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

[borderline13]

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 

[Trebus]

Welcome to the forums.

Lots to consider and depends on the mileage / condition / servicing that the bike has had. Fuelling is not normally jerky, there are carb modifications that will release extra horses and other benefits but in standard trim still should be fine. 

The EXUP valves are prone to seizing but you should see the rev counter flick to 7k before firing up if that’s an issue. You may also want to balance the carbs. For normal starting on standard carbs try half choke and no revs until it fires. Idling when warm should be 1050-1150 RPM as I recall.


Suspension. The forks weren’t brilliant from the factory and can be improved with some replacement springs for your weight. Most go for linear but you can get better matched progressive springs too. Rear shock if it’s original will be well past its best, again they were fairly cheap from day 1. There are swap out options from R6 or BMW which improve things or of course the more expensive aftermarket options.

Gearing is normally fine and little benefit changing. Maybe worth checking the fitted items are standard size.

[borderline13]

Thank you for replying Trebus,

The condition of the bike is excellent and seems to have been very well cared for. It has 27k on it and apart from the Blue Flame pipe, which I now know is not a race pipe and has the BS stamp, is totally stock.

The fueling is not so much jerky as too responsive - if that's a thing! Might just need to get used to it after the tractor type response of the triple. Not after any more hp just a bit more of a torguey bottom end.

Will check the EXUP valve soon and as I'm finding lots of useful info on here they'll be a lot more checking and tweaking too. Carbs seem a bit unbalanced and tickover at the mo is about 900rpm which seems a bit low and it feels lumpy.

Back end feels well damped and stable so no worries there, so will look into new springs and oil up front. 

The gearing must have been changed at some point as I can't see a stock bike having gearing this extreme! Will check soon.

[BBROWN1664]

Someone has changed the end can so will almost certainly (not 100%) replaced the down pipes too and you will have lost the exup valve. This makes a difference to the way the bike behaves. You will have lost some of the bottom end control ability in favour of top end power. Someone that knows the 1000 better than me will be along shortly though. Welcome to the group though