FZ6 Fazer or TDM or Tiger?

First bike, what should I get?

Budget £3k

Please help!

Early Fazers way better than later ones.

TDM very capable and underated, dodgy gearbox on early ones. Bit odd 😉

Tiger schmiger eh?????

Look into insurance etc

Dont rule out Hornets and small Fazers better than big ones.

TDM and tiger is Grp 13, and the Fazer is 12, so not too much difference in cost. All expensive 😯

Out of those 3, and having done 30,000 miles on a Speed Triple, I can say with confidence that you'll never regret buying a bike with a Triumph triple in it!

probably go for the tiger (or the speed triple if thats your sauce)

although if money was a little looser:

First bike, not a Tiger or TDM IMO. The Tiger's engine is beautiful but it's not a light bike and though it can be made to absolutely hustle it needs a little skill and sometimes commitment to get the best out of it. Not particularily learner friendly. The TDM I love, don't know why but again, it's a hefty machine and not all that forgiving of mistakes. Also neither are cheap at all to crash. The TDM in particular can take a lot of damage in a 0mph topple.

It's generally the holy trinity here..An older Fazer as the new ones are s**t, or the newest Hornet you can afford as they've always got better (the old ones are still good), or find an SV650 in as good condition as you can, regardless of year. All brilliant bikes… The Fazer's the most practical, the SV and Hornet are great bikes to grow with and develop your riding with, the SV's damn near unkillable.

I'd personally recommend an SV650S. Great fun to ride, superb little engine, cheap to buy and run, and one of the most crashable bikes of recent years as long as you avoid the 2003 model with its comedy radiator.

Early Fazer is the best and the r1 spec brakes are excellent

Early T reg Fazer FZS 600 here- my first big bike.

Seems decent, can move when it needs to and brakes are good. Cost me £1200 with 18k on the clock, dealer service history to 14500 miles. Serviced it myself since. Just stripped the brakes and put new hoses on- brakes are superb!! Now up to 23500 miles 1 year later, couple of tours up north. No numb bumb (6 hrs in seat) and getting about 60mpg on the trip (about220-230 miles per tank range). 17litre tank I think.

Only thing I'd like it with more low down torque, but I pootle about in the lower range of the revs (3-6k revs) and the power band starts about 7k revs. Up to 15.5k revs on counter, so I'm being conservative when riding. Still, perfectly adequate as it is. You just need to play the gears a little when planning overtakes- just like using a turbo diesel a bit.

Fancied the SV650s but the lower handlebars- more clip on style- did not appeal to me so much. Fazer is more upright. Otherwise this was my second choice.

The only thing is ABS. If you want ABS, your choice is a Bandit or a Honda CBF600. I'd choose the latter, but it looses about 10-15bhp over the fazer and gains about 30kg in weight. Still a decent bike tho'.

If you ahve any questions re fazer just mail me!

Cheers

Paul

As a first bike you really don't want to be on something like a Tiger or anything else as big/heavy. Just get a simple 4 cylinder 600, far quicker than you ought to be on.

I talk as someone who had 250's on L plates, perfect 'first bike'.

I had a 1050 Tiger last, cracking bike, but needed a confident rider to make it shift/handle.

Also wouldn't recommend superbikes as a first bike, but seen plenty of 40+'s buy/ride them…

oh, also had a honda cb250. this overlapped with the Fazer- found the latter to be easier to ride to be honest and the power was useful at times.

I'm just putting my 2004 ZR-7s up for sale for about half of your budget if you're interested?

MCN review here[/url]. E-mail in my profile if you want any more info.

First bike after passing test? Looking for a bit of a jack of all trades bike?

I second the SV650. Give yourself a year on it to get hte comedy "dropping in a car park" routine over with, and something thats fun to ride, and not "too" daunting. The SV is a fairly friendly bike, you can apply the heavy handed learner touch to it without it reacting badly, yet as a twin, still fun to ride, and easier – so much torque you dont have to "pedal" the gears like a 4 cylinder. Its also lowish, so even me at 5'6 with a 30 inch inside leg can hapilly get feet down, and it's 25% lighter than say a bandit or fazer.

The Tiger is going to be heavy, tall and a bit of a "mans" bike, and does a newbie need a 1l + bike?

600cc fours? Poxy Jap V-twins? Do yourself a favour and get the Trumpet. That 955i triple is one of the best motorbike engines ever made. Like sitting astride a jet engine. More mid range than a Fazer thou (go on, check it out) built like a blacksmiths anvil. Also, Triumph = 45 mpg and Honda = 45 miles per tank.

PeterPoddy, Honda = 45mpt (minutes per tank)

Dont you have to be about 8 foot tall to ride a Tiger? I would advise getting a 600ish something cheap and small, that way you can drop it and not worry. My BMW 650 is slow but still good fun for me a year on from passing my test and I am nowhere near being able to push its handling. Its also survived a couple of unplanned topple's which have just added character to its rugged ugliness.

An older Fazer as the new ones are s**t

I've heard this before, utter crap. I've got a year old FZ6, great bike – docile at low revs, nice powerband that kicks in above 10,000 revs, great in traffic and comfy. Could do with stiffer suspension, but that's about the only thing I can fault.

Second (or third or whatever) the SV650S as a good choice, lovely little bike.

Perhaps I'm being harsh 🙂 The new Fazer just made me think of a slightly older Hornet, only less well executed. I'd expected it to be more Fazerey, mainly, but I didn't think the tradeoff it made was worth losing what made the old one so great.

I started off with an 850TDM, not a bad option to start off with at all, very neutral and easy to ride – and the insurance was dead cheap! For the money you are talking you could find a 900cc model (same insurance) which is both better looking and better performing.

The Fazers – mate had an older 600 (2002 IIRC… the last of the carb models anyway). It was a nice wee bike that (he totalled it, replaced it with a Fazer Thou and thinks the 6 is the better bike!). Another mate has just bought a newer model (FZ6) and we are less impressed. It has to be worked to get the best out of it, and has a bit of a drink problem as a result. Nice bike, but I would probably be tempted by the older one or the TDM over it.

Tiger – currently riding a 1050 one – bloody ace, but first bike territory it isn't really! The 955i could be okay, but it is perhaps just a bit heavy? Not sure, never ridden one 😉 The 955i Speed Triple is, I would think, a bit too much for a first bike. I had that last and it was utterly biblical in performance and soooo much fun. Not ideal for what I want which is why it went though (I think the 1050 Tiger has the lions share of the performance but with a mountain more comfort and luggage carrying capabilities!)

Hornets, Bandits, Z750s, Versys, V-Stroms, ER-6s, SV-650s etc all very good options too. Best bet is to go and just sit on them all in showrooms and see what fits best and go with that (most places will probably refuse a testride, many ask for 2 years experience before allowing you out – though not all)

How about a Yamaha TRX? Or a bit old for you? ITs an interesting take on a twin?

Shameless plug for 2 bikes which i currently have sitting in my parents garage which may suit – havent ridden either in over 6mts hence the sale.

N reg YZF600r Thundercat (yellow/silver varient) – this was my first big bike. Cheap to insure, good fuel economy and very comfortable to ride all day – id only want about £1200 but it needs a new battery (it had £600 spent on it at its last MOT which was about a year ago)

2004 CBR 600RR – also will need a new battery as it hasn't been rode in over 6 mts. few marks here and there but would only want £3k for it.

Another mate has just bought a newer model (FZ6) and we are less impressed. It has to be worked to get the best out of it, and has a bit of a drink problem as a result

That's what makes it good as a commuter and as a first bike – it's easy at low revs, so when it's raining you just stick to a higher gear, less power down and less dangerous. Most of time commuting you won't be hammering it, either – so unless you've only got it as a toy the drink problem isn't really a problem at all.

As a tiger 955i owner I can't reccomend it as a first bike. Its big, heavy, requires a tall rider and requires a good deal of manhandling to get the best out of it compared to a smaller bike. Best route for a newbie is normally smaller bike, learn to ride it well and make the most of its ability then move up. You are going to take much longer to learn how to chuck a bike around if you start on a big one.

RobS – how tall are you? I've been thinking about chopping my Sprint 1050 in for a Tiger, but at 5' 10" I feel that I might be a bit small. You can buy lowering kits to lose about an inch, but I think there may be some ground clearance issues.

. You can buy lowering kits to lose about an inch, but I think there may be some ground clearance issues.

Is re-shaping the seat an option? I know of people who've had their seat done in order to lose a little height.

I've got an '02 CBR600f that would make an awesome first bike. £2.5k if you fancy it. Then I can buy Oxnops 600rr

I had a Tiger 1050, 34" inside leg, but you can get the 'smaller' man seat option I believe…

Its a big bike that looks heavier than it is, but rides superb. I bought mine as a commuter (120 mile round trip); very good on fuel and the riding position is worth yards over a sports bike through the better vantage point. Interesting my last 3 bikes all took the same time (an hour) to get to work…

zx9r @ 40mpg
fazor thou @ 45mpg
Tiger @ 50mpg