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How do you ride this thing?!


hachirokutoy

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hachirokutoy

Hi guys,
 
Just posted an introduction on myself in the New Members section. 
 
As a new owner coming from riding sportbikes almost all my life, it was a little weird driving the FZ07 this morning. I feel it's more like a dirt bike feel/handling as opposed to sportbike handling. Example is when turning from a stop. Is this normal? Any tips for making a better transition on the bike. If not, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Or should I customize it so I can make it feel more sportier? I'm definitely impressed with this bike. Haven't driven something like this before on the street. 

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phicurious86
Hi guys, 
Just posted an introduction on myself in the New Members section. 
 
As a new owner coming from riding sportbikes almost all my life, it was a little weird driving the FZ07 this morning. I feel it's more like a dirt bike feel/handling as opposed to sportbike handling. Example is when turning from a stop. Is this normal? Any tips for making a better transition on the bike. If not, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Or should I customize it so I can make it feel more sportier? I'm definitely impressed with this bike. Haven't driven something like this before on the street. 
Just takes practice. Less dipping into turns and different kinds of arm movements and pressure to turn the bars. It does not want to be ridden like a sports bike, but you can still tuck in a bit at speed when needed. If you want that sporty feel you could do some clip ons and rear sets.
 
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You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
The bike in stock setup really favours a "motard" riding position. My opinion is it is because it is short, has a rear weight bias, a jerky throttle from poor fuelling, really short seat to bars and really soft suspension front and rear. Riding it upright and forward allows you to control the light front end ( caused by the aforementioned).
You will find that it is less "motardy" as you do the following:
Fix the fuelling ( my pick is an ecu reflash but it needs fixing whichever way you do it)
Fix the front and rear suspension
Put narrower bars on unless you like the "streetfighter" type handling then they are fine.
It will still be short and flicky but more controlled and won't require climbing all over the front to get front end traction. Check out Pgeldz's video of a pretty sorted 07 on the track.

Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify...

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hachirokutoy
Hi guys, 
Just posted an introduction on myself in the New Members section. 
 
As a new owner coming from riding sportbikes almost all my life, it was a little weird driving the FZ07 this morning. I feel it's more like a dirt bike feel/handling as opposed to sportbike handling. Example is when turning from a stop. Is this normal? Any tips for making a better transition on the bike. If not, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Or should I customize it so I can make it feel more sportier? I'm definitely impressed with this bike. Haven't driven something like this before on the street. 
Just takes practice. Less dipping into turns and different kinds of arm movements and pressure to turn the bars. It does not want to be ridden like a sports bike, but you can still tuck in a bit at speed when needed. If you want that sporty feel you could do some clip ons and rear sets.
 
 
Thanks. My commute to work is only 5 minutes, so didn't have much time to adapt. But after work I took a 30 minute ride and I'm getting along with the bike just fine. It's actually not that bad.
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hachirokutoy
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. The bike in stock setup really favours a "motard" riding position. My opinion is it is because it is short, has a rear weight bias, a jerky throttle from poor fuelling, really short seat to bars and really soft suspension front and rear. Riding it upright and forward allows you to control the light front end ( caused by the aforementioned).
You will find that it is less "motardy" as you do the following:
Fix the fuelling ( my pick is an ecu reflash but it needs fixing whichever way you do it)
Fix the front and rear suspension
Put narrower bars on unless you like the "streetfighter" type handling then they are fine.
It will still be short and flicky but more controlled and won't require climbing all over the front to get front end traction. Check out Pgeldz's video of a pretty sorted 07 on the track.
 
 
Cool thanks for the tip. I believe this bike is super versatile, especially seeing all the mods you can do to it. The bike is a salvaged title, so o got it relatively cheap. For now, bike is fine, just need to fix a few things starting with the front brake fluid reservoir that is leaking through the window. Then when I save up some money, probably a FZ07R conversion in the future would be my ultimate project.
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Hi guys, 
Just posted an introduction on myself in the New Members section. 
 
As a new owner coming from riding sportbikes almost all my life, it was a little weird driving the FZ07 this morning. I feel it's more like a dirt bike feel/handling as opposed to sportbike handling. Example is when turning from a stop. Is this normal? Any tips for making a better transition on the bike. If not, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Or should I customize it so I can make it feel more sportier? I'm definitely impressed with this bike. Haven't driven something like this before on the street. 
I don't understand what issue you are having with turning from a stop.  The only thing I can think of compared to sportbikes is that the fz07 feels like it DOESN'T want to fall over when turning from a stop.  Is that the issue?  Yes, the FZ07 will not try to fall over while you slowly turn from a stop. 

Engaging with people that have personality disorders on a message board is like arguing with a rock.

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yamahappy74

When I first bought my FZ, the first thing I noticed is that it dives much more when braking, so I almost binned it coming out of the dealer lot when I was turning. Super sports feel heavier at a stop because they have a lower center of gravity, so they handle better at speed. The FZ has a higher center of gravity which makes it feel lighter when turning at slow speed. My GSXR feels a lot heavier than my FZ did, but it also feels more planted at freeway speeds.

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hachirokutoy
Hi guys, 
Just posted an introduction on myself in the New Members section. 
 
As a new owner coming from riding sportbikes almost all my life, it was a little weird driving the FZ07 this morning. I feel it's more like a dirt bike feel/handling as opposed to sportbike handling. Example is when turning from a stop. Is this normal? Any tips for making a better transition on the bike. If not, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Or should I customize it so I can make it feel more sportier? I'm definitely impressed with this bike. Haven't driven something like this before on the street. 
I don't understand what issue you are having with turning from a stop.  The only thing I can think of compared to sportbikes is that the fz07 feels like it DOESN'T want to fall over when turning from a stop.  Is that the issue?  Yes, the FZ07 will not try to fall over while you slowly turn from a stop. 
 
Correct, It doesn't want to fall over. However, I'm getting a better feel for it. But boy is it fun to ride!
 
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I don't understand what issue you are having with turning from a stop.  The only thing I can think of compared to sportbikes is that the fz07 feels like it DOESN'T want to fall over when turning from a stop.  Is that the issue?  Yes, the FZ07 will not try to fall over while you slowly turn from a stop. 
 
Correct, It doesn't want to fall over. However, I'm getting a better feel for it. But boy is it fun to ride!
You'll be amazed at how much full control you have of the bike even at 5mph.  Personally, that's one of the reasons I dislike super sports.  BUT then, going over 80mph on the FZ kinda feels like ass.
 

Engaging with people that have personality disorders on a message board is like arguing with a rock.

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hachirokutoy

OK, so I decided to take my bike to the MMR shop here at work during my lunch break to make sure the tire pressure was OK.
 
Turns out it was very low, at around 12 psi in the front and 20 psi on the back. No wonder the bike's handling felt a little weird. Corrected the tire pressure as indicated in the swing arm, checked for leaks, and all seems fine. Took it for a quick ride around the block and bike handles so much better! It's more of what I expected.
 
duenan, you are right, I love the control at low end speeds.! It's a skill I've always admired like Gymkhana. To me it's as close of a bond to your bike as you would with a Horse, trusting it and knowing that if you let it do it's thing, it will do what you want and won't let you down (pun intended).

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  • 2 months later...

Good that you figured out the low tire pressure, that could've caused an accident. Maybe you already know this but maybe some don't so I would like to add that at low speeds it's easier to control your bike if you get more aggressive and scoot your weight up against the tank and sit more straight up (like a dirt rider going into a turn), feather the throttle and slip the clutch to maintain your low speed. You will feel more in control from better balance and not having your arms stretched out. If your arms are stretched out straight (AK, super sport) you have less leeway for leverage (power input) so it's better to sit closer to the tank at lower speeds.

Beemer

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