Test rode an FZ1 today

doorag

doorag

Member
Visit site
Some of you probably know me from the FZ6 forum and know that I have an FZ6 S2 and that I'm lloking to upgrade to a bigger bike. Well, I finally got a chance to test ride a 2006 FZ1 today and I have a few questions.

1. The suspension seemed very hard and was quite squirlley on the bumpy English country roads. (When I got back to the shop the guy checked the tyre pressures and they were both low, but I wouldn't expect that to make the sussy feel really tight.) I know the forsks are adjustable on the FZ1 so I assume I'll be able to play around with it and get them set to my liking, but the rear isn't adjustable on the later models is it? Also, is this normal? The salesman was trying to tell me that the FZ6 has a pretty soft suspension to begin with so I should expect to notice something.

2. On the first test ride, it was really hard to get it to turn in on some of the turns. I'm chalking this up partly to the low tyre pressures because it was a bit better once the pressures were sorted out and partly to the tyres since they were different than the Conti RoadAttacks I ride normally. Could it also be the different geometry of the bike that I just need to get used to?

3. I learned to put it in third and ride it like a scooter. ;)

4. The blue one I rode already has an aftermarket exhaust, tail tidy, crash bobbins, rim tape and the lift things for a paddock stand (can't remember what they are called)

Verdict:
It was interesting. Not what I expected for sure. I expected a much more powerful bike that rode just like my current bike. It certainly wasn't that. I'm going back this weekend (hopefully) to try a Kawa Z1000 and a 2003 FZ1.

Thoughts??
 
Well, what do you weigh with gear? The stock FZ1 is set up for a 140 - 160 lb person.

Given that the one you rode was already customized, I'm guessing the prior owner had it set up to a really firm ride and likely outweighed you by a bunch. If he knew nothing about suspension, then he's probably got the dampening and rebound all screwed up. Is there any chance you can ride a stock FZ1? I know your experience will be vastly different. Based on what you've described anyway.... Mine stock? It was too soft so I've been notching up the rear preload as well as turning in the front to stiffen it up. I've yet to play with the dampening and rebound.

If he's screwed up both the front and rear, it is why it will not fall into the corners properly.
 
Have to add... I wouldn't base your opinion on a customized bike. Please go back and try one that is 100% stock and then formulate an opinion. :D
 
my opinion -- but '06 was the first year they introduced Gen II -- Yamaha has hopefully addressed alot of the issues with the future model years --

issues:
frame
throttle response
??
 
BroHay said:
my opinion -- but '06 was the first year they introduced Gen II -- Yamaha has hopefully addressed alot of the issues with the future model years --

issues:
frame
throttle response
??
Click to expand...
Throttle was quite snatchy, but I thought the same thing about the FZ6 when I first rode it so I figured I'd just get used to it.

It'll be interesting to try out the '03 model to see the difference.

I'm interested on the Z1000 as well. It was recommended by a friend so I'm going to try it out.
 
doorag said:
Some of you probably know me from the FZ6 forum and know that I have an FZ6 S2 and that I'm lloking to upgrade to a bigger bike. Well, I finally got a chance to test ride a 2006 FZ1 today and I have a few questions.

1. The suspension seemed very hard and was quite squirlley on the bumpy English country roads. (When I got back to the shop the guy checked the tyre pressures and they were both low, but I wouldn't expect that to make the sussy feel really tight.) I know the forsks are adjustable on the FZ1 so I assume I'll be able to play around with it and get them set to my liking, but the rear isn't adjustable on the later models is it? Also, is this normal? The salesman was trying to tell me that the FZ6 has a pretty soft suspension to begin with so I should expect to notice something.

2. On the first test ride, it was really hard to get it to turn in on some of the turns. I'm chalking this up partly to the low tyre pressures because it was a bit better once the pressures were sorted out and partly to the tyres since they were different than the Conti RoadAttacks I ride normally. Could it also be the different geometry of the bike that I just need to get used to?

3. I learned to put it in third and ride it like a scooter. ;)

4. The blue one I rode already has an aftermarket exhaust, tail tidy, crash bobbins, rim tape and the lift things for a paddock stand (can't remember what they are called)

Verdict:
It was interesting. Not what I expected for sure. I expected a much more powerful bike that rode just like my current bike. It certainly wasn't that. I'm going back this weekend (hopefully) to try a Kawa Z1000 and a 2003 FZ1.

Thoughts??
Click to expand...

WT.... The bike you ride now produces how much HP? The bike you rode today will produce around 130+ hp. If you never got it out of second gear then you don't know what this bike will do. If you did not get the rpms up to about 7k you have no idea what you were riding.
I rode my bike for a week before I knew what an animal it really was. After I put 500 miles on it I opened the throttle and she took off like a screaming banchee. Take off and keep it in 7-9k range and the front wheel will be hopping down the road.
Not too sure about the shop that would send you out on a bike that had low pressure in the tires, etc. Should have been checked top to bottom. This thing will corner with a lot of sportbikes.

Welcome to the forum. Get an FZ. You will not be disappointed. Not sure I would get the 06 just from what I have read here.
 
suspension

From the factory they set the spring preload at 3 (zero being softest, 8 being hardest). The same for the compresion and rebound damping. The rear IS adjustable; eight settings for spring preload and 12 for compression damping. From the factory my rear was set at the third notch of eight and 4th click of 12 on the compression. I am about 185lb. and found it a little soft up front, rear was fine. That being said I am a fairly aggresive rider and most of my usual roads are in good shape. I did manage to find a few rough mountain roads that had me stopping to do some tuning, which takes very little time and even fewer tools. If you like your suspension soft, it can be done.:cloud9:
 
I have a new 08 has 1K on her i weigh in at about 200lbs and i found the rear to be stiff enough to buck me up off the seat when i hit some bumps down the highway
 
Etroze said:
I have a new 08 has 1K on her i weigh in at about 200lbs and i found the rear to be stiff enough to buck me up off the seat when i hit some bumps down the highway
Click to expand...
At the moment, I'm probably 225-235 (hopefully not any more than that!) with gear on so I'm not a weed. I like tight suspension so it's generally not a problem but this was bouncing all over the place. It just needs a day with a proper professional and it would be sorted.

I did get it to the red line in a few gears - I didn't pootle around the whole time, mind. I was conscious that I was on a loaner though and didn't really want to toss it into a hedge 10 miles from the dealer. I was thinking more about my commute to work every day and that I could leave the house, get it in third and just leave it there for the rest of the trip.
 
Gotta say, rode my FZ1 yesterday for the first time. We went on a 2 hour ride and I feel like I am on my FZ6, except for the power, which i can't test yet, because it is a brand new bike. :-(
 
Unless you like spending lots of cash just to make the bike not perform like turd then you should look elsewhere. Of course you could just keep the tach above 8 or 9k where the engine is actually making power but that doesn't account for when you really need to accelerate from a dead or near-dead stop. Most people probably don't drive as aggressively as I do but on my sportbikes I could jump into a small gap of traffic (when turning right onto a busy street) with ease and accelerate up to the speed of the moving cars before the driver behind me even has a chance to put on the brakes...

I tried the same move on this bike.. and all I got was bog.

At first I was pretty happy (new bike feeling) but now I regret even buying this bike. It's my first Yamaha and I'm not sure i'll ever buy another one.

Another member responded to one of my complaint threads saying he has not owned any bike that didn't take some sorting out before he was happy. Well, I'm not sure if I just got lucky, but every Suzuki I have had has been 100% crazy fast, tons of torque, no mods needed at all. Except for the TL1000R that was a heavy turd just like the FZ1
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top