[RedRockFJRider14]

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!

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

Here are some pics I took in my garage tonight, that really highlight the size difference between the FZ1 and the FJR1300:

 

[sparky80]

I bought an '07 FZ1 new and had it for about 22k miles and loved it. Lots of power and very capable tourer and trackbike. BUT, it lacks the refinement and smooooothness of the FJR.
After I bought my FJR, the FZ sat in the garage and later sold it. The power was nice, but the FJR is no slouch either. Enjoy yours... get the Ivan flash if you haven't already done so.... makes it less twitchy.

 

[jjscsix]

Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

 

[AZ Rider]

Whoop! I think I'm past the "scary = fun" portion of the program... but sounds like you're enjoying the **** out of it... and that, my friend, is what it is all about!

 

[mobilemike]

Get yourself to a track day with that thing. You will love it and become a much better rider.

 

[the Ferret]

I bought an '07 FZ1 new and had it for about 22k miles and loved it. Lots of power and very capable tourer and trackbike. BUT, it lacks the refinement and smooooothness of the FJR.
After I bought my FJR, the FZ sat in the garage and later sold it. The power was nice, but the FJR is no slouch either. Enjoy yours... get the Ivan flash if you haven't already done so.... makes it less twitchy.

It was necessary to reflash the 06, 07 and 08 FZ-1s as they were super twitchy with the throttle. By 09 Yamaha had the fueling fixed. Not saying reflashing wont make it run better, but maybe just not necessary to make it rideable like the first couple of years.

 

[Liquidsilver]

Enjoy it. I only put 150,000 miles on mine.

The peaky qualities of that motor are very muted from the R1's (of that engine's generation) so it was a performance compromise to bring 'some' R1 performance while being rideable on the street. The R1 was another 100 pounds lighter, too. The first fizzy's marketing slogan in 2001 was, "The R1 for the real world."

When you're coming from a sportbike, the FZ1 feels mild and friendly... just like guys that switch from a Goldwing to an FJR think they're on a superbike.

I can tell you from experience, the FZ1 at the racetrack will show you how big and heavy it is... but if you get accustomed to the much more responsive handling and powerband of the motor, it will serve you VERY well!

I grew addicted to the lighter weight and more responsiveness, but I'm not stuck with Florida roads either. The thing I missed most from my FJRs was weather protection. With that big adjustable windshield, I could ride all winter long, as long as the snow wasn't too deep.

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

I bought an '07 FZ1 new and had it for about 22k miles and loved it. Lots of power and very capable tourer and trackbike. BUT, it lacks the refinement and smooooothness of the FJR.
After I bought my FJR, the FZ sat in the garage and later sold it. The power was nice, but the FJR is no slouch either. Enjoy yours... get the Ivan flash if you haven't already done so.... makes it less twitchy.

I picked up both bikes used, at good prices, so the cost of ownership for both shouldn't be too much. Will have to see which bike ends up being picked on any given day. While the smoothness and wind/weather protection of the FJR is great, it IS nice to have a bike that I don't have to worry about dropping if I put my foot down on a slight grade and there is a patch of sand or slick spot on the ground.....

Enjoy it. I only put 150,000 miles on mine.

The peaky qualities of that motor are very muted from the R1's (of that engine's generation) so it was a performance compromise to bring 'some' R1 performance while being rideable on the street. The R1 was another 100 pounds lighter, too. The first fizzy's marketing slogan in 2001 was, "The R1 for the real world."

When you're coming from a sportbike, the FZ1 feels mild and friendly... just like guys that switch from a Goldwing to an FJR think they're on a superbike.

I can tell you from experience, the FZ1 at the racetrack will show you how big and heavy it is... but if you get accustomed to the much more responsive handling and powerband of the motor, it will serve you VERY well!

I grew addicted to the lighter weight and more responsiveness, but I'm not stuck with Florida roads either. The thing I missed most from my FJRs was weather protection. With that big adjustable windshield, I could ride all winter long, as long as the snow wasn't too deep.

The R1 sounds INSANE. Great point on where any particular rider is coming from.
When I test drove the FZ, came back and told the seller "**** this thing is a BEAST!"
He looked at me a bit surprised, and a bit amused. Turns out he used to own an R1 before the FZ1......

Love the color on your FZ1!
150k miles! wow! how many years did you own it?
Did you like that aftermarket exhaust? So far I am really enjoying the stock 4-into-1 exhaust, actually sounds fairly aggressive for a stocker, with no drone of course.
And is that an aftermarket windshield?
Trying to decide if I might want to go that route - the stock windscreen helps to cut a lot of the wind off my chest, but my shoulders, and entire head and neck are out in the wind blast, and after another 60 miles today, I found that at highway speeds the wind feels like it would be pretty tiring on any ride over an hour or so.

 

[jjscsix]

When I was still working and “only” riding two days a week, picking which of my bikes to ride was based a lot on which one needed to be ridden. Any more than three weeks without riding one is a sin in my book. There was usually some logic to it. Now I ride 4-5 days a week. Most days I decide the day before which I’ll ride. But it’s not totally uncommon for me to walk out to the garage ready to leave and change my mind.

I love all my bikes. But the two reasons that are most important are the weather, and how many miles I think I’ll ride. But I often don’t know where I’m going to go, especially when I ride alone. I decide “on the fly”.

 

[passx]

Liquid, I’m betting that your FZ1 was probably the fastest model fz1, love that red, the fastest color ya know 😁 ,,,, those gold wheels go very well with the red. What year ?

 

[Liquidsilver]

how many years did you own it? Did you like that aftermarket exhaust? So far I am really enjoying the stock 4-into-1 exhaust, actually sounds fairly aggressive for a stocker, with no drone of course. And is that an aftermarket windshield? Trying to decide if I might want to go that route - the stock windscreen helps to cut a lot of the wind off my chest, but my shoulders, and entire head and neck are out in the wind blast, and after another 60 miles today, I found that at highway speeds the wind feels like it would be pretty tiring on any ride over an hour or so.

It's a 2008. (I also had a 2001) I had it from 2008 until I gave it to my son this year. It hasn't been my only bike, but has the most miles.

I was kinda building the perfect beast, so the Akro exhaust fit the bill and saved about 25 pounds from the boat anchor stocker.

I had several windshields, smaller for hot weather and larger for winter.

I also worked the geometry of the bike with bars lowered several inches to clip-on height and the rear raised to the point where the center stand would barely get the back wheel off the ground. I like the sportbike position and can ride an R6 all day long. I don't like the sit up straight position unless I'm cruising down the beach on a cruiser. I also had AK20s in the fork and a Penske shock, so yeah, the perfect sport tourer for me.

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

New shoes - getting some fresh tires mounted later today. The tires on it now look to have plenty of tread, but the rear tire is slippery as bat-****. Any aggressive throttle use in first or second gear breaks the tire loose into a burnout.

I know the bike is powerful but thinking the fact that the tires are original to the bike with early 2013 date codes may have something to do with it (EIGHT YEARS OLD!)

Was in Cycle Gear this week and they had an unadvertised sale on a set of Continental Sport Attacks in the correct size foe my bike, so figured what the heck !

 

[SnuffySmith]

I was fortunate enough to rent a tricked out FZ1 from Sports Bikes for hire in Maryville, Tenn. Got to ride Deals Gap, Route 128, and a bunch of great roads in Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky. Bang for buck I think the FZ1 is one of the best deals out there. I hit the rev limiter a few times but never had the balls to pin throttle in 4,5, or 6th gear. I narrowed my decision down between the FZ1 and the FJR and found a killer deal on the FJR. Then for highway miles the FJR offers more protection against the elements. Have fun and keep those points on your license.

 

[maximrebel]

Here are some pics I took in my garage tonight, that really highlight the size difference between the FZ1 and the FJR1300:

I see that silver MX-5 sitting there, nicely dropped and ready for action. :wink2:

Hello fellow NC owner, I have an '08 PRHT as a weekend driver; about to slightly drop mine.

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

I see that silver MX-5 sitting there, nicely dropped and ready for action. :wink2:

Hello fellow NC owner, I have an '08 PRHT as a weekend driver; about to slightly drop mine.

That '08 of yours is a beauty! Probably my second favorite MX5 color (after mine, of course!)

Mine is a '13, lowered on TeinFlex Z coilovers. Really like the ease of adjustability on them. Had them completely lowered but was killing my poor car over every speed bump and curb, so the current setting is good compromise between handling and ride. The lightweight RPF1 7x17 wheels are the other big upgrade, saved several lbs. per corner.

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

Just got back from having the new rubber mounted.

Was told to take it easy for 50-60 miles.
Only put about 15 miles on riding back home. So far first impression is good - the old tires had a bad tendancy to follow grooves in the road, these seem much improved in that respect.

Did some moderate speed exit ramp curves and liking the neutral feel. Looking forward to wearing off my “chicken strips”

 

[wczimmerman]

Just got back from having the new rubber mounted.

Was told to take it easy for 50-60 miles.
Only put about 15 miles on riding back home. So far first impression is good - the old tires had a bad tendancy to follow grooves in the road, these seem much improved in that respect.

Did some moderate speed exit ramp curves and liking the neutral feel. Looking forward to wearing off my "chicken strips"

So, the Conti Sport Attacks are excellent grip! Just don't expect big mileage numbers. For the FJR or the FZ1, take a look at the Conti Road Attack III's next time around. I ran those for 13K+ miles with PHENOMENAL grip here in the desert.

 

[RedRockFJRider14]

So, the Conti Sport Attacks are excellent grip! Just don't expect big mileage numbers. For the FJR or the FZ1, take a look at the Conti Road Attack III's next time around. I ran those for 13K+ miles with PHENOMENAL grip here in the desert.

On the FZ1, more interested in GRIP than mileage.

Was able to do another 30 miles on the new tires before dinner - so far I'm very impressed.

Did several full power rips through first and second gear, and no longer have the uncontrolled wheelspin problem that I was having with the old rubber. No wheelies either, but I was leaned forward over the tank, and I did feel the front end get very light.

So glad I invested in new sticky rubber - the bike had been so prone to slipping and spinning out with the old tires (which actually looked to be in great shape, with lots of tread and no obvious dry rot, etc) that I had wondered a bit if I had made a mistake purchasing the bike.

The killer sale price at CycleGear was just the icing on the cake - got the pair for $189 OTD with sales tax, and took them to an independent bike shop here in town and had the pair mounted and balanced for $105 OTD.

Got the last rear in my size in stock (checked both stores in town), a very meaty 190/50/17. The date code on this one was late 2018, the front was mid 2020. VERY happy with the purchase!

:smile2:

 

[maximrebel]

That '08 of yours is a beauty! Probably my second favorite MX5 color (after mine, of course!)

Mine is a '13, lowered on TeinFlex Z coilovers. Really like the ease of adjustability on them. Had them completely lowered but was killing my poor car over every speed bump and curb, so the current setting is good compromise between handling and ride. The lightweight RPF1 7x17 wheels are the other big upgrade, saved several lbs. per corner.

Nice, I had to say something when I saw yours. I was going to go Meister ZetaCRD's, but decided to go Koni STR.T w/Progress springs. Mine will stay pure street for now, I'll probably add RX8 sways and leave it at that. Looking at the 2.5 swap though...LOL

Back on the FZ1, that Conti Sport Attack package deal is insane; great move getting rid of the 8 year-old tires, I had some major issues on my first FJR when the original Metzelers ('05 Gen 1 that only had 2500 miles at the time I bought it in 2011) on my 8 day trip to the Dragon and back. Front tire developed an internal bubble and a near blowout near Morristown Tennessee, and nearly ruined my trip if I hadn't found the only place with my size tire. I nearly crashed on the interstate that day, all because I didn't change out the tires. On the way back the rear tire decided to 'attract' a nail and it went down on the interstate as well.