Thinking of trading FZ6 for Ninja Z1000SX (sport tour) or FJ09 (MT09)

[Erci]

I feel dumb, I don't understand what you just said there.

Anyway, is there a change in gear shifting compared to FZ6 or FZ6 is the only bike with hard shifting/rough clutch?

When I say fueling is off, I am talking about EFI (electronic fuel injection).
When you go from closed throttle to gently rolling on, the bike jerks .. it's nearly impossible to roll on smoothly at certain RPM.

Not a huge issue.. it's about the same as FZ6. My FZ1 is much smoother though (go figure).. Ninja is much smoother when it comes to off-on transition too.

It can definitely be remedied with fuel controller.

Shifting felt OK to me.. not buttery-smooth, but not overly harsh. Clutch had a more progressive friction zone compared to FZ6 (I think all bikes do )

 

[raja777m]

When I say fueling is off, I am talking about EFI (electronic fuel injection).
When you go from closed throttle to gently rolling on, the bike jerks .. it's nearly impossible to roll on smoothly at certain RPM.

Not a huge issue.. it's about the same as FZ6. My FZ1 is much smoother though (go figure).. Ninja is much smoother when it comes to off-on transition too.

It can definitely be remedied with fuel controller.

Shifting felt OK to me.. not buttery-smooth, but not overly harsh. Clutch had a more progressive friction zone compared to FZ6 (I think all bikes do )

Ahh, i get the jerks now.
So my questions, are all Yamaha's have that gear shifting problem or especially the touring/street ones like ours?
How about R6, R1 etc? How do they feel?

 

[Erci]

Ahh, i get the jerks now.
So my questions, are all Yamaha's have that gear shifting problem or especially the touring/street ones like ours?
How about R6, R1 etc? How do they feel?

I've got FZ1 and R6.. both shift better than FZ6, but to be honest.. most Suzukis I've ridden shift smoother (all GSXRs, Busa, etc).

I just don't find it to be a real issue. Move up to FZ1.. you won't need to shift as much (jk)

 

[raja777m]

Move up to FZ1.. you won't need to shift as much (jk)

I know what you mean..!:thumbup:Blah
I was checking out craigslist this morning and found 04R1, 17k miles, looks and title-clean for less than 3k.
My hand is damn itchy to get that as my track-only bike.
But I should buy a car :spank: not another bike.

 

[Erci]

I know what you mean..!:thumbup:Blah
I was checking out craigslist this morning and found 04R1, 17k miles, looks and title-clean for less than 3k.
My hand is damn itchy to get that as my track-only bike.
But I should buy a car :spank: not another bike.

See.. on the track I prefer the 600.
P.S. Sorry for thread hijack

 

[zpdrumer]

As someone else said the fj fueling is horrible. The best way I can describe it is riding the fz6 in first gear at like 10k. Any movement you make will jerk the bike. Whether it's stopping or giving more gas. And the fj feels like that all the time in every gear no matter what drive mode you are in. I couldn't do anything besides B mode and it was still bad. It is pretty comfy though. Which is why I think it's important to ride bikes not just sit on them.

Someone also mentioned doing a projector retrofit on the fj. I highly doubt that's possible. I thought that too then I went to the local shop and looked at the headlight casing and the back portion. There is no way you could get projectors in at all without doing it completely custom. You'd need to fab some mounts and add some relays for power.

I am also really considering the ninja/versys. The versys is pricier than the fj or the ninja. But it comes with abs stock (the ninja you have to pay and get the abs version which is harder to find and you rarely get deals on) and unlike the fj it comes with sidebars stock. Once you add the bags for the fj the cost difference isn't too huge at all. Just some things I've noticed in my own research.

One thing I've also noticed is that people that buy the ninja are always ecstatic and very pleased. The people that go with the fj are typically saving up for mods (suspension or remapping) right off the bat

And one last point. Iirc heated grips are an oem accessory from both kawi and Yamaha. I know someone mentioned earlier in the thread it's a fj only option.

 

[summerb37]

When I went to the track for my first track day, the instructor made jokes that Ducati's have a lot of troubles/mechanical issues even though he had 3 of them.
I'm just saying, I can say things about cars, but bike, not so soon. I like your research, and ninja vs fj.
http://rigsville.com/wp-content/uploads/wppa/6258.jpg?ver=2
I like the bike in this picture. Can you try both the bikes for around half hour each at least? get the feel of them.!
BTW, dibs on your LV's ;-)

How can you say no to a bike that looks like that? Thanks for sharing the link.

I have never ridden a inline 3, but the idea (after thinking about it for a while) of the FJ's torque/jump throughout the power band doesn't thrill me for city driving. I know you can power it down with power select options, but, for some reason, I like how the FZ6 gradually pulls harder with an increase of rpms, and for this reason, I believe I would prefer the ninja. In the city, my rpms are usually running between 4 & 5 on my FZ6, and I find that works really well for throttle response and gives me the greatest options of control and power while city riding.

Yeah, the dealer said I could take both out for a test ride if I commit to buying. I am going on a road trip within a month, so I am delaying purchasing a bike. I don't want to be breaking in the bike while on a road trip.

 

[summerb37]

This is not correct. I rode the FZ09 at a demo days and you could change the setting on the fly. I cannot imagine they would dis-improve this for the touring version of the same engine.

...wondering if it was the Kawasaki sales guy that provided this insight.

I agree with your comment about the tail end of the FJ. But the engine and the rest of the bike is wonderful.

Thank you for the clarification. I made a mistake and remembered incorrectly. It is the traction control that cannot be toggled off while riding.

403 Forbidden

 

[summerb37]

I am also in Canada, BC specifically. I bought a 2015 Ninja 1000 from Burnaby Kawasak. The Ninja is everything I wanted my FZ to be. The only thing the FZ does better is wind protection and that could be either the zero gravity windscreen I put on the Ninja or the fact that I now spend way too much time at higher than acceptable speeds.

The FZ makes good power, just like others have said, but the Ninja makes torque everywhere, 50kph to insane speed is infinitely easy. The suspension is good right out of the box, and will be better once adjusted or modified. The brakes are almost track ready and the abs and traction control make doing silly things in the rain a little less silly.

I love this bike!! I've had several super sports, multiple street bikes and 2 race bikes. This bike is more fun than anything short of my race bike, and it's faster!!
Hands down the best street bike I have ever ridden, buy it, you won't be sorry!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was in Burnaby Kawasaki more than a few weeks ago, and I may have been sitting on your bike contemplating.

 

[summerb37]

As someone else said the fj fueling is horrible. The best way I can describe it is riding the fz6 in first gear at like 10k. Any movement you make will jerk the bike. Whether it's stopping or giving more gas. And the fj feels like that all the time in every gear no matter what drive mode you are in. I couldn't do anything besides B mode and it was still bad. It is pretty comfy though. Which is why I think it's important to ride bikes not just sit on them.

Someone also mentioned doing a projector retrofit on the fj. I highly doubt that's possible. I thought that too then I went to the local shop and looked at the headlight casing and the back portion. There is no way you could get projectors in at all without doing it completely custom. You'd need to fab some mounts and add some relays for power.

I am also really considering the ninja/versys. The versys is pricier than the fj or the ninja. But it comes with abs stock (the ninja you have to pay and get the abs version which is harder to find and you rarely get deals on) and unlike the fj it comes with sidebars stock. Once you add the bags for the fj the cost difference isn't too huge at all. Just some things I've noticed in my own research.

One thing I've also noticed is that people that buy the ninja are always ecstatic and very pleased. The people that go with the fj are typically saving up for mods (suspension or remapping) right off the bat

And one last point. Iirc heated grips are an oem accessory from both kawi and Yamaha. I know someone mentioned earlier in the thread it's a fj only option.

I have been noticing the same thing, people that buy the ninja are always ecstatic and very pleased. They tend to keep their bikes too. For example, they don't foresee a need to upgrade or change their bike. For the FJ, people are often omitting to buying the bike because it is good for hooligan riding.

I like the ninja over the versys because the versys is slightly too tall for me. I can be flat footed with the ninja whereas I am on my tiptoes with the versys. Also, I like the ninja because it is a narrower bike, and it is nicer looking (that counts too).

ABS is standard for both the ninja and versys in Canada.

I believe the Versys had some options that ninja didn't not have, but I don't remember what they are at this time.

 

[SandyN]

My test ride impression of the FJ09 Tracer: -

I took the FJ-09 Tracer for a test drive recently and was impressed by the acceleration but a bit disappointed with a bit of vibration at about 4000 rpm. It also has a bit of thud value when pulling from low revs. I initially thought 1st gear was a bit long because of it.

The bike looks smaller than I had imagined it and felt quite light. The seat was set at its highest setting but I could still get both feet flat on the ground when forward on the seat. The seat felt very comfortable when you move back on it. Seating position is not cramped but I felt if I was sitting on top of the bike and not in it as with my Fazer.

The clutch takes over a wide travel range, not abruptly in the last 10mm travel as on my Fazer and the gear change a pleasure, not as notchy as as I am used to. The throttle is very smooth. I tried all drive modes; B is chilled, Std very nice, and A mode "oh my gosh!". I wouldn't use A mode in traffic but would stay in std.

I took it up a long and twisty hill with a lot of uneven pavement and was very impressed with the suspension, it never felt unsettled even when hitting a dip or ridge in mid corner. Cruising and splitting in suburban traffic was a breeze and I was actually surprised that the gear indicator showed that I was doing it at 60-70 km/h in 2nd or 3rd.

It didn't take long to get used to the bike and I was riding without thinking until I forced myself to "notice" things. The windscreen offered good protection, if a bit wobbly, but kept the wind off my chest and shoulders nicely. If I ducked slightly I could feel a slight buffeting, but sitting straight had none at all. The mirrors are handlebar mounted and not quite in line of site as the Fazer's fairing mounted mirrors are.

All in all a very nice bike.