Test rode a FZ1 today

[CrazyBiker]

Rode a grey 08 model today and man what a machine.

1. Much smoother engine than the FZ6
2. Much smoother tranny
3. Fits so well to me and feels so compact and lower and wider than FZ6 which makes it very comfortable (stock seat is wooden though). Feels much less top heavy than the FZ6. I can lean the FZ1 at standstill much lower than the FZ6. Beyond a point I can't save the FZ6.
4. Good power but not a huge difference in the lower rpms. The acceleration makes the hair stand on its ends. The bike just wants to go!
5. The engine sound is music to the years and has a Triumph Triple like whistle. Now I am thinking that putting an exhaust is a waste. Smooth and quiet engine is much better quality music to the ears. Makes me think of selling off my exhaust.
6. Looks like true muscle bike. Perfect proportions (except for the stock exhaust but I am ok with it in person). Again did I mention bike feels smaller.

07 Black FZ1, here I come!
View attachment 15380

 

[rider1a]

Rode a grey 08 model today and man what a machine.

1. Much smoother engine than the FZ6
2. Smooth tranny
3. Fits so well to me and feels so compact and lower and wider than FZ6 which makes it very comfortable (stock seat is wooden though). Feels much less top heavy than the FZ6. I can lean the FZ1 at standstill much lower than the FZ6. Beyond a point I can't save the FZ6.
4. Good power but not a huge difference in the lower rpms. The acceleration makes the hair stand on its ends. The bike just wants to go!
5. The engine sound is music to the years and has a Triumph Triple like whistle. Now I am thinking that putting an exhaust is a waste. Smooth and quiet engine is much better quality music to the ears. Makes me think of selling off my exhaust.
6. Looks like true muscle bike. Perfect proportions (except for the stock exhaust but I am ok with it in person). Again did I mention bike feels smaller.

07 Black FZ1, here I come!

I have sat on the 06+ second generation FZ1 and was not too impressed with the overall comfort relative to the FZ6. I can say the first generation, carb, FZ1 is a much better choice for touring and has very smooth throttle roll-on.

Having ridden several "tuned" FZ1 first generation (before 2006) w/Ohlin suspension, the power delivery was superb for assertive street riding but the bike was not nearly as nimble as the FZ6 in the tight, twisty roads. You can feel the weight much more in the garage. My friend met a women who had 300,000 miles on her 2004 FZ1. As far as "smoother", it is a toss-up. A FZ6 with synthetic oil, tuned and properly adjusted throttle body is pretty luscious.

Each to his own, I am stickin' to the Fazer. BTW, I like to ride the FZ6 off-road on hard-packed dirt roads and the extra weight of the FZ1 would not make this as possible.

RB

 

[FZyLarry]

I My friend met a women who had 300,000 miles on her 2004 FZ1.

300,000 MILES??? Holy crap!

 

[Red Wazp]

Kind of think he meant 30,000 but he is from Texas.

 

[Andz]

I took a test ride on the new FZ1 when it was released here and I was very impressed. I found it to be a nice handler and of course the extra power over the 600 was useful. I do most of my riding two up so sometimes the 600 struggles. The only thing I didn't like was that I thought the bars were too wide.

I have two friends with this bike, one has a Yoshi on and one a Micron, both are so much better looking that that stock dustbin!

 

[Got-boost?]

After picking up my Wifes FZ6 there are three brand new FZ1 06s on the floor $6895. is the price. I keep finding myself back at the shop looking at them at least once a week but just for some odd reason can't seem to pull the trigger on it. I so want one but don't know if I need 4 cycles in the garage.

 

[Anarchy]

So Lucky!! All the dealers around me won't allow test rides on sport bikes

 

[LERecords]

no dealer around me will do test rides either.. i would asume its the same for most dealers...

 

[CrazyBiker]

After picking up my Wifes FZ6 there are three brand new FZ1 06s on the floor $6895. is the price. I keep finding myself back at the shop looking at them at least once a week but just for some odd reason can't seem to pull the trigger on it. I so want one but don't know if I need 4 cycles in the garage.

Same situation mate. Half the day I keep thinking whether I should pull the trigger or not but then I get worried whether I will get a good price for my heavily modded FZ6. I think I will slowly start parting out the mods.

 

[CrazyBiker]

no dealer around me will do test rides either.. i would asume its the same for most dealers...

The dealers do demo rides on floor models that are lying for too long like the one I rode with 620 miles or the used ones. He has a 06 silver too but I opted for this new one. Maybe the 06 would have ridden better as it was already well broken-in. But I am just hooked on to the FZ1. Now only if I can ride the Z1000, Speed Triple and the Sprint ST and get a comparison. I think the same dealer had a 2003 Z1000. I will ask for a test ride next time soon.

 

[wolfc70]

The dealers do demo rides on floor models that are lying for too long like the one I rode with 620 miles or the used ones. He has a 06 silver too but I opted for this new one. Maybe the 06 would have ridden better as it was already well broken-in. But I am just hooked on to the FZ1. Now only if I can ride the Z1000, Speed Triple and the Sprint ST and get a comparison. I think the same dealer had a 2003 Z1000. I will ask for a test ride next time soon.

Once you ride a Sprint ST, you will become obsessed. That tripple sounds lovely!! Nice growl on the throttle, and nice pops and snaps when you close the throttle. Great comfort, standard hard luggage, decent wind protection, amazing headlights and cool colors. The only thing was, I could not afford it. It was about $3000 more than I wanted to spend, but an awesome bike. No way a FZ1 comes close to a dedicated sport tourer. Not that the FZ1 is bad, but it just seemed nervous to me on the interstate.

Some day I will have a Sprint ST keeping my FZ6 company in the garage!:rockon:

 

[LERecords]

maybe its just the dealers around me, but they dont do test rides.. but whatever.. i knew i wanted the fz6

 

[bigdog9191999]

i miss having the 955 triple..:drool: 05 tiger with the factory offroad pipe.. sounded so good.. the new version is more powerfull (1055 and not detuned)


i know the tiger moved good for a bigger bike, the speed triple would be nuts.. gotta love tourqe

 

[troyw]

Well, I didn't test ride it, as they won't let anyone at the dealer do tests on sportbikes. But, I had an 08 FZ6 for just under 2 months, and I just traded for a new 08' FZ1 in the Iron Man colors.
All I can tell you is that there's no comparison. FZ1 is much more comfortable for me, handles even better (less nimble? Not to me.), much better suspension, more parts availability and cheaper and finally, the power. Mine has only 50 miles on since yesterday, but I wicked it to 9k in 2nd or 3rd once, and wow. WOW.

- Troy

 

[CrazyBiker]

yes.. check the pictures, it looks much more compact and proportionate than the FZ6 and fits me like a glove. It doesn't give me the feeling that I am riding a much bigger power monster. Suspension is good too.

 

[troyw]

Yeah, crazybiker, I know what you mean. It does not feel like a bigger machine.
It seems to fit me like a glove too! And I'm only 5'6" tall. Love this thing.
My one word review thus far has been WOW.

 

[CrazyBiker]

Once you ride a Sprint ST, you will become obsessed. That tripple sounds lovely!! Nice growl on the throttle, and nice pops and snaps when you close the throttle. Great comfort, standard hard luggage, decent wind protection, amazing headlights and cool colors. The only thing was, I could not afford it. It was about $3000 more than I wanted to spend, but an awesome bike. No way a FZ1 comes close to a dedicated sport tourer. Not that the FZ1 is bad, but it just seemed nervous to me on the interstate.

Some day I will have a Sprint ST keeping my FZ6 company in the garage!:rockon:

FZ1 was gr8 on the interstate. I prefer light bikes and Sprint ST would be my 1st choice if not for the 500+lb weight

 

[wolfc70]

FZ1 was gr8 on the interstate. I prefer light bikes and Sprint ST would be my 1st choice if not for the 500+lb weight

500 lbs is light for sport tourers (sp?). You do not really notice the weight of the Sprint ST. The FJR is at least 100 lbs heavier. I did not like the FZ1 on the interstate, it felt twitchy in the cross winds, but there was alot less buzz than the fizzy 6 at those speeds. Now the Z1000 is a neat bike...

 

[Hotlips]

Crazybiker

I went window shopping riding an FJR1300 at one of our dealers and wasn't too keen on the FZ1.
The salesman offered me a test ride. I went about 5 km down the road and turned around. When I removed my helmet at the dealer you wouldn't have been able to remove the smile from my face with a cricket bat. I've now had the FZ1 for about 8 months and wouldn't swop it for anything. Done one track day with it and it's such a dream as a daily commuter.
I suspect it's the one that Andz mentioned with the sweet Micron pipe. The stock "Dustbin" pipe is laying in my garage and rusting.

BEST BIKE I've ever owned.

I attach a pic of what it looks like with the Micron pipe. This is not my bike but a pic that I downloaded from the net. Looks very much the same.

 

[rider1a]

Kind of think he meant 30,000 but he is from Texas.

Sorry....it was 300,000 miles. She does around 75,000 miles per year. She is retired and does heavy duty touring on her first generation FZ1. We have another gal from Austin who at 70s years of age put 100,000 on her BMW RT bike in ONE year. Her name is Ardys Kellerman.

She retired as an electronics technician at age 70. This great-grandmother of seven has completed four Iron Butt Rallies – the stamina trials billed as 11 thousand miles in 11 days. She has done innumerable Saddlesores (1,000 miles in 24 hours), and once, four in a row. That's a thousand miles a day for four days – in a row! This year she's done three more - in three different states. When she wasn't selected for the 2003 Iron Butt Rally, she did a little 49 state ride - in eight days - and was named an honorary citizen of the tiny town of Hyder, Alaska by the locals when they learned of her feat. She's ridden Coast to Coast in less than 50 hours. This year, at age 74, she is well on her way to setting a new record for women riders in the BMW MOA Mileage Contest of 100,000 miles. She is close to 700,000 lifetime BMW miles.

Her first long distance ride was to the Four Corners of the US. She had ridden from Maine to Key West, where it was unbearably hot, so she rode to Blaine, Washington to cool off before continuing on to San Ysidro, California. That was the year she rode 50,000 miles in six months for the BMW MOA Women's Mileage Contest, a mark which stood unchallenged for ten years.

Ardys is tough!