Author Topic: New Bike! (Read 5996 times)

B6Matt · « **on:** July 16, 2005, 01:01:07 AM »

Well, I bought my FZ1 and brought it home today (a mere 575 mile ride, half of which seemed to be in a downpour).

The bike is an '02 which started the day with 1,900 miles on it.

Initial impressions are very, very good. The bike has gobs of power and is very smooth and refined in comparison to the Bandit. Probably a little more stable at speed than the ol' Bandit. Suspension is obviously better too, but that's to be expected, as I hadn't upgraded the Bandit's suspension.

I do miss the bark of the Yoshi can on my Bandit, but I'll probably leave the Yami stock for a while. The neighbors will appreciate that.

Only negatives of note: The EXUP valve (exhaust back pressure valve) seems to generate a fair amount of heat that wafts up my right leg and it's a little more difficult to downshift at a stop than the Bandit.

In the Bandit's defense, it was a fantastic bike with which to get back into motorcycling, very easy on the wallet, lots of cheap mods available, etc. I already miss those guages pinning when I turn the ignition on, but other too.

NCBANDIT · « **Reply #1 on:** July 16, 2005, 01:17:48 AM »

Congrats matt, I bet your a$$ is a little sore after that ride? Let me know your impression after a little time with it, that may be my next bike. I would love to ride someones, but there are none close, nothing but young punks on sportbikes...except for me. They turn their nose at my bandit and me wearing a jacket when it's hot, but I think a "standard" bike rocks

B6Matt · « **Reply #2 on:** July 16, 2005, 01:30:40 AM »

Yeah, my arse was getting a little achy, but not too bad. I found that I could ride for about 150 miles in a sitting, but I stopped more frequently than that during the first half of the ride because of the RAIN. If I upgrade anything on the FZ, it might be adding a Corbin seat.

The market is flooded with used FZ1s these days, so a used one is a good value, much like a Bandit.

Quote

They turn their nose at my bandit and me wearing a jacket when it's hot, but I think a "standard" bike rocks

Let the squids laugh all the way to a skin graft. Saw a guy riding a cruiser in flip-flops today! Wankers!

At least you can be part of the Bandit secret society. Had a great convo at the CROT with a dude on a converted-to-naked B12.

Speaking of B12s, Cycle World reviewed the Kawi Z750s in Aug. '05 as a budget bike and suggested that potential purchasers consider a B12 for a mere $300 more. (p.88)

mike · « **Reply #3 on:** July 16, 2005, 10:52:06 AM »

FZ1's a great bike, it was the one I wanted back in 2001 when it was new to the market at $8500. When I found my new 2001 Bandit for $2000 less, I went with it. Both are great bikes. I' gonna get flogged here for saying this, but with equal riders and equal basic mods the FZ1 will take the B12 on the track and dragstrip. **Mike slowly backs out of room***

Dale makes some good stuff for the FZ, if you're looking for the performance back (Holeshot pipe).
http://www.holeshot.com/fz1
I really like the high mount SO...

Here's his dyno charts....

B6Matt · « **Reply #4 on:** July 16, 2005, 12:12:14 PM »

I'll have to think about going back to Dale for some mods for this bike...down the road a tad. Those are some impressive gains (11hp/7ft-lb) with the s/o and jet kit with advancer.

Now that I have practiced on my Bandit, I can install the mods too!

PitterB4 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2005, 08:36:31 AM »

Wow, Matt. I haven't been around here as much as usual the last month or so. I had no idea you had been looking to move up.

Sweet bike. Although I'll more likely go to a liter-class twin instead, the Fizzer will definitely be on my list when the time comes (as will the B12).

jfudo · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2005, 09:35:35 AM »

I wanted a B12 since way back when I test rode a used one at a dealer (my only previous riding experience before that was an '81 honda 750 and a '82 kawasaki 440) needless to say I was floored by the performance. Didn't have any money then, just got divorced, and my ex ruined the credit rating. Then I switched to wanting an FZ1 for the slightly better performance and the high praises the magazines gave it, even though it was noticibly costlier than a bandit (used). Problem is, I sat on one. I'm 6'-3" and all legs (true 36" inseam). My knees didn't fit into the cutout on the tank, they were against the ridge at the top of the cutout. I felt like I was on a cruiser riding spread eagle. I tried to figure out if there was a way to sit on it comfortably and it never happened. That was a big letdown.

I ended up finding my bandit and haven't regretted it one bit. Maybe when they update both bikes I will have to re-evaluate.

chippi · « **Reply #7 on:** July 18, 2005, 11:12:57 AM »

$$$ tag on the Bandit won my heart. The dealer had them both side-by-side and that made it real hard! I didn't do a whole-lot of magizine/web research on the bikes before purchase mustly, because I was NOT shopping

my friends were dragging me along for their shopping and I just had to rid myself of the cruiser. Like I said it was a real tough choose but it came down to the $$.

My bestest buddy just (bout two months now) made the dive into cycles and bought the FZ1. I was forced to ride it home from the dealer (no license at that time)and have been on it a couple times sense

whew it's breaking nicely dude.

I did figure the bike could out perform the Bandit but I didn't think my newest partner would pull off the light faster than me in his first season

The FZ stops and starts faster and now he has learned to use these!!

I need to find a list of mods in cost/performance gain order. Don't won't this to become a habit of his.

B6Matt · « **Reply #8 on:** July 18, 2005, 11:58:57 PM »

Link to the new ride: http://www.easttnriders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=319&stc=1

PitterB4 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 19, 2005, 06:12:47 AM »

Quote from: "B6Matt"

Link to the new ride: http://www.easttnriders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=319&stc=1

Ya gotta be a member to view threads there.

echomadman · « **Reply #10 on:** July 19, 2005, 03:54:49 PM »

the FZ1 is what we call the Fazer thou yes?
They are sweet bikes, put a renegade or akrapovic can on it and they make the most amazing sound. One of my buddys has a Fazer 600 and its really smooth to drive.

B6Matt · « **Reply #11 on:** July 19, 2005, 05:42:10 PM »

Yes, the FZs are also known as Fazers in some markets.

I prefer the FZ moniker myself.

The FZ6 is a nice bike for sure. Fuel injected too, if that kind of thing is of interest to ya.

Rob, this page is open to guests. You'll find two pics of my bike there (as well as some NWS pics): East TN Riders new bike pics

PitterB4 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 19, 2005, 07:44:31 PM »

Quote from: "B6Matt"

Rob, this page is open to guests. You'll find two pics of my bike there (as well as some NWS pics): East TN Riders new bike pics

Quote

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And even some NWS????

Red01 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 19, 2005, 08:06:17 PM »

Quote from: "chippi"

I need to find a list of mods in cost/performance gain order. Don't won't this to become a habit of his.

With no regards to suspension upgrades:

Jet kit & Slip-on (with a Holeshot s/o ou can upgrade to a header later and keep your s/o)
GSXR cams
Header
Nitrous Oxide (if you just want short bursts of extra power)
Shave the head for higher compression (might not want to do this if you're gonna continue performance upgrades)
High compression pistons/big bore kit
Bigger/better carbs
Porting the head/bigger valves
Turbocharger

One advantage the B12 has over the FZ is there are a lot more choices in hop-up parts. It's also a lot easier to work on. If you're not capable of doing the work, it'll at least mean you'll pay less for labor because the pro will spend less time on your bike.

B6Matt · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2005, 12:47:14 AM »

Ahhhh, success!