FZ-07 or FZ09?

[seans]

I'm sure many of you had similar dilemmas before buying your bikes. These are both cool machines. I've been on supermotards until now (400cc and under) as well as various other street bikes. Licensing here in Canada is pretty pricey. 197/month for 07 and 213/month for the 09. My concern is that the bikes relatively closely priced, theoretically on par in terms of maintenance and decently close in fuel consumption. I know most of you own the 07 's, but that is why I am asking. I really am looking for that bike that I keep. I get something new every couple years, I would like a bike I could grow with and continue to enjoy. Thanks for your help. I'm a 29 year old guy who rides pretty responsibly (tame). Nothing usually more than 4-500km and lots of city tooling around.
It

[nmucat]

Ride both and decide.
 
For me it came down to feel and comfort. The 09 is a great machine, plenty of power and looks great. The seat height was a little mutch for me along with the higher center of gravity, the 07 just felt better, can't ecplain it, just does.
 
The price is close but for me it was a deciding factor as well. The difference in a monthly payment means more gas for rides and more parts. Also look into insurance differences bc that could add more to the price.

[YZEtc]

My opinion with motorcycles in general:
 
For me, there's no such thing as The Bike that I will keep forever.
It's a continuous cycle of getting one that puts big stars in my eyes when I first get it, then commence riding the crap out of it for a couple of years (while taking good care of it, too) with mucho fun and enthusiasm along the way, and then eventually reaching the climax of the moto relationship, becoming bored with it, selling it, and starting it all over with the next model.
That's life in the fast lane.
 
My opinion on the FZ07 vs. FZ09:
 
I rode both in late August on a Yamaha Demo Days test ride.
I rode the FZ07 first and as soon as I pulled away from a stop the bike felt good, mainly due to the relatively light weight, thin and slim feel, and the power characteristics of the engine which is strong torque that feels punchy and immediate in the low and midrange.
This is just where you want the power in a street bike.
The bike felt fun, fun, fun, and as a bonus, the intake and exhaust noise, while heavily muffled as you'd expect, sounded great.
It was a very good experience, and I only wished for more time on the bike.
 
I rode the FZ09 second.
It felt a little heavier, but not alarmingly so.
The three-cylindered engine had a unique exhaust note and power character to it (I've never owned a triple) and was very fast with very usable power - a good combination of low end torque and top end horsepower.
 
However, with the FZ09, it felt more like a typical multi-cylindered sport bike than what the FZ07 felt like to me, and the FZ09 didn't quite do it for me as the FZ07 did.
Where the FZ09 felt like a good multi-cylindered sport bike (although minus a cylinder and with less weight than usual) with budget rear suspension, the FZ07 felt more like a twin-cylindered dirt bike or motard, something the FZ07 still feels like to me after the 1,500 miles I've put on mine since.
It feels small, thin, and light combined with ideal power for back road fun.
I do not miss the additional horsepower of the FZ09 at all (and, honestly, I wouldn't be taping into the upper revs as often), and I could have bought either one.

[Guru]

Welcome @seans. Great to have you on board.
Both bikes are awesome and they both are great value. The price difference between the two will inevitably fade away in mods.
I would test ride them and choose, like a lot of us have. The 09 might give you more bragging rights, but that's about it. They are both more then enough bike. I personally think the 07 looks better en I love the size and lightness of it.
You are right Canadian insurance is no laughing matter. Where are you located?

[Melly]

For me the FZ07 just seemed to fit better. I rode the 09 first and LOVED it...almost bought it but figured I'd wait until I had the chance to ride the 07 before making a definite decision. Glad I did, because the second I hopped on the 07 at the dealership I knew id be riding it home

[manuel]

FZ-07 is a twin cylinder, with a torque curve that makes a bit more usable around town, it is marginally lighter and it is fully analogue (no ride by wire, no selectable ride modes) which I actually appreciate (yeah, I am one of those dinosaurs who still drives a manual transmission car in heavy traffic and will do so for as long they are available).
 
FZ-09 is a triple, probably one of the best engines for a motorcycle - that is, you can be happy with the low-end torque but it also has the "racy" feel of a 4 cylinder motor. It also has a sexy aluminum frame and swingarm and ride by wire.
 
Both are tremendous value for what they offer, it's whatever checks those boxes for you.
 
DISCLAIMER: I am a new rider and FZ-09 was way too much for me to deal with as a starter. I have now about 2000km on my FZ-07 and I feel that we will have a lot of happy years together .

[marthy]

I own a FZ09 and put about 10K miles on it this year. Once all sort out it's a great bike. I had the chance to ride the FZ07 for a week, great little bike too. If we put HP & Torque aside for a minute, the FZ07 is a better bike right out of the box. Suspension is not that much better but suite the bike HP. On the FZ09 the suspension can't cope very well with all the power. What I'm trying to say is if the FZ09 had the same HP as the FZ07, the suspension would be fine.
 
The rest of the bike is very similar. Weight is within few pounds but the fact that you're missing a cylinder make the bike a bit more narrow. Make it more comfortable if you're a beginner or vertically challenge. For easy going street riding the FZ07 is more than adequate. Smooth engine with respectable mid range torque make it a better choice if you do a lot of stop & go city traffic.
 
On the open road, once the suspension sort out (Yamaha reflash ECU suppose to fix the throttle jerkiness) the FZ09 is totally madness.

[seans]

Thanks for all your help! I should have mentioned that I'm 5'9. I live in the prairies, so roads are somewhat flat. It's OK though - scenery is cool and the riding is relaxed. No dealers close to me (less than 300km) have either bike in stock, so riding the bike might be a bit difficult. I'll be keeping an eye on the used market to see if one comes up, so I can go sit on it. Makes buying very difficult - which is why I'm here. Totally agree though. I wouldn't even be on here if I could take these machines for a little rip.
 
A few of you have mentioned the power on the FZ-09, and while I'm not a new rider by any means, I've never really ridden anything on the street with over 50hp. The inverted fork, aluminum frame/swingarm are really what drew me to the 09. My concern is, as some of you have mentioned, that the 09 would be total madness in the power department and I would never really tap into the power of that motor.
 
I was initially leaning the way of the FZ 07, then the 09. Now I'm thinking the 07 will probably be more than sufficient. A non-adjustable inverted fork would have made this decision that much easier. haha.

[Cruizin]

GO test ride both. I ride an FZ-09, but the FZ-07 is more refined. If ya like wheelies, get an FZ-09.

[crazycracka501]

The decision came down to two things for me, power and riding position.
 
1. The 07 is more than adequately equipped in the power to weight ratio and pleasantly surprised me. The 09 on the other hand tends to be a little over the top....literally, the thing is a wheelie monster. I like to go fast sometimes and knew that this could probably get me in trouble . The 07 can do power wheelies very well with no massive effort, but just didn't seem as dangerous to my (more balls than brains) self.
 
2. The riding position was a big deal for me. The 07 was extremely comfortable from the moment I sat on it and I could imagine myself taking a 7+ hour ride on it. The 09 has a more aggressive riding style that I didn't feel would be conducive to my butt being planted on it all day.
 
To be fair, I feel as if you get plenty more bike for an extra $1000. As a matter of fact, you probably get much more for your money. I just didn't feel as if I would (or could) use the 09's potential on the streets, the thing is a beast, whereas the 07 is a bike you can bring to it's limits and have fun with everyday.

[marthy]

The FZ07 suspension is good as is. Not real need to upgrade unless you tip the scale in the 200s. Im about 190 and all I would have done is set the sag front & rear and I could have luve with it. I know theres no front preload adjuster but if this is lime my FZ6R... few shims under the cap will do the same job.

[lonerider]

It was not a dilemma for me.  Tried the 09 last fall.  Bought the 07 as soon as it was revealed here in Canada (march). Demo ride the 07 in early June. Great bike. Will i keep it forever? Probably not, i never kept the same bike 5 years.
 

[hippiebikerchick]

I just came back from riding hubs 09. I am going to revise my opinion of it. I had stated before that the FZ09 scared me. Well, not any more. I LOVE it! I rode it to the shop to take care of a recall issue and fell in love. It doesn't have the severe engine braking issue of the 07 and it was so fast I had to keep making sure I was still in B mode. The dealer had a 2015 in gorgeous gold! I took a pic so I'll try to post up later. Yamahahahahaha has two totally winning bikes IMO.

[rmdet]

I just came back from riding hubs 09. I am going to revise my opinion of it. I had stated before that the FZ09 scared me. Well, not any more. I LOVE it! I rode it to the shop to take care of a recall issue and fell in love. It doesn't have the severe engine braking issue of the 07 and it was so fast I had to keep making sure I was still in B mode. The dealer had a 2015 in gorgeous gold! I took a pic so I'll try to post up later. Yamahahahahaha has two totally winning bikes IMO.

So that begs the question - If you had to decide on one or the other today, now that your perspective has shifted a bit, which would you choose? 
I really liked the FZ-09, but never got a chance to ride it. Overall, the reports of the throttle issue was what made me decide on the FZ07, several other details leaned me to the FZ07 as well, but the throttle was the tie breaker. If the reflash fix had already been officially released for the FZ-09, I would have ended up with the 09. (That orange is possibly the best looking color I have ever seen!)
 
That said, I love the FZ-07 and am extremely happy with my purchase! Just wondering if I should watch for test ride opportunities next summer to see what other bonus fun may come with an 09.

[hippiebikerchick]

Hmmmmm. That's a tough one. For now, I'll have to say my 07 because I am more familiar with it. (That may change now) I am really glad I have access to both!
 
One of the things that bothers me about the 07 is the engine braking; the 09 was gentler. I know hubs modded his throttle someway to mitigate the issue you mentioned. I also thought the ergonomics was similar. I can put my legs where I want them to be while at a stop on the 09. The 07 and I fight about it.
 
The one I saw at the dealer wasn't the burnt pumpkin orange for the 2014, it was a true gold color. (Think harvest gold) As soon as I can get the crappy pic out of my phone I'll post it.

[Guru]

There's a picture on the Canadian website. I love the color. 
 

 

[hippiebikerchick]

Yep, I saw it up close and personal and it was S W E E T !!!

[crazycracka501]

I found the throttle problem that was described on the 09 exists on the 07 anyway. At low rpm, my 07 gets real jumpy when I put any more pressure than the weight of a twinkie on the throttle. I've just learned to feather the clutch to make up for it. I still love my 07. I rode the Stryker for about 100 miles on Tuesday, nice bike and deceivingly fast. When I dropped it off and got on my 07, my bike felt so dang small it was weird. That was until I buried the throttle and blasted off.

[manuel]

Check your throttle cable slack. FZ-07 is not ride by wire like the FZ-09 so the problem might be somewhere else.
I had similar issues with the abrupt off-throttle - on-throttle and that got cured nicely by adjusting the throttle cable.
 
Sweet color scheme indeed, reminds me of the classic Yamaha US racing colors. Tough choice between this and the last year orange...
 
 

[YZEtc]

The condition is there with the FZ-07, alright.
Getting rid of excess throttle cable play helps but does not eliminate this, in my experience, so I simply ride around it by opening the throttle immediately after finishing braking while entering the corner.

[so1102]

Sorry to resurrect this thread 4 months later, but I am facing the same dilemma
 
I really like the FZ-09 (especially the 2015 model in silver), but the more I think about it the more I will likely go for the 07, for this one reason: I am still a novice rider.
 
This would be my second bike I will have owned and I have only been riding for a little over a year, without logging a ton of miles. My current bike is an '07 Suz M50 boulevard, and is the main reason I am looking for another bike and haven't ridden a whole lot over the past year. I got a smoking deal on it at the time, but riding it has made me quickly realize that cruisers just aren't for me. I have no fun riding a slow, heavy bike. I just want something more agile and fun to use as a commuter -- no track days for me, and I'm not experienced enough to need something very powerful at this time.
 
I am older than dirt for most newbie riders, getting started at the age of 44, so I guess with that comes wisdom, risk avoidance, and a gentler wrist -- but I am still concerned that the 09 would be a little too much bike for me. Unless someone convinces me otherwise I'm flipflopping like a friggin politician here.

[mjh937]

I too am an older rider (49) and concidered the FZ-09 too. I decided on the -07 because the -09 seemed like it would be a bit intimidating for a newbie. I am happy with my decision and would make the same one today. The -07 has plenty of power for me. I am nowhere near pushing the limits and love the torque of the parallel twin. It seems like a no lose decision though. They are both great bikes.

[YZEtc]

Get the FZ-07.
It's smaller, lighter, and, I feel, more fun to ride.It will also allow you to run circles around your M50, if that's what you're wondering. 

[hobbs]

Plus regular fuel.
 
The 09 is as far as I can tell, a really great value for being over a hundo horsepower bike. I really like the minimalism as well.
 
However, the 07 to me is a better bike for the all around rider that isn't trying to be Rossi on public roadways.

[FZRDR]

So1102,
 
Im going to chime in here and agree with the three wise men who posted directly above me!
my take is,
The 07 is a bike you can ride around in and push to its limits (if you desire) much easier than the FZ-09.
Its taken me many bikes/years to realize that to ride a bike safely fast doesn't always require the bike with the most HP.