Joined
·
241 Posts
My Gen2 FZ1 thread!
Was able to get an appt with the DMV and get my '13 FZ1 registered today, got home just before dark, so after dinner put the new plate on, and went out for about a 40 mile run, temperature was about 50 degrees, calm no winds.
The FZ1 is ferocious. I literally scared myself a little bit (and while I am recently returned to riding, I have close to 100k miles riding experience, with most of that on 750's and my old trusty '89 FJ1200). This bike is physically smaller than either my 80's vintage V45 Sabre and Seca 750, and probably about 60-80 lbs lighter - with almost TWICE the HP of those fine bikes.
Was on mostly empty roads, so got the chance to wind it out in the first 3 gears - the character of this engine is VERY different than the FJR - where the FJR builds steadily and smoothly in RPM's and power right off of idle, the FZ feels like it stumbles a bit from idle to about 3-4k RPM, then rapidly starts to climb, with a noticeable surge from probably 7k up to redline at 12k. Things happen so quickly I really felt like it was all I could do to hang on, lol! It has a lot of the same character that one feels in a turbocharged car, or even in one of the Honda cars with VTEC, where there is a noticeable surge up high in the RPM range.
On one takeoff, from a stop, was winding out first gear on a clean, clear road, and the rear tire broke traction probably about 7-8k RPM and left a bit of a burnout and ever so slightly I could feel the bike start to slide, with the rear end moving to the right - I quickly shifted up to 2nd before I lost control of the beast. Honestly I'm too old for that sort of take off, so will probably make it a habit to shift into 2nd a bit early and then if I feel the need for speed, just nail it in 2nd.
With about 2k miles on my FJR over the last almost 3 months of ownership, I find the FZ much more exciting (frightening? :surprise
and it will be a fun change of pace when not planning a longer ride.
While I know the FZ is very popular for sport touring, it definitely is MUCH more sport than touring. The windshield feels like trying to dry oneself off after a shower with a small hand towel, after being spoiled by the FJR's ample wind protection. At 5'11" the wind hits me squarely in the chest, and would probably feel refreshing on a warmer day, but tonight my neck and chin just got cold. The upright position is great, the handlebars are a comfortable reach, but I have to say that the pegs feel quite sporty and high - very noticeable difference from the FJR. If I were to consider using this bike for any touring duties, would definitely have to get a set of the lowering pegs that are widely available, to drop the pegs a full inch.
I also found I really miss the gear position indicator that the FJR has. With 6 gears on the FZ1, and all being much more closely spaced, especially the first 4 gears, I found it difficult to keep track of what gear I was in. Am looking at one of the aftermarket gear position indicators, I believe this one is pretty widely well reviewed, and at $119 it's not a big investment:
Planning on a lot more miles over the next few days, and will followup with more impressions!
Was able to get an appt with the DMV and get my '13 FZ1 registered today, got home just before dark, so after dinner put the new plate on, and went out for about a 40 mile run, temperature was about 50 degrees, calm no winds.
The FZ1 is ferocious. I literally scared myself a little bit (and while I am recently returned to riding, I have close to 100k miles riding experience, with most of that on 750's and my old trusty '89 FJ1200). This bike is physically smaller than either my 80's vintage V45 Sabre and Seca 750, and probably about 60-80 lbs lighter - with almost TWICE the HP of those fine bikes.
Was on mostly empty roads, so got the chance to wind it out in the first 3 gears - the character of this engine is VERY different than the FJR - where the FJR builds steadily and smoothly in RPM's and power right off of idle, the FZ feels like it stumbles a bit from idle to about 3-4k RPM, then rapidly starts to climb, with a noticeable surge from probably 7k up to redline at 12k. Things happen so quickly I really felt like it was all I could do to hang on, lol! It has a lot of the same character that one feels in a turbocharged car, or even in one of the Honda cars with VTEC, where there is a noticeable surge up high in the RPM range.
On one takeoff, from a stop, was winding out first gear on a clean, clear road, and the rear tire broke traction probably about 7-8k RPM and left a bit of a burnout and ever so slightly I could feel the bike start to slide, with the rear end moving to the right - I quickly shifted up to 2nd before I lost control of the beast. Honestly I'm too old for that sort of take off, so will probably make it a habit to shift into 2nd a bit early and then if I feel the need for speed, just nail it in 2nd.
With about 2k miles on my FJR over the last almost 3 months of ownership, I find the FZ much more exciting (frightening? :surprise
While I know the FZ is very popular for sport touring, it definitely is MUCH more sport than touring. The windshield feels like trying to dry oneself off after a shower with a small hand towel, after being spoiled by the FJR's ample wind protection. At 5'11" the wind hits me squarely in the chest, and would probably feel refreshing on a warmer day, but tonight my neck and chin just got cold. The upright position is great, the handlebars are a comfortable reach, but I have to say that the pegs feel quite sporty and high - very noticeable difference from the FJR. If I were to consider using this bike for any touring duties, would definitely have to get a set of the lowering pegs that are widely available, to drop the pegs a full inch.
I also found I really miss the gear position indicator that the FJR has. With 6 gears on the FZ1, and all being much more closely spaced, especially the first 4 gears, I found it difficult to keep track of what gear I was in. Am looking at one of the aftermarket gear position indicators, I believe this one is pretty widely well reviewed, and at $119 it's not a big investment:
Planning on a lot more miles over the next few days, and will followup with more impressions!