best part of buying the F6B is you wont have to spend 5 grand to on the motor to run w/ Honda Shadows

[Phantom]

I check out the forum everyday, it is different from most other forums that are talking about adding shiny things and looking for more power and speed, I am kind of liking listening to people talking about the day long comfortable ride.

You haven't been reading many of Steve 0080 posts have ya? :duck::shhh: :hippy:

I also like Chrome, I have a nice chromed out Honda Rune that attracts more attention than I care for ... but I also have a Goldwing. My daily rider and FAVORITE bike is my Goldwing ... and I am NOT a Grandpa (I am in my mid-40's). My Wing is my couch rocket and simply enjoyable to ride. You will NOT be disappointed with a F6B. Like Miles has stated above, the BEST time to purchase a new Bike will be in January - February.

[Steve 0080]

Welcome to the board... there is nothing wrong with a little chrome on a black bike !!!!!

[db24]

ChopTop, I'm in southeast WI and have nearly the same story. I have had several Harleys (hey, it would be wrong to live in the Milwaukee area and not have one), a couple of street bikes and some others in between. Two months ago I decided my back just couldn't take the riding position of my Kawasaki Ninja 1000, and I decided to go back to touring bikes.

My brother has always had Gold Wings, and although I rode some of his around the block I never really had any interest in them. I had my heart set on a BMW K1600GT, but then decided I'd at least take a final look at what else was out there. While looking at Victory's I stopped to look at the Honda F6B. The look of it brought me over; sitting on it reminded me what a comfortable motorcycle felt like, and a quick test ride sold me. The fact that the F6B was quite a bit cheaper than the BMW helped too!

I've put 3000 miles on the F6B now, and still catch myself smiling almost every time I head out for a ride. This may be the easiest bike to ride that I've ever owned. The big engine mounted low, the frame mounted fairing, the excellent handling-- well, I think I'm going to have this motorcycle for a while. Not to say I won't ever look at the H-D Rushmore bikes... but I don't see anything there yet that would make me switch. Frankly, a little less vibration and noise is attractive to me right now. And, everyone here has a Harley-- I got a little tired of riding the same bike everyone else has, and there just aren't many F6Bs on the road. Now, it seems everyone wants to come over and look at my bike, especially the H-D owners!

Depending where you live, I'd be happy to stop by some day and show mine off. I'd have no problem trading keys and letting you take it for a ride!

[srkeet]

:icon_razz: Choptop,

You need more reasons to ride the F6B?:
How about so much torque, you almost never use first gear. The most reliable motor in the business. Lots of Honda dealers and a plentiful supply of maintenance supplies and parts. And to echo the other guys on this thread, this Jan. or Feb. should be a great time to buy that leftover F6B!

May Heaven help us bikers and our image!,

srkeet

[fxdl2051]

I spent all day washing and cleaning the new f6b. I wasn't thrilled about the scratchy, muddy paint job from Edo, but after applying Liquid Glass to the paint, holly smolly! I had read numerous reviews about this product by forum owners and after researching it, this stuff makes the paint luminous, good as any Harley. Yeah Harleys are a totally different bike, they are easy to customize, work on and clean, but the motor is nostalgic at best. The f6b is the opposite, the Japanese design to perfection, though the American aesthetic is not something they understand, still Honda probably comes closer than most. But with all those compound surfaces, I have no idea how easy this Honda will be to keep clean and debugged. But hey, it's something different, these are two unrelated design philosophies at work, Harley's one up crafting of a well heeled design vs Honda's technological innovation and forward thinking engineering. If I had the money, I would have kept the Harley for days when I just wanted to rattle all the windows in the cagers next to me. But I have a feeling, I wouldn't be riding it all that often. My rides on the Harley were generally 150-250, after that I was kinda beat. I'm looking at the Honda for statewide riding without the burn. I think you'll grow to like the bike too. Welcome to the club.
ss^,
Ken

[fxdl2051]

My new F6B is 3 days away from my garage and me. Had it custom painted Brandywine Red and saw parts of it today at the dealer being put together..Cobra pipes, Kury grips, other goodies and I am really excited.. Traded my Vision, which was a great bike, but after owning a Valkyrie flat 6 motor for several years and switching to several V-Twins later, I too got tired of the heat and vibrations that come from most of them and am really looking forward to the power and smoothness of the F6B....
Sounds like a looker, can't wait to see the baby pix! I'm really interested in seeing how it turned out.
ss^,
Ken

[fxdl2051]

[QUOTE=db24;11756] Not to say I won't ever look at the H-D Rushmore bikes...

Test rode a Rushmore when I was trying to decide where to go next. That hydraulic clutch has limited slippage, dropping the clutch for the first time with the extra ponies of the bigger engine, I nearly fell backwards off the bike! Must have made an amusing sight. If it's your thing, than it's double serving of what Harley does best.
ss^,
Ken

[CheckpointChcky]

So Choptop, what do you think now? :icon_wink:

[choptop]

So Choptop, what do you think now? :icon_wink:

Well, when I wrote that ,my Harley was down w/an engine noise that developed on July 18th, I thought, at the time that it was just a lifter or something simple, it had been rebuilt 12,000 miles earlier because of catastrophic engine failure. Well I was wrong, catastrophic engine failure again, that was the straw that broke the Harley's back. Sold it w/engine in pieces to my brother and bought the 6. Although I still , at times , miss the Harley sound, I love my 6, love the look, the ride, the handling, the reliability and am making it mine w/accessories I like. Love the fact that I can hop on it and head in a direction and not have to worry about getting back , I pack a over night bag at all times just in case. lol I wish that they had made this bike 10years ago, would I have been ready for it, don't know, but hope I would have been.

[hiflyer]

I have no idea how easy this Honda will be to keep clean
ss^,
Ken

I have found that this bike is easier to keep clean than anything I've owned.

[Scotrod]

I have found that this bike is easier to keep clean than anything I've owned.

Yep!

The fairing/shield takes ~all~ the bug hits,,, Easy to clean everything else w/o the need for cleaning all the cracks/crevices other bikes have,,,

[smokinjoe187]

Well, when I wrote that ,my Harley was down w/an engine noise that developed on July 18th, I thought, at the time that it was just a lifter or something simple, it had been rebuilt 12,000 miles earlier because of catastrophic engine failure. Well I was wrong, catastrophic engine failure again, that was the straw that broke the Harley's back. Sold it w/engine in pieces to my brother and bought the 6. Although I still , at times , miss the Harley sound, I love my 6, love the look, the ride, the handling, the reliability and am making it mine w/accessories I like. Love the fact that I can hop on it and head in a direction and not have to worry about getting back , I pack a over night bag at all times just in case. lol I wish that they had made this bike 10years ago, would I have been ready for it, don't know, but hope I would have been.

amen to that...i had a vtx 1300c i loved i sold to buy a harley because i wound not fit a regular gold wing..i love my 2009 e glide...great bike
but the minute i saw the f6b i knew i had to have one,preordered it in dec of 12...
had to wait and old guys hate to wait....thats how bad i wanted it...only rode the harley 1 time after that and that was to go on consignment...
so yes....i think we all know how you feel....leave it how you like it but ride it like you stole it!!
See YA!!
Smokinjoe