Fazer a cracking bike

[mr self destruct]

I don't know whether to be pleased or disappointed after reading this thread.
The only big bikes I've ever rode were an ER-5 in a car park on an 'introduction to big bikes' day, a Bandit S during my DA, a GS500 after the test, and of course my Fazer.
Now I was never planning to keep the Fazer, I was going to try out a few different mid range bikes (ER-6, Hornet, Speed Four, Street triple, SV650 etc.) over the next few years and was kind of looking forward to that, but it looks like I've started of with the best! 

[JoeRock]

I know I'm about to get shot down here - but it all depends on what you want from a bike. If I were commuting through town on a daily basis, then something like a Fazer would be perfect.


However, most of my riding is one up, about a 50% split between fun riding and motorway commuting, and as such a sports bike with a decent fairing suited me a lot better (as does the riding position) - so I've gone back to a ZX9R, and not regretted it at all.
It's faster, handles and brakes better, I find it a lot more comfy and its got infinitely better weather protection. Only areas the FZS 600 beats it on really is that the rear seat is comfier for passengers (although there's more space and legroom on the 9) and the mpg/tank range is a little better on the Fazer - but not massively so (particularly on long journeys where the Ninja is actually better at cruising speeds).


I really don't understand you guys that can ride only one bike and proclaim it the best bike in the world - sure they're good bikes, but they are ultimately budget bikes, and there's a lot of other bikes out there that are better in many, many ways while only having a few sacrifices!


Just my two cents!






Noggy, if you're only riding one up and mostly for fun then try a blade - I'm pretty certain you'll find in every possible area it'll kick the FZS's ass. Personal preference for me would be a 954, but that's because they're within my budget - any of the blades are fantastic bikes!

[noggythenog]

Joe you Devil, :evil :evil :evil




I've almost saved enough for one. 8)






I'll have another season on the noggyfighter & see how i feel after that i reckon.it's still a good bike really.....nit sure id enjoy being a lurker but hey i can always go on Christo's whatever else you got thread

[JoeRock]

Joe you Devil, :evil :evil :evil




I've almost saved enough for one. 8)






I'll have another season on the noggyfighter & see how i feel after that i reckon.it's still a good bike really.....nit sure id enjoy being a lurker but hey i can always go on Christo's whatever else you got thread

For sure the Fazers a good bike, but personally when I ride I want something that excites me, and the Fazer just isn't powerful enough to do that! Not that I'm an adrenaline junky at all  :lol
What Blade are you thinking of going for?

[noggythenog]

[quote author=noggythenog link=topic=11805.msg129455#msg129455 date=1393238621]



Joe you Devil, :evil :evil :evil




I've almost saved enough for one. 8)






I'll have another season on the noggyfighter & see how i feel after that i reckon.it's still a good bike really.....nit sure id enjoy being a lurker but hey i can always go on Christo's whatever else you got thread

For sure the Fazers a good bike, but personally when I ride I want something that excites me, and the Fazer just isn't powerful enough to do that! Not that I'm an adrenaline junky at all  :lol
What Blade are you thinking of going for?
[/quote]


954 seems refuted as the best so ideally id have one o them but i prefer the looks of the 918 & it is more in my budget, it looks much more retro which i like but i'd be staying with carbs with an old one.918 is supposedly comfier too which is good since im 6 foot.




My best plan seems to be to keep my fazer & have a blade....if i find in time that i prefer the fazer then i can go back to it & easily sell the blade on but prices are so low for old 600 fazers that it barely seems worthwhile trying to sell it.i know my old man would appreciate a spare bike for when he comes visiting me in Wales, show him some of those nice mid wales twisties. 8)






One more point though which is important.....well to some anyway.....the fazer is always the underdog & you'll never be embarrassed on it....i mean so what if a brand new GSXR 1000 smokes you....it should....but the fazer can still keep with allot of sportsbikes on the roads, especially if ridden by posers which is a good feeling on a budget bike.......on a fireblade or an R1 then you are expected to perform & will be the benchmark for Mr pub bloke saying "oh ye i kept up with a fireblade today" so the pressure is on.






It's tricky because i was thinking of a new rear shock & uprating the front springs & yes i think the fazer will then be smoking hot but i can get an old fireblade that is smoking hot outta the box  for 2k & pribably sell it 2 years later for 2k.

[stevierst]

My best plan seems to be to keep my fazer & have a blade....

I did just that, kept the fazer for work/knocking about on, and bought a fun bike to play on. (did 8.5k play miles, and 10k work miles last year!)
But then again, I don't have a car anymore!

[noggythenog]

[quote author=noggythenog link=topic=11805.msg129475#msg129475 date=1393240877]
My best plan seems to be to keep my fazer & have a blade....

I did just that, kept the fazer for work/knocking about on, and bought a fun bike to play on. (did 8.5k play miles, and 10k work miles last year!)
But then again, I don't have a car anymore!
[/quote]




I best camouflage my motors stash from the mother in law, she'll kick off :evil , my missus doesnt even drive so 2 bikes and 1 car just for me seems greedy , but i am greedy :b .


It's annoying coz ive got jealous when we've had the odd nice winter day & folk have been out but i cant coz my bike is winter stored so ye i could keep the fazer for these type of days & for my dad when he visits.






Come on Kentish...ive proper jacked your thread here , did you try a blade???

[Lez72]

Its the age old question, "What do I replace my Fazer with?"

Personally, I don't ever plan on selling my Gen 1. It does everything I could want and then some and I personally think they are a thing of beauty with a bit of fettling.

The boxeye is the bike I would look at replacing even though I still enjoy riding and polishing it. Sometimes we just fancy a change I guess. I intend to keep it for at least another 12 months and save up some dosh and then look at alternatives. There's no way I would want another sports bike as they have very limited uses in the 'real world' and I have owned or ridden most of them over the years GSXR's, R1's, ZX9's, Fireblades, ZX10's etc. They're excellent at what they're designed for but that limits the practicalities for me. I have never found them comfortable, even when I was a lot younger so it's 'sit up and beg' jobbies for me from now on.

My current shortlist (dreamlist) are Speed Triple, Ducati Hypermotard, Aprilia Tuono V4 or maybe the FZ8.

[stevierst]

What about the mt-09? It's a hoot to ride, and it's a right torquey hooligan.

[Mattsplat]

The FZ1 is a 'Jack of all' but master of none...

Its not a sports bike and not a touring bike but will do both adequately enough.

[mr self destruct]

What about the mt-09? It's a hoot to ride, and it's a right torquey hooligan.

Nice as my Fazer is, if they put a fairing on the MT-09 I'll be first in the queue.

[stevierst]

I talked to the guys at Raceways in Fleetwood. The owner said there's about 5 new models coming out soon, watch this space for an 850/3 pot powered variant of the mt-09!

[noggythenog]

Im gonna go 1 of 3 ways.




Keep the noggyfighter, tonnes of life left & only really suspension that hasnt been renewed or upgraded...cheapest option for now. 8)




0% finance myself up on a fazer 8, wishful thinking but it's bad enough buying new stuff without the shit APR, if they have the deal then ill sign on the dotted line & who knows they might want rid of them. 8)




Get an old fireblade......the most exciting prospect of the 3 but not without it's problems....knowing me ill be wanting a mint one for longevity & future coolness. 8)








All good options though






So frustrating though...just like circling every page in the argos catalogue as a kid before christmas.

[Yamazer-92]

I've ridden a few bikes in the 5 years I've been riding and my boxeye 600 is definitely the best for my needs and my favorite so far. I bought it as I wanted an affordable all rounder and that is exactly what it delivers, but its so fun and rewarding to ride as well. I honestly hardly ever even get to properly nail it and use its power, mostly I enjoy its decent handling and the fact that in 5th / 6th gear it is nice and responsive @ 60mph when having fun on national speed limit twisties. Perhaps that's due to where I live and what I use it for. Even so, when you do hold it up to 12k in low gears you are reaching 80-100mph in seconds....that still amazes me. Obviously there are faster bikes, better handling etc but as a budget all rounder you can't really fault this bike. The only 2 bikes that have blown me away in a similar way in terms of raw acceleration and feeling of speed were my mates GSX 1400 and when I was 16 my friends tuned DT125 (granted I've never ridden a proper sports bike). I would not have either of them over my Fazer though.


For someone my age, this is the best all round bike money can buy for the price and that's not to say it isn't for somebody older either it's just insurers are harsher on young people. A FZS 1000 or supersport like Joes ninja will be quicker of course, but how often do you truly use that pace? I have never once come off a ride and thought, well my Fazer 600 was a bit slow today I could have really done with a 1000cc. Its more to insure and run, more tax and costs more to actually buy in the first place. This may sound Biased but I can really genuinely not think of a better do it all bike that costs approx £1500 to buy at £300 a year fully comp insurance for a 21 year old. VFR? More expensive to insure and I hate clip ons. Never ridden one but can't imagine them being THAT much better than a Fazer. Hornet? Not as versatile. Same with SV although I do like them a lot. Bandit you can get for cheaper but not as good a bike. TDM 850, kind of boring. All the 500 twins are a bit small and meh. Supermoto's, great fun but nowhere near the versatility. An old GSX-R or something similar? Once again clip ons and more to insure. FZ6 / 8? Not my cup of tea at all. The mt-09 and 07 do look interesting though, but expensive... A mate recently got a GSR 600 on finance and traded in his bandit 600 so will be interesting to see what he makes of it long term. It's once again not my cup of tea though. Street triples etc at my age are no chance. Do they even tour anyway? The pillion seat is a postage stamp... It has to be a Fazer every time, just a shame you have to spend a load to make them comfy for tall people. My plan is to do mine up as good as I can / need for comfort and then buy a big old thumper of a dirt bike as a second bike to mess about on and work on, possibly convert to a supermoto.

[Lez72]

What about the mt-09? It's a hoot to ride, and it's a right torquey hooligan.

Its a possible Steve but the only reason I put the FZ8 in my shortlist is down to brand loyalty I guess. The other 3 are there because they are a bit different and I have never owned a Triumph, Aprillia or a Ducati. The shortlist may be down to 2 now though after checking out the 2nd hand prices of the Tuono V4PRC on Ebay. HOW MUCH. Way above a man of my means  :'( I suppose the older Tuono would be a viable option and they are more affordable but they just look unfinished to me and nowhere near as nice as the latest model. When did naked bikes get so expensive ???

I think I have just stumbled upon the reason we love our Fazers so much !!!. They are a hard act to follow (hence the reason we always have massive debates about what to replace them with) and, they are affordable. When it comes down to performance per £££ what other allrounders come close. The emphasis here is on ALLROUNDERS, not cheap sportsbikes.

[stevierst]

My wingman has a mille fighter modelled on a tuono, and tbh it's not as good in my eyes as my fz1 (i always hit the limiter when I ride it!).

I had a 'prilla myself, it was a love/hate relationship!

the triumph (I had a tiger 1050) awesome engine! especially when tuned up. The St would be the closest useable bike to a fazer, the Speed triple the most involving but impractical. The engine has the same characteristics as the mt09, but the yam as per usual is more raw, more fun!

As for Ducati, well never had one, but a guy I used to ride with had a 748 that broke down EVERY ride out. that kind of put me off, and the fact that on tickover they sound like a knackered petrol driven cement mixer (anyone remember them?)

Each to their own and all that, good luck with finding the ideal bike!

[noggythenog]

Chaps...the FZ8.....like lez...one reason to have one imo...brand loyalty...&  :faz  Loyalty....all salute the mighty


  :faz 8) 8) 8) un 8) 8) 8) :faz




Looks a tidy bike...ok maybe a little bit generic or cloney...not too crazy....little  reserved etc.........but only 200cc off the thou......does it shift or does it foccin shift????.....as some have said it would be cheap to run, surely handles well....plus not being a thou means no pressure on the old "must be in the front" stakes as it is only an 8.




Im really intrigued...just because it doesnt sell that well...but could it be a secret Gem???

[stevierst]

What's the power delivery like on the 8? I was guessing it was like a less powerful gen II, all revs and screams, with less bottom end torque than the fzs.
I'm probably wrong though, am I :-\

[noggythenog]

I do quite like revvy screaminess i must say.....it's like you can prepare yourself before it kicks in instead of being caught out torquing it up too early.


I mean theres merits to every type of engine but a high revving engine on song gives me a stiffy! :b


A quick scan on google reveals some nice looking FZ8's, wee exhaust mod & bobs yur uncle.

[noggythenog]

Out yur caves FZ8 owners! :whip




What knows ye......what secrets you be keepin??????