Date: 29-03-24  Time: 01:11 am

Author Topic: Hello from Iceland!  (Read 788 times)

Missingsequence89

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Hello from Iceland!
« on: 20 August 2018, 11:08:34 pm »
Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself since I'm a fresh & proud owner owner of 05 FZS 1000 Fazer. I'm from Seydisfjordur, a small town located by the east coast of Iceland.
I haven't had a bike in nearly 2 decades & this is my first 1000 cc, but the first impressions after cca 2000 miles are that this bike can be as civil or as crazy as you want it to be. Almost a bit of "Dr Jekill & Mr Hyde" in character.
Super easy to ride with very relaxed ergonomics. [size=78%][/size]I bought the bike last month in pristine condition from a bike collector, specialized in restoration of old bikes.[size=78%][/size] The bike looked like it just came from the showroom, with 25000 km driven.
It came with complete Givi luggage system, Yoshimura slip-on, aftermarket indicators, Oxford heat grips, bellypan & a new Michelin Pilot Road 2 back tyre.

I've already replaced the tyre in the back & I'm picking up the front tyre of the same type tomorrow. I'm in the process of finding 19mm hex key for the front wheel axle in order to get the wheel off the bike.
Our only local shop for tyre replacement/calibration refuses to take the wheels off of bikes for some obscure reason. I think they might have had a bad experience in the past or maybe it's just an "insurance thing".
They let me use their tools to get the back wheel off & back on in their shop though. Next thing I'll do to the bike is Ivan's Carb Kit and K+N filter, but that'll come in the off-season.
Anyway, here are a couple of photos of my bike. I hope you're having as good summer in the UK as we do here on the east coast of Iceland!
Nikolas





F4celess

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #1 on: 21 August 2018, 11:07:38 am »
Stunning photographs / vista, certainly lives up to expectations, from just reading the Title of your Post.
Looks a great bike as you say, with a few sensible Mods.

I do wonder how the FZS600 vs 1000 would compare. What you get for the extra 400cc :)

Its been an exceptionally warm summer, consistently warm for weeks! Getting a little unsettled now though, plus the dark evenings are closing in....

mtread

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #2 on: 21 August 2018, 02:13:44 pm »
Great pictures and welcome. I've only visited Reykjavik and surrounds, but it's a stunning country 😃 Guessing biking there isnt a year - round activity, but on the other hand you don't get stuck in many traffic jams... 😀

Missingsequence89

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #3 on: 21 August 2018, 03:48:11 pm »
Stunning photographs / vista, certainly lives up to expectations, from just reading the Title of your Post.
Looks a great bike as you say, with a few sensible Mods.

I do wonder how the FZS600 vs 1000 would compare. What you get for the extra 400cc :)

Its been an exceptionally warm summer, consistently warm for weeks! Getting a little unsettled now though, plus the dark evenings are closing in....


Well I had tried out a couple of 600 cc bikes in the past ranging from Bandit to an old CBR 600F, but they all had one thing in common:
all needed to be spun above 7000 rpm to really feel the power. A friend of mine was just selling his 600 Fazer in great condition & when I asked him why, he said he didn't like how high the rpm line was at the cruising speed (cca 60mph) in top gear. My bike is at around 3700 rpm in top gear at cruising speed so it doesn't sound like someone's showing off.  :D [size=78%] [/size][/size]That's what made up my mind about getting a 1000 cc if I was going for in-line 4 engine. Also, I was used to twin cylinder engines in the past so I figured I'd miss the immediate felling of torque.[size=78%]
[/size]Nice to hear you've been lucky with weather this summer & thank you for a compliment on photos! If you'd like to see more of my work (mostly landscapes) you can look me up on Instagram, my username is "nikolasgrabarphotography".[size=78%]
[/size]Nikolas [size=78%]

Missingsequence89

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #4 on: 21 August 2018, 03:56:55 pm »
Great pictures and welcome. I've only visited Reykjavik and surrounds, but it's a stunning country 😃 Guessing biking there isnt a year - round activity, but on the other hand you don't get stuck in many traffic jams... 😀
Thank you. Yes, this island is very special. I came here 12 years ago to work over the summer & I'm still here.  :lol
And yes, biking season is relatively short, but it depends on how good the actual summer is. So far this has been the best summer in our fjord since I first came here in 2006 & that's what made me finally get a bike. Now I'm in the process of driving mostly locally (aka going over the "Fjardarheidi" mountain pass, connecting us with the rest of civilization) with lots of great twisty's on the way up & down.
Oh yeah, the nearest traffic light is around 160 miles away.  :D
Nikolas

Hedgetrimmer

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #5 on: 22 August 2018, 12:19:42 am »
Hello and welcome.
Always interesting to see other parts of the world where people ride their Fazers. Best colour bike too  :D
Does look stunning there.
I borrowed a 600 for about two weeks while a previous 1000 was in for some repairs. I enjoyed the 600 (I had use of a GS500E for a couple of weeks before that - yuk!), but was glad to get back to the lazier riding on the thou for everyday use. When you want that, anyway. Of course, you can go nuts too, but you need a bit more room  :lol

Missingsequence89

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #6 on: 22 August 2018, 10:08:21 am »
Hello and welcome.
Always interesting to see other parts of the world where people ride their Fazers. Best colour bike too  :D
Does look stunning there.
I borrowed a 600 for about two weeks while a previous 1000 was in for some repairs. I enjoyed the 600 (I had use of a GS500E for a couple of weeks before that - yuk!), but was glad to get back to the lazier riding on the thou for everyday use. When you want that, anyway. Of course, you can go nuts too, but you need a bit more room  :lol
Thank you & I agree, it's my favorite colour combo of the 1st generation, as well.
In fact, I had a chance to get a 2002 silver one with similar mileage for far less than the one I got eventually. But it looked a bit dull for my taste + it had a few rusty bits & was completely stock besides added luggage.
As you say, you can go nuts too. But my first impression (besides lots of power) was actually how elastic the engine felt. I can ride through towns in rural areas (and there are many of those here) at 50 km/h speed limit while leaving it in 6th gear & it'll accelerate in such a "uniform" fashion. That elasticity still surprises me. But I never rode anything more than 650cc before so I don't have a frame of reference about it. I heard that the big Bandits are torque monsters but that doesn't mean the Fazer lacks in that department.
Nikolas   

robbo

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Re: Hello from Iceland!
« Reply #7 on: 22 August 2018, 11:30:18 am »
Hi Nikolas and welcome,
Some stunning pics of your Fazer in the very best of colour schemes........the scenery's not bad either :lol . Hope you enjoy your new steed and good luck with your planned winter mods. This is one of the friendliest bike forums, with boundless knowledge and advice, with the odd pisstake thrown in for good measure. Enjoy :thumbup
Whizz kid sitting pretty on his two wheeled stallion.