The Rescogs Fazer 600 – Week 2

After buying a secondhand Yamaha Fazer 600 for a decent price, the initial excitement lasted around 9.7 miles. And since that brief honeymoon period, I’ve been busy racking up the numbers on the Yamaha’s once-trendy clock set. In all, I’ve put just over 200 mainly happy miles on it, riding around the Monmouthshire roads.

There’s been an equal balance of positive and negative discoveries. So being a misery, I’ll list the minus points first.

1. The brakes. Or the lack of them. It could be down to their age, but it’s far from the usual raving about the Yamaha blue spot calipers. Obviously I’ve done nothing to to and fix the problem, and just adopted my riding to compensate for how rubbish they are. It could be the discs, as they’re quite worn and have more groove than Will.I.Am after a few Babychams. Still, it’s what you expect on a workhorse motorcycle.

2. The rear brake. If the fronts are a bit lazy, then the rear is dead. There’s nothing on the pedal at all. The pads look shagged and the caliper is much the same way. It’s so bad I’m considering doing something about it.

3. The exhaust is still really annoying me. I will make time to fit the standard silencer.

That’s pretty much it for the negatives, which surprises and pleases me. Then again, the positives list isn’t exactly lengthy either.

1. I love how comfy the Fazer is, it’s like motorcycling’s equivalent of slippers. The comfort is complimented by the perfect triangle, between seat, pegs and bars.

2. Adding to the pleasure are the mirrors that work brilliantly, something you only appreciate when on a bike with mirrors that only show you your elbows. They’re so good I’d go as far to say they’re the best mirrors I’ve used! Well, except those at the end of Southend Pier that make me look skinny.

3.  Not even the bumpy back roads can upset the suspension, it always feels planted, the last owner went on about how he’d done this and that to the forks, and I wish I’d listened. I am just chuffed the fork seals don’t leak, easily pleased, that’s me.

4. The engine is another shining light amongst the sea of black paint and rust kissed metal. Starts first prod, no choke, and is immediately willing to serve; it hides its 49,000 miles extremely well.

There’s been no need to switch the hot grips on, so I’ve still got no idea whether they actually work or not. Past experience of Oxford Hot Grips has been that the only warmth comes from the little light that claims they’re on fried finger setting. But it’ll be a while before I need to try them – with summer officially here the Fazer will be racking up many more miles. It’s a good start for the bargain basement bike. Now it’s time to take the back caliper off, rather than just writing about it!