trexmsuee
New Member
Greetings -
I’ve been watching this forum since I first became interested in the FZ1s, and I’m really impressed by the quality of the comments – so thanks in advance for your opinions. I am a 40 yr old male “family guy” shopping for a practical – but fun - bike for my 60-mile round trip commutes and some light weekend riding.
I’ve previously owned a Bandit 1250, which I sold several years ago. I liked the semi-naked appearance, but I found the power delivery woefully uninspiring, the handling was unwieldy for in-town commuting, and the transmission was clumsy and emitted a very loud “keerrrthunkkkk” between gear changes.
For this bike, I’ve allowed myself a budget of $7500. Within this price range, I’ve looked at several dealer-holdover new 2009/10 FZ1s, 2011 FZ8s, and the new 2012 Ninja 650. I’ve eliminated the FZ8 due to the lack of a windscreen, although I think this is a really awesome motorcycle. The 2012 Ninja 650 is also extremely well reviewed. In terms of power it is certainly in a different class than the FZ1 – however, it has some distinct selling points in terms of ergonomic comfort, fuel economy (50 mpg or better), light-weight handling, and inexpensive insurance.
The concerns I have about the FZ1 mainly center on the power delivery. I’ve seen reviewers describe the Gen II throttles response in much the same way as one would describe a bipolar girlfriend! Even though the ECU has undergone many improvements, I’m left to wonder if I would be satisfied with the bike's temperament in-town. It seems to be best suited for long stretches of open road. Several other negative items I’ve seen include the hard seat, and reports of an “awkward” rider position due to the reward sweep of the handles bars. I’m not so much worried about this little stuff because it’s easy to correct. I’ve also seen a long-term reviewer criticize a phenomena akin to “ball roasting” due to poor heat dissipation under the seat on long rides.
Anyway, I know you guys (and girls) are avid FZ1 owners, and I’d really like to weigh some feedback on how you think this motorcycle would fit the type of riding I’d be doing versus some of the other options.
Ride Safe!
I’ve been watching this forum since I first became interested in the FZ1s, and I’m really impressed by the quality of the comments – so thanks in advance for your opinions. I am a 40 yr old male “family guy” shopping for a practical – but fun - bike for my 60-mile round trip commutes and some light weekend riding.
I’ve previously owned a Bandit 1250, which I sold several years ago. I liked the semi-naked appearance, but I found the power delivery woefully uninspiring, the handling was unwieldy for in-town commuting, and the transmission was clumsy and emitted a very loud “keerrrthunkkkk” between gear changes.
For this bike, I’ve allowed myself a budget of $7500. Within this price range, I’ve looked at several dealer-holdover new 2009/10 FZ1s, 2011 FZ8s, and the new 2012 Ninja 650. I’ve eliminated the FZ8 due to the lack of a windscreen, although I think this is a really awesome motorcycle. The 2012 Ninja 650 is also extremely well reviewed. In terms of power it is certainly in a different class than the FZ1 – however, it has some distinct selling points in terms of ergonomic comfort, fuel economy (50 mpg or better), light-weight handling, and inexpensive insurance.
The concerns I have about the FZ1 mainly center on the power delivery. I’ve seen reviewers describe the Gen II throttles response in much the same way as one would describe a bipolar girlfriend! Even though the ECU has undergone many improvements, I’m left to wonder if I would be satisfied with the bike's temperament in-town. It seems to be best suited for long stretches of open road. Several other negative items I’ve seen include the hard seat, and reports of an “awkward” rider position due to the reward sweep of the handles bars. I’m not so much worried about this little stuff because it’s easy to correct. I’ve also seen a long-term reviewer criticize a phenomena akin to “ball roasting” due to poor heat dissipation under the seat on long rides.
Anyway, I know you guys (and girls) are avid FZ1 owners, and I’d really like to weigh some feedback on how you think this motorcycle would fit the type of riding I’d be doing versus some of the other options.
Ride Safe!