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2k Miles later, what the FZ07 is not


r1limited

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What can I say what has already been said about the FZ07?
[ul type=disc][*]The front suspenders suck?  Well ya they do and there is not a whole lot to be done to fix them outside of replace or dumping $700 plus into them if oyu are a serious rider.  Granted the novice rider wont mind mind until that discovery your faster than the bike is handling
[*]The Handle Bars SUCK MAJOR DARTH VADER RIGHT TESTICLE tossed them immediately
[*]Rear suspenders, well with a minimal decent front the rear would work with a proper spring for the weight of the rider
[*]Bridgstone tires SUCK MAJOR DARTH VADER LEFT TESTICLE.  Tires and I HATE BRIDGESTONES but even Dunlop Q3s will not help IMO Because of the Shet suspension
[*]Seat is a tad better than a 2x6 with carpet
[*]Overall Geometry of the bike makes for a quirky feel, did I mention the suspension?
[*]Decel Bog from the ECU is freaking freaky.  Learning to shift this thing with a FUBAR ECU is a understatement[/ul]
I want to go on but the most disturbing trend for me is the more I ride the FZ07 in its Pseudo stock form the more I love it, the more fun it becomes, the more I find what I am going to change to make it an ultimate street style TT bike.
 
WAIT WAAUUUUUUTWhat kind of contradiction of terms is this man? you smokin some funny stuff? ya may ask?  Well I am minus a few good brain cells, but what this report is about is what the FZ07 is not
[ol type=decimal][*]It is NOT a Beginners bike, IMO for a new rider this bike has the potential to make a new rider a non rider.  because of the ECU, Suspension, Comfort, Geomitry and the Engine Braking I think new riders are intimidated enough so yes the FZ07 is NOT a entry level NewB bike
[*]It is NOT for the faint of heart nervous I mean novice rider either as stated in item 1 above.
[*]It is NOT a very easy bike to ride even for a experienced rider (See Item 1) although its limits will be noticed immediately, adjusting to such a twitchy bike keeps you on your game.
[*]It is NOT a bike that is a confidence builder (See 1 & 2) because of its suspension and ECU, it sometimes will simply cause you to feel like a dunce even for seasoned riders)
[*]It is NOT a bike for all riders of all sizes shapes and form.  I am 6'1" 190 (No Gear) the ergonomics on the bike is limited somewhat, Bars, Pegs mainly as I would like to have my pegs about 3/4 inch down and may3/4 inch back.  Bars have been replaced
[/ol]
 
Bottom line after 2k miles I still get a smile every-time I kick me leg over it, still get morning wood when I roll the throttle on in 3rd and when short shifting in the corners it is such a fun bike and cannot wait to get the rest of it setup to my specs.  This bike for anyone is not a out of the crate box top cookie cutter bike that fits all, this bike is suited to the person who wants to build something into a bike that is personal.  For me, that is a Street legal TT bike pushing around 75 HP plus and about 15 - 20 lbs lighter.  Its gonna be funder :)
 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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As a newb, it took me a while to gain some confidence on the bike. Definitely has its own unique challenges that you must face. I do love the engine braking though.

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don't need to drop 700 for good front forks, the 300$ traxxion dynamics kit is excellent. All of the twitchyness was gone for me after that upgrade

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I'm new to street bikes and this is my first one. It probably wasn't the best choice for me. But I'm an impulse buyer and I went to every dealer in town and sat and felt every bike. From Honda to Yamaha. It felt right for my small 5'9 150 lb body. The seat did suck after 90 to 120 mins on it. The engine brake does throw me off sometimes. And the throttle is very jerky if your in to low of gear. I have put close to 600 miles on it. And I am starting to notice the issues that are mentioned because I know look and try to feel the issues noted in this forum. The first ride I was so nervous and uneasy I almost sold it right away. But I'm glad I didn't. I have only had it about a month and only ride once a week. The more I ride the more comfortable I get the more I enjoy it. I have never had any suspension built for me but this will more likely get it, as it's like my kids. It does not like change in its routine. I do agree that it's a great bike to customize for the individual. I'm still happy with my impulse buy. And look forward to sneaking out and jumping on it every chance I get.
 
 
 

2015 FZ-07

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disappointingtexan

Newb here too - first proper bike after my Zuma 125. I kinda like the engine breaking too, though I have no basis for comparison at all. Only time I don't like it is when I have a passenger and am trying to go for a super smooth ride. I bought it specifically because I didn't want to have to upgrade, maybe ever, especially since I was finally able to slip this one in with the wife's blessing and such an event may never happen again. I've found it totally controllable with responsible throttle control - it barely needs any roll on at all for in-city riding, but it definitely doesn't freak me out when I wring it in the hill country. As a reference, I have about 1200 miles on it now and am about 5'10" 165 lbs. Totally stock setup with just frame sliders.
 
Anyway, thanks for the long term review @r1limited! I love reading all these perspectives on this bike I'm totally obsessed with. Do you have recommended specific upgrades to fix the problems you list in your review? Would love to add them to my obsessive research list.
 
@c0al67: any info on that kit you're talking about?

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[HASH]disappointingtexan  I have ideas of my own to get the suspension doen.  I wil be looking at this and working on it over the coming winter.  Aftershocks suspension in Palo Alto has done my suspenders since I can remember or I do them myself.  My ultimate goal is to place the motor in a C&J rolling chassis and build a 100% AMA Grand national Ready Street tracker, but that is 10s of thousands of bucks and the wife gets new furniture first :)
 
For now, I am figuring a budget of 1-1500 for a DiY project I can share. For the average person, just getting the suspenders to work is going to be the best mod, I figure this can be done for less than $150, I am working that.  When I say average I look at a typical applicalication for the average rider on the street not a Track Bike enthusiats but something practicle...
 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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disappointingtexan
[HASH]disappointingtexan  I have ideas of my own to get the suspension doen.  I wil be looking at this and working on it over the coming winter.  Aftershocks suspension in Palo Alto has done my suspenders since I can remember or I do them myself.  My ultimate goal is to place the motor in a C&J rolling chassis and build a 100% AMA Grand national Ready Street tracker, but that is 10s of thousands of bucks and the wife gets new furniture first :) 
For now, I am figuring a budget of 1-1500 for a DiY project I can share. For the average person, just getting the suspenders to work is going to be the best mod, I figure this can be done for less than $150, I am working that.  When I say average I look at a typical applicalication for the average rider on the street not a Track Bike enthusiats but something practicle...

That sounds like a great project. I hope you keep a good log (whatever medium) of it! Would be fun to watch.
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don't need to drop 700 for good front forks, the 300$ traxxion dynamics kit is excellent. All of the twitchyness was gone for me after that upgrade
How would you describe this twitchiness? I have been feeling some very subtle movement from the front and it's so subtle I'm not sure if I'm hyper sensitive or just going crazy. To me, it feels a bit like the wheel is tracking back and forth on grooved pavement, but just very slightly. :-S   
Thanks for the review @r1limited. This is my second proper bike. First was a Nighthawk 250, and between the two of them, I agree, I would not have wanted an FZ-07 for my first bike. But that is just my opinion.
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My biggest gripe with the front was that they were just wayyyyyy to soft. They would dive almost to the point of bottoming out during hard braking. I'm 200 lbs with gear on.
 
The second problem was in aggressive cornering, the front felt extremely loose. Any slight deviation in throttle or brake and it felt out of control.
 
I'm a newer track rider, but I have a friend who's very been riding track days for years on sv650s and triumphs. She rode the 07 and said she'd never felt a front end so loose and wobbly on the track.
 
The traxxion kit fixed these issues perfectly. I also did the rear shock later on, but really the biggest improvement was in doing the forks. It feels razor sharp now, even when I'm diving into a corner at speeds to fast for my own good (most of the time lol)

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Do you have recommended specific upgrades to fix the problems you list in your review? 
There's a whole section that has sub-chapters for seat, ECU, and suspension: https://fz07.org/#category-3 
The Traxxion GVE with reworked damper rod has been the "default" answer ever since the GS500e and SV650 showed up nearly 30 years ago. However since 2002 a few folks have been supplying modified sport-bike cartridges for lesser steeds. You'll find 2 such pioneers on this board, in fact. So you can spend $300 on the GVE solution, or an additional crisp Benjamin will score some cartridges. These days commercial cartridge solutions cover the gamut: 500 (Matris), 600 (Andreani, Bitubo), 700 (Ohlins), 800 (K-Tech), $1000 (Traxxion Dynamics).
 
 
bannerfans_1095431.jpg
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just getting the suspenders to work is going to be the best mod, I figure this can be done for less than $150, I am working that.
as @2wheeler has opined elsewhere, a set of springs (70) and much thicker fork oil (40'ish cSt@40) got him to his "good for now" place. Other low budget tricks include conniving to get your hands on discarded SV650 or R3 damper rods. The FZ07 ones are just unbelievably poorly made. There's a thread for that too.
bannerfans_1095431.jpg
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just getting the suspenders to work is going to be the best mod, I figure this can be done for less than $150, I am working that.
as @2wheeler has opined elsewhere, a set of springs (70) and much thicker fork oil (40'ish cSt@40) got him to his "good for now" place. Other low budget tricks include conniving to get your hands on discarded SV650 or R3 damper rods. The FZ07 ones are just unbelievably poorly made. There's a thread for that too.
They can work, seen worse and fixed worse. 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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don't need to drop 700 for good front forks, the 300$ traxxion dynamics kit is excellent. All of the twitchyness was gone for me after that upgrade
How would you describe this twitchiness? I have been feeling some very subtle movement from the front and it's so subtle I'm not sure if I'm hyper sensitive or just going crazy. To me, it feels a bit like the wheel is tracking back and forth on grooved pavement, but just very slightly. :-S   
Thanks for the review @r1limited . This is my second proper bike. First was a Nighthawk 250, and between the two of them, I agree, I would not have wanted an FZ-07 for my first bike. But that is just my opinion.
Twitchy is anything that is causing the chassis to unsettle. Ideally when braking, cornering etc etc the bike should stabilize and ride evenly meaning on hard braking both front and back will work together decompress and compress as evenly as possible. The twitchy comes from many reasons, The main is a tube standard type of front such as the FZ adding the way to soft front and the ill equipped rear makes for a bad combo.  For the FZ this is felt like the bike has bad springs and is bouncing and rocking.  You can feel this going over speed bumps in a parking lot as the front oscillates or better spongy feeling up and down and the rear does the same causing the bike to feel like it is bouncing front and back unevenly.  I am 190 with out gear.  two clicks tighter in the rear stopped the effect on the rear but made for a mad crazy push feeling in the front and with the stinking rottin bridgstones I hate it. Twitchy can also feel like you are turning the bars and the front is not responding almost like you are turning the bars and the front is not following Essentially fork Flex.  You can feel this just by standing still and wiggling the bars back and forth feeling the sluggish response from the front wheel.  You will notice pull left then push right you feel the weight of the wheel almost like it is loose.  IN the old days we used fork braces to stop the flex
 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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[div]It just goes to show that you don't have to have a race replica to get your thrills and kick some ass here and there. Just yesterday some dude in an (what I assume) 111k Jaguar F type coupe thought he was going to make me eat humble pie at a light. I almost feel for him. Imagine spending that kind of money on a fast, exotic car just to see some dude on a 7k bike gaining on you when you're trying to make them eat your dust.
 
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/LQa36pxWHN0]
[/div]

Beemer

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[div]It just goes to show that you don't have to have a race replica to get your thrills and kick some ass here and there. Just yesterday some dude in an (what I assume) 111k Jaguar F type coupe thought he was going to make me eat humble pie at a light. I almost feel for him. Imagine spending that kind of money on a fast, exotic car just to see some dude on a 7k bike gaining on you when you're trying to make them eat your dust. 
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/LQa36pxWHN0]
[/div]
HAHAHAHAHAHA Great I cannot count the times this has occurred on my R1.  I let them go and then freaking let the 170hp loose as I pass them in 1st exceeding the national speed.
 

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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  • 1 month later...

I just got my FZ-07 today and rode it to and from work, I didn't feel intimidated much with the bike even though it is the very first time I ride on the street without a riding school instructor as I just got my temp license. I have to say that I had many off-road bikes and a 49cc scooter which I still ride whenever I can't ride because I have nobody to accompany me, which is most of the time. So although I am no pro by any stretch of the imagination, I do have a natural ability for anything on two wheels that not everybody has and to me, the bike just felt right, I didn't think it was that twitchy, in fact I though it was pretty tame. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the bike is not powerful, it sure is but I thought the acceleration curve was balanced and the bike was responsive but not in a violent way, I feel it has sensible and manageable power output.
 
I am 6 feet tall and 215 pounds and I thought the bike was pretty comfortable when sitting upright, although I have a round and cushy butt so I could probably ride on a plywood board and not find it that uncomfortable. When trying to lean on the bike for a more aggressive position, I really get a feel of how small it is, I could lean just fine on a CB500 in my riding classes but the FZ-07 is not viable for someone my size to lean on IMO, it is awkward and just too short for me to lean on the tank. I don't think I will be riding in this position very much either way but I had to try it and was somewhat disappointed, no biggie but still...
 
Other than that I just love the torque on this baby, I like to ride at low revs and let me tell you that I now understand why I have seen the bike referred to as a "torque monster" a couple of times. So far I love it and I do not regret buying it.

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