Nigger is just a colloquial of negro...is that racist ??..is Caucasian racist too..? Black is a color not a racist remark. Its all bullshit .People have been calling each other names for ever ...sticks and stones etc...

What is" racism" anyway ??....in the UK today too many people winge on about it when tbh theres more foreigners here than indigenous brits and most are doing quite well from it. Hardly downtrodden slaves....... We should be more concerned with starving poor people in the Uk than an off screen utterance from a burk like JC...

Nobody has IMO got a viable gen1 alternative.I have been looking since 2005. All similar bikes have issues, and issues which will cost to sort ..on top of a hefty new price tag.I have been trying several just now and still am struggling to find something which is a step on.About the only bike I do like Is the vfr1200, and rather curiously its Xtourer brother. Why ? ...cos the engine is simply fantastic. Just as in its day the FZS engine stood head and shoulders above the rest. Chassis wise the fazer has always been simple, not terribly effective, but easily modded, and for not too much cash.Its competition was bandit , zrx1200 etc. Both quite crude. Many mags rated the GS of its day as competition, but in reality they were totally dissimilar.Owning both a GS and a fazer now I can tell you they are still totally dissimilar, bar they can overlap in roles.Its the awesome power of the fazer engine in an ordinary upright frame chassis which is the difference. Even the Z1000SX has less power ...MS and 1190 adventure almost there but with mega price tags , and high seats.
I tried the new tiger sport , but its more of a evo of the sprint than a fazer , and suffers cheapo suspension, poor screen and hard seat. Almost like the first FZ-1 !..add in a curious steering wander to the front wheel at low speeds...and its disappointing for what is almost 10k.

You could argue the world has moved on with adventure bikes, but they are simply popular because they offer the comfort and usability lost in the evo of sportsbikes into racebikes on the road. Definitely the ewan and charley effect boosted  the genre, rather than road bikes like the fazer taking over. My own thoughts are the FZ-1 killed the genre cos it was too sporty in bias...leaving the way open for adventure bikes to develop. Triumph copied the GS with its tiger 1050 in 2007, which helped set the trend. Oddly the S1000R is possibly the breaking point when bikes may go back to being more road biased. I welcome the change, but budget wise, its fantastic priced money ...bikes need to be sub 10k IMO to ever become as popular. Hence why I do think Triumph have missed a great opportunity with the tiger sport. It should have been the new fazer alternative.
Mind you , purists might say that the first gen1s were overpriced, had ineffective screens, hard seats and crap rear suspension....so hey ! maybe triumph have copied the gen1 ! 

looks brand new m8. You should go into bike cleaning business. I will be ur first customer ! 

I can vouch for the excellent condition of deks kit. I also rate the ventura system very highly. Have had it fitted to almost all my bikes.

Is this a specific FZ-1 upgrade luke ?

would fitting something like this to a gen1 have any benefits ?

Lock ...abs ( get it ! ) 


on a serious note for the non believers..ask urself just why abs is there. Its not cos we are all useless hamfisted lack of safe stopping distance riders. Its because in an emergency / panic situation, modern brakes are soo powerful they will lock with panic braking. Years ago you would be feckin lucky if you could lock up brakes they were so shite. ABS wont reduce stopping distance, but in a potential crash situation will give you maximum retardation. Most riders if they lock the front will crash .
Riders will often cit eracers don't need abs etc...but hey when have you ever seen oncoming traffic in moto gp ! ..or junctions..abs is a godsend in my book. No doubt if you try hard you will come up with a scenario where it wont help, but the couple of times it has come on for me, I know I probably would have locked up in trying to stop too quickly or thinking I could stop within a certain distance. I don't have it on my gen1, and with 80k miles riding the bugger , I do think my brain can mostly calibrate when the bike will lock up. But in a panic situation ...no guarantee.

if the oil is changed cos of impurities, maybe they can damage the filter too?...I dunno, but for £6 I wud do an annual oil filter change along with the oil..u cant do anything better for a standing engine to change both.
IF you ran it regularly all year round , then maybe skip a filter change, but its just  the price of 2 mcn papers...

a bigger issue is to prep for the trip. You don't want to break down abroad !
Look at luggage etc. Always take good waterproofs cos it does rain over there, and it can be heavy.

Take some sort of internet device so if u R stuck you can find hotel vacancy online. And take a sat nav cos searching for fuel in rural france aint easy !

Also do remember if you are on your own, you need comms in case of a problem.

Read up on other peoples experiences abroad so u don't make newbie mistakes.

AND TAKE FULL BIKE BREAKDOWN AND PERSONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE....

you'll get chucked off ebay if ur found out....

and possibly anyone who bids...

is it worth it when u have 100% feedback ?

bt sport is £12 a month if u r a sky viewer. You can take it monthly , ie don't pay for months without moto gp in.

considering I pay £8 ish a month if not more for bike mags, its " reasonable" if there are two races in a month.

BSB will be on eurosport this year with more coverage than before, so that's  a good thing.

if u go to a circuit to watch a moto GP.....well that cost is another story entirely !!

sadly my thoughts are, as with new bike pricing , biking is well on the way to being a niche sport/ hobby.Intended more for the rich than the populace. Its a trend I have noticed since recession started in 2007.Look at the price of a new GSA bike...16K!

interesting topic as this year I am taking 7 other chaps on a tour of Europe, and often there is a big split in opinion over whether to plan or not to plan...some considering even looking at a map takes all the fun from it. Well I usually counter that Europe is a massive place and just hoping to stumble on best roads is as likely as finding petrol in a village in France on a sunday ! LOL
IMO some prep is vital. It can vary from planning every route to just deciding towns you want to head to.The disadvantage of no planning can mean having to use expensive hotels, ride on into the night searching for digs, even running out of fuel and sleeping in a ditch!. And yes while I didn't do that , it happened to someone I know.
If its your first trip I could write out an A4 on dos and donts, if you want more info, feel free to PM me.
On the plus side, france is close enuff to UK for it not to feel too different , but still remember it is  a different country with its own laws, practices and customs, which are quite at odds with for example weekends over in UK .Seasoned tourers gloss over much which has to be learned, but remember they have gained that often through experiences which could have been avoided with better prep.
The goal is to enjoy the vacation, not spend it regretting what you could have done.
For me the moment I leave Calais, the holiday starts in earnest , but that feeling of freedom still has to be tempered by having done enuff prep so you can relax into it!

Am going to Europe first week in July , and am wondering if anyone has found reasonable cover at a reasonable rate !

10 day trip, up to 10 yr old bike, single person  with no medical issues.

Have always bought from a tour company eg mci before, so am looking about for any alternatives .

cheers