I'll tell you what, I went out on a ride or three today with my bro-in-law, and we discussed bikes as you always do.
I've had 13 bikes over the last 12 years which includes 3 Fazer 600's, 2 carb'd R1's, and a 10 plate fz1s which I spent a fortune on.
I've always wanted a gen 1. Ridden a few standard ones, and Brooker81's tricked up gen 1 which was a credit to him. My carb'd R1 with a fat bar conversion is probably THE best compromise I've ever experienced in any bike, hence why I'm on my second one in over 250,000 miles of use.
My 17 yo daughter, and my wife love the smoothness and comfort of the R1, and its solo performance/comfort for the road is unparalleled.
In my eyes it's easier to make an R1 comfy, than make a litre Fazer perform like a sports bike.
Any doubters give me a shout and I'll happily take you up on a day out on the road. Just saying as its something which is frequently overlooked.
I tell you what stevie, I believe you, except where the touring side comes in. I think (and of course I haven't ridden a straight-barred R1, so I'm guessing a bit here) that the gen 1 Fazer will be better in that regard as it seems to me it's better laid out for carrying luggage, and will have a better riding position for long distance work, as the bar/footrest relation is designed together for the upright position, whereas the R1 with flat bars would need footrests moving to suit? It's something I'd like to try at some point, not necessarily an R1, but a sports bike of some description with a straight bar conversion.
Personally, I was brought up on older bikes that need some work to get them hustling round the bendy bits, and I like that. It gives you a sense of satisfaction that getting along quickly has more to do with your own input, and not just the bike doing it all for you. So the gen 1 is a natural progression for me. That doesn't mean to say it'll be everyone's cuppa, but it is a bloody good compromise bike. But then, aren't all road bikes a bit of a compromise in one way or another? The ideal solution is to have several very focussed bikes, so you can choose which one you want to ride for each ride that you do, but we're not all blessed with wads of spare cash, so for most of us, it has to be a compromise. But Noggy, you've talked about just doing sunny Sunday hooning on those brilliant Welsh roads, so perhaps you can afford to go for something a little more focussed. I have a feeling if that's all I wanted a bike for, I'd be riding something different. But my gen 1 has now become a bit of a project, what with the Ivanising, the R6 shock, and hopefully soon R1 front end. So far, before the R1 bits are added, it hasn't made it any less of an all-rounder, just better at the sporty side of things. But it'll never be an R1/GSXR/ZX10R/whatever one-trick sports bike, as stevie says.
Noggy, at least test ride a Street Triple. Go on, prove me wrong, cos I think
that's the bike for you. But don't expect
any bike to perfectly fit what you want. I've had many bikes over the years, but I wouldn't say any of them has been perfect - I just use them for too many different things for that to be possible.
