Welcome to the forum! The search feature will help you to pull up threads that might tell you some things about the bike.
The FZ1 is a very exciting bike and is a lot more practical than a supersport bike. The power delivery is civilized enough to use it around town, as a commuter, or as a tourer. I can lug around under 500RPM all day long with no issue. It also has enough raw horsepower to rip it up in the twisties or on the track. On my FZ1 I have no problem riding in a group of SS bikes on a spirited ride. Above 6000RPM it is a completely different bike. Above 9000RPM it is a completely different bike again, and it is a monster!
The cons to this are that it is a little heavy compared to some other bikes out there. If you are using it as a commuter it is also not very good on fuel compared to other bikes. It can also eat tires in a big way.
Are you new to the FZ1, or new to motorcycles altogether? The FZ1 is a pretty serious bike. It is not intended for beginners. There are a lot of people out there who have used the FZ1 as their first bike, and I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is a lot of bike. It has enough power to get you in to some really serious trouble (legal and injury-wise) if you don't know what you're getting in to. It has enough horsepower that it really can get going and build speed so fast that you are unable to control it or react properly if you have never accelerated like that before. It takes an extremely disciplined beginner with a dash of natural talent to use the FZ1 as a starter. There is always a huge temptation to open that throttle up and see what happens.
If you have never ridden a motorcyle, I would strongly advise you to consider a different bike to start on. If you have had dirt bikes and stuff and are experienced with riding but never had a street bike, I would still advise you to exercise caution with a bike like this. If you're already running the roads I don't need to tell you what you're ready to ride.
Enjoy the forum. There are a lot of good people here who will offer honest advice with your best interests in mind. There is a ton of info on the FZ1 here, and lots of good info about bikes in general. Ride safe!
Thanks for the comprehensive reply, I will only be new to the FZ - I just don't have a bike at the moment, I have owned and tracked a GSXR 1000, R1's, Blades, 350LC, XT600, Divvy 600 (lol) and CBR6 to name but a few in the past so am quite confident that my ability on the bike will be sufficient, I did test ride a Bandit 1250 late last year but it felt flat, heavy, flacid and boring but it is the style of bike that I am after.
I no longer want a race rep, I've been there and done that many times and have found that to get my kicks from those type of bikes you have to ride way beyond what would be considered as safe on the roads these days, I don't wish to do that any more but neither do I hanker after anything that could be considered as slow such as a cruiser style machine...I need to find an accpetable balance, hence I am looking here.
A very good buddy of mine has a FZ1 (which I may buy off him as it transcribes) and he rates it highly enough to recommend, he knows my riding style and has been on many outings with me in the past so it is a seriously considered recommendation by me, I just want to know more about the bike etc
I will be using the bike for my own enjoyment mostly with the other half joining in occasionally when she's not busy doing her hair or nails, and I am looking for comfort as well as speed with the ability to bimble if I so chose.
From what I have seen and read so far, this is looking like the bike which fits the bill, not a fan of the Gen1 bike though despite it's obvious capabilities, I am just not keen on the styling - analogue clocks or not (I'm 41 now and distinctly remember changing speedo cables on bikes as a youngster) The Gen 2 also seems to fit me better if that makes sense.
Insurance will not be a problem, age is on my side in this instance and I live in one of the most benign areas of the UK as well so it's all good
So, I'm looking forward to trying an FZ I think, I remember my 1999 R1 engine as a peach so if it's anything like that I'm sure I will be content when the occasion arrives.
