Like what I did with the title? Anyway I’ve had the ER6n for over 6 months now and it’s just gone through its 4k service with no issues (touch wood). The only thing to note is I’d overfilled it with oil which seemed to have a slight affect on the MPG but then I could also put that down to riding faster as I get more comfortable on the bike – actually the later is probably more likely!
Having said all that I’ve just managed 67.9mpg on my last 100 mile ride which is a personal best for the Kwaka and me. It was mostly motorway at a steady 70-80mph with only a couple of blasts past license losing territory while overtaking. My brother has a 5 year old Honda Hornet 600 and can’t get anywhere near those figures, even riding carefully he has only ever managed to scrape just under 50mpg.
So what has the bike taught me in the past 6 months? Well I was an avid cruiser fan before buying the ER6 but this machine has converted me. After four months I was starting to turn into a speed demon around twisty country roads but that fad soon faded as I sank back into my more laidback riding style, both of which suit the ER6 brilliantly. At one point I was even thinking I could do with a bit more power (for blasting up and down the motorway) but in real world situations you don’t need it as the ER6n is more than capable of trouncing all but the fastest cars.
I do admit I did go through an “oh no what have I done” phase about three months in when I parked the bike next to a row of classics and cruisers (the other two bikes I was considering at point of purchase was the VN900 Custom and the W800 Special) but someone pointed out that these bikes only ever come out when the sun was shining and as I ride my motorcycle in all weathers this made me feel heaps better.
I do have some grumbles with the gear shift which can be a little ‘clunky’ at times, something Kawasaki haven’t rectified since the ER5. The front suspension can perform some dramatic diving action under heavy breaking and the rear can be a bit twitchy when riding near the edge (and fully laden with luggage – whoops) but all these issues are negated when you consider the fact that this is a budget bike after all. For your money you are getting a very competent motorcycle that’s capable of being a great all-rounder; it will be sporty, it will cruise and it will tour but what it does best is commute – a task that it excels at.
For touring I’ve added a Puig screen which does a great job of keeping the wind off above 70-80mph and makes cruising at 90-100mph a breeze. However I’ve since taken the screen off – while the protection at speed is nice it is also ugly and until the winter weather returns I prefer the warm summer breeze anyway. I’ve also added some Acrebis handguards which make a stirling effort deflecting wind from your hands and also saved me from a mid-flight magpie which I hit at about 50mph. Amazingly it just got up and flew away!
I’ve grown to love my ER6 over these past 6 months and with the 4k plus miles we’ve spent together I’ve only really had two problems – two flats both on the rear and within a month of each other! Of course this says more about either my riding or the state of UK roads than it does the little Kwaka. If you’re looking for a cheap to run middleweight motorcycle either as a commuter or an everyday alternative to keep your prised cruiser, classic or sports bike crisp then I can’t recommend the ER6n enough.
That’s really uncanny, I went and bought my first big bike this weekend off the back of riding a Yamaha xvs 125 for a year, and was determined to get a cruiser….and it came down to a toss up between an orange vn900 and an er6f. After reading this, I think the er6 will do nicely!
I love cruisers but they’re not particularly suited to UK roads and traffic. I still fancy a VN900 if I had the cash for a second bike but the ER6 is great for my 200 mile roundtrip city/motorway commute.