What level41 doesn't like about the fz-07

[letitsnow]

I can't think of anything. This bike is an awesome commuter. I test rode many bikes before buying this. For the price, I will not complain.

[weazsel]

 
(rofl)  A lot of Yamaha bikes have them though. I have to resist the urge to punt them off my buddy's R3 at 40mph...
 

[foothills]

Horn button is the only thing I hate.
 
Suspension doesn't seem too bad to me.  It's funny there are a lot of complaints on this, but they're inconsistent:  Light people complaining it's too stiff, light people complaining it's too soft, heavier people same thing - some say too hard some say too soft.  I guess it's something to do with the damping and most people (like me) are just not enough of a suspension expert to articulate what the problem really is.

[Beemer]

This bike has cons but I feel that most are minor. I feel like I would be nitpicking if I started listing them, especially at the price it's at. The only major flaw I feel might be worth mentioning is the suspension but still, @ $6990 you can't trash this bike. If you wanted a race bike you should've bought an R6.
 
Edited: I understand if the suspension could've been better for the same price then you can trash talk the suspension. If you were expecting top of the line suspension that's just wishful thinking.

[gregjet]

Here is my list. Some objective some entirely subjective.
First and foremost the rear suspension. Atrocious. Springing AND damping. Not as bad as bikes from the 70's and 80's but no excuse to put a properly tuned shock in the bike from the factory. Would not cost them any more than what they put in except a small bit of research. Not talking sports or race quality, just a shock that suspended the bike at the correct height for the average rider ( country dependant springing) and a matched damper. I would still have put a better one on but the stock one kicks the rear off the ground when running over potholes, bumps and train lines.
Front forks: see rear shock but not as bad.
TINY tank: If I still lived in Townsville I couldn't even get to the next proper town without stopping in an expensive fuel tiny town. They have fixed it on the Tracer apparently. Hopefully the tank will be swappable.
Instrument position is completely useless stock. Can't see the speedo without tilting my helmet down. Too close so a complete refocus has to occur from road-speedo-road. Moved mine forward and up.
Seat: gets very uncomfortable very quickly. Not as bad as my BMW F800R, but bad. I Seat Concepted it.
Hate the giant width rear rim. Prefer a 4.5-5" rim on the rear to fit a better matched tyre.
Wish they had weight balanced the bike better . Bit less rear weight bias to load the front wheel a bit better. Longer swingarm of the new tracer may be a purchase item if it fits.
Fuel is AWEFUL. Jerky and rough. Good job on reducing rear wheel hop though via fuelling. Could have been much worse. ECU remap fixes it. Blame the Europeans.
Hate the manga styling. Can't blame the designers bought up on Manga comics, of course, but hate the adolscent, angular, un-aero shapes and the fake nonfunctional plastics. Totally subjective on my part.
Shows how good I think the base bike is though , to buy it with these faults.
To be fair on the exhaust is is functional and out of the way. I only changed it to lighten the bike ( a thing of mine).
Bars are too wide for me, but that is personal preference, and the bike seems to be aimed at a streetfighter look anyway.
Brakes are functional at best, but decent lines and new decent pads fixes it easy. Not sure why they used that pad material. Can't have been price as I doubt there would have been any real difference in bulk cost. Nothing actually wrong with the discs nor the std caliper design. Not racing caliper design, but not a racing bike.
Hard to beat for the money which ever way you look at it but shock, springs and pad material would have cost nothing extra to manufacture. Bad sourcing. Fuelling seems just plain laziness on their part.

[yamahaha]

The shitty,sticky starter switch.

[rowdy]

Here is my list. Some objective some entirely subjective. First and foremost the rear suspension. Atrocious. Springing AND damping. Not as bad as bikes from the 70's and 80's but no excuse to put a properly tuned shock in the bike from the factory. Would not cost them any more than what they put in except a small bit of research. Not talking sports or race quality, just a shock that suspended the bike at the correct height for the average rider ( country dependant springing) and a matched damper. I would still have put a better one on but the stock one kicks the rear off the ground when running over potholes, bumps and train lines.
Front forks: see rear shock but not as bad.
TINY tank: If I still lived in Townsville I couldn't even get to the next proper town without stopping in an expensive fuel tiny town. They have fixed it on the Tracer apparently. Hopefully the tank will be swappable.
Instrument position is completely useless stock. Can't see the speedo without tilting my helmet down. Too close so a complete refocus has to occur from road-speedo-road. Moved mine forward and up.
Seat: gets very uncomfortable very quickly. Not as bad as my BMW F800R, but bad. I Seat Concepted it.
Hate the giant width rear rim. Prefer a 4.5-5" rim on the rear to fit a better matched tyre.
Wish they had weight balanced the bike better . Bit less rear weight bias to load the front wheel a bit better. Longer swingarm of the new tracer may be a purchase item if it fits.
Fuel is AWEFUL. Jerky and rough. Good job on reducing rear wheel hop though via fuelling. Could have been much worse. ECU remap fixes it. Blame the Europeans.
Hate the manga styling. Can't blame the designers bought up on Manga comics, of course, but hate the adolscent, angular, un-aero shapes and the fake nonfunctional plastics. Totally subjective on my part.
Shows how good I think the base bike is though , to buy it with these faults.
To be fair on the exhaust is is functional and out of the way. I only changed it to lighten the bike ( a thing of mine).
Bars are too wide for me, but that is personal preference, and the bike seems to be aimed at a streetfighter look anyway.
Brakes are functional at best, but decent lines and new decent pads fixes it easy. Not sure why they used that pad material. Can't have been price as I doubt there would have been any real difference in bulk cost. Nothing actually wrong with the discs nor the std caliper design. Not racing caliper design, but not a racing bike.
Hard to beat for the money which ever way you look at it but shock, springs and pad material would have cost nothing extra to manufacture. Bad sourcing. Fuelling seems just plain laziness on their part.

I pretty much agree with your list of complaints, but compared to other bikes close to the price,(they have their weaknesses too), I think Yamaha did an admirable job of cutting the cost where it needed to be cut and still providing an award winning value/performance bike..  True... the cost savings are probably more apparent to a seasoned rider, but let's face it... the bike is a bargain, and a freakin' blast to ride!  

[markstertt]

This bike has cons but I feel that most are minor. I feel like I would be nitpicking if I started listing them, especially at the price it's at. The only major flaw I feel might be worth mentioning is the suspension but still, @ $6990 you can't trash this bike. If you wanted a race bike you should've bought an R6.

I think you may be missing the point Beemer, a lot of people want to excuse the bikes short comings by saying what you did, basically for the price you shouldn't complain and then others think for the price you have to accept lousy shocks, short mirror stems, horn button position etc. when in fact a half inch longer mirror stem, or a rear shock with some rebound damping and not rigid high velocity damping wouldn't have cost any more. I love the engine and size of this bike and the styling has really grown on me, I wanted the -09 until I rode the -07, correcting a few flaws falls way short of buying a race bike. 
I use to think the air scoops were a bit much but after having the bike apart I've realized they aren't really so fake, the left one cools the voltage regulator and the right one the ecu plus it probably doesn't hurt to add a little cool air under there since the radiator dumps it's hot air under the tank, I have to say with a little creative sheet metal work this minor flaw could also be alleviated.
 

[fzob1]

I read about the suspension a lot on this forum as a low point. Is that true even for lighter riders? I am only 150lbs, add some weight for gear, and ride solo. Will the stock suspension on the FZ07 be adequate?

[hamster]

I believe on light riders it is not so noticeable (155 here), that is why I'm planning to upgrade in the future, not because it is uncomfortable but because I want to feel the road better and safer when twisting around.

[SkH]

Honestly, at 120lbs, my beef is with the front suspension. Not the rear.
 
But other than that, I hate the cheap plastic creaking noises.

[rhb]

I think what we have here is a lot of guys believing the suspension is bad based on a lot of internet comments not personal experience, The truth is unless you have ridden a bike with excellent suspension you have no idea what good suspension is. Count me as a person who has never raced on the track nor ridden a Ducati, Aprilla, or MV Agusta.
 
The only problem I have noticed is a lack of adequate rebound damping on the back shock, and a walloy too soft front that tends to dive on braking. Neither one affects safe handling in normal to semi-aggressive driving, but if you have a fined tuned racer butt certainly you will find a lot to complain about. For the average guy who is scooting around town with a weekend ride on twisties, the suspension is fine, if not a little harsh in the rear. Simply adjusting the preload properly on the rear helps a lot, as well as more oil and preload adjusters in front, under 100 bucks.
 
You can spend a couple thousand on cartridges and rear shocks, but how many riders will actually be using that potential? If you are 250 pounds or heavier then well, you need more suspension it is true. And that is the biggest variable in my view, rider weight.

[level41]

I see a lot of complaints about the suspension.
Seems like the heavier riders are the ones suffering most from rear suspension issues?
I'm [HASH]175, [HASH]180 with gear, so I guess I won't like it?
 
I noticed on one of my 125cc bikes, that the suspension was set to super soft.
It felt great going through potholes at anything below 50MPH, but above it would bottom out.
With stiffer suspension, I would probably have had more comfortable high speed suspension, but low speed would somewhat suffer from it.
The Honda 2012 CBR250R for instance had a very hard suspension, which rides at under 35MPH literally were a pain in the @r$eh0le!
But at speeds over 60MPH, the suspension became very comfy.
 
What speed range would you say the suspension is most comfortable?
If you're riding the bike on the tracks all out (100+mph), and the suspension feels spongy, or bottoms out over any small pothole at those speeds, you probably would want a stiffer suspension. Or would you say that all across the range, the suspension feels spongy or stiff?
 

[Beemer]

This bike has cons but I feel that most are minor. I feel like I would be nitpicking if I started listing them, especially at the price it's at. The only major flaw I feel might be worth mentioning is the suspension but still, @ $6990 you can't trash this bike. If you wanted a race bike you should've bought an R6.

I think you may be missing the point Beemer, a lot of people want to excuse the bikes short comings by saying what you did, basically for the price you shouldn't complain and then others think for the price you have to accept lousy shocks, short mirror stems, horn button position etc. when in fact a half inch longer mirror stem, or a rear shock with some rebound damping and not rigid high velocity damping wouldn't have cost any more. I love the engine and size of this bike and the styling has really grown on me, I wanted the -09 until I rode the -07, correcting a few flaws falls way short of buying a race bike. 
I use to think the air scoops were a bit much but after having the bike apart I've realized they aren't really so fake, the left one cools the voltage regulator and the right one the ecu plus it probably doesn't hurt to add a little cool air under there since the radiator dumps it's hot air under the tank, I have to say with a little creative sheet metal work this minor flaw could also be alleviated.

Maybe since the majority of people are excusing what you call short comings, the minority are missing the point. It's all relative. What may be a half inch too short for you may be a half inch too long for someone else. Maybe what the shocks don't do for you maybe do just fine for someone else. Give Fred Sanford what you call junk and watch him smile. 

[markstertt]

I think what we have here is a lot of guys believing the suspension is bad based on a lot of internet comments not personal experience, The truth is unless you have ridden a bike with excellent suspension you have no idea what good suspension is. Count me as a person who has never raced on the track nor ridden a Ducati, Aprilla, or MV Agusta. 
The only problem I have noticed is a lack of adequate rebound damping on the back shock, and a walloy too soft front that tends to dive on braking. Neither one affects safe handling in normal to semi-aggressive driving, but if you have a fined tuned racer butt certainly you will find a lot to complain about. For the average guy who is scooting around town with a weekend ride on twisties, the suspension is fine, if not a little harsh in the rear. Simply adjusting the preload properly on the rear helps a lot, as well as more oil and preload adjusters in front, under 100 bucks.
 
You can spend a couple thousand on cartridges and rear shocks, but how many riders will actually be using that potential? If you are 250 pounds or heavier then well, you need more suspension it is true. And that is the biggest variable in my view, rider weight.

OK, here's my (150#)personal experience with just my regular non-racer butt. The rear shock is fine for smooth roads or freeways but can be awful harsh on frost heaves, bumps etc. (not even talking sharp edged pot holes and the like) Now on a fast twisty road with bumps and frost heaves in a corner and it can be dangerous (IMHO) and a high velocity hit will feel like you've bottomed out the shock and in some cases will bounce me off the seat and in most cases will jar my spine along with the rear wheel skipping along not maintaining contact, now maybe a little rebound control would help the kick but we have no control there. I tried playing with preload to no avail. Remember, these aren't potholes or anything with a sharp edge and I know these bumps well after going back to lay on the road and eyeball just exactly what was so upsetting to the suspension but not visible to me. I use the same 2 sections of road for my testing, one about 3 miles long and straightish and one about 5 miles and twisty and anywhere from 40-60 mph. After several 100 miles of testing on these roads I know just when to wince.  
So I'm a light wt. and the stock suspension does not work for me, after about 100 miles on rural twisty coastal roads and I'm warn out and spend most of the ride avoiding patches and holes, smooth straight roads, sure no problem but what fun is that?
 
 

[markstertt]

I think you may be missing the point Beemer, a lot of people want to excuse the bikes short comings by saying what you did, basically for the price you shouldn't complain and then others think for the price you have to accept lousy shocks, short mirror stems, horn button position etc. when in fact a half inch longer mirror stem, or a rear shock with some rebound damping and not rigid high velocity damping wouldn't have cost any more. I love the engine and size of this bike and the styling has really grown on me, I wanted the -09 until I rode the -07, correcting a few flaws falls way short of buying a race bike. 
I use to think the air scoops were a bit much but after having the bike apart I've realized they aren't really so fake, the left one cools the voltage regulator and the right one the ecu plus it probably doesn't hurt to add a little cool air under there since the radiator dumps it's hot air under the tank, I have to say with a little creative sheet metal work this minor flaw could also be alleviated.

Maybe since the majority of people are excusing what you call short comings, the minority are missing the point. It's all relative. What may be a half inch too short for you may be a half inch too long for someone else. Maybe what the shocks don't do for you maybe do just fine for someone else. Give Fred Sanford what you call junk and watch him smile. 

You're probably right Beemer, I once followed a guy down a smooth freeway, him on a 4 cyl. low end Suzuki (dual shocks)and me on my low end Yamaha SR500 and I watched his rear wheel hopping up and down about an inch mile after mile wondering how he could not feel it. When we finally stopped, I asked him if he couldn't feel it, nope but said he had recently had a new tire mounted and between no wheel wts. (no balancing) and warn out oem shocks the result was evident...to me anyway and the shocks were to hot to touch. My momma always said ignorance was bliss. 

[norcal616]

Markster hit the problem head on with my only problem with the stock bike...I only added Pattome fork kit and ordered a mid grade rear shock...it suits me 90-95% of the time across multiple on road surfaces, could it be better yes only at the expense of tossing way more $ than I need to get that last 5%... In all honesty I want my dirt suspension on both of my road bikes..on my FJ-09 the stock suspension feels like I bolted top notch suspension on it coming from my FZ-07 only because it's got compression and rebound control which the stock FZ-07 suspension lacks... If Yamaha added compression and rebound to the suspension..I bet the FJ-07 will!!

[Beemer]

No, you're probably right. I always expect too little and am easily satisfied. 

[markstertt]

No, you're probably right. I always expect too little and am easily satisfied. 

No problem Beemer, remember that I said I really like this little bike and will probably have it years after most have passed it on, I tend to keep bikes that resonate with me and try to take care of the niggles that bother. Heck, I still have a bunch of old Triumphs I rode in the '60's and god and queen know they have their cons, but I love them. 
As an aside to the suspension con, yes the shock is subpar but there is also some suspicion that the linkage geometry may be an issue also but that's for another post. 
 

[markstertt]

Markster hit the problem head on with my only problem with the stock bike...I only added Pattome fork kit and ordered a mid grade rear shock...it suits me 90-95% of the time across multiple on road surfaces, could it be better yes only at the expense of tossing way more $ than I need to get that last 5%... In all honesty I want my dirt suspension on both of my road bikes..on my FJ-09 the stock suspension feels like I bolted top notch suspension on it coming from my FZ-07 only because it's got compression and rebound control which the stock FZ-07 suspension lacks... If Yamaha added compression and rebound to the suspension..I bet the FJ-07 will!!

You may have noticed that the T7 concept bike has your standard dirt bike linkage and vertical shock, be interesting to see what the production version looks like and if they change up the seat for something a bit more street worthy. 

[norcal616]

Oooooo that T7 will have to replace my wr250f... Every one of my good friends who ride dirt bikes all have stated they cannot wait for a Yamaha trail bike with the CP2 motor(one said the CP3 motor would suffice?) preferably with KYB SSS (none of that air fork/cone stuff!!!)...Yamaha needs to bridge the gap between the 1200 cc SuperCoaches* and the WR250r ...

[level41]

You think that the blue 2017 model has any minor improvements upon the older models, other than color, that will grant the $200 price increase?
 
 
Quite often throttle jerkiness is from a too low gearing, and too high torque (in this case the bike also is very light).
You could reduce it by increasing gearing ratio (changing the front sprocket to one with +1 t, or the rear with -3T or even less tooth, or do both. It makes the bike milder and less jerky.

[mjh937]

@level41, my guess is the price increase is just for inflation and the bike will be identical except for the paint color. I would be very surprised if I was wrong, but I was wrong one before

[rowdy]

You think that the blue 2017 model has any minor improvements upon the older models, other than color, that will grant the $200 price increase? 
 
Quite often throttle jerkiness is from a too low gearing, and too high torque (in this case the bike also is very light).
You could reduce it by increasing gearing ratio (changing the front sprocket to one with +1 t, or the rear with -3T or even less tooth, or do both. It makes the bike milder and less jerky.

I doubt there are any other differences, but resale value will get you another $200 easy for years to come when/if you sell it as a 2017 vs. 2016. 
 

[johnakay]

well as you know I dont own one..
what I dont understand is why yamaha never put more thought into accessories .
rack! you have to cut into the body work,
no provisions for a solid grab handle.
lack of fixing points for most accessories.
I would of thought it would've been cheaper to have a metal tank instead of bitsa tank.
having said that I think it's a cracking little bike and more than enough power.
and the price reflect that,value for your money to.
oh and another thing that thing they call a hugger ,you may aswell stick a flannel over it for what good it is.