Making The Transition: 250 to 600

Introduction

The Bike

For some background, the FZR600 was a popular sportbike made by Yamaha from 1989 to 1999. As far as sport machines are concerned, the FZR was a phenomenal success for Yamaha. Few sportbikes enjoy such long production runs. With the exception of a change to a single headlight design in 1991-92 (which so upset FZR owners and buyers that Yamaha went back to the dual headlight design from 1993 onward) and a change to a different rear wheel and front brake setup on the 1990 and up models (the 1989 model had a smaller diameter rear rim and single piston front brakes vs. two piston setup that all later FZR's carried), the bikes made in 1990 was the same as the ones that finished the production run in 1999. Thousands of these bikes were sold in North America over its ten year production run making the FZR600 one of the most popular sportbikes ever.

The FZR600 was the middleweight of the 'Fizzer' family (the FZR's nickname in riding circles). Yamaha also produced the amazing FZR400 and the potent FZR1000 with the then-revolutionary 20 valve (5 valves/cylinder) inline four 1000cc engine. The FZR600 is the grandfather of the modern YZF-R6 and the father of the current YZF-600R. The FZR600 and YZF-600R share a lot of commonality and were co-produced for many years before the introduction of the YZF-R6.

The FZR600 is rated at 395 pounds dry weight, 458 pounds wet. It is equipped with a 599cc 16 valve inline four cylinder engine producing 86hp at 10,000rpm at the crankshaft. Peak torque is 41.1ft/lbs and occurs earlier at 8500rpm. Rear wheel power varies between 75-81hp (depending on the engine's state of tune, 75hp indicates a bike in need of a serious tune-up). The FZR600 is equipped with a steel Deltabox perimeter frame, a fairly short wheelbase for its size, full instrumentation and has all the hallmarks of a modern sportbike including a forward tilted engine, cavernous airbox and a fuel tank set behind and below the carbs instead of above them. All of these features keep the mass of the bike low and central. It was one of the first sportbikes to demonstrate the all-out concept of 'mass centralization' (a trend that continues today).

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First Ride

So, here I am with this new, big and powerful sportbike in my garage. For the first two days, I re-read both of David Hough's 'Proficient Motorcycling' series. Nothing like a good refresher after being out of the saddle for a while. The bike sat in the garage for days and only admired. It wasn't until a Sunday afternoon that the time came for me to be properly introduced to my new ride. Given that the bike was carrying temporary tags and a Maryland registration, I was restricted to short hops for my first rides to keep my risks down.

I suited up in full leathers (my normal cool weather riding attire), grabbed the keys and went down to the garage. After getting the door to stay open, there she sat. I did my pre-ride walkaround, checked the tire pressure and started her up.

The growl of a supersport on idle is very different from my old Ninja. You can feel the power in the exhaust note. I check the electrics (turn signals, brake lights, headlight and horn) and everything is working fine. I swing a leg over the new ride and back her out of the garage into the driveway of my apartment complex.

At this point, you have to understand my thinking. Strangely, it's not the power of the engine that concerns me. I know it is a high-revving inline four and I know it's going to be more sensitive than the 250cc parallel twin of my old bike. That's why my first motions are going to be lesson #1 of the MSF course: play with the friction zone. What is concerning me is the brakes. I've two discs up front and each one is half the size of the front wheel of my old bike! I have no idea what these brakes are going to do when I apply them. But this was the time to find out.

In to first gear I go and begin to ease out the clutch with a little power. I feel her begin to grab and duckwalk her forward. After ten feet, I pull the clutch it, come off the power and touch the brakes. The front end stops smoothly, dipping a little but not hard. Not too bad. I repeat the exercise a couple more times, following the road up around my apartment building. The friction zone is very narrow but getting the bike to roll isn't bad.

Ok, I've got to do it. Finally and for the first time, I ease the clutch out all the way and bring my feet up on the pegs. The bike lurches forward with some chain lash. I bring the power up to 3000rpm and she's rolling slowly at 10mph or so. I go over a couple of speed bumps and roll on the throttle. She quickly doubles her speed. Not excessive, but very quick and without much extra rpms. I've just learned my first thing about the FZR: the engine really lugs at low rpms and she will tell me she doesn't like it.

I roll around the parking lot and get used to feeling for the turn signals. The signal switch is a little awkward compared to my old bike. Nothing major, just another thing to get used to. I bring the bike to the exit of my complex very gently, flick the signal on for a left turn and with no traffic in sight, ease the bike out onto the street for the first time.

My first ride was planned as a short loop barely 3 miles long. I'm just taking her around the block. I go to my first turn in first gear only and get used to how the bike engine brakes as well as getting used to the brakes themselves under power. Not too bad and requiring only a light touch to activate. I make a right turn and begin my loop.

Time to shift up to second as I bring the power up and predictably, I blow the shift. The bike whines in neutral rather than second gear. I quickly bring the lever up again and lurch into second. No biggie. I come to my next turn, clutch in and downshift to first, coast to a halt, signal and ease into a right turn. Another shift. This time I make it but it is sloppy. The bike jumps a bit as blip the throttle. I roll up to a traffic light next to my apartment complex and wait for it to change. When it does, I roll on the throttle and bring the bike up to speed for the four lane road that parallels my complex. I shift to second and blow it again. The bike howls in neutral. Ok, I'm being told something here. I look down to confirm the light and I'm stunned to see my speedometer at 50mph. I'm barely past the light! I click the bike into second, again with a jolt. Up into third to get the rpms down at 55mph and I do that sloppily too.

I'm figuring out what I'm doing wrong by this point. I'm used to blipping the throttle as I bring the gears up to keep the power even. The problem is, I'm blipping like I'm on a Ninja 250R. It takes a bit of aggressive rolling on and off the throttle of the baby Ninja to get it to match rpms for a given gear. Not surprisingly, doing these type of aggressive cracks of my wrist are inducing 3-4K jumps in rpm on the FZR. I need to get this smoothed out.

I approach my next turn, a yield to the right that is a nice, constant radius turn. I downshift to second as I'm on the brakes to slow for the turn. Don't do too badly. Nothing to be proud of. Fortune shines on me and there is no traffic for me to yield to so I setup the turn and roll into it firmly in second.

Ok, this is not a Ninja 250R!! The FZR dipped into the turn and I'm leaned with it. She's rock solid through the turn and I add a little power sweeping through it. Not even a bobble. The Ninja would have been settling down on its suspension riding this turn that hard. The FZR did it (to use a cliché) like it was on rails. Now I'm in love. This section of road has a few wide sweepers which I do in second gear. It also has a few manhole covers and other assorted metal covers in the road which give me a little swerving practice. Even with the heavier weight, the FZR seems to be just as nimble as my old bike. I reach my next turn, downshift badly and wobble a little through the turn. I'm glad my riding friends aren't around to see this.

I'm on the final stretch home. Two quick shifts up to third gear, this time making the shift to second without stopping to visit neutral. The FZR definitely requires an aggressive pull up through neutral. I can hear the gear engage. Shift to third isn't too bad and now I ride the bike through a left-right turn. She goes where I point her and stays pointed in that direction. I reach my last turn, firm on the brakes and down to first. I take the turn in first and accelerate out just like I was on my old bike. Same feeling of stability and solidness. A quick burst of power and I'm back into my parking lot.

We'll, I rode a 600cc sportbike for the first time and I lived. The scoreboard is clearly on the side of the bike. Of the shifts that I made up and down, I blew all but one. Brakes were firm and sensitive. Except for the two turns I got right (which made the whole trip worthwhile for the whole 5-7 minutes it lasted), I was riding the bike pretty badly. I'm clearly going to being going through a 'period of adjustment'. The bike also showed me it will accelerate from 0 to 45mph in nothing flat. I fully understand now when people talk about doing triple digits and it feels like 70mph. I thought I was going 35mph when I blew my shift off the light. I was hitting 50mph just after clearing the intersection!

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Gaining And Regaining Experience

I take the bike a couple days later to the parking lot and practice my MSF exercises for several hours to get used to the FZR's low speed handling. Put mildly, it doesn't have much. The friction zone as I quickly learn is extremely short. The clutch is also very tight (not uncommon in supersports) and my hand is sore after rolling around feathering the clutch for a while. It's a necessary skill for me: I spend a lot of time in stop-and-go traffic. After a round of stop-and-go pulling away practice, I'm starting to smooth out my acceleration in first. The bike is very responsive on throttle and all it takes is pressure on the throttle to get the bike up to 20mph. Figure eights are messy but doable. I get some practice in trail braking the FZR, something my old Ninja never really needed at low speed. The FZR demands it.

Emergency braking is the eye opener. A series of speed ups and firm braking exercises teach me humility. I have good reason to respect these brakes. I get to experience a feeling I never had on the Ninja 250R: weight shift under braking. I would bottom out the front fork and feel the front tire protest (never a good thing) but not really feel the rear get light on the Ninja. Not on the FZR. I can feel the front end loading up as I progressively apply pressure to the brakes and feel the rear get light and loose. It quickly becomes a balancing act to increase pressure on the front and ease off the rear brake. One good thing is the FZR will begin to tell me when the rear is approaching its lockup limit (by feeling the rear brake begin to pulsate). I've found the harder I squeeze the front, the harder she stops. And these aren't even the 320mm monster disc and six piston systems fitted to modern supersports! Smaller discs and two piston calipers. I couldn't imagine the braking force of a modern supersport.

All in all, parking lot practice goes well (I don't drop it, always a plus). Over the next couple days, I repeat my initial loop putting a total of 12 miles on the bike. I'm still making mistakes, botching shifts but getting my throttle work smoothed out. I'm braking cautiously and leaving myself plenty of room to stop. On the weekend, I go get my permanent tags after the title arrives in the mail and finally, I get to take the bike to my friend's place about 20 miles away. I need a chance to get the bike out on the road for a while rather than stay confined to my neighborhood.

The ride is uneventful and by the time I get there, I'm getting a good feel for the bike. It's on familiar roads but with a variety of speeds. The bike is definitely most comfortable in the 45-60mph range. I spend the afternoon with my friend helping him change out his front and rear sprockets (which most would have found highly entertaining to watch) and I ride home. With close to 60 miles on the clock, I'm starting to feel a lot better on the bike.

Over the next few weeks, I start commuting on my new ride, lead BB rides out into the country twice (one for 50 miles, the other for 110 miles) and do a trip to Summit Point and back. In the month or so I've owned the FZR, I've put around 800 miles on it and I'm in tune with the bike now and beginning to explore what it can do. The 110 mile ride was a huge boost in my confidence on the bike and showed me just what a supersport can do.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing. During a morning ride out to a hobby shop, I made the foolish decision to ride the bike onto the DC Beltway for a few miles to get a feel for it on the Interstate. I wound up scaring myself rather badly. I'd only put 200 miles on the bike at that point and was suffering from a bit of overconfidence. As we know, overconfidence can kill. Well, it is amazing how fast a sportbike can reach 90mph! I panicked and did the dumb thing: I rolled off the throttle. I never felt the steering head shake on the Ninja but I sure did on the FZR! After a hard kick to the left and right and I get the bike settled down by careful braking and downshifting badly. It takes me a few moments to pull my heart out of my throat (and maybe look for a change of leathers when I get to my destination). In two years of riding, I've never scared myself as badly as I did in that brief three mile jaunt on the Beltway. I didn't ride the Beltway again for two more weeks, much humbler and more alert and knowing what being in over my head would entail.

A week later, I get my first test of true hard braking when I am cut off (with a couple of car lengths to spare) and I get the bike slowed down fast. Yup, all that weight just hurtles forward and I feel the forks dive as I increase pressure on those front brakes. A relieved 'Whew!' and I'm on my way. This type of thing I take in stride. Glad to have survived the first one unscathed. At least my instincts are correct and working with the bike properly.

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Impressions And Conclusions

I can't claim enlightened expertise at this point with barely 1000 miles under me on the FZR but can now confirm some observations by our more experienced board members that for me to this point have been theoretical.

Put simply, everyone is right when they talk about sportbikes being sensitive. The FZR600 is an older machine but it does precisely what I tell it, usually by thought. What took active rolls on the throttle and stiff squeezing on the Ninja takes mere pressure on the 'Fizzer'. I think 'go faster', my wrist stiffens downward a little and I do go faster. I don't even feel the throttle move.

Admittedly, the FZR is tame under 6000rpm. Below 3000rpm and you are lugging the engine. 2000rpm is the bare minimum for forward motion with significant drive lash. Whole different story on the high side of the power band. It wasn't until a couple weeks on the bike that I started to wring it out and take her to redline. I did it in first gear and hit close to 55mph at redline. I brought her up very slowly during this but I definitely felt the bike just want to go and go and go as she hit 8K rpm. Later when I did this more aggressively, I could definitely feel the point the power kicked in. I can feel the torque transition to a steady surge from the bike that just does not want to stop. I cannot keep the bike legal in second gear as I get into the power band.

So what are my thoughts on the transition from the 250R to the FZR600? Mostly positive. Honestly, I can say the best things the Ninja taught me was friction zone control (which is crucial on the FZR given how small its zone is) and understanding the characteristics of a high revving sport engine. My best experience in the move up has been my stop-and-go commuting since it was there I mastered fine clutch control on the Ninja. The FZR is definitely more stable and I really don't feel the weight. I can definitely lean the bike more confidently into turns and this has been the major advantage over the smaller bike. The FZR turns much better overall.

I don't find myself relearning any skills. Just reinforcing the ones I have and making them work in a finer and more precise manner. The FZR600 does require finesse and a gentle touch. Small and then increasingly stronger inputs work best. Abrupt inputs are bad as my experiences with blown shifts has shown me.

I cannot emphasize the following enough: experience is everything. In looking at the ham-handed mistakes I made on the FZR600 and looking back on the errors I've made on the 250R, I can say had I started on the FZR600, I probably wouldn't be riding today. I would have dumped the bike. Badly.

The botched shifts and bad throttle work were not good things but I had the experience to know what was happening and take the time needed to correct it safely for the most part rather than panic. It's alarming to hear a sportbike howl in neutral, adding 4000rpm to the tach when you are expecting to be rolling on the power in second gear. It takes experience in the saddle to bring the clutch in, get off the power, get into gear and ease the clutch out under power and keep on going. That whole sequence happens in about two seconds. I don't think most new riders would be able to keep their wits about them while dealing with such incidents which come with riding a new machine. And that is a relatively minor thing.

I think the 7000 miles I put on the 250R was the best preparation I could have ever had for moving up to a 600cc machine. It gave me enough good riding habits and time in the saddle in all conditions to not let me get into over my head for the most part on the FZR. For anyone considering moving up to a 600cc machine in the future, I strongly recommend you learn on one of the high revving beginner sportbikes and get your throttle and clutch control honed to a fine degree. Even with the finesse I had developed on the Ninja, I found myself having to adapt quickly to the touchier FZR. Experience made that a pretty good move and one that I am still learning about every time I ride.

I also know I cannot reach the limit of the FZ600 on the street. In fact, I could remove the fifth and sixth gears and never miss them for any riding I could ever want to do up to and including excursions into triple digits (which I have not done). Heck, even fourth gear is a candidate for removal. I've ridden in sixth gear twice now just to keep my rpms down on the highway and to make sure it actually was there.

I've loved the transition to the 600cc machine and I owe a debt of thanks to BB for helping me find the Ninja 250R. I can't say I don't miss the Ninja 250 from time to time. But I like the crispness and handling of the bigger bike but I also know from what I've been though it will not suffer mistakes lightly. My previous experience has been the best teacher so far and the FZR600 is proving to be a challenging post-graduate professor at times.

For those of you on 250s and 500s, put a season (preferably two) down on your mounts and then move up. It will be the best thing you'll ever do. For those considering 600s out of the gate and skipping the smaller machines, think hard about it. The 600cc bike has shown itself to be mild-mannered when I want it to be but I know how to keep it that way. It doesn't suffer too many mistakes and won't suffer big ones lightly. I haven't made many and I'm in awe of the power of this machine. It keeps me grinning from ear to ear and I cannot imagine what its modern ilk must be like to ride with less weight and a ton more power.

Enough said, get out there and ride!

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