FZ-07 complaints that I don't understand...

[trainspottingbaby]

I agree with most of your observations but that's coming from a guy that did most of the mods you mentioned. So why did I do it? I joined this site and listened people, read reviews, looked at their links, pic and video's. I dared to look into the eye of the beast and I became a victim. Got sucked into the void! Give it time, you may get sucked in a little at a time yourself. I think for the most part people just want to change things and make the bike their own. It's a tradition to mod. Who wants a clone bike? Of course it's silly to take off something that's functional and replace it with something non functional (like a rear fender) but if you asked me why I did it I would tell you I like the looks of the tail tidy better and I usually don't ride in the rain. If I did I wouldn't mind getting water on my back because most everything else on the front is soaking wet. Other's have their own reasons, that's mine. 
 
But my [HASH]1 reason for change is:
 
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/IyhJ69mD7xI]

I hear that. And part of this rant is because I've been lurking for quite a while and starting to slide down the slippery slope as well, then catching myself and going "wait a minute -- do I personally REALLY hate this fender and signal lights? Or am I just starting to cave to public opinion?". These are the things you start to evaluate at my age, especially when you realize that the amount of $$$ you could throw at this stuff is infinite, and companies aren't giving away those sweet sweet pensions anymore.

[trainspottingbaby]

Also to keep in mind -- and I'm sure what I'm about to say does not apply to this fine establishment -- but virtually every fan forum I've ever been on, is sponsored in part by some store or business. This is a necessity and not a bad thing.
 
However, every one of these forums has their "Oracle" -- a member in good standing who is respected by everyone for really knowing their sh*t, and who speaks with great authority. They usually seem pretty cool, everyone looks up to them and their impossibly awesomely decked-out [insert object-of-interest here], and also ostensibly copious amounts of spare time to post/tinker/review etc. They also seem quite aligned with public opinion on various topics.
 
What this person usually doesn't tell you, is that they're on the sponsor's payroll. And indeed, it wouldn't be in their best interest to divulge that info, since they can basically tell people what's awesome or sh*t, set trends, and generate lots of business for the sponsor while posing as "one of us". They're the Head & Shoulders to your perceived dandruff problem (remember, nobody thought dandruff was disgusting until Head & Shoulders told us it was). Ok, bad analogy, but you get my point.
 
Again, I'm sure that isn't something that happens here on this forum -- otherwise, you'll see a lot of follow-up comments "protesting too much". :-) Just saying.

[jareds89]

I am basically the person that you described in the original post. It's all personal preference. As someone who comes from riding Ducati's, R6's and R1's, I am forever in love with the "clean" sport bike look. The fender eliminator kit to me is a must. There's just too much going on in the tail. It looks messy and definitely not "clean" in my opinion.
 
The front signals look like giant pumpkins and draw the eye to something I don't want eyes drawn to lol. It doesn't flow with the bike and doesn't look aesthetically pleasing to me.
 
Heel guard and frame pieces should have been black in my opinion... So I painted them. Again, this is personal preference as I think it creates better contrast with the tank. There is less going on in places that I don't want people "looking" is the best way I can describe it. I love the look of the naked style, but why make all of the components silver to draw the eye?
 
Rear brake is way too mushy. Engine braking on this bike is amazing, but for those stupid cagers that don't understand what that is? I don't want to be rear ended. That tail light should illuminate with the slightest touch so that Johnny Cager behind me knows I'm braking, and isn't surprised when he's up my ass because I engine braked without him being notified. I use my rear brake more than anything for that very reason, plus there's less stress on the engine. Brake pads are cheaper than a new engine.
 
Mirrors work great for me, however they're ugly as hell. Again...... Preference. I don't like the bunny ear style look. I prefer the bar end mirrors. They're out of the way, your shoulders don't block the sight lines and it looks much cleaner in my opinion.
 
 
This post wasn't to bash the OP in any way, just providing insight as to why people like me think these things. It just boils down to preference.

[Cruizin]

Also to keep in mind -- and I'm sure what I'm about to say does not apply to this fine establishment -- but virtually every fan forum I've ever been on, is sponsored in part by some store or business. This is a necessity and not a bad thing.  
However, every one of these forums has their "Oracle" -- a member in good standing who is respected by everyone for really knowing their sh*t, and who speaks with great authority. They usually seem pretty cool, everyone looks up to them and their impossibly awesomely decked-out [insert object-of-interest here], and also ostensibly copious amounts of spare time to post/tinker/review etc. They also seem quite aligned with public opinion on various topics.
 
What this person usually doesn't tell you, is that they're on the sponsor's payroll. And indeed, it wouldn't be in their best interest to divulge that info, since they can basically tell people what's awesome or sh*t, set trends, and generate lots of business for the sponsor while posing as "one of us". They're the Head & Shoulders to your perceived dandruff problem (remember, nobody thought dandruff was disgusting until Head & Shoulders told us it was). Ok, bad analogy, but you get my point.
 
Again, I'm sure that isn't something that happens here on this forum -- otherwise, you'll see a lot of follow-up comments "protesting too much". :-) Just saying.

 
Well, keep in mind forums cost money. And when traffic/bandwidth speeds up forums start to cost alot of money to be run safely and correctly. These forum "sponsors" pay for the very forums that we post on. Now, some forums let any company be a sponsor. They'll sign up 6 suspension shops and charge em all a ton of money. On here we only allow vendors that we know and I vet them all personally to ensure that they are giving our members the best in service and price.
 
Without these "sponsors", the forum wouldn't be here at all. And then we would all be trying to ask for "tech tips" on facebook groups in between the "how do I wheelie" and "whats a chicken strip?" posts in the long and unorganized thread that is facebook groups.
 
Websites cost money, they dont just magically appear. And the great thing about forums is that if somepne posts trying to sponsor a product that isn't good, that post will wither away to page 300 in no time.
 

[trainspottingbaby]

Also to keep in mind -- and I'm sure what I'm about to say does not apply to this fine establishment -- but virtually every fan forum I've ever been on, is sponsored in part by some store or business. This is a necessity and not a bad thing.  
However, every one of these forums has their "Oracle" -- a member in good standing who is respected by everyone for really knowing their sh*t, and who speaks with great authority. They usually seem pretty cool, everyone looks up to them and their impossibly awesomely decked-out [insert object-of-interest here], and also ostensibly copious amounts of spare time to post/tinker/review etc. They also seem quite aligned with public opinion on various topics.
 
What this person usually doesn't tell you, is that they're on the sponsor's payroll. And indeed, it wouldn't be in their best interest to divulge that info, since they can basically tell people what's awesome or sh*t, set trends, and generate lots of business for the sponsor while posing as "one of us". They're the Head & Shoulders to your perceived dandruff problem (remember, nobody thought dandruff was disgusting until Head & Shoulders told us it was). Ok, bad analogy, but you get my point.
 
Again, I'm sure that isn't something that happens here on this forum -- otherwise, you'll see a lot of follow-up comments "protesting too much". :-) Just saying.

Well, keep in mind forums cost money. And when traffic/bandwidth speeds up forums start to cost alot of money to be run safely and correctly. These forum "sponsors" pay for the very forums that we post on. Now, some forums let any company be a sponsor. They'll sign up 6 suspension shops and charge em all a ton of money. On here we only allow vendors that we know and I vet them all personally to ensure that they are giving our members the best in service and price.  
Without these "sponsors", the forum wouldn't be here at all. And then we would all be trying to ask for "tech tips" on facebook groups in between the "how do I wheelie" and "whats a chicken strip?" posts in the long and unorganized thread that is facebook groups.
 
Websites cost money, they dont just magically appear. And the great thing about forums is that if somepne posts trying to sponsor a product that isn't good, that post will wither away to page 300 in no time.

I had a feeling someone was going to post this, and I really hope you don't think I'm bashing having sponsors. As I mentioned, it *is* a necessity, and I'm glad for it if it keeps the site alive. And BTW I love this site's sponsor.  
I'm more thinking of other sites I've been on where there was always some forum guru with a vast wealth of knowledge, who had the power to swing public perception all over the place and would convince people to buy this or that, with everybody thinking he was just "a guy", when in fact he was a sneaky salesman.
 
Public perception on the internet is a strange thing; I've seen so many instances where everyone was complaining about some insignificant detail or perceived problem, that can be traced back to *one initial post* from someone everybody respects.
 
*Edit* And it's not even really these incognito reps I have a problem with per se. This is more about "do I really think xyz is ugly enough to spend money on, or am I being lured by public opinion". Thankfully  so far it seems that for most people in this forum, it's the former.  I am learning a lot.
 

[trainspottingbaby]

This post wasn't to bash the OP in any way, just providing insight as to why people like me think these things. It just boils down to preference.

Fair, and no offence taken. The reason for my post was not just to rant, but also to get great insight which you've provided.  

[gregjet]

Interesting that the majority of "complaints" you initially mentioned are cosmetic. That is because most people only have the needed knowledge to change non mechanical components AND to those born after 1990 appearence is everything ( and I do mean everything). Function only matters after something looks good. We are in the era of "personalization so long as it looks like the current fashion". The overall looks of this bike , as far as I am concerned, are aweful manga, samurai, non aerodynamic, pointy bits unpleasant. Luckily I don't give a stuff about how a bit looks but what it is like to ride.
Haven't found a bike yet in my forty-something years of riding that had genuinely useable mirrors. The 07 has reasonable ones. Sally's KTM Duke actually had completely unusable mirrors. That is, you could not discern a thing in them because of the vibration. Bar-end mirrors bypassed enough of the problems ( shoulders and vibration). Interestingly a rear view camera as a mirror substitute is actually illegal in a host of jurisdictions, despite the fact that they don't suffer from the vibration problems. Make of that what you will, the thinking of the authorities.
The suspension sucks. Genuinely. To the point that hitting potholes and bumps at legal speeds is dangerous ( ones that shouldn't be that is).
The snail akra with the cylinder cat IN is not nastily loud and tests with more power than with it out, and is legal. Same with the GPR, though it really does have an ugly can ( and that's from a guy that values function over form).
People like to engage with their motorcycles on a concrete scale. They engage with the personal tools they have. All good.

[guylee]

Exhaust, mirrors, and tail tidy for me. I already replaced the front signals with low profile ones. The bike looks much better, but I might as well have just replaced them with reflective tape with how dim they are. I'll probably end up replacing them here soon....they've killed a lot of visibility up front, and I'm not ok with that.

[robbo10]

I have always enjoyed balancing the desire for a mix of form and function in my motors. I'll never want what I think is an ugly bike whatever it can achieve (VMAX?), nor am I prepared to consider anything boring/mediocre. For me, the MT-07 is just what I want, if imperfect: in profile it looks to want to get going, hunched up, ready to pounce. The saddle looks just right; other nice details such as the front fender, necessary radiator trims, the can (I like), swing arm. It's not a beauty like some Adrian Morton MV Agusta, but it looks good to me; purposeful. Then engineering-wise: well, the engine of course - bliss. For the engine and the look I'll put up with dodgy suspension (I'd like the Ohlins accessory shock), wing mirrors (I've extended them), and the seat may look good but it is too thinly padded (so I have added more), ugly radiator because there is no fan (I've covered it). Finally, they pared the weight right down for me, and the EU quietened it (I like), and Yamaha sat me upright. In an age of compromise, the designers were certainly working for me with this bike, and I have finished it for them.

[tarmac]

I dunno about the common complaints, but the main seat removal process is the worst I've ever seen. An allen wrench to access the battery? GTFO
 
To add insult to injury, the cable helmet lock is hilariously bad.
 
Other than that, I agree with OP, I have little problem with much else.

[faffi]

I dunno about the common complaints, but the main seat removal process is the worst I've ever seen. 

Try a 1950s Royal Enfield Meteor before you complain   The thing makes me absolutely livid