Well I think it's time I write a comparison... as apples to oranges as these bikes are, it's interesting how close they are in some areas. Please note: This is based on street use. Obviously, in track use the R1 would spank the FZ6.
Quick Answer: For those that want the coles notes version; if money were no object, the R1 is obviously one hell of a lot more bike. That said, the MSRP on the R1 is almost double. For street use, you certainly aren't getting double the bike. The R1 costs more on gas, more to insure, is going to chew through tires faster, and requires more expensive tires to begin with. So the operating costs per km (or mile for my yankee friends) are significantly more. And both bikes will let you lean way the hell over on a winding rural road and power out of a corner at 150 km/h.
Engine/power: This is usually what most people ask about first, so I'll mention it first. The engine has almost double the HP, and the bike weighs almost 50 pounds less. The FZ6 is quick, I ran a few 12.0's at Cayuga a couple years ago, but the R1 is a rocket ship. First gear will do 160 km/h (100 MPH) and it'll lift the tire with even partial throttle past 7k rpm. The sound is excellent, you can really hear the intake note from the ram air ducts that lead up just under the headlights. The factory exhaust has a real nice burble to it, and I will probably leave it stock. I wish the FZ6 had the same burble, it's not louder, but you can tell the difference between a muffler and a glass pack silencer.
Trans/clutch: Shifts are very smooth, but then I never had trouble with the FZ6. The trans certainly clunks a little less, but it doesn't feel any more beefy than the decent FZ6 trans. The clutch also feels very familiar. The engagement area feels around the same as the FZ6, so people crying about a short engagement area probably won't like the R1. I didn't have a problem with the FZ6, and I don't have a problem with the R1.
Brakes: Without being on a track, I can't feel much difference in the brakes. The rotors are roughly the same size, if not identical between the two bikes, and rear brake effort is roughly the same on both. Of course the suspension changes the braking feel massively, but I'll cover that next...
Suspension: Here there is a big difference. I haven't played with the adjustments at all on the R1, but even with factory settings you can tell the difference between $16k suspension and $9k suspension. It's firm, has great feedback, and feels very planted on less that perfect pavement while taking turns at a decent clip. I've got roughly the same chicken strips on the R1 (about 1/2") as I did on the FZ6, the difference being I felt like I was leaning the FZ6 way over, while the R1 I feel like I'm riding at 5/10ths of the limit. Braking is substantially improved by the better suspension, because in general you can feel what your front end is doing more.
Touring: This is the section that really surprised me about the R1. I expected a shitload more power. I expected a race suspension to have a totaly different feel. What I didn't expect was how comfortable the R1 is. I was expecting to be sore after riding it, and I'm not. The body's forward lean angle it probably about 10 deg. further forward, putting more weight on your wrists, but air hitting your chest and head take that weight off the wrists. So riding at 100 km/h is quite comfortable. Down at low speeds, and around town, the tall first gear and forward position are obviously less comfortable than the FZ6, but neither bike is really meant to putt putt in traffic.
Overall: I've got to say that things are surprising me about both bikes that improves them both in my eyes. The FZ6 is almost the ideal all around sport touring bike (with the emphasis on sport), and I'm sure with the R6 forks and a better rear shock, it's a totally different bike. But at the same time, the R1 is less of a brute force, go fast only, mean machine than I was expecting. While cruising it's very usable, and the power at 6000 rpm is more than enough to pull you hard out of a corner without having to bounce the thing around the 13k rpm mark.
Fit and finish is identical on both. That's what I love about yamaha. I know that I can go and buy anything from a PW50 to an FJR1300 and it'll have the same build quality.
I give 2 thumbs up to both bikes! :beer
Quick Answer: For those that want the coles notes version; if money were no object, the R1 is obviously one hell of a lot more bike. That said, the MSRP on the R1 is almost double. For street use, you certainly aren't getting double the bike. The R1 costs more on gas, more to insure, is going to chew through tires faster, and requires more expensive tires to begin with. So the operating costs per km (or mile for my yankee friends) are significantly more. And both bikes will let you lean way the hell over on a winding rural road and power out of a corner at 150 km/h.
Engine/power: This is usually what most people ask about first, so I'll mention it first. The engine has almost double the HP, and the bike weighs almost 50 pounds less. The FZ6 is quick, I ran a few 12.0's at Cayuga a couple years ago, but the R1 is a rocket ship. First gear will do 160 km/h (100 MPH) and it'll lift the tire with even partial throttle past 7k rpm. The sound is excellent, you can really hear the intake note from the ram air ducts that lead up just under the headlights. The factory exhaust has a real nice burble to it, and I will probably leave it stock. I wish the FZ6 had the same burble, it's not louder, but you can tell the difference between a muffler and a glass pack silencer.
Trans/clutch: Shifts are very smooth, but then I never had trouble with the FZ6. The trans certainly clunks a little less, but it doesn't feel any more beefy than the decent FZ6 trans. The clutch also feels very familiar. The engagement area feels around the same as the FZ6, so people crying about a short engagement area probably won't like the R1. I didn't have a problem with the FZ6, and I don't have a problem with the R1.
Brakes: Without being on a track, I can't feel much difference in the brakes. The rotors are roughly the same size, if not identical between the two bikes, and rear brake effort is roughly the same on both. Of course the suspension changes the braking feel massively, but I'll cover that next...
Suspension: Here there is a big difference. I haven't played with the adjustments at all on the R1, but even with factory settings you can tell the difference between $16k suspension and $9k suspension. It's firm, has great feedback, and feels very planted on less that perfect pavement while taking turns at a decent clip. I've got roughly the same chicken strips on the R1 (about 1/2") as I did on the FZ6, the difference being I felt like I was leaning the FZ6 way over, while the R1 I feel like I'm riding at 5/10ths of the limit. Braking is substantially improved by the better suspension, because in general you can feel what your front end is doing more.
Touring: This is the section that really surprised me about the R1. I expected a shitload more power. I expected a race suspension to have a totaly different feel. What I didn't expect was how comfortable the R1 is. I was expecting to be sore after riding it, and I'm not. The body's forward lean angle it probably about 10 deg. further forward, putting more weight on your wrists, but air hitting your chest and head take that weight off the wrists. So riding at 100 km/h is quite comfortable. Down at low speeds, and around town, the tall first gear and forward position are obviously less comfortable than the FZ6, but neither bike is really meant to putt putt in traffic.
Overall: I've got to say that things are surprising me about both bikes that improves them both in my eyes. The FZ6 is almost the ideal all around sport touring bike (with the emphasis on sport), and I'm sure with the R6 forks and a better rear shock, it's a totally different bike. But at the same time, the R1 is less of a brute force, go fast only, mean machine than I was expecting. While cruising it's very usable, and the power at 6000 rpm is more than enough to pull you hard out of a corner without having to bounce the thing around the 13k rpm mark.
Fit and finish is identical on both. That's what I love about yamaha. I know that I can go and buy anything from a PW50 to an FJR1300 and it'll have the same build quality.
I give 2 thumbs up to both bikes! :beer