From Cbr to fz1: initial impression of a first time Fz owner.

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White86

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Most of you probably don't care but here's my opinion anyways.
I have had nothing but Cbr's my entire street riding life. I loved them but, it was time to slow down and make a change. Enter my newest project, my 2003 black fz1. Wow. The first time I rode it I fell in love with the seating position. Unfortunately 1 ride was all it took for me to immediately hate the suspension and brakes! It's like riding a lazy boy chair with a R1 motor in it. A few miles and a whole lot of peg scraping later I returned home wondering if I'd made a mistake. Could I really calm myself down enough to enjoy the lazy feel of this bike? Only time will tell.

Thank god for forums like this. I know I'll have a ton of stupid questions if I decide to swap the suspension and brakes out. Cheers!
 
White86 said:
Most of you probably don't care but here's my opinion anyways.
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Ah, you misunderstand this forum; we do care! :shine:

I'd love to see info on your past bikes. How many CBRs have you had? How long have you been riding?

We demand photos! :thewave:

I'm quite interested in hearing your impressions after some more time in the saddle! I owned the same year FZ1 as you & I found it to be a big, heavy, floppy tank--especially when all 21L of fuel & my Givi cases were on board. Still, nice to have lots of power while riding something with a great seat & ergonomics. :)

Welcome!
 
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Suspension and brakes are the weak points compared to super-sports. The Gen II (2006-2013) is a bit more sporty than the Gen I (2001-2005), but both have similar shortcomings. These can be improved with a bit of money and time. I'm sure you'll be able to mod it into what you like. It's such a great starting point to go in many different directions. Congrats on the 'new' bike.
 
well yes, those are its two weaknesses haha but can be remedies easily enough, for about 500 bucks you can get it dialed in to be pretty potent. it'll never be like a sportsbike, but for a sport tourer, it can be pretty amazing.
 
Dustin- I've a 3 Cbr's now. A '92 cbr600f2, a '06 cbr1000rr, and my last '07 cbr1000rr race bike. I loved all of them. I hope I end up loving the fz1 as much.

Jared- you had my attention at $500 upgrade lol. Please do tell
 
I love the blue and yellow. Very sharp. BTW, the FZ1 does have a center stand. Maybe not a cool as the front and rear stands, but the center stand will unload the suspension. ;)
:thinking:
Nice looking FZ. I was able to ride a 2001 black FZ1 that was set up very nicely. I'm sure you'll get used to it and love it. Have fun, be safe!
 
BDazzler said:
I love the blue and yellow. Very sharp. BTW, the FZ1 does have a center stand. Maybe not a cool as the front and rear stands, but the center stand will unload the suspension. ;)
:thinking:
Nice looking FZ. I was able to ride a 2001 black FZ1 that was set up very nicely. I'm sure you'll get used to it and love it. Have fun, be safe!
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Thanks! The blue and yellow is the only bike I truly miss. It was my favorite.
And yes I keep the bike on the center stand usually. I had just finished installing the rim tape when I took that pic!
 
White86 said:
Thanks! The blue and yellow is the only bike I truly miss. It was my favorite.
And yes I keep the bike on the center stand usually. I had just finished installing the rim tape when I took that pic!
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Just having a bit of fun with you. :poke:

I want to add some rim tape my my FZ1 and my wife's Ninja 250. I like the reflective. It really makes the bike pop and a bit of a safety feature too.
 
BDazzler said:
Just having a bit of fun with you. :poke:

I want to add some rim tape my my FZ1 and my wife's Ninja 250. I like the reflective. It really makes the bike pop and a bit of a safety feature too.
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Pro grip works great. I put their tape on the 06 and 07. No issue. I'm going to redo the fz1 the cheap crap I bought from cycle gear didn't stretch right so the line is all jacked up in a couple of spots.
 
White86 said:
Most of you probably don't care but here's my opinion anyways.
I have had nothing but Cbr's my entire street riding life. I loved them but, it was time to slow down and make a change. Enter my newest project, my 2003 black fz1. Wow. The first time I rode it I fell in love with the seating position. Unfortunately 1 ride was all it took for me to immediately hate the suspension and brakes! It's like riding a lazy boy chair with a R1 motor in it. A few miles and a whole lot of peg scraping later I returned home wondering if I'd made a mistake. Could I really calm myself down enough to enjoy the lazy feel of this bike? Only time will tell.

Thank god for forums like this. I know I'll have a ton of stupid questions if I decide to swap the suspension and brakes out. Cheers!
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Yeah, Gen1 is like that. Should have gotten the Gen2 :D :poke:
 
You should use that FZ1 like it was meant to be used before you consider another bike. If you get straight off a CBR1000RR and on to a first gen FZ1, you'll be disappointed in the performance. Where your first gen FZ1 shines, however, is as a sport tourer. It's comfortable, fast, smooth, reliable, economical and you can hit twisty roads along the way without an issue.

A sport tourer will never perform like a proper supersport on twisty roads but you have to make accommodations for that in your riding & way of thinking. Your CBR1000 couldn't do 250 miles between fuel-ups and whisk you along in comfort & at speed all day, every day. :shine:

I'd hazard a guess that the bike has never seen a suspension service. Get some springs matched to your weight & have the forks & shock rebuilt with new fluid. Throw some HH pads on the front & change the lines.
 
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Dustin you're right. I'm definitely spoiled from the suspension on my last bike(race tech,Penske), a tune up was on my list of things to do regardless. I might try servicing the shock and forks before I do the r1/r6 swap. I don't expect this bike to even come close to the Cbr in terms of handling or power. Just want it a bit more stable. :)
 
FZ1yb said:
Ah man, too bad you couldn't keep the CBR also ;) :D
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Wasn't a matter of couldn't more a matter of shouldn't! Lol. I don't have enough free time to justify a track only rocket. Plus I have a class A license and I can't afford any speeding tickets! Way too tempting on a Cbr!
 
So. 1 week and 378 miles later I've come to the conclusion that I've got myself a GREAT sport touring bike. Once I quit trying to make it a super naked in my head I enjoyed it. I think I'll keep this as a secondary long distance bike. The performace itch will be scratched with a z1000 or speedy in the spring.
 
If your looking at the Z and the Speed Trip you might as well get a Gen 2 and have just one bike. A slightly sorted Gen 2 will easily run with the Speed Trip and out shine a Z. Where it loose's to the Gen 1 is fuel economy and tank distances and some comfort depending on your build.
 
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