fz1

[paul1606]

hi had the 02 fzs1000 for the last 6 years deciding to upgrade to a newer sport/tourer looking at fz1's (08 onwards) any niggles to look out for ?? have yamaha overcome the "loosening" sprocket nut ? is it an issue on this model or uprated the rear suspension any comments would be useful in my decision.


Also looking at fjr, st1050, gtr1400 also any experience of these would be handy to know


cheers

[noggythenog]

The FZ1 is a good bike and a bargain buy at the moment.

I've never ridden a Gen1 but everyone says that they are the better all round bike of the 2 and the FZ1 is definitely more sports than it is tourer. It can be a bit uncomfy on long trips as the seat is hard and mine has gilles rear sets which look the business but add to me being a bit cramped and I'm 5 foot 11.

I went straight from a fazer 600 to my Gen 2 and it is blisteringly quick.

The throttle is a bit jerky at lower rpm such as going round roundabouts type thing when you reach the apex so I suppose it is the same on similarly curved corners except i'm usually not going that slow on the corners which negates the issue, a small nuisance rather than a real problem but can be solved with a power commander anyway, my bike doesn't have a power commander but the throttle has become allot smoother since I did the Blocking AIS mod and Air box mod.

they pop allot from the exhaust on backing off the throttle.....blocking off the AIS stops this and is easy to do.

the air box mod is free and involves enlarging the hole in the airbox by cutting out the snorkel with a dremmel.....fitting a K&N then compliments the mod nicely.

I've never heard of there being any issues with sprocket nuts on the FZ1....no mayor problems actually that I've heard of.

can't comment on suspension as mine has a Nitron track shock which for me is actually a little bit hard for my use....no doubt good on the track  ...I'd imagine the standard shocks are more than enough for normal road riding.

The handlebars are  flat which I find a bit tricky to get used to....ideally I'd be replacing mine with some Renthals or maybe the FZ8 bars which have a rise.

There's a lovely induction growl from doing the air box mod at about 5k rpm and the engine really kicks in at 7krpm all the way to the redline....it is an addictive feeling and a real seat of the pants experience....really shows off the sports bike credentials but it's all too easy to not realise what speed you've got up to even just passing a few cars.

But I wouldn't call it a tourer and ideally I think it is good for day trips.....like 200 mile blasts with a big grin but after that you're starting to get painful.

I've run mine for a season now and I'm still not sure about it, I do have fun on it but I think I want something newer still and I might even go with something smaller because i'm all Welsh A and B roads......if you fancy a cheap one to try it out then gimme a shout, it isn't mint I wont kid you about that, but I will be honest about it with you and it will be cheap.

but based on your other options I think you're looking for more of a tourer/tourer

good luck

[Fazafou]

But I wouldn't call it a tourer and ideally I think it is good for day trips.....like 200 mile blasts with a big grin but after that you're starting to get painful.

I disagree, I rode mine to Belgium in August for a weekends touring / camping and it was great.

It depends what you're used to.

Come from a GS1200 and you'll find it cramped and painful, but come from an R1 and it'll be like an armchair with similar performance.

I agree you wouldn't get one if you're primarily going to use the bike for round the world tours, but for usual riding and the odd long distance trip they are fine.

I came from a Tiger 800 which was a great tourer, and genuinely find this no more uncomfortable (it suits my riding better in fact), but with the addition of blistering performance by comparison.

[stevierst]

I had mine for 2 years and 10k, and everything said is about right. Comfort is not exactly tourer friendly on your ass though. I'm 6'1" 14 stone, with very long legs, and the ergonomics were pretty good.
Rear shock if it's in good Nick is perfectly adequate for solo sports riding, which is basically what this bike is, a comfy sportsbike!

Snatchy throttle? Yep, it has one, even my 2010 with its different map still had slight snatch. A small price to pay for the performance delivered.

I've gone back to an early R1 now with flat bars, just because I only do sports riding now.

My fz was just as quick with all its tuning mods, and very stable in the bends, it's just a bit heavier that's all.

[devilsyam]

Want to do everything gen 1
More focused riding in short bursts gen2

[witchfinder]

Ive ridden a few Gen1's and have owned my Gen2n for 6mths or so ,the gen1 is comfier but not by much but thats the only department the gen1 comes out on top (I know you gen 1 owners love yours and rate them )the gen 2 does everything better than the gen1 ,handles better ,stock suspension just fine take time to set it up properly,is quicker,stops better etc.The snatchy throttle isnt half as bad as its been made out if you can ride you will quickly learn to ride around /with it .Performance wise is very very close to an r1/gsxr1 and with the right pilot it will smoke many sports bikes.Stock bars are crap ,renthal ultra lows are spot on just enough rise to be comfortable but still slightly canted foward .If you carry a pillion you may find a triboseat grippy do dah handy to stop them sliding into you ,Ive also fitted a rentec sport rack as its handy and gives swmo something to grip when Im braking as she found the rear pegs to be just a shade to far back to put her bodyweight through when anchoring up.Ive been riding nearly 35 years on the road and have been fortunate enough to work on/ride hundreds of different bikes and for me the fz1 is among the top 3 bikes Ive ridden 

[slimwilly]

Not much to do to them to make a superb tourer, seat pad,slighly raised Renthal bars, i put a bigger screen for abroad(it always rains)


been to Mugello,Italy,,,Brno,Czeq republic,,,going back to Italy next year,,rides with all the big bikes,does what they do,well up to 150 when my sat nav took a leap for freedom  .


Real easy to ride all day.

[Fazafou]

The snatchy throttle isnt half as bad as its been made out if you can ride you will quickly learn to ride around /with it .

Agree, I wasn't aware of a snatchy throttle until people mentioned it on here. I would call it responsive.

If you're used to a bike that needs a hamfisted throttle it probably does appear snatchy, just what you're used to I guess

[Ian-man]

If your wanting something less sporty to an fzs1000 then the fjr is like a longer lazier version of mk1.

[devilsyam]

well both mine the 06 and 09 dont snatch at all granted the 06 has a fce but the 09 has nowt

[flesh]

well both mine the 06 and 09 dont snatch at all granted the 06 has a fce but the 09 has nowt

Wish my '10 plate was like yours then....standard bike and snatchy throttle is bloody awful. My '06 was bad but not as bad as my newer model. Makes wet/cold weather riding more challenging
Still a good bike though and can't think of another bike I would swap it for....yet

[slimwilly]

perhaps we should put our back wheels in the air and bike in top gear and measure the "free turn movement"  rock wheel back to where it stops and mark it , then move it forward until it stops,measure,,,it will account for some of the snatch, without checking i guess its about 3" ,, well may be,,get checking.......

[devilsyam]

You point is slim?

[slappy]

perhaps we should put our back wheels in the air and bike in top gear and measure the "free turn movement"  rock wheel back to where it stops and mark it , then move it forward until it stops,measure,,,it will account for some of the snatch, without checking i guess its about 3" ,, well may be,,get checking.......

Are you hinting it might be transmission snatch? A build up of all the different tolerances in the gearbox, chain , cush drive etc causing the "snatch" or making it seem worse than it actually is? Which might explain why every bike seems to be affected differently, I hardly notice any snatch on my 07 gen 2 and when I have thought that I have noticed some snatch I have put it down to my own clumsy throttle control.

[slimwilly]

yes, exactly,,taking up the slack from closed throttle to open throttle,engine starts to turn then takes the slack up then bang !!

[stevierst]

It's the fuel cut that causes the snatch from closed throttle, not the transmission slack.

Oh, and another reason I sold mine on was the appauling fuel consumption!!!
36-38mpg from a modern bike is dreadful.
My carb'd R1 does average 49, and even when I'm spirited riding, it does 42+

Even without my tuning mods it only did 45mpg riding like a nun!

[Fazafou]

Mine does 45 mpg pretty much whatever riding I do.

It's not great I must admit, but then I didn't buy it for economy

[noggythenog]

I don't know all that much about bikes in general but on my 08 I've got an ivans fuel cut eliminator and I think anyway that I still get the snatchy throttle.

for example I can be in say 3rd gear and go onto a clear roundabout at a making progress type speed so not 5mph and not tanking it but just trying to be smooth.

say im going straight ahead well when I get to the apex and try to smoothly roll on the throttle a bit more it's really difficult to get it to accelerate smoothly and instead you get this small surge of power which like jolts you forward and is a bit off putting but it's at the smaller end of throttle input so if Im tanking it and give a good twist of throttle on a big corner then I don't notice it.

does that describe throttle snatch?.....sure sounds like it