Newb with lots of questions - hope that's OK?

[unfazed]

Hi All,
Just acquired a 2003 FZS1000 in lovely condition after being a Triumph Triple owner for the last 10 years and am experiencing a bit of a culture shock so would appreciate some advice to help me bond with it.
The motor seems really buzzy after the triple which is to be expected I guess but the slightest whiff of throttle has the revs shooting up making tight maneuvers tricky and has the bike jerking over bumps as I can't keep the throttle steady. Is this the norm with these? It has a Blue Flame race exhaust so don't know if the fueling is off?
The seating position is great for me as I had both wrists smashed in a bike accident a couple of years ago so comfort is spot on but there seems to be no weight over the front wheel making steering seem vague at times. I guess dropping the forks through and maybe lower bars would help - has anyone had experience or recommendations of doing either? 
It came with the original owners manual which says to cold start the bike with full choke and no throttle but it never seems to catch without a fair bit of throttle - is this normal or once again maybe a fueling issue caused by the pipe?
Forks feel extremely soft - already had been set for max compression/rebound so once again any advice of beefing them up a bit? Thicker oil/stronger springs etc?
The gearing! Does anyone actually use first gear on these or maybe someone has messed with the sprockets on mine. I'm constantly trying to change up from 6th gear and it feels like it needs another 2! I know it's revvier than the Triumph and will take some getting used to but it seems horrendously under-geared. Must check the number of sprocket teeth.
 Sorry if that all seems a bit negative but I really like the bike and want it to get the best out of it. Looking forward to interacting with fellow Fazer owners on here.
Thanks in advance for any info/advice you can offer  J

Just saw this and a few quick things, Your on /off throttle issue is the Throttle Position Sensor faulty and a new TPS will fix it, but balance the carbs first, many have not been touched and were out of balance from the factory especially the 2004/2005 ones.. Do not buy a Yamaha TPS one as they are twice the price of the Suzuki or Tourmax ones which ar as good. Tourmax TPS-107 or Suzuki  13580-42F01-000. Service manual is in the Downloads. Check the front sprocket it may have been changed.
Front forks need upgraded springs, Linear or Progressive, but for general use or touring Progressive is better, for track days and regular motorway use linear will be good. Use 7.5W synthetic oil as anymore will cause it to be too hard on the compression stroke. From new the Fzs1000 was notorious for understeering powering out of bends and can be made worse by changing the springs if damping is not setup correctly. As long as the compression and rebound dampers are moving freely this can be dialled out, but take a bit of fiddling. the rear shock if it is still original will need to be changed and they are many variations. I have a 2013 S1000rr on mine but had to add a 10mm ring under the spring to allow better preload adjustment otherwise you will run out of preload threads when adjusting the preload