Thinking of trading in my bonneville for a FZ-07..

[frk2]

Hi all,
A little help on this would be appreciated. I wont call myself 'experienced' but i've gone through a couple bikes in the last 2 years (Honda shadow, Bonneville, CTX 700) and am thinking of getting rid of the bonny and picking up an FZ-07. Since its impossible to test-drive in the bay area I am going to go by what you guys tell me here (no pressure!):
 
I'm super picky when it comes to Vibration and throttle response. I had to go through a number of things on the bonny (very snatchy throttle) including a ECU remap to fix the bug. The bonny is super smooth (parallel twin) and hardly causes any vibrations. I CANNOT stand vibrations! I feel its a bug that engineers must fix before giving a bike to the users and I refuse to drive a bike which vibrates!   
 
How bad would you say either of these two things is? For example the vibration on my honda shadow was SO bad that you couldn't see anything in the mirrors. The snatch on my bonny was so bad it'll give you neck pain after riding for a while with the whiplash. How does the FZ-07 rack up here?
 
The main reason for selling the bonnie is that it doesn't work for me ergonomically. Also its too top-heavy and just pure heavy for my taste. I've sat on the FZ-07 and its pure bliss! Sadly they dont let you turn them on.
 
Thanks all! 

[thomascrown]

Stock, it's a little snatchy down low. Pipe and powercommander fixed that for me. Vibes...while it does vibrate, it's a highly subjective thing. It has that syncopating vibe of an L twin, as opposed to the high frequency buzz of a triple or four. I don't mind the vibes, but then again, I'm not you. Best to do a test ride. Yamaha has demo days, look into that, or ask someone on this forum if you can ride their bike.

[norcal616]

The only 2 problem I have is the stock suspension was from the 1970's...the suspension problems can be solved with proper front springs and oil, the rear will need an aftermarket shock...vibration wise I think this bike is between a yz450f and a crotch rocket...as far as throttle response, its spot on...the second problem for ME is the engine braking on this lil torque monster is good enough for a semi truck...an ECU reflash by our support gender 2wheeldynoworks will make the engine braking non existent...even getting an ECU reflash for stock exhaust is well worth it cuz its a whole new bike after that... I really hope you get the fz-07... I have had nothing but smiles and grins for the last 3 months and love the fact i can do about 180 miles on a full tank...

[frk2]

Nice! Thanks guys - Am pumped! now to selling the bonnie
 
I wish I could pay a member like $100 to let me try their bike for an hour or something. It would be so amazing!
 

[thomascrown]

If you're ever in San Diego, I'll let you ride it for free dude.

[frk2]

Thanks buddy! I'll remember that! You can try my CTX at that time

[snowdriftless]

The Vibes in the FZ are present but manageable. Gear selection and speed play a big role. On a 1 hr. ride back from the National Motorcycle Museum I was going 85 mph in 6th and the bars were a little buzzy. But on your own criteria I could see out of the mirrors just fine. I do not know how the FZ compares to the Bonnie but in low gears and engine breaking the throttle can be jumpy. It can be addressed by reflashing the ECU or adding a piggyback fuel controller. Welcome to the form!

[bafricawala]

Hey I am in Sacramento. Which city of bay area are you in? Drive to Sacramento. I can let you try my fz-07 for free. Hope you dont mind me being a pillon or riding your motorcycle
 
About the vibration i feel its very low when idea, not too much even while riding. It does have a high throttle response in the lows. But you could be your own judge.
 

[Beemer]

I would say the padding in the seat is going to bother you. The seat blows for distance rides, sitting on it for a minute to an hour is ok. I don't know about anyone else, maybe I have a higher butt nerve count than most but at some speeds I do feel a trickle of vibration/buzzing in the gluteus maximus and the feet but maybe that's just me. There is a little through the grips but that's normal in most bikes so I'm not deducting for that. As thomascrown mentioned, Yamaha's Demo Days. Must have motorcycle license for that if I recall correctly.

[lonerider]

Vibration tolerance is very subjective. The Kawasaki er-6n is awful from my point of view. I can't compare with the Bonnie or the CTX700. But i demo ride the NC750X this year. They're very similar; no vibrations. But i found the Honda motor very boring. It's too linear and the exhaust's sound is definitly not music for my ears. I owned a SV650S. Even if people say that the FZ07 sound a bit like a V2. The sound of the SV is way better. But this subject is also very subjective.
 
The best way is to try the bike.

[ratlab]

i have a thruxton which is more or less the same bike as the the bonneville-the fz is less vibey than the triumph,over 100 lbs lighter,way more stable,more power and better fueling, and brakes that actually stop.gonna need some suspension work just like the bonneville would,but actually improves things.much better bike and value than any of the triumph modern classic.i don't even consider riding the thruxton anymore,just looks pretty in my garage.

[avanti]

Read ALL the mag reviews you can find... they pretty much tell the tale, imho. If you like the ergos I have a hard time thinking you'd not like the bike. However, I cannot believe that there isn't a single dealer anywhere around you who wouldn't let you sit on a running bike!!! My gawd, what are they thinking?!? All the best.

[modmaster]

I own a 2013 Bonneville T100 and an FZ-07. I too am very sensitive toward vibration on motorcycle engines. The Bonny is very smooth up to about 75 or 80mph. The FZ is just as smooth up to about 65mph, but both bikes are still relatively smooth after that. Just a bit of buzz in the handgrips on both at the higher speeds. Nothing I could ever not live with and I am fussy like you are. Hope that helps you out.
 
modmaster
 

[Beemer]

Vibration tolerance is very subjective. The Kawasaki er-6n is awful from my point of view. I can't compare with the Bonnie or the CTX700. But i demo ride the NC750X this year. They're very similar; no vibrations. But i found the Honda motor very boring. It's too linear and the exhaust's sound is definitly not music for my ears. I owned a SV650S. Even if people say that the FZ07 sound a bit like a V2. The sound of the SV is way better. But this subject is also very subjective. 
The best way is to try the bike.

In some ways I liked the sound of the v-twin on my my old XZ 550 Vision better than my FZ 07. It didn't have your typical long stroking piston like in Harley's and other v-twins, it was a big bore, short stroke with dual exhaust which gave it a nice, rumbley exhaust note. 
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/Ikr3a8TcJtU]

[frk2]

Wow you guys are awesome! I guess now I have to get a FZ since awesome people get this bike
 
@bafricawala Thanks dude! I'm in the east bay (San Leandro specifically). I can totally drive up there today or tomorrow (Sat/Sun) if you want me to I can bring my CTX up which you can try - its the epicenter of practicality I'll DM you!

[lonerider]

Beemer, your post bring some memories. 1984, i guess? Here, in Canada, it was a very rare bike, even in the days. The Vision came 10 years too early i guess to kmow success.

[bafricawala]

Frk2: You can be here tomorrow(Sunday). Busy today. Send me email at bhavinafricawala@gmail.com will send you my contact and address. Don't want to share the contact on forum.

[frk2]

Wow bonneville got sold in like a day of putting it up on craigslist! So now I'm probably looking for a nice used FZ-07
 

[avanti]

Good luck finding a nice used one... all I've seen to date are a couple wrecks!!!

[frk2]

Wow @bafricawala was nice enough to let me try his bike! Its amazing that there are people like him in the world (and some of those exist on this forum!). Thanks dude, that was too nice. For the first time I'm gonna make an informed decision about the bike im gonna get.
 
After riding it.... DUDE the fz-07 is seriously the best bike I have EVER ridden. I dont know what people talk about when they say throttle snatch and engine braking - I can tell you both those things are WAY better than my 2014 bonneville. The weight distribution is near perfect and the ergos seem designed for a 5'6-5'9 150-200lbs range! (I'm 5'8/170 and it was near perfect for me). The only drawback I found was the seat and it'll definitely need a windsheild
 
There is a bit of vibration that comes suddenly in the top end (around 70-75mpj) but the bike is so much fun below that that i'm willing to turn a blind eye to that So I'm gonna go in the next few days and pick one up
 
I can safely say that this bikes blows away the bonneville, GS650, NC700 and maybe even the speed triple. I find it similar to the speed triple but more balanced and lighter. I think the build quality was excellent!
 
 
 
Wuhoo!