Circle-5
04-24-2016, 08:49 PM
Middle-aged, overweight and very pleased with my purchase ... The first thing I did after the 5-mile ride home from the dealer was to apply seven coats of Liquid Glass to seal the infamous Honda eco-paint, allowing each LG coat to "bake" in the California sun. Many thanks to the folks on this forum, for warning me (and other unsuspecting customers) about this issue. To say the factory paint was soft is an understatement, but LG definitely helped (you know it's a good product because it's banned in this State!) Then I added the tall OEM windscreen and just ordered Show-Chrome 52-906 conformal LED fog lights and the aftermarket ride-off centerstand from WingStuff.
Things I like about the F6B: good looks, not a Harley, lots of power, uncommon model (at least in Los Angeles), low CG, this forum and the flat-6's good reputation for reliability.
Things I don't like about the F6B: could use a 6th gear, somewhat cheesy-feeling suspension (but that should be fixable – I was amazed at how Progressive shocks improved the ride on my old Sportster). I'm also not crazy about all the plastic, but the bike is already heavy enough, so that probably helps a lot.
The only real issue I have is the lack of ABS. I was saved by ABS on a nasty gravel bed (on a BMW) and feel ABS should have been available, at least as an option. Across Europe and elsewhere, ABS is mandatory, especially on a heavy motorcycle like this. American Honda is just trying to hit a marketing price point by eliminating this safety feature, which is unfortunate. In the end, the good points considerably outweighed the bad, so I bought it.
I would also have preferred a 2015 or 2016 model with cruise control, but I forgot to win the lottery.
Motorcycles are a bit like women: pricey accessories make them happy. So next on my list are Helibars (I probably could live without, but why?) and a luggage rack of some sort.
I am grateful for the existence of this forum and all the good people and posts that have helped my decision. It's good to be here.
20433
Things I like about the F6B: good looks, not a Harley, lots of power, uncommon model (at least in Los Angeles), low CG, this forum and the flat-6's good reputation for reliability.
Things I don't like about the F6B: could use a 6th gear, somewhat cheesy-feeling suspension (but that should be fixable – I was amazed at how Progressive shocks improved the ride on my old Sportster). I'm also not crazy about all the plastic, but the bike is already heavy enough, so that probably helps a lot.
The only real issue I have is the lack of ABS. I was saved by ABS on a nasty gravel bed (on a BMW) and feel ABS should have been available, at least as an option. Across Europe and elsewhere, ABS is mandatory, especially on a heavy motorcycle like this. American Honda is just trying to hit a marketing price point by eliminating this safety feature, which is unfortunate. In the end, the good points considerably outweighed the bad, so I bought it.
I would also have preferred a 2015 or 2016 model with cruise control, but I forgot to win the lottery.
Motorcycles are a bit like women: pricey accessories make them happy. So next on my list are Helibars (I probably could live without, but why?) and a luggage rack of some sort.
I am grateful for the existence of this forum and all the good people and posts that have helped my decision. It's good to be here.
20433