XJ-6 for an extended test ride

[Whiskey]

So apparently my local Kawi dealer (J&S in Birmingham UK - AVOID AT ALL COSTS, may be worth avoiding their other dealerships too) skipped a few bits in the service that they fully charged me for & my ninjette failed it's technical inspection because of it
I suspected they were dodgy when I found the idle was at 900rpm (barely above cutting out point), now I know they are
Tomorrow I shall be having words with J&S & with Kawasaki UK as soon as possible.

Anyway... the bike is in for a few repairs, pulling apart the rear shock to lubricate & inspect bearings that were allegedly lubricated & inspected at the end of July, 1400 miles ago, but appear not to have been done in over 10,000 miles.

The local inspection centre is at a Suzi & Yam dealership, so their courtesy bikes are XJ-6N's & I'll have one until Thursday at least.

I've rode a fair few different machines (legally & no exactly legally while I was on the restricted period after passing my test), but never really took a naked bike for a spin, never mind had one as a day to day machine & never took anyone else's bike for a wet spin.

First off this is a bike with a detuned 05 R6 lump, so I'm expecting a bit of power once I wind her on, but similar to a Fazer the bike is pretty civilised with an upright 'sit up & beg' riding position & an easy to handle low end.

After a few practise take offs to find the biting point & a little low speed control in the carpark I take it out to head home on the 40 mph dual carriageway. On the ninjette I'd be at about 7-8k in 3rd/4th gear, the XJ6 is happy to do the same pace at 5k in 2nd or 4k in 3rd, really I didn't have to go above 2nd that often (where I would have the ninjette's gearbox up & down like a whore's knickers on the same bit of road)

On to the slow speed area (20mph school zone, there'll be no kids at 18:30 on a saturday, but I pass the place on my way to work at 08:45 weekdays, when it's full of kids, so I obey the speed limit). Even still in 2nd the bike is happy to go at half the pace it was at earlier (I'd have the ninjette in 2nd here too) but when I got as far as the hospital's carpark barrier I really should have had it in 1st, it cut when rolling under power at 2mph in 2nd

Bike handles pretty easily, it's taller than the ninjette, & has good visibility, but it's not as easy to tip into a bend & a bit wider for filtering (or maybe it's the £1,000 ($1,600) excess on it's insurance & wet roads that's preventing me from misbehaving...)

This was partly to rant, partly to warn the UK guys about an unscrupulous Kawi stealership, & partly to give a report on the XJ-6 for anyone who wants one.

Anyway I'll sign this off for now.

[ChrisMKV]

I rode an unrestricted XJ6 (on a parking tho, since I'm still restricted ) and agree with your opinion.

Quite easy to control although not as flickable as the Ninja, very smooth power delivery and great gearbox.

The bike felt quite "wide" tough, with a big tank between the legs compared to the Ninja.

Still, if I'd had to get a naked 600, I would certainly have a look at this and the ER6n.

[Malicious Logic]

So wait...your bike is in the shop for repairs....and they gave you a courtesy bike? o.o

Am I the only one that thinks that is crazy/amazing?

[Alex]

A loaner bike is par for the course at BMW and Triumph dealers in this area, not so much for the Japanese brands.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Malicious Logic

So wait...your bike is in the shop for repairs....and they gave you a courtesy bike? o.o

Am I the only one that thinks that is crazy/amazing?

Yes, the shop is great for customer service & are one of the top Yamaha places.

I've seen the whole spectrum, from places that charge £50 for a test ride, as a deposit & taken off the price if you buy the bike (J&S, apparently they don't sell many bikes... I wonder why)
to places that charge a few quid for a courtesy machine, to Streetbike, who give you one free & with a full tank, just give it back undamaged & with a full tank.