Howdy from DFW - Prospective Owner
Hey there, :039:
As a prospective owner of a Honda F6B, I thought I'd introduce myself.
I'm Bobby, live in the DFW, TX area, and have been riding the same 2002 Harley Night Train for the past 12 years.
I'm 42, and have grown tired of the Night Train for anything longer than a quick jaunt around town. It's been a wonderful bike, I love it, but it's time for something new.
I test drove a 2016 Road Glide and Street Glide. They were great, but I wasn't sold on them, especially for the price.
I decided to drop into a Honda dealership last Thursday after seeing a CTX leaving a gas station.
I didn't care so much for the CTX up close, but the F6B caught my interest.
I test drove one yesterday, and I have to say, that is the smoothest riding motorcycle I've ever been on. I quickly felt at home and confident on it. I didn't want to take it back in from the test drive.
I've had, going backwards before the Night Train, a 2003 FZ1, unlimited access to a 90 ZX7, 84 V65 Magna, 79 GS750 and my first bike, 80 Honda CM400T.
The F6B was feels smoother and more comfortable than any of those bikes.
A few personal niggles with the F6B:
Windshield needs about 4" more.
I'd like to move the seat and foot pegs down and forward an inch - or maybe just add hiway pegs.
Not much room between the gear shifter and the fairing.
I'd like to hear the motor a bit more going down the road.
I wonder how easy it is to work on, with all of that plastic covering everything up. Plastic, ugh.
That's it. All easily fixable.
Good things:
Awesome motor. I see no need for a 6th gear with that motor. It pulls in any gear at any rpm. Just great.
Handling is superb. I've read reviews of how it feels heavy in parking lots. I found it super easy to maneuver at any speed, including pushing it around with feet. No need for a reverse, imo. My NT may be 200lbs lighter, but it feels heavier at slow speeds or when pushing it around.
Suspension is nice. The F6 soaks up bumps that would have me lifting off the seat of the NT so as to not jar my spine.
Brakes are excellent. Slows down that beast of a motorcycle like it was a tiny Honda Rebel.
Radio sounds better going down the road than that of the Road Glide. It's still not great at more than neighborhood speeds, but I think a taller windshield would help.
The controls and gauge panel are laid out better than the Road Glide, imo. Easier to see and do things, no hunting around.
Back seat looks to be very comfortable for my gf, who is pretty much done doing any kind of rides on the back of the NT, even with the Sundowner seat and back rest.
I'm now in the process of shopping for the best price. My local dealership can only do $19600 + ttl for a 2015 deluxe. I found the same model for $16,380 about 1000 miles away. I'm not opposed to flying in and driving a new bike 15hrs home to save over $3000. Sounds like fun, actually. I found a 2013 standard for $15000 only 2 hours away. I'm trying to decide how important cruise control is to me. That's the only difference between the two bikes that really concerns me. The back rest and black pipes I can do with the extra $$ left over, and I could have the 2013 tomorrow. I have a bike jack, no need for the center stand. So, is cruise control worth about $3000 after travel and ttl?
Anyway, didn't set out to write a long post. I guess I'm rather excited about buying a new bike. I found this forum while researching the F6. It has already been a great resource for me. It seems to be full of courteous and friendly members. Unlike my close friends who are already busting my chops about potentially going metric.
Hopefully, I can look forward to chatting with y'all about the new bike in the near future.
-Bobby
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Congrats on the new ride ... Fellow DFW'r New to the F6B
Congrats on the new ride, I just picked mine up from Freedom Powersports in Fort Worth last Saturday. A brand new 2014 (non deluxe) with a Zumo 665LM and luggage rack for 15.3 LOVE THIS BIKE. This weekend is putting all the farkles on that the FEDEX man is supposed to be dropping off tomorrow. Maybe Ill see ya out and about here in DFW.
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