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Test rode an FZ-07 today. Dear sweet god that was a mistake.

3K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  timthetortoise 
#1 ·
Because now I really, really, really want one where before I only kind of wanted one.

Flaws I found were it's not designed with a 6'1"+ frame in mind, and the suspension could definitely be stiffer. Suspension can be fixed, ergo not so much. My knees were basically at the top of the tank. The FZ-09 would probably be a better fit, but I really don't want a 900cc triple. That would get me hurt fairly quick.

Even with those flaws, I still really, really, really want one. The torque for this little bike is seriously insane. Out-pulls every bike I've been on, including a turbo Vulcan 1500.
Ride one if you get the chance.
 
#2 ·
I have a friend who collects bikes. He has both the FZ07 and the FZ09. I ride with him, mostly at speed, on Palomar Mountain on most weekends. When the '09 came out last year, I thought it was the best new sport-type bike I had ridden in years. Not necessarily the fastest, but easy to ride at any speed and both powerful and affordable.

The '07 came out a few months later and although not as powerful, it was lighter and even easier to ride hard. He has over 100 bikes in his collection, and the '07 is one of my absolute favorites. The first time I rode it I rushed the shift into 2nd gear and did a long power wheelie coming out of a corner. Really a fun bike.
 
#3 ·
Not to jack the thread but damn! 100 bikes!? Your friend is absolutely my kind of guy! Does he only ride street bikes, or, perchance, dirt bikes and dual sports as well? I have sadly given up on sport bikes because of the police issue...
 
#4 ·
Sounds like fun. I rode my brother's Triumph 955i around my neighborhood for a few minutes the other day. I don't think it'll do second gear power wheelies (maybe, if you do it all just right), but it sure had no problem hauling the front end up in first without clutching. Good fun!
 
#5 ·
If/when I get my FZ1 sold, the FZ07 will probably be my next bike.

Not one bad review and they work better "right out of the box" compared to a FZ09. Everyone that rides one says 1 of 2 things or both......"this thing has more power then I expected!" and/or "I can't believe how light this is!".
 
#6 ·
Tim, at 6'1" you are not too big for the '07. There are people in almost every city who can rebuild seats. Just have someone add about 1 inch of firm foam, and maybe widen it a bit before re-covering. You will need firmer springs, though, if you want to ride it hard. Easy to do and not expensive.

My friend the collector did it a bit differently. He put light-weight mag wheels on both bikes, along with Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes on both ends. Those two bikes are sick.8=)
 
#7 · (Edited)
Kj, my friend is actually an old drag racer who got into real estate at the right time. I knew him when he only had six bikes, and two were race bikes. Ib 2007 he had 400 bikes, but it was hard to keep all of them ready to ride. He cut back to about 115 now, but the value of the individual bikes is much higher. No dirt bikes, but he has a few 650 European dual sports. More into antiques now. Big$$$.

He does keep up by buying and rding the latest in powerful sport bikes. The latest from Ducati, Aprilia, BMW, etc. He is a very good rider.

Here is his latest; the new Kawasaki H2, the supercharged 200+ horsepower super bike. It just came in 2 weeks ago. I'm fortunate to get to play with some of these exotics.

 
#8 · (Edited)
Can I be your friend's friend too? :D

Honestly my dilemma is more to do with money. I've already got a TW that I'm paying on, and can't afford to have two bike payments. So it'd be a matter of getting rid of my TW for it, which there's no way in hell I'm going to do. Way too much fun on trails. Was looking at an adventure conversion for the FZ-07, but it doesn't look doable. Maybe when the FJ-09 arrives at my local Yamaha dealer I'll give it a try, but until then, I'll just dream about riding the 07.

In the meantime, I just plain need a highway bike, so I'm buying a buddy's '99 Katana 600 for $500. Should be plenty fast for what I want to do, and has a fair amount of upgrades.
Plus it'll let me appreciate even more when I'm able to afford the FZ-07 :D
 
#10 ·
Phantom: That's absolutely awesome! Pretty crazy to me seeing one of those H2's in the real world. Even the street version is not exactly cheap... It has always been my dream to have a huge collection of bikes like that. Your friend is very fortunate indeed, and apparently you are quite fortunate to be his friend lol! Anyway, I don't mean to be a pestering fanboy here... so I shall leave this be now :)
 
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