I'm having second thoughts about my FZ1

permafrst said:
Tough call man, but your the only one who can decide what you want. I've only ridden one gen II and it was definitely not as smooth as my gen I, but it was not corrected with the FCE or PCIII or whatever it is that FI bikes use. If your set on a Gixx you'll never be happy with an FZ....do what makes you happy so you can :rmwl:
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I think this says it all. The FZ's were engineered so a knuclehead older guy like me can ride it and love it, and you younger pros can race it and not be left behind. I find the throttle very well mannered. If you want to bolt from the word go with a pure racing bike the R1 is a much better choice.
 
Norm said:
I think this says it all. The FZ's were engineered so a knuclehead older guy like me can ride it and love it, and you younger pros can race it and not be left behind. I find the throttle very well mannered. If you want to bolt from the word go with a pure racing bike the R1 is a much better choice.
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Once you modify it by opening up the exhaust and the intake along with additional fuel (PC III or V) this bike goes plenty fast. I was not too "impressed" with the power until I added my full Yosh R-77 exhaust and PC V. Now it's fast :)
 
I think with a little bit of time invested, and a few dollars, you could make the FZ fit your needs.... gut the convertors... do the airbox mod... remove the flies... there's plenty of stuff you can do to liven up the lower-end of the bike... for storage space... a lot of folks run tank bags and similar.... something small.. just enough to carry the essentials...I don't see a new supersport being the fix for this...
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Makes sense to me.

However, obviously ones experience of the FZ1 is relative and personal; not right or wrong. If you're disappointed, far be it from me to try and convince you otherwise. I will say i've had my 08 FZ1 for about 1.5 mnths. After the first two weeks I wondered if I'd made a mistake. But with approx. 1700 mi. of riding, I'm loving the FZ1! Greatest bike I've ever owned. I don't disagree the Gen II is surprisingly gutless below 6K rpm, but I love the smoothness of the power delivery up to redline. The handling is spectacular and I'm pleased with the brakes and suspension. Do:sport12: I wish it had more storage or a helmet holder....sure. But a big old tank bag makes me forget about storage ( still wish there was a helmet lock)
BTW, I purchased a brand new Kawa 650R 8 mnts before I sold it for the FZ1. So, sometimes we just buy a mistake. Good Luck.
 
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Thanks everybody for all the feedback.

I DID list the bike for sale but at a pretty ridiculous price. I doubt anyone will want to buy it and if they do then I am making a nice profit and I will definately miss the bike.

I can't deny I have had a lot of fun riding this bike. It is much more fun to ride at a relaxed pace than a sportbike is and in my older age I am doing a lot more relaxed riding. When it all comes down to it - am I having fun on the bike? Yes then I should be happy. My complaints are based on engines and power that I am used to from the past. And storage. My GSXR 1000 was soooo much faster and the engine so more usable at lower rev ranges and still could hold much more under the seat but would kill your wrists and back after a while. We will see after I do the mods how it opens up but my expectations are not very high. At least I will get to have fun modding the bike and then riding to see the results.

Once I do the mods I plan to record some before and after on-board video during some aggressive riding. That is once I get money for new tires! (please send me some new tires someone!!!!) My back tire will be showing cord soon :(

I have no idea why the engineers didn't give this bike more power. It may be a marketing thing... you don't want a cheaper bike to have the same power as your premium model.

We will see how it goes - I will definitely do all the mods if it doesn't sell soon. I actually need the money if it does sell since I purchased this bike while I'm unemployed (but I couldn't pass it up).
 
torquewhore said:
Once I do the mods I plan to record some before and after on-board video during some aggressive riding. That is once I get money for new tires! (please send me some new tires someone!!!!) My back tire will be showing cord soon :(
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By Saturday I'll have a set of used Bridgestone 020's with 6,000 miles on them if you want. Plenty of tread life left, especially where it counts, on the sides. If you want just pay for shipping and they will be yours. If you need pictures, let me know and this evening I'll snap a few for you. Billy.
 
I got the bike for $4900
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That's got to be below blue book! Nice buy. :worship:

I bought my brand new ' 08 this summer for $7399-which was a good deal in my area.
(Some dealers were still asking list-$9299-in my neck of the woods.)

BTW, what changed in your experience of the bike between the test ride and the end of the first week of ownership?
 
gen2 FZ1 handles amazingly well almost on par with the crotch rockets ... only thing you need to do is uncork its true performance potential for a few bucks and you have got yourself the perfect, smooth, comfortable and high performance bike you ever wanted.
 
Krispy1 said:
Thanks for the welcome!
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So, where in East TN are you? My wife and I have a very good friend in Ooltewah and we were there in May. We had a great time... stayed with him a couple nights then stayed three nights at the Two Wheel Inn, then off to Cherokee for two nights and back to his place one last night. We rode a LOT of roads in and around the area. We miss it a lot!
 
torquewhore said:
Once I do the mods I plan to record some before and after on-board video during some aggressive riding. That is once I get money for new tires! (please send me some new tires someone!!!!) My back tire will be showing cord soon :(
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Hey bud, try and let me know by at least 1:30pm today whether you would like the set of Bridgestone 020's that I'll be taking off. You only need to pay the shipping and I'll send them out to you. I am having the new 016's mounted today and don't want to bring the old tires home with me if I don't have to. If you don't want them thats fine too, just let me know. I'll check the thread before I leave work today. Thanks, Billy.
 
FZ1riderNY said:
Hey bud, try and let me know by at least 1:30pm today whether you would like the set of Bridgestone 020's that I'll be taking off. You only need to pay the shipping and I'll send them out to you. I am having the new 016's mounted today and don't want to bring the old tires home with me if I don't have to. If you don't want them thats fine too, just let me know. I'll check the thread before I leave work today. Thanks, Billy.
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Hey Torque, Forget what I said. I just realized that you have a Gen2 bike therefore you are running a 190 tire. I am running 180's. Oh well, sorry.
 
Polestar said:
That's got to be below blue book! Nice buy. :worship:

I bought my brand new ' 08 this summer for $7399-which was a good deal in my area.
(Some dealers were still asking list-$9299-in my neck of the woods.)

BTW, what changed in your experience of the bike between the test ride and the end of the first week of ownership?
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I didn't spend too much time on the test ride or debating whether if the bike was a good fit or not. The price and timing were opportunistic I was thinking that if I didn't like it I could just sell it hopefully for a slight profit.

The blue book is like $6600 but it doesn't state the mileage. Mine has 14,700 now it runs perfectly. I was actually happy to have a 2 year old bike with 14k on it since someone has been riding it I think it's healthier for the motor when it is run consistently instead of sitting around with only occasional hard uses. There is an '08 in my area with 2400 miles listed for $6400. If I were shopping in this price range I would probably buy that one over mine w 14k on the clock. Maybe. It is red which isn't my fav color.
 
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