Too hard to pick...

[Gibbo89]

i will be keen to here you opinion, gsr seems a bit more snatchie at low revs but maybe a bit more keen up top. I suppose its a matter of just being happy with whatever choose and just learning to ride it well. My good (non biker) friend says suzuki sounds like a more fun name but know I need to check if Yamaha tops it for phonics

I thought that the Hornet was more revvy up top and was the 'best' in that regard out of the detuned 600 race bikes. I haven't ridden them so maybe I'm wrong (I'm trying to remember the reviews I've read) but I thought that was true...
I also 'think' that new fz6r is not quite as nice as the fz6s bikes. Fz6 bikes are like 92 to 98hp and the fz6r is 76 hp I believe, this might not matter to you but it depends if you think this extra juice will benefit you in the long run if you have the bike for a while.

edit: the hornet 600 has just over 100 hp and the gsr has the same hp as the fz6 at 98 I think

[pritch]

(I'm trying to remember the reviews I've read)

I recently found a BIKE comparison of the 800cc naked bikes available in Britain: FZ8, Monster 796, Kawasaki Z750, and the BMW F800R. (BIKE August 2010.)

The winner was the BMW.

Then as an afterthought they compared the newest 800, the FZ8, to their favourite 600, the Hornet.
"The Hornet feels superior in just about every way."

They compared the difference in the steering, ride, and handling of the two bikes.
Going from the FZ8 to the Hornet was "like switching from an old analogue TV station to a high def digital channel."

The two testers who rode the Hornet both agreed that if the Hornet was in the 800 comparison it would have won.

There will still be people who buy FZ8s, but I won't be one of them.

[Gibbo89]

I recently found a BIKE comparison of the 800cc naked bikes available in Britain: FZ8, Monster 796, Kawasaki Z750, and the BMW F800R. (BIKE August 2010.)

The winner was the BMW.

Then as an afterthought they compared the newest 800, the FZ8, to their favourite 600, the Hornet.
"The Hornet feels superior in just about every way."

They compared the difference in the steering, ride, and handling of the two bikes.
Going from the FZ8 to the Hornet was "like switching from an old analogue TV station to a high def digital channel.

The two testers who rode the Hornet both agreed that if the Hornet was in the 800 comparison it would have won.

There will still be people who buy FZ8s, but I won't be one of them.

The reviews I read about the fz8 are okay... but I think the biggest thing was the suspension was a bit average. Nothing awesome though.

[Magna83]

Definitely a tough one all right...
I think Gibbo89 is right though, GSR might be a wee bit cheaper, giving you some surplus moola to put some extra bells and whistle on the bike.
Plus I think the GSR just about shades it in the looks department, which is saying a lot cos the Hornet is frickin gorgeous (though I'm not a big fan of the Hornets standard exhaust).