Thought I would share my F6B Rental Experience here on the ST Forum...

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I posted this on the F6B Forum as well, but I thought it might be appreciated here also.

This is a little wordy, so if you don't want to hear the whole story, you can jump down to the Second Post where it's all about the bike.

I left work a little early at 3:00pm in the South Silicon Valley, jumped in my smart car and got on Highway 5, headed to Southern California, specifically Huntington Beach, to meet up with a gentleman who was renting out his 2013 Honda F6B. $129 a day, and as little as $59 a day for longer terms. I found him on Craigslist while searching for information on the F6B. I currently ride a 2003 Honda ST1100P. It?s an ex-police bike from Pasadena that I came across on auction and couldn?t pass it up. But you see, there is a 2016 Honda F6B sitting at my local Honda Dealer, and every time I walk past, it calls out to me. New, these bikes list for $21K, but there are deals to be had in the $16K to $17K ranges on new inventory, if you?re willing to travel a bit. Either way, I am not going to base a $20K decision on a 10-minute dealer demo ride. So when I found this bike was available for rental by the day? I was in.


I went to the Rental Website (www.Riders-Share.com), looked up that particular bike (there were about 20 bikes of differing types available), clicked on the button to schedule a rental, and was instructed to log-in using my Facebook account. No other options? just my Facebook account. Problem one. I don?t have a Facebook account, I don?t want a Facebook account, and I shouldn?t need a Facebook account. I contacted the bikes owner, through the Craigslist ad, and was told that Riders-Share was a startup internet company and they use Facebook as part of their authentication process, it was currently the only option. I explained that this was of no interest to me, and many other people in my demographic, but that I was happy to provide any information needed to get this ride underway. To make a long story short, over the next two nights I went through a process of background checks, information gathering, and probably even credit check. I worked with the owner of the Riders-Share website on some ?confirmation? issues and eventually secured my ride date. Friday, September 23rd, 2016. I would leave the night before, stay in a local hotel, wake up fresh and meet up with the bike and its owner Friday morning.


We (the bikes owner and I) talked by email back and forth, I spent the night at the Super 8 Motel just down the road a mile or so, and showed up at his place, 7:00am, bright and early. He was a nice guy, old enough to own and respect such a bike, and this was ?his? bike? not just some bar-coded rental machine parked in space E47 out in a sea of similarly equipped fleet purchases. He went over a checklist, not so much about vehicle condition, as it was about all the factory functions and added features that he had bestowed the bike with. I admitted to him that I had downloaded the Honda F6B Owner?s Manual and familiarized myself with most of the features and functions a few days before.


I brought all my own gear, Jacket, Gloves, Helmet, Shoes, etc. And his right-side saddlebag had much of the necessary roadside emergency needs, Glass Cleaner, First Aid Kit, Tire Repair and Compressor, etc. I pushed the bike back out of his garage and headed West on Beach Street toward the coast, made a Left turn on Highway 1 (PCH, The Pacific Coast Highway), and began to familiarize myself with the ride. My intent was to stop for breakfast somewhere and then head down toward San Diego where I had lived for about 7 years in my youth.


I couldn?t stop. I was so enthralled with this machine, that for the next 4-1/2 hours, I only stopped a few times to take pictures and message them back to my wife and family. In fact it was so comfortable that the next three times I stopped? I never even got off the bike to stretch my legs... I just sat there taking pictures.

1.jpg 2.jpg


So you probably don?t want a recap of all of my ?vacation slides,? you just want to hear about my experience with the bike?
Due to limitations in the forum software (on the F6B Forum), I?ll cut to the chase in the next post...
 
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JMartin
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Here are the things that are most worthy of mention:

Touring
If a fully dressed Gold Wing is the Winnebago of motorcycles, then the F6B is the Lincoln Town Car. If you don’t need the full trunk, or you spend more time on the bike without a pillion than with one, the F6B is a perfect solution. A YouTube reviewer called riding the F6b like “Riding on a cloud...” I’ll buy that analogy. It fits.


Saddlebags
The saddlebags are more than adequate for a couple days ride, and with the factory rack behind the passenger backrest you could carry another soft bag, tent, sleeping bag, etc. One thing the owner did point out was that he had removed the Radio Antenna because it interfered with his big carry bag when it was strapped on the rack. I guess I’ve also gotten used to the fact that my Police bike allows the removal of the key without having to “lock” the bags closed. As I understand it, the F6B does not allow this; you must lock the bags before removing the key. There was one time that I did not fully “click” both latches on the bags even though they appeared closed, and it was VERY nice that the digital dashboard warned me of this before I went to start the bike. Very cool.


Seating
I have absolutely no reason to change out the factory seat. I know there are many, many options out there for aftermarket seats, but seriously, coming from a solo-seat police bike, this “park-bench” sized factory seat was just wonderful. After about 9 of my 12 hours spent in the saddle, I did have some butt-warming going on, but less than I had expected and still far more comfortable than any other seat I have spent any real time in. Thank the designer of the human race… every butt is different.


Windscreen
As I understand it, the bike had gone through a couple windscreen options before settling on the Madstad Roboknob Smoked Windscreen System (I believe this was the 11 inch version). I never adjusted it from the position that the owner had it originally in, and frankly I never had the desire. This two-tier, adjustable windscreen pushed the wind up and over my head and created no unreasonable turbulence or buffeting. At 70 MPH out on Highway 5, I found myself riding with my modular helmet open, and could lift the internal sunshade without my eyes watering at all. Although I never did so (in hindsight I should have, just to test the theory) I probably could have initiated a phone call on my Sena 10R Bluetooth and no one would have known I wasn’t sitting at home at my desk. At one point I looked down at the zipper fob on my jacket, which is usually flopping about in every direction, and it was hanging there as straight as the tinsel on a Christmas tree. It was truly like riding in a bubble.


Handlebars
The owner had installed handlebar risers. I do not know (nor did he) how much lift or shift these differ from the factory bars, but it felt to me that they were moved up and back at least 2-3 inches from stock. Personally, these bars were too far back, and a bit too tall for me. I am only about an inch taller in stature than the bikes owner, but for me the bars left me with too much bend in my arms and made me feel like I was operating a walk-behind rototiller, instead of the natural forward reaching (not forward bending) feel of comfortably operating a motorbike. In the few moments I have spent seated on an F6B at the dealerships, I find the factory position to my liking.


Additionally, the owner had a few pounds of accessories hanging off the handlebars as well. On the left side, a controller for heated gear (jackets, gloves, vests, etc.), a RAM X-Mount phone holder and stretch thingy, a stick-on USB outlet that had lost its stick and was flopping about. On the right side, a Radar Detector that had to be mounted high enough to see over the windscreen; and a ThrottleMeister cruise control that would not release completely and was best to be avoided. Not being a fan of handlebar clutter, I would have gladly exchanged all of this for the factory electronic cruise control that is standard on the new models. My phone connects to my helmet with Bluetooth, and I don’t desire any other distractions hanging from the handlebars. Just my opinion, to each his/her own.


Brakes
Okay… Linked Braking is the Dogs paws!!! Having come from the world of inter-cranial brake control (where you get to decide how much brake in front or rear is enough), I can really appreciate the feel of the Linked Brakes of today. None of the front end dive just because you chose to grab the right lever a bit aggressively, and no more rear wheel skid if you stomp on the pedal a bit to quickly (though I admit that both of those were very useful back in my off-road riding days). This machine had no problem shutting down very quickly and in a very straight line.


Handling
In a word… Amazing. Very low center of gravity. A noticeably heavy bike, but not unreasonably so. There’s no reverse, but I didn’t find that a problem at all. Both feet can plant firmly on the ground for most people, and pushing back is easier than pushing forward given the pegs and saddlebags. Obviously some forethought into parking and not nosing into some downhill situation is in order, but I guess I’m still young enough to not worry about reverse yet.


Performance
From Single-Cylinder Thumpers and Two-Strokes, to Twins, and V-Twins, to Straight Fours and V-Fours, I’ve owned and ridden many, but this Six-Cylinder Flat is just flat incredible. Smooth, powerful, low-end… quick, throaty, high-end… they both come together to form the ultimate power plant. I found the factory exhaust to be wonderfully quiet, and yet loud enough to let you know you are on the throttle, but not your neighbors. My kind of sound.


Center Stand
After a few street bikes with center stands, you learn the secret… Stomp Firmly, Lift Little. This was true of the F6B as well. Always, Always, start from the side stand, it won’t be in the way. Push the center stand down with your right foot until it touches the ground, then push the bike with your right knee away from you until the other side of the center stand contacts the ground. Now stomp firmly down with your right foot on the stand, lifting your left foot completely off the ground and putting your entire weight on the stand, if any additional lifting needs to be done, now is the time… just remember, by lifting your goal is increasing the weight you are putting down on your right leg. Very soon the stand should come over-center and the bike will be on the stand. I had no problems getting this 800+ pound bike onto its center stand. Now put the side stand up… you don’t want it banging on the ground when you ride off the center stand.


The Rental Concept
I know there are many who say, “No way… no stranger is riding my baby.” And I fully understand that. If I should eventually purchase the F6B of my dreams (and this ride put me that much closer), I too, am not sure I could hand the keys over to someone I don’t know, and haven’t ridden with. On the other hand, there are some who have mentioned that they would actually buy a bike with the intent on renting it and making a little money… obviously these people would not have the personal attachment that most of us have with our machines. And that too, is understandable. But for me, being able to rent a specific bike for a day, and not just take some 10-minute demo ride with a salesman leading the way, was awesome. I could enjoy the bike at my pace, and wherever I wanted to ride it.


A Note to Kevin, (the bikes owner - and as I found out, a member of the F6B Forum),
Again, I want to thank you for sharing your bike with me. I assure you, although I did put it through its paces, I did not abuse your bike in any way. In fact, I guess my riding is quite conservative these days, because even though you pointed out the possibility… I never once scraped a peg in a corner. Your machine operated flawlessly and on at least two occasions while stopped at an intersection I was told, “Nice bike!” I thanked them as I know a proud owner, such as yourself, would have done. Not only did you allow me to ride your motorcycle, you allowed me to spend a day reliving some memories and revisiting some places from my youth. My first post back to my wife and family was to tell them that “my face was exhausted from grinning so much.” I sent pictures home to my wife of the places we grew up together, the school we went to (high school sweethearts), the homes we lived in, and the Hotel Del Coronado, where I was fortunate enough to take her to her Prom. I had lunch at an Italian restaurant that I hadn’t been back to in 35 years… and the Pizza was just as good as I remember it being when I was 17.
I can’t tell you how much I needed this. Thank you.


Final Thoughts
I gotta find somebody 340 miles closer that will rent me his bike!!!
940 miles (car-bike-car) in 34 hours was a bit of a stretch, but...
Yeah, I'd do this again in a heartbeat.


:)


Jim
 
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ST Gui

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Congratulations on a great test ride! I'm happy to hear the bike measured up to all my expectations. I've never ridden one- just sat on one a couple of times making vroom-vroooom sounds. When I see a bike that looks great I always hope it works as well as it looks.

Interesting information about the handlebar configuration and the seat. I liked the ride height much better than the ST.

Small point- did you get a chance to test the horns? My buddy's '05 Wing's horns have a respectable sound unlike the ST's meeper.

Great write-ups. Thanks!
 
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Thanks for sharing your experience! Pretty sure there are some forum members who have had more than a passing thought about the F6B. Maybe you have answered some of their questions. I am convinced Honda makes good, reliable machines.... maybe they don't fit everyone, but if reliability is at the top of your list, Honda is a good choice.
I ride a Wing and love it!
Good luck on the search and acquisition.
 

okckeith

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Great write up. I only took a short test ride on one. But I was very impressed with the bike. And I have never liked the 1800 Wing every time I have rode one. I'm not so sure it is not just the different seat. But it feels night and day different to me. I never felt comfortable at all on the Wing. The F6B felt great as soon as I let out the clutch. I know that has got to sound crazy. I would have to change the wind screen first thing though.
 
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JMartin
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...Small point- did you get a chance to test the horns? My buddy's '05 Wing's horns have a respectable sound unlike the ST's meeper.
Horn is perfect. Easily as loud as a car horn, and louder than some. Almost approaching Air Horn quality.

One thing I actually never did was turn on his Audio system...
I know, hard to believe, but I had my Sena 10R in my helmet and had already downloaded a ton of 1970's and 1980's music (to remind me of the times when I lived down there).
I was listening to Hit after Hit and never got around to using the F6B Audio. The owner pointed out the USB connection in the Left Saddlebag and showed me the "Aux" button to engage it, but I just never got around to it.
My 10R finally announced that the battery was low, and shut off around 6:20pm as I was making my way down Beach Blvd to watch the sunset.
I had the bike back to him by 7:00pm, so it was perfect timing.
 
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Excellent review, thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts on the F6B I've been curious when I've seen it at the dealership. It's a beautiful bike but I'm put off by the size, your review helped settle those concerns and when I get the chance I'll give it a test ride.
 
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Did you get a sense of fuel economy and range per tank? How's low speed/town maneuvering? Glad you had a good ride......ff
 
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Did you get a sense of fuel economy and range per tank? How's low speed/town maneuvering? Glad you had a good ride......ff
I put 270 miles on the bike. It had about 3/4 tank when I picked it up, and it's got a 6.7 gallon tank.
I don't remember how much fuel was left in that second tank before I topped it off, so let's use actual cost here instead of guessing Gallons...
Based on my fuel charges from my debit card, I spent a total of $25.73 on fuel.
Average Unleaded in Southern California as of 9/20 was $2.78 per Gallon, so $25.73 / $2.78 = 9.33 Gallons
Knowing 270 miles used 9.33 gallons means about 28.9 MPG.... which would be terrible... but I know there was only 3/4 tank when I picked it up, and I left it completely full so...
1/4 of a 6.7 Gallon tank is 1.675 Gallons. Subtracting that delta from the 9.33 Gallons purchased means I really only used about 7.65 Gallons.
270 miles divided by 7.65 Gallons is a little over 35 MPG.
According to Fuelly.com 42.2 is a real world average for the two 2013 F6B bikes they tracked for over 7,000 miles.
So using their figures a full tank should get you close to 300 miles on average.

So to answer your question, I got around 35 MPG on the bike.
And for the record, I got about the same MPG in my smart car driving down and back from L.A. :)

With respect to the low speed maneuvering, I found the bike to be heavy but not unreasonably so. The weight is carried very low on this bike. I spent some time in a parking lot within the first 10 minutes of getting on the bike. I wanted to get a quick picture sent off to the family so I pulled into a large parking lot down on the beach and took a couple shots (which are the photos in the first post). Before getting back on Highway 1, I purposely tooled around in the parking lot with some low speed turns and pivots. There was never any real difficulty, but there were lots of spots where the sand had blown in from the beach and I didn't want to accidentally drop this bike, first thing out... that would have really put a damper on the ride. Once on the road again, I did make some tight u-turns while deciding my random route. It's certainly not a trials bike where you can bounce the front wheel off a tree and spin a turn in place (those days of agility are over for me), but I had no problem changing my mind and making tight turns when needed.

Yeah, it's heavy, but I never scraped a peg.
 
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DO you know if the audio hook up cables come with the new bike or have to be bought separately? Does the audio have a proprietary plug or simple standard audio jack?
 
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DO you know if the audio hook up cables come with the new bike or have to be bought separately? Does the audio have a proprietary plug or simple standard audio jack?
As I understand it, there is a factory provided 3.5mm Stereo plug in the Left Dash Pocket that can connect to any Audio Output. (There appears to be a lot of third party sources for "Longer than factory" cables - probably for those who have phones or other devices way out on the handlebars and don't want to stuff it in the Pocket).
In the Left Saddlebag there is a factory provided USB port (female I assume) where an IPod, Flash Drive, or any MP3 Audio Device can be attached and controlled through the factory Stereo Head Unit.

Again, my apologies, as I never took the time to test either of these out on my rental ride.
 
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With respect to the low speed maneuvering,
How is higher speed handling? I am constantly amazed at how good the ST is from a handling standpoint. I can correct a line mid curve (yes, I know not ideal) and if I find the speed a bit too high in a curve, just lean 'er over a bit more. Clearly the F6B is no canyon carver, but I recall MCN saying that the Goldwing acquits itself well on curvy roads. And some guys can really toss their 'wings around. One need not scrape pegs to get a feel for a bike's handling capabilities.

Thanks for your great evaluation!
 
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How is higher speed handling? I am constantly amazed at how good the ST is from a handling standpoint. I can correct a line mid curve (yes, I know not ideal) and if I find the speed a bit too high in a curve, just lean 'er over a bit more. Clearly the F6B is no canyon carver, but I recall MCN saying that the Goldwing acquits itself well on curvy roads. And some guys can really toss their 'wings around. One need not scrape pegs to get a feel for a bike's handling capabilities.

Thanks for your great evaluation!
If only I had taken the time to get into some real twisties, like out to Ramona, or up to San Jacinto, or perhaps a run up to Big Bear Lake... now that would have been a great ride. It would also qualify me to give a better opinion on high speed handling. There is no escaping the fact that this is an 800+ pound motorcycle, with me on it that puts it over a half ton. That's a lot of mass to be treating like a well designed sport bike.

Does it handle well? Yes, for its class.
Is it designed to handle well? Not really, the original Gold Wing was designed for comfort and touring.
Can some guys "really toss their 'wings around?" Absolutely. (And for 7 years I owned a Limousine company... I would challenge anyone to a race up Cienega Road in a 120 stretch Town Car when you're running late - and solo - to a major event at one of the wineries :) ).
Although the F6B has a sportier look, let's admit... it's really just a de-trunkified, windshield-hacked, Winnabego (and I mean that in the kindest sense of the word).
With enough time on this bike, any good rider can learn to push it to it's limits in high speed maneuvers, just like I could in a Limo.
But it's still a Gold Wing.

Once I got home and took my ST1100P out for a ride yesterday, I realized how heavy that F6B was and how much thought and design went into the "S" portion of the ST machines.

It's heavy... but do I still want one..?
Hell yeah. I'm heavier too these days. And as they say, "If the shoe fits..."

Jim
 

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Actually, the GL1800 WAS designed to handle well - one of the original marketing commercials with Nicky Hayden. compared to it's 1500 predecessor which was more touring.

[video=youtube;orRG9mO2CFM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orRG9mO2CFM[/video]
 

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Actually, the GL1800 WAS designed to handle well - one of the original marketing commercials with Nicky Hayden. compared to it's 1500 predecessor which was more touring.
I can definitely vouch for this. Having owned 2 1500's and now a 1800, this one puts those 1500's to shame. I get amazed with it every time I go out riding.
 
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Actually, the GL1800 WAS designed to handle well - one of the original marketing commercials with Nicky Hayden. compared to it's 1500 predecessor which was more touring.
Thanx for the education... I was unaware of the differences in the step between the 1500 and 1800.
Although the video references changes to the suspension and obviously the engine, I was mostly thinking of the differences between the Full Wing 1800 and the F6B 1800 (since there was no F6B 1500).
As I understand, it's mostly weight reduction and cost reduction, not so much any real engineering differences between the models.
Again, please correct me if I am wrong.

Jim
 
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I just may be able to get a longish test ride on an F6B. Not interested in trading bikes, that I know of, but would still be nice to try one out just to experience it.
Taking my bike in to dealer for tire change (don't own the right tools yet) and do some other things while they have it and they told me they now have a loaner bike benefit where I can drop off my bike and take one of their used inventory for the day (but just for the day). I checked and they have a F6B with 13K miles in stock. Have never known a bike dealer to offer a free (as in no charge) loaner bike. I did initially give them a sob story about being in a bit of a fix for transportation getting my bike in for service. We'll see.
Nothing says I have to go right from work back to the dealer when mine is ready. I get off at 3:30 and they are open until 5:30. :)
 

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Thanx for the education... I was unaware of the differences in the step between the 1500 and 1800.
Although the video references changes to the suspension and obviously the engine, I was mostly thinking of the differences between the Full Wing 1800 and the F6B 1800 (since there was no F6B 1500).
As I understand, it's mostly weight reduction and cost reduction, not so much any real engineering differences between the models.
Again, please correct me if I am wrong.

Jim
I'm sure it handles a hair better than the full wing. Some here have ridden both. That engine is so smooth and powerful I'm not sure the difference would be that much but my only experience is with the full tourer and that was pretty darn nice.
 
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