(18-06-16, 09:25 PM)robbo link Wrote: Hi Hedgetrimmer,
A bit off topic, but wondered what windscreen you use for long distance/touring trips. I think that's the only area that is difficult to confidently improve as there are so many differing opinions.
Thanks in advance.
Robbo.
I don't actually know what screen it is. It was on there when I bought it, i think it's slightly taller than standard, and I don't swap and change between touring and everyday use. But tbh, since changing to an HJC RPHA10 helmet, I no longer get buffeting or excess noise problems - nothing to do with the screen it seems.
19-06-16, 08:11 AM (This post was last modified: 19-06-16, 12:04 PM by blackcabbie.)
this is so weird ....... i did exactly the same thing.... i bought my fazer 1000 new in 2004..... i have heavily modded it over the years to get it exactly how i liked it, but as i have got older (57 now) am finding it a bit heavy and big ( im only 5"6 )
anyhow test rode a few other bikes over the past few years, but nothing really grabbed me (except mt07 which i nearly got, but didnt )
then six weeks ago trawling through ebay a saw a white 2014 street triple and i just bought it on impulse.
hadnt ridden one but thought they must be good cos everyone raves about them.... and yes it is everything that is said about it.....
its not a r so it is a bit lower and has plusher suspension than the r..... fitted a few mods and quickshifter.... its really good fun and since i got it 5 weeks ago ive not ridden the fazer....
yesterday got the fazer out again for a quick spin and theres no way i will ever sell it..... want to keep both, but if i had to get rid of one, reluctlantly it would have to be the triumph....
Same here.........
I'm on my third Gen1. Bought them, modded them, sold them, regretted it and gone back to them again. I've done the same thing, but in much greater quantities with BmW GS bikes. Probably had ten or twelve of those and still looking for another.
I actually offered the Fazer up again recently to another Forum member. Thankfully, he didn't take me up on the sale. Then I booked myself on a track day, used the Fazer and had a great day out. Pound for pound, even with all my mods and extras, the bike probably is worth £2.5k. There is nothing out there for similar money that would be as versatile and wouldn't need a fair sum spending on it, to make it as good as the Gen1.
I'm very lucky, I bought (well, kind of, PCP ?) myself a BMW S1000XR last year. Now don't get me wrong, it is a fabulous bike, great power and handling. Essentially, for me, it brings together the best parts of the GS and the power of a modern sports bike. In theory, it is as close as I've ever come to that elusive perfect One bike that suits all needs.
But, like every other bike / thing in life, it isn't perfect. I could also fill the garage with a decent mix of other bikes for the £15k price tag. It does have all of the electronic rider aids that one could ever need.
I'm not against these, but in reality, as said before, they're great while the bike is under warranty. BUT......who, other than a BMW dealer, is going to be able to fix them when they go wrong out of warranty? I certainly won't be able to.
Do I REALLY need asc / traction, anti wheelie, power modes, ESA? I'm not convinced. I tend to stick with the same suspension settings, now the wife rarely comes out on the bike. When I ride in the wet, I'm careful with the throttle and try to be smooth. if I want to go fast, I open the throttle a bit quicker and wider.
Do I want to take my £15k XR on a track day? Absolutely. Can I afford to risk doing so though? Umm, no!
If you want to go and order a new bike without all of these riding aids, you either can't, or the dealer sells you horror stories over protracted delivery schedules and that "nobody will want to buy it off of you second hand, they'll all want the top spec bikes, it'll be worth nothing".
My two Penneth for what it's worth. I'm probably going to keep the Gen1 and go back to another GS. ?
19-06-16, 11:22 AM (This post was last modified: 19-06-16, 11:25 AM by blackcabbie.)
the thing with the fazer is its a bit of an enigma.... it wont win any beauty contests, but it does look good from some angles..... its nice when your bike gets admiring looks when you are at some bike meet, but the fazer gets none..... anyone who has not had one will totally dismiss it.......... i think the carbs are the main thing with the fazer.... by 2004 most other bikes had gone to fi.... the carb engined fazer is so smooth.... i dont think the carb smoothness can be replicated on any fi bike....... none that i have ridden anyway
When I saw my first Gen 1 I saw on the road, I thought it looked great. I love that big ol' engine canted forward. It looked modern back then. It is a bit anonymous now though, and you're dead right, from some angles it looks great, others, not so much.
As for FI, you can't say carb smoothness can't be replicated and then say you haven't ridden any... kind of destroys your argument. Some FI bikes are rotten, without doubt, but a lot of them are easily as good as carb'd bikes. And I have a ridden a lot of FI bikes.
What gets me about the Fazer, is that you can trickle it down to 15/20mph in 6th and still pull away. It's like an automatic when you're tired and on a tour, you just twist and go. Try that on a Multistrada and the engine will jump clean out of the chassis...
19-06-16, 06:35 PM (This post was last modified: 20-06-16, 01:17 AM by Millietant.)
Looks like I'm even more of a Luddite than Hedgetrimmer - as good as the Fazer 1000 is, in my view, the FJ 1200 (3CV model) is still a better all-round bike, once properly set up - ie, a 17" back wheel fitted as a start.
I love our Fazer 1000, but very time we go away on the bikes, I'm reminded of how good the FJ really is - the Fazer just can't match it for instant overtaking grunt at normal road speeds, and on standard gearing can feel tiresomely buzzy at motorway speeds (abroad) - the FJ, with 1 tooth bigger front sprocket and 2 teeth smaller rear sprocket, is a much more relaxed & comfortable touring and motorway machine, yet still hauls it arse away in roll-on's - and passengers also prefer the FJ.
Mind you, as a workhorse, the Fazer wins hands down (reduced servicing, easier to clean, better mpg in commuting through traffic mode) and Liz loved it as her work bike when instructing learners.
Like me, my gen1 is getting on in years and I am starting to think about how I am going to replace her before she lets me down. As nothing new on the market appeals very much expect maybe the Versys 1000, and I don't really have the budget for brand new, I started looking at older stuff. The sad fact is that I have found proof that I am getting old in the fact that the only bike that is tempting me at the moment s a Pan.
(23-06-16, 09:51 PM)AyJay link Wrote: ...
But why on earth would you think your Fazer is ever going to let you down?
...
Just like me, time passing, hard living, mild neglect take their toll. My to-do list currently includes fork seals perishing, rubbers on the footpegs worn through, radiator hoses cracking, gas leak from exup and slip on connector. Recent jobs included repairing ignition wire connectors, leaking radiator, replaced brake master cylinder.
Well I had an itch to scratch and bought a 2009 Fireblade,,,well what a bike, I am so so pleased with it, it's amazing to ride,smooth,plenty of scary power,very very easy to ride fast, feels safe and planted,it is also the quietest windblast bike I have ever ridden, the aerodynamics over the top are spot on, no noise, no blast , brilliant.
I do get the Fazer Gen 2 out now and then and it is good fun, I am soon dropping it low in the corners but I do notice the sit up position is bad for wind etc,,,fun on the twisties , yes,, but long roads,,,no ,not really
An ageing test pilot for home grown widgets that may fail at anytime.
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