FZ-07 or FZ-09

[ccam7374]

Ok so I finally sold my 2014 Street Glide so now I am looking into getting either the FZ-07 or the FZ-09. I am hoping to get feed back from you all who have FZ-07's. My Street Glide had a good bit of power and my bike before that was a YZF-R6 it also was pretty powerful so I am familiar with the power department. I am wondering if the FZ-07 is going to be enough power or will I get bored after a while and want more power. Any and all input will help.

[jake]

To be or not to be ..... that is the question

[Eastern Kayaker]

Are you considering the XSR900?
 
 
 

[so1102]

That's an extremely difficult question to answer, as it is very subjective and all depends upon a large number of factors. The 07 is lighter, cheaper, and more agile than the 09. It is quick as hell and has a ton of torque down low and through the midrange. You can pull the front wheel off the ground in 1st or 2nd rather easily without popping the clutch.
 
It all depends upon what your needs are, and what your definition of "power" is, and how you plan on using the bike. For commuting? The 07 is great. On the track? I've heard it is great (no direct experience there). Do you want to race someone at unlimited speeds on the freeway? Probably not so great. It will do 0-60 in about 3.2 seconds, but over 100 it will struggle to get up to top speed. But should anyone actually be going that fast? Certainly not on the streets. Will it keep up with an R6? Off the line, yes, but ultimately no. It's not a high revving motor. Will you have a smile on your face whenever you ride it? I can almost guarantee it.

[Beemer]

I can't help but think that coming from a (no offense) Conestoga of a bike that weighs upwards of around 775 lbs. and made for relaxed cruising a FZ-07 that is half the weight, can do low 12's in the quarter, and is way more nimble is going to be powerful enough for most people but there are some that can't be satisfied and always want more more more. I don't know which you are but I can say that this bike is a perfect city bike IMO, it has low end torque similar to your H.D. but is going to 'feel' much different (quicker) and has to be more fun to ride. It's the bike that is known for putting permanent smiles on faces. 

[slow06er]

Something to consider also is the FZ09 comes stock with upside down forks, not for the FZ07.
 

[jake]

This was a decision many of us had to make this is not the first time this has been a subject. For a grand more you can have a much faster bike.
I'm surprised that there aren't more good videos on this subject ... Someone please find a better video or make one that knows these bikes lol
 

 
 
Just a FYI I used mine all last year as a daily commuter 130 mile round trip to work ( Highway 70/80 mph) and it made the commute something to look forward to. This bike brings a smile to my face each time I ride it.

[angus]

First of all ccam7374, you've picked a great forum, these guys & gals are terrific.
 
My advice on the decision question would be to ride both bikes if possible. If not then I guess providing more information about your riding style would help others to offer appropriate advice. Which of the bikes that you owned did you like the best? what attributes of the bikes appealed the most? Nobody else can really decide for you, we can only share experience. If other people were making our choices for us I doubt we'd be on any bike. LOL

[jeffkisthename]

I say buy the FZ-07 and something fast. I mean, the money you get back from selling a HD Street Glide, you should be able to buy two bikes haha. I will reiterate this, the FZ-07 is a permanent smile producer as long as you ride it in its desirable habitat (under 100 MPH). It has passing power, power wheelies and is so flickable. With proper suspension (set up for you) it becomes a whole new bike. Like others have stated above, it lacks top end power, which is true. For that reason I will have a Supersport as a second bike later to satisfy my power hunger that @beemer mentioned. This bike just struggles after 115 MPH. I have taken her to 132 MPH though, but it required a lot of real estate and was not a fun quick spurt, rather a "Come on! Let's go!!!" type of ordeal. If you don't do much high speed freeway riding, this bike is hard to beat. I can't imagine getting rid of mine. I'd rather just add than replace.
 

[ravenlord]

I went from an R6 to the FZ-07. The FZ is a far more enjoyable bike. There is power where you need it, not where Valentino Rossie needs it. The front wheel wants to play, but is controllable. The brakes are excellent, it weighs nothing, the fuel economy is decent.

[azuryn]

Also take into consideration insurance rates if that is a deciding factor. The bigger the engine the bigger the premium.

[Beemer]

I went from an R6 to the FZ-07. The FZ is a far more enjoyable bike. There is power where you need it, not where Valentino Rossie needs it. The front wheel wants to play, but is controllable. The brakes are excellent, it weighs nothing, the fuel economy is decent.

"not where Valentino Rossie needs it." Thank you, that's kind of what I meant when I said it's going to be powerful enough for most people because most people don't ride over 100 mph. but if someone does feel they need more 'top end power' for more top end speed then jeffkisthename is absolutely right. This bike just wasn't designed for that kind of riding, it's a sit upright standard riding position designed so that you can enjoy the wind and the bugs at lower speeds.

[ccam7374]

Thank you all for the feedback. I will continue to research before I make my final decision. Oh and yeah I would mostly be commuting with it. As far as top speed I don't think I will be needing to go that fast anyways.

[br4nd0n]

I'd like to mention that the FZ-09 has huge lumps coming out of the engine on both sides that will burn your legs if you're not careful.

[sorkyah]

Thank you all for the feedback. I will continue to research before I make my final decision. Oh and yeah I would mostly be commuting with it. As far as top speed I don't think I will be needing to go that fast anyways.

I second most suggestions here, the fz07 is a smile factory through and through
perfect for commuting and the occasional romp between the lights.
 
ive ridden the fz09 during one of yamaha's demo days
it certainly has more power and a twitchier throttle... but i can see the appeal. Its a decent ride little bit more supersport than sport tourer but youd have to ride em to choose ultimately

[Lildrumr]

With an aftermarket exhaust, the FZ 07 sounds as good as it pulls! Very much a sleeper without it. All smiles with it!!!

[Beemer]

Thank you all for the feedback. I will continue to research before I make my final decision. Oh and yeah I would mostly be commuting with it. As far as top speed I don't think I will be needing to go that fast anyways.

In case you haven't seen this, here's what the big boy had to say about the FZ-07. 
 
http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/06/27/2015-yamaha-fz-07-first-ride-review-naked-sportbike-photos-specifications/

[wickedtwister]

I nearly bought the 09 the only thing that made me go with the 07 is I like the styling of it a lot more. I really hate the way the brake light and seat look on the 09. If I had it my way I'd take the 09 drive train and stuff into the 07. Actually shopping for salvage bikes for experimentation.

[duenan]

@ccam7374, unless you are really tired of a more classic styling you should replace your FZ09 choice with the XSR900. Now you have a true contender.
 
FZ07 vs XSR900. Ok, ok, granted the XSR is much more expensive than the FZ09, considering you can get new left-over FZ09s for like 7.5k opposed to the 9.5k price on the XSR.

[ccam7374]

Thanks Beemer for the cycle world article. I will shop a littleore but with all this good info I am leaning to the FZ07.

[angus]

You say that you are leaning toward the 700. That makes sense when you also say that you'll mostly be commuting and top speed isn't a huge factor. When I add in the fact that you've come to the FZ-07 forum I do believe that you're leaning pretty hard. That's not a bad thing.
 
When I bought my FZ-07 I had to choose between the 700, the 900 and a brand new leftover FZ1 that was actually the least expensive of the three. Having owned a string of 1000+ cc bikes the FZ1 seemed to be the easy choice, especially at the price. I had recently sold my ZRX1200 which I enjoyed for years. I especially liked the power of the ZRX, not the weight so much but oh the bottom end power was so good. Triple digit speeds occurred on a regular basis as did wheelies.
 
I test rode the 1000cc FZ as well as the 900cc FZ and they were not quite right for me. My brain kept trying to justify the FZ1 but my gut said no. Test riding the 700 wasn't even planned but I'm so glad that it happened, my heart knew it was special. My brain fought for the 900 and the 1000 for a few more days, in a way they were both bargains financially. My heart and brain fought it out until the dealer held a sale and I bought the 700.
 
I have been riding motorcycles since the early eighties and I have never enjoyed a bike this much. I'm having more fun at legal speeds than I ever did at three times the limit. The torque gives me the same happy feeling as the 1200 gave me but it comes way lower on the speedo. Hardly anything is adjustable on the 700, great! nothing to adjust, I'd just muck it up anyway. Valve adjustment doesn't come until 26,000+ miles, I can always find another excuse to stop by the dealership to spend money. The tank is small, yes but the bike is super light and the fuel economy gives very good range.
 
If you ask me sometime how I really feel about the FZ-07 I'll tell you more but I think you get the general idea.
 
 

[twowheeladdict]

I can't help but think that coming from a (no offense) Conestoga of a bike that weighs upwards of around 775 lbs. and made for relaxed cruising a FZ-07 that is half the weight, can do low 12's in the quarter, and is way more nimble is going to be powerful enough for most people but there are some that can't be satisfied and always want more more more. I don't know which you are but I can say that this bike is a perfect city bike IMO, it has low end torque similar to your H.D. but is going to 'feel' much different (quicker) and has to be more fun to ride. It's the bike that is known for putting permanent smiles on faces. 

I was following you until "has to be more fun to ride".  Why?   
My Road Glide Ultra is more fun to ride when going highway speeds, long distances, two up, while carrying groceries, sight seeing, etc.
 
The FZ-07 is more fun to ride tight curvy roads, and in hot weather.
 
The guy also had an R6.  Why did you only focus on the Harley?
 
For people that are wondering if a bike is enough power, should always get the more powerful bike.  
 
If Yamaha had made a 350lb FZ-04 twin, that was the same bike as the FZ-07 except weight and power, I'd have bought it because weight was a main factor for me.  When people talk power as the main factor, they will never be happy until they have enough power to scare themselves.
 
 

[kakusaizou]

It's best with roads in the city, awesome comutter in town. I hate the FZ-07 at any sustained highway speeds and above. But that's why I also kept my gsxr600.
 
 

[Beemer]

I can't help but think that coming from a (no offense) Conestoga of a bike that weighs upwards of around 775 lbs. and made for relaxed cruising a FZ-07 that is half the weight, can do low 12's in the quarter, and is way more nimble is going to be powerful enough for most people but there are some that can't be satisfied and always want more more more. I don't know which you are but I can say that this bike is a perfect city bike IMO, it has low end torque similar to your H.D. but is going to 'feel' much different (quicker) and has to be more fun to ride. It's the bike that is known for putting permanent smiles on faces. 

I was following you until "has to be more fun to ride".  Why?   
My Road Glide Ultra is more fun to ride when going highway speeds, long distances, two up, while carrying groceries, sight seeing, etc.
 
The FZ-07 is more fun to ride tight curvy roads, and in hot weather.
 
The guy also had an R6.  Why did you only focus on the Harley?
 
For people that are wondering if a bike is enough power, should always get the more powerful bike.  
 
If Yamaha had made a 350lb FZ-04 twin, that was the same bike as the FZ-07 except weight and power, I'd have bought it because weight was a main factor for me.  When people talk power as the main factor, they will never be happy until they have enough power to scare themselves.
 

Here I go again B-|  ...... If you go back and read what I said again you may get the sense that the "more fun to ride" comment was in conjunction with "going to feel much different, quicker" and I still stand by that. I don't know about the groceries thing, that's pretty subjective. Can a Road Glide pull wheelies in 2nd gear with groceries? Ha! Subjective. Nuff said. It's a very original thought to use in an argument, though, it's very creative. (never heard it before.) Why didn't I say anything about the R6? Well, it (H.D.) was the last bike he rode so I figured if he had an R6 previously and got rid of it for a H.D. that I should focus on the type of bike/power he apparently liked more and also because the FZ's engine is more like a Harley's (low end torque/power) so I talked about some of the similarities of the two bikes.  I assumed he wasn't looking for the 'type' of power a super sport has because he is here inquiring about a parallel twin and not an inline four. I really do hope you understand what I said because my pecking finger is really pissed at me right now.

[ccam7374]

I can't help but think that coming from a (no offense) Conestoga of a bike that weighs upwards of around 775 lbs. and made for relaxed cruising a FZ-07 that is half the weight, can do low 12's in the quarter, and is way more nimble is going to be powerful enough for most people but there are some that can't be satisfied and always want more more more. I don't know which you are but I can say that this bike is a perfect city bike IMO, it has low end torque similar to your H.D. but is going to 'feel' much different (quicker) and has to be more fun to ride. It's the bike that is known for putting permanent smiles on faces. 

I was following you until "has to be more fun to ride".  Why?   
My Road Glide Ultra is more fun to ride when going highway speeds, long distances, two up, while carrying groceries, sight seeing, etc.
 
The FZ-07 is more fun to ride tight curvy roads, and in hot weather.
 
The guy also had an R6.  Why did you only focus on the Harley?
 
For people that are wondering if a bike is enough power, should always get the more powerful bike.  
 
If Yamaha had made a 350lb FZ-04 twin, that was the same bike as the FZ-07 except weight and power, I'd have bought it because weight was a main factor for me.  When people talk power as the main factor, they will never be happy until they have enough power to scare themselves.