Raindog Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 For some time I've been looking for a good commuter and after checking out the FZ-07 this weekend I do believe we have a winner. Seems to check all the boxes, low maintenance, great mileage, reasonable price and a great exhaust note with pipe helps as well. Here are the two that I'm attempting to keep miles down on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I know 2 guys (one here in PA and one who you might know of who resides in Belgium and is quite happy to elucidate what's on his mind)) who just bought the new 1100 TV4. Needless to say, they are all a gagga over it. After having a bike that empties the tank about as fast as you can refill, just wait till you do your 1st fill on the little FZ and discover that last 150 miles only used 2.3 gallons of 87 octane. You'll also love how easy all the basic maintenance is. You'll want a better shock - like yesterday - after riding those 2 bikes. And oh, it's a bike with its own portion of fun. My Futura of 12 years has been feeling neglected a bit of late. Of course, I ride it again and remember just how nice a motorcycle it's been and still is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetgirl Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Nice looking bikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybmx Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Any thoughts on the Aprilia Shiver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member yamahappy74 Posted July 28, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted July 28, 2015 Wow, that Aprilia is SEXY! I've never seen one of those. Expensive, I imagine. [EDIT] - $16K Yeah, I won't be getting one of these new, that's for sure. I did see some decent '13-'14 models for closer to $10K which is a bit more reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Any thoughts on the Aprilia Shiver? The Shiver's been sorta forgotten about by the moto-press. Been a long time since I've read a review. It had some snatchy throttle issues early on as it's RBW. Don't think I've ever seen one on the street. I suspect there's not much demand so it could be haggled down some. Iirc, it's quite high in saddle height. There won't be anywhere near the aftermarket support the FZ has as it's just not a high volume bike. As it has a little nacelle in front, adding wind protection might be hard. My 1 liter Futura makes just shy of 100 rear wheel HP. That claimed 95 hp will turn into more like 75 at the wheel. Aprilia does some really nice things on their bikes (the frames and swingers are almost always beautiful bits) - and some things not so much. At the top of the list should be losing all the plastic (PA nylon) gas tanks. The water that comes with the ethanol in our gasoline wreaks havoc on those tanks. They swell to the point that the mounts can no longer fit and sometimes the water will soak clean thru and blister paint. If I was to buy another Aprilia, the 1st thing I'd do is to pay a shop to use a product called Caswell to coat the inside of the tank before it ever saw a drop of fuel. The older tanks ( like my 2002 Futura's) seem to be less afflicted by this. But there are some bikes where the clip-ons are now hitting the tanks and there's been some paint blistering as well.. With an already limited steerer lock, limiting travel even further is one of the solutions to the horn button hitting the tank. I'm perfectly content with my decision to have added the FZ to my garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted July 28, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted July 28, 2015 It took me a while to figure out the title. Yeah, I know, I need a break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindog Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Thanks guys, the T is the most brutal bike that I've ever owned but it does suck the fuel. Quite right about the tank, mine started to ripple a bit on the left side last year so I pulled it off and ran a box fan on it for several months to let it dry out before coating it. Never ran into the problem on my '05, perhaps they have changed the composition of the later models... Ducati has the same problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 That's a sexy Tuono right there. Dig the Italian flag accents on the seat. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascrown Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Love the Tuono. Nothing sounds better than that v4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member rowdy Posted July 29, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted July 29, 2015 Wow! I love your other bikes! I can tell you are an aficionado of fine bikes. It looks like the FZ is gonna be the Chris Rock of the party, kinda unsophisticated, but a hell of a lot of fun to be around! Why can't left turners see us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Love the Tuono. Nothing sounds better than that v4. Aprilia has some magic when it comes to getting those bikes past the decibel police. A buddy in Belgium just bought the new 1100 version T4 and now wishes he hadn't ordered a pipe before he heard just how much music comes from the OE pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindog Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Yeah, I have the 50mm insert in the AR. Forgot my earplugs the other day, I won't be making that mistake again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascrown Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 The new 1100 Factory looks amazing. I know gas mileage/range is terrible, but how has it been reliability/maintenance/parts availability wise? It's in the running as a weekend bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 If you are in the states, parts availability is as close as the shop that sponsors the Af1 forum. They are in Texas. unlike the little FZ, parts are not cheap. Doing a valve adjustment on any V motor is a bit of a pain. Make it 4 cyls and it's twice the pain. That particular V4 motor requires an expensive tool if you will be doing that yourself and some hours to do. Expect a big bill if you take it to someone else. The rest of the maintenance is likely straight forward. And even though people will walk up to you at gas stations and say "hmm, Aprilia, who makes that, Ducati"?, there'll likely be some goofy issues (it is Italian after all) you will be surprised by how reliable they are. I'm gonna suggest you not take a test ride, you'll be irreparably hooked. I'm also gonna suggest you put money down sooner than later cause most, if not all, of the 1st run Factories have already been spoke for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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