Not a Fazer, but still a sportsbike: Sjaak Lucassen

A Fazer is as suitable as a VStrom for a big trip.

Great, you've put my mind at ease - thanks! I think I'll stick with Fazer then :)

It's not often that Fazers get a mention in the HUBB.
Make it a Fazer thou (first or second generation) and you are in 7th heaven - an excellent bit of kit.

I agree the Fazer 6 is a great bike. I've got the original FZS 600 1999 model and done a fair bit of European travel on it. Off again in July for 2 weeks on a 4K round trip from UK to Croatia. Plenty big enough solo touring and with rack an soft paniers can carry all you need inc camping stuff.

Only real problem I had was a stone peirced my oil filter which is a bit unusual so will be fitting fender extender for next trip.

MPG also brill @ approx 65mpg or 200 miles per tank max.

Thanks guys! :) I will be sure to post back on how the preparation going to make Fazer even more suitable for the big trip for the benefit of others!

Have a good rummage through the tyre sites/catalogues. I've found block tread tyres meant for GS style bikes move the pain threshold up a bit when trying to get road bikes up tracks where the term road might be less than accurate. Bonneville's, Weestroms and Guzzi V7's go the same places with me at the controls.

A bike type you know is worth more than theories about off road styling on any trip involving distance IMHO. If its a MX event fair enough, but then I'd want a 250.

Andy

ddartt- another thing to clean up and lublicate before your trip is the side stand safety switch. I ride all year round and and most of the time due to our lovely Britsh weather :rain: the fazer is not exactly clean and is covered in crap and chain lube... baad maintenance.. :innocent:...

Yesterday morning is the first time I've had a problem and lucky it was at home on the drive and not in the middle of nowhere... As I set off for work the bike cut out each time I put it into gear. Checked I hadn't left the side stand down but still had the problem when stand was up??

Had a good look last night and after scraping away all the gunk to make the switch visible I noticed the plunger on the swtich was not retracting when stand was up... hence cutting out when put into gear...

Good old WD40, a beer for me and some rags to clean it all up the switch is now operating as it should. Well it got me to work this morning anyway...

Another alternative is to bypass the switch which a lot of people seem to do if it's a reccuring problem... (cut the wires and join together to close the circuit)

Happy travels :scooter:

Andy, thanks for the advice!

And thanks to Bones667, will be sure to do that!

I'd rather clean it than bypass if it doesn't become too bad tbh, I don't have a habit of leaving the side stand down, except for that odd super-tired evening after a long ride when the last thing I want is to pick up the bike which I dropped because of the side stand :).

I've fitted the engine bars (for which the old crash bobbins required some cutting to fit both them and the bars), changed the fork springs and oil (was surprisingly easy with an organized approach) and also fitted the handguards (cutting and drilling again as otherwise they interfere with fairing). I also have the better spring for the rear shock but I couldn't get the shock bushing from the lower mounting point out (what an idiotic design there really), so will drop by to the service for this (they also have a spring compressor anyway). I will also be cutting a bashplate for the bike as no-one seems to make them and will do the mounting to engine bars. It probably won't survive bike bottoming out on it, but it should protect from most smaller objects hitting anything above. Need to spend some time making a template for this.

Maybe will meet you guys at some HUBB event in Ireland or the UK! :)