Norm
Wizard
miles on Professor Fizz. All good.
The professor doesn't talk much. Not like Mr. Fizz at all. We learned a lot together, Mr. Fizz and I, like how to pull a speedpass from your leather jacket, hold it up correctly while you pass the toll and shift. The Professor, like the the teacher of differential equations, assumes you passed calculus and know the basics. Everything that the FZ6 offered is offered in kind on the FZ1. Upgrades are plentiful such as suspension, cruisability and comfort, and of course power. Gas mileage sucks. I wish I could say something nice about that or sugar coat it, but coming from the direction I did, I expected more. A friend of mine finally put it in perspective: "You bought a race bike. People with Ferrari's don't care about gas mileage." So there it is. There are times I get 43 mpg. But more often than not, it's 37-38. That's it. That's the only negative. I love this bike. And since Eric, FZ1inNH, adjusted my front suspension I love it more as there's virtually no front end dive. That's something I thought I lost forever after trading in my Burgman 400.
Handling is downright superior. The bike can be maneuvered every which way as I proved Saturday. I was leading a couple of friends for the first part of a long journey and was not paying attention as I came upon a stopped car at a light. I jerked the bike to his left and braked hard and missed him by a hair. The guy got out of the car incredulous that I missed him. He had Harley stickers on his car and so seemed inclined to forget the affair, said "Hmmm" and got back in the car. My friends said they don't know how I missed him. I don't either, but the bike responds like an attentive Doberman, and plays the part as well.
The best description for riding the FZ1 is "interactive." Like the FZ6 and unlike a large cruiser this bike very much responds to small inputs and prevails over the greater than routine maneuvers. It can be argued it was created to respond to the rider rather than deliver a pre-packaged ride. With 6 broad ranging gears this bike can be ridden using only 4 and this accounts for freeways. You can shift a little or you can shift a lot. Short shifting quiets the ever present growl. There's almost no meaning to running a gear out since even first can get you over the legal speed limit. With powerful brakes fore and aft a finger here and a toe there will do the trick, while any combination of 4 digits will bring you to zero that much quicker.
Forgiving is another descriptive that comes to mind. Like turning the front wheel to the max while making too sharp of a slow speed turn in the gas station. I heard the bump where the wheel would turn no more, the bike shivered for a split second while it brought the wheel back a smidge by itself which kept it upright after I then braked too hard. It's not what this bike can't do. It's the endless possibilities of can do that challenges every skill level. It's content to devour highway miles where neither a string of 18 wheelers nor a nasty quartering wind can derail its course. But the Professor is most pleased when turning. And in turning, they're appears to be an infinite array of choices, all of which get the job done. It is also quite sated by exceeding the speed limit and constantly baits its rider to do so, especially on the highway. The Professor will get you into trouble not by accident but by consciously succumbing to temptation.
I love the Professors growl. Accelerating, decelerating, or even maintaining velocity, he growls his deep rumble, not so much changing pitch with speed but changing the tempo of the Grrr, Grrrr, Grrr. It is eminently pleasing and seems to attract the attention of boys, men, an occasional woman, and, unfortunately, an occasional cop...even when obeying the speed limit.
It's design is a magician's slight of hand that even at rest he appears to be speeding. His appearance is sinewy. He's not heavy. He's lean and mean. Like his little brother he has a cast aluminum exoskeleton, which is only a thin veil for his massive innards. The large engine brings great power. And with great power comes great heat. And the two fans work tirelessly if the Professor is forced to sit motionless for any length of time.
There is no other deceptions about this bike. It looks light and fast and it is. Moving it about without power is less work than moving the Silver Wing under the same circumstances. Twisting the throttle will deliver the power it's looks promise, and the brakes deliver on their part. The bike is comfortable because there is no vibration but ultimately the knees bent/slightly forward lean that delivers so robustly on responsiveness can tire old bones and joints after a few hours in the saddle. Frequent breaks and advil are a must for the over 40 crowd.
If you like roller coasters, diving head first into waves, sampling new foods, talking to strangers, jay walking, cutting class, and smoking in the boy's room then this is the bike for you. Otherwise I give you fair warning: abandon hope all ye who enter here.
The professor doesn't talk much. Not like Mr. Fizz at all. We learned a lot together, Mr. Fizz and I, like how to pull a speedpass from your leather jacket, hold it up correctly while you pass the toll and shift. The Professor, like the the teacher of differential equations, assumes you passed calculus and know the basics. Everything that the FZ6 offered is offered in kind on the FZ1. Upgrades are plentiful such as suspension, cruisability and comfort, and of course power. Gas mileage sucks. I wish I could say something nice about that or sugar coat it, but coming from the direction I did, I expected more. A friend of mine finally put it in perspective: "You bought a race bike. People with Ferrari's don't care about gas mileage." So there it is. There are times I get 43 mpg. But more often than not, it's 37-38. That's it. That's the only negative. I love this bike. And since Eric, FZ1inNH, adjusted my front suspension I love it more as there's virtually no front end dive. That's something I thought I lost forever after trading in my Burgman 400.
Handling is downright superior. The bike can be maneuvered every which way as I proved Saturday. I was leading a couple of friends for the first part of a long journey and was not paying attention as I came upon a stopped car at a light. I jerked the bike to his left and braked hard and missed him by a hair. The guy got out of the car incredulous that I missed him. He had Harley stickers on his car and so seemed inclined to forget the affair, said "Hmmm" and got back in the car. My friends said they don't know how I missed him. I don't either, but the bike responds like an attentive Doberman, and plays the part as well.
The best description for riding the FZ1 is "interactive." Like the FZ6 and unlike a large cruiser this bike very much responds to small inputs and prevails over the greater than routine maneuvers. It can be argued it was created to respond to the rider rather than deliver a pre-packaged ride. With 6 broad ranging gears this bike can be ridden using only 4 and this accounts for freeways. You can shift a little or you can shift a lot. Short shifting quiets the ever present growl. There's almost no meaning to running a gear out since even first can get you over the legal speed limit. With powerful brakes fore and aft a finger here and a toe there will do the trick, while any combination of 4 digits will bring you to zero that much quicker.
Forgiving is another descriptive that comes to mind. Like turning the front wheel to the max while making too sharp of a slow speed turn in the gas station. I heard the bump where the wheel would turn no more, the bike shivered for a split second while it brought the wheel back a smidge by itself which kept it upright after I then braked too hard. It's not what this bike can't do. It's the endless possibilities of can do that challenges every skill level. It's content to devour highway miles where neither a string of 18 wheelers nor a nasty quartering wind can derail its course. But the Professor is most pleased when turning. And in turning, they're appears to be an infinite array of choices, all of which get the job done. It is also quite sated by exceeding the speed limit and constantly baits its rider to do so, especially on the highway. The Professor will get you into trouble not by accident but by consciously succumbing to temptation.
I love the Professors growl. Accelerating, decelerating, or even maintaining velocity, he growls his deep rumble, not so much changing pitch with speed but changing the tempo of the Grrr, Grrrr, Grrr. It is eminently pleasing and seems to attract the attention of boys, men, an occasional woman, and, unfortunately, an occasional cop...even when obeying the speed limit.
It's design is a magician's slight of hand that even at rest he appears to be speeding. His appearance is sinewy. He's not heavy. He's lean and mean. Like his little brother he has a cast aluminum exoskeleton, which is only a thin veil for his massive innards. The large engine brings great power. And with great power comes great heat. And the two fans work tirelessly if the Professor is forced to sit motionless for any length of time.
There is no other deceptions about this bike. It looks light and fast and it is. Moving it about without power is less work than moving the Silver Wing under the same circumstances. Twisting the throttle will deliver the power it's looks promise, and the brakes deliver on their part. The bike is comfortable because there is no vibration but ultimately the knees bent/slightly forward lean that delivers so robustly on responsiveness can tire old bones and joints after a few hours in the saddle. Frequent breaks and advil are a must for the over 40 crowd.
If you like roller coasters, diving head first into waves, sampling new foods, talking to strangers, jay walking, cutting class, and smoking in the boy's room then this is the bike for you. Otherwise I give you fair warning: abandon hope all ye who enter here.
