FZS 1000

[Adrian6171]

Hi all,bit of advice needed,here goes.


I,m 41 so no boy racer  i have ridden bike,s on and off for going on 20 years but only the small things 125,s or 500,s,although only had 125,s for the last 10 years. I will soon get the chance to buy a bike BUT this may be my only chance so i need to get the right bike so it can hopefully see me out till the end of my riding days.I really like the look of the FZS 1000,but my question is do you think i am getting a 1000 to soon or would i be o.k with one of these.Will hopefully be doing a bit of touring with the wife so that is why i have gone for the 1000 as opposed to the 600.
Regards Ady.

[bigbluebear]

I have had both the 600 and the 1000 versions and while the 600 is a very capable bike in every way the 1000 is a completely different animal. It really depends on what you are going to be using them for so touring two up points firmly towards the 1000. For me to change up was the best thing I ever did and I wish I did it sooner than I actually did. Remember you dont have to ride to the bikes capabilities but knowing its there is way better than wishing you bought the 1000. On the 600 you may be willing for that extra bit of ooomph or searching for that extra gear, then you will know you have bought the wrong bike.
 
As you say its your last chance so go for the 1000 you wont regret it

[tomlinscote]

You need to bear in mind the increased running costs, a 1000cc bike will go through tyres chains and fuel etc a bit faster than a 600 if ridden 'quickly' but also that you have the ability to get past pretty much anything else on the road that maybe blocking your way with a simple twist of the wrist, and that can get addictive 
The fact that every so often someone asks for opinions of newer bikes to match or better the gen 1 thou and almost all replies say stick with the thou speaks volumes. Just take your time getting used to the extra weight and performance, it will be worthwhile.
 
P

[Adrian6171]

Thanks for that guys was a little hesitant about doing a test ride till i just read your reply,s.I will be going two up as well so as bigbluebear says don,t want to regret my possible only chance of a cracking bike.And tomlinscote  you mention the weight got to admit with what i,m used to it,s a large step up and have visions of falling off when i get to the first corner lol and would hate to do this outside the shop on my testride.

[red98]

they are a lot heavier than the 600,also a bit taller   iam just under 6ft and it suits me well   the 600 i find a bit small now    1000 defo the choice for two up touring.i can do 300/400 miles a day no problem (all a roads for me ).... just take it easy on the test ride    prob best to go solo untill you get use to the bike 
  let us know how you get on 

[pitternator]

the performance of a modded 1000 is awesome...the sheer grunt is overwhelming  next to a 600. Acceleration will take some getting used to. With the bigger bike it accelerates hard even at 120...you can ride them slowly but its easy to go a lot quicker than u might think. 600s tend to be flickable, the 1000 more a case of picking yer line.tyres are same price for a 600 as 1000,I aint convinced its that dearer to run the 1000 than the 600 tbh.Only if you really nail it will the tyres wear that fast.
 
the gen1 engine is a classic IMO as it has both very high bhp but a great raft of torque at lowish revs too, something most 1000cc sportsbikes dont achieve. So its a greatengine to use on the road...

[jeffco]

Hi all,bit of advice needed,here goes.


I,m 41 so no boy racer  i have ridden bike,s on and off for going on 20 years but only the small things 125,s or 500,s,although only had 125,s for the last 10 years. I will soon get the chance to buy a bike BUT this may be my only chance so i need to get the right bike so it can hopefully see me out till the end of my riding days.I really like the look of the FZS 1000,but my question is do you think i am getting a 1000 to soon or would i be o.k with one of these.Will hopefully be doing a bit of touring with the wife so that is why i have gone for the 1000 as opposed to the 600.
Regards Ady.

Ady I did my direct access at 52 having never ridden a bike(with an engine) I had a 600 Hornet for 6mths good bike but it always felt a bit cramped so when I saw a fzs1 in a local dealers I took it for a test ride(in the pouring rain) and havnt looked back.The fzs is a machine that you can ride at your own pace and then pick up that pace when you feel ready. 3 yrs on its still a machine capable of increasing your heartrate. love it.

[jackojet]

Ady as above really, the fazer thou is a really forgiving bike, go get the test ride
 

[tomlinscote]

Just to add, I too went from a Hornet 600 (half faired one) to a gen 1 thou, and they were not that different except the fazer just flies from low revs, and has better fuel economy!! I can easily get 50mpg on a long motorway runs and even 45mpg giving some on fast open a and b roads.
I have use of a CB500 too and it is easier to throw around than the 1000 but not to a great extent and you don't have to plan overtakes just do them 
 
P

[Adrian6171]

Thanks for the reply,s,but just in reply to you tomlinscote  you say the the cb 500 was easier to throw around does that mean the 1000 can be a little hard work on the twisties.

[tomlinscote]

Compared to the CB500, yes, but then that has a mass of 175kg, the Fazer is about 210 and sits on wider rubber. Then again it is well known that the CB500 was a very good handling bike, it had its own race series.
I recently had the chance to test back to back a Moto Guzzi Norge and a Kawasaki Versys 1000 and I found both of these turned in easier than my Gen 1, though both felt much bigger. They both had wider bars and newer tyres which needs bearing in mind.
If you find the Fazer a little heavy in the twisties there are many options on wider bars and tyres with a easier to turn profile. Whenever I get new rubber the bike is always easier to turn, so make sure you look at the tyre on your test ride, if the tyres are squared off the bike will feel hard to turn. I remember reading a BIKE feature on the Gen 2 comparing it with a Gen 1 ridden by none other than our own Mike G (posting now as Falcon 269) who gave his usual excellent analysis including the problem of the Gen 1 having old square tyres so a true comparison was not really possible - point being tyres make a difference.
The Gen 1 is a VERY easy bike to ride both fast and slow but will always be heavier than a 125 or 500cc bike but they will never give you the thrill of a Gen 1 once you get used to it. I have had mine since new for the past 8 years and it still makes me smile.

[fireblake]

The engine is so versatile that you can potter along at 20mph but with a twist of the grip it'll do 150 plus without having to drop a gear.

[Dave48]

Its all been said but I would try to ride both 600 & 1000 if you can. The 600 will be lighter & more "flickable" on the twisties, & will demand more use of gears/revs,  but the 1000 if respected will do EVERYTHING you ask of it. 210 kilos isnt heavy once on the move-Im a 64 year old weakling 5foot 10in & under 11 stone but it doesnt even notice the extra weight of pillion! That beautiful engine will let you trickle along @ 30mph in 5th/6th gear, will overtake on demand without hesitation & will thrill you everytime you crack open the throttle & the revs build. Unlike new sports bikes the power is available from low down and will carry you along on a wave of torque. Theres probably never been a better time to buy a thou as the prices are down on this time last year(studying for sale ads) & you can refresh the bike with new tyres & suspension upgrade. FZS 600s seem to be holding their price better-perhaps greater demand because of their economy/value for commuting? 1000 prices will prob level off soon as even the later 2005 FZS is approaching 7 yrs old and depreciation falls off. Extra cost of ownership? VED higher, fuel consumption anything up to late 40s/early50s with restraint. Running costs not much greater than 600 in my experience. Go for it!

[Adrian6171]

Well just rung the dealer to ask for a test ride,said because of my time legally riding on the roads he would have to check with his insurance.Rang back a hour later and was told the insurance company would not cover me coz of having my license for such a short time,even though i have been riding bikes for so long.So will not be using my local dealer for anything else thats for sure.I thought it was up to the dealers who could and could,nt test ride.So back to the drawing board never been told no  .

[bigbluebear]

F*ck the dealer and the test ride then, just go out and buy the Fazer thou and bite the bullit. There are pleny for sale and being this time of year the prices are lower than normal, but take your time to find a nice one.

[red98]

plenty of other dealers out there  .......just go to your next nearest    and as already said, the time of year is in your favour   not many buying bikes now the wearhers changed 

[ZiggyCol]

I've had both and was perfectly happy with the couple of 600's I had before getting the FZS1000. I ride exclusively solo so extra power for 2-up has never been an issue.
First off the FZS600 is a great bike (sorry but I've never taken to the FZ6). It will do everything and I've seen people tour quite happily 2-up on a 600 loaded up with tent etc. It's good to ride, comfy, reliable, powerful enough and not expensive to run. Because it's so popular there's also lots of stuff out there so you can tailor it to your own preferences. Essentially I doubt you would regret buying a 600.
 
BUT the 1000 is a different beast. I ended up with one after my last 600 was written off and it was just easier to find a very low mileage immaculate 1000 as a replacement. It is without doubt better in nearly all respects. Apart from massively different power and speed, it's better built, more comfortable and just effortlessly covers distance. Alright it is a bit more expensive to run (but not much if you happen to be an old bugger 'cos insurance is probably the biggest issue) and it isn't as 'flickable' as the 600. For me that's the biggest disadvantage - you can have more fun at lower speeds on a 600 because you are having to push it that much harder.
 
In summary, you won't regret having a 600 if you've never had a 1000, but equally you wouldn't go back to a 600 after having had a 1000. Hope that makes sense !

[Hogi]

F*ck the dealer and the test ride then, just go out and buy the Fazer thou and bite the bullit. There are pleny for sale and being this time of year the prices are lower than normal, but take your time to find a nice one.

+1

I think you can see from all the responses that the FZS series Fazers are remarkably good bikes, so be reassured that you won't go wrong provided its been looked after. You've got to weigh up the seller as much as the bike, more so in fact. Your dealer sounds a bit of a knob.

Ive had both and agree with ZiggyCol's sound advice, either model is good but you wouldn't go back...especially with a pillion. My thou has 24K and its a keeper, thats what you're looking for right?

Get one. End of.


 

[Dave48]

Wonder if they tell young car drivers they cant have a test drive. All I would say to the dealer is2 Would you buy a vehicle without  a test run?" Would have thought that they would be only too pleased to make a sale & poss gain a future customer!Still theres plenty others

[Falcon 269]

Wonder if they tell young car drivers they cant have a test drive. All I would say to the dealer is2 Would you buy a vehicle without  a test run?" Would have thought that they would be only too pleased to make a sale & poss gain a future customer!Still theres plenty others

I can't imagine the dealer is happy to refuse a test ride.  It's his insurance company who are limiting things here. 

Seems to me they're aiming to avoid the risk of recently-qualified oiks from jumping straight onto a 1000cc machine for a test ride.  The underwriter is unlikely to have considered mature, relatively experienced riders of low capacity machines looking to step up this way.

Put it another way, if you were advertising your bike privately, would you be happy to allow a test ride like this?

[locksmith]

Your dealer sounds a bit of a knob

Possibly a bit harsh, as Falcon said you wouldn't let someone uninsured on your bike so why would a dealer!
 
Maybe it's possible for the op to arrange some insurance for testing purposes?

[Dave48]

I can't imagine the dealer is happy to refuse a test ride.  It's his insurance company who are limiting things here.
[/size]Point taken. I can see the difficulty here for the dealer and no I wouldnt let anyone test ride a bike of mine without the cash in my hand!

[Fatherbiker]

Hi mate. I had a Bandit 1200 which when loaded was anything up to 265 kg! That was too much for me so i bought the 600 Fazer. Bandit 1200-97bhp standard with 76 lbs torque, Fazer 600-95bhp standard with i believe, 43 lbs torque. The Fazer 1000 is 143 bhp standard and that just show the engine difference alone makes it worth while getting a Fazer and its about 20 kg lighter than a bandit too!

[james43]

Buy a Fazer 1000 Buy a Fazer 1000 Buy a Fazer 1000.


There think I got my point across


i've got a 55 plate Gen1 1000 i'm 40  [size=78%]so no boy racer although i do like to have a mad 5 mins now and again..[/size]

[size=78%]This is by far the best bike i've ever owned. [/size]

[size=78%]The only bike I think I would change it for is a newer Fazer 1000 [/size]

[size=78%]It's a great bike its forgiving and will also go like a train.[/size]

[size=78%]like someone else said you don't have to ride to its limit.[/size]

[size=78%]My mate has a 600 foxeye and its ok but not a patch on the 1000.[/size]


If this is your only chance it has to be the thou otherwise you will always be wondering.

[gasmenace]

What a pity the dealer has to do that.

FWIW I bought my current Fazer 1000 (02 plate) at about a year old from the local dealer here in Carlisle. It was their demo/loan bike and I'd been loaned it when my FJ1200 was getting serviced or worked on - when they told me a few months later it was going to be for sale I snapped it up.

I'd also ridden their XJR and TDM demos, plus a Triumph tourer loaner of some sort, and liked none of them better than my big FJ1200 lorry, until the Fazer.

I fell for the Fazer because of all the power on tap, not that I ever use more than a tiny fraction of it. Lots of go in any gear at any speed, and nothing scary with gentle throttle use. I fitted a Givi luggage set which I don't notice it's wearing unless there's a cross wind, and I've toured it on the continent a bit over the years. I haven't done a big number of miles in 10 years, but I've enjoyed every one.

Only downside to me is that it eats tyres the way I ride it: I don't come close to wearing them out, but I'm a pretty sedate cornerer and so I square them off.

I plan to keep mine for another 10 years if I can, by which time I will be drawing my OAP.

Colin