New member, "experienced" rider looking lighter

[blackbird]

Hey, all. Joined this forum because I hope to get a better feel for which bike I think I would enjoy more. The FZ-07 or 09. Looking for lightweight bike with good performance (and value). Have a couple hp heavyweights with the Honda Blackbird and HD Street Rod but it was my old 81 Suzuki GS550 that reminded me how much fun a light bike can be.
Looking forward to reading what the fine folks here have to say bout the comparisons between the two as I'm sure it has been up for discussion.
Thanks
 

[Cruizin]

The FZ-07 has alot of power in the low RPMS. It can do wheelies pretty easy, or just put around if you like. The looks are amazing, especially for the price. And then the price. For the money, it's the best bang for the buck that I have ever seen.
 
And like the FZ-09, it has REAL handlebars, like a dirtbike. YOu just "think" about turning and it turns. Seriously, so flickable in the corners.
 
Pleanty of power, especially 0-60. It gets to 60 really fast and really, lets face it, that is where you really get the most bang for the buck on a daily basis.
 
Yamaha struck gold.
 
And consider this. This forum is very young but is already approaching 430 members. The cult following begins right here and is very very strong because this truly is one hell of a bike.

[Cruizin]

FZ-09. well that's the bike I own. 0-100 mph, not alot of bikes can keep up. They pass after that because the FZ-09 is all about 0-9000 RPMS. Tons of power. When I first rode my bike I popped wheelies in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and it tried to lift in fourth. And that was in economy mode!
 
I love it, but some complain about the snappy throttle. I know a guy who can reflash the ECU for $80 on an FZ-09 and fix that, plus erase the 132 MPH speed limiter.
 
The FZ-09 is also very light. Once I replaced the enormous exhaust and changed to a lighter battery, my bike now tips the scales at 392 lbs. I'm running at around 120 HP but better than that is it is a Triple engine so it is just chock full of torque.
 
Test ride both bikes and report back to us. And remember, the FJ-09 comes out in a few weeks. Read about that bike at FJ-09.org
 

[hippiebikerchick]

Welcome blackbird! You probably can't go wrong with either bike. Hubs has an 09 while I have the 07. He loves his but I think he secretly likes mine better!

[mjh937]

I love my FZ-07. I considered the FZ-09, but from all the reviews I read it seemed a bit intimidating for me. I have not riden one, so take that for what it is worth. I have not yet even come close to wishing I had more power or torque. I am interested to hear what you decide.

[mjh937]

Oops, I forgot to say welcome .

[YZEtc]

Howdy, blackbird.
CBR-1100XX, in other words?
 
I test rode both the FZ-07 and FZ-09 at a Yamaha demo ride last month.
I rode the FZ-07 first, and the first time I twisted the throttle open made me think, "Fantastic".
The power and torque at every-day RPM and the acceleration was very good and extremely usable and FUN.
The bike also felt light, slim, maneuverable, and exactly what I want out of a motorcycle.
I liked the 10-mile test ride very much.
 
The FZ-09 I rode second, believe it or not, didn't quite do it for me as well as the FZ-07 did.
It made more power and torque, sure enough, but that simply did not make it more enjoyable for me.
Why?
The FZ-07 felt better as a package to me because of the combination of a great engine and light handling with decent suspension.
The FZ-09 felt a bit heavier and the suspension didn't seem to work as well, and, simply put, just didn't impress me as much as the FZ-07 did.

[Guru]

Welcome @blackbird. Great to have you on board. We like experienced riders because members here love to learn and improve their skills. So please share whatever you would like to share.
I can't tell you much about comparing the 07 with a 09, but I have owned bigger bikes i the past, so what I can say is the FZ-07 is everything I want a bike to be. It is nimble, light and torquey and does everything I want it to do. And it has enough in reserve to not bore me anytime soon. I love the riders postion too, more upright and supermoto like, which I prefer. And although it is in the eyes of the beholder, I think it is gorgeous. I only wish I could park it in the living room.

[mjh937]

My wife will not let me park in the living room either .

[blackbird]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am beginning to get a feel for what the 07 is compared to 09 but will need to test ride for final say. I have to keep reminding myself I really don't need all the power that comes with the 09. Everything I have read indicates it has more than enough torque to keep me smiling. My main reason for wanting this bike was ease of handling and reasonable power without having to muscle it around town. And, as Guru mentioned, it's upright position. Sometimes I wanna go out for a ride just for fun and I think I may have found what I've been looking for.
 
@@yzetc...Yes the CBR1100xx. Modified it for touring. Great bike but sometime a bit much for an errand to the store or whatever.
 
@Cruizin...Sounds like you did all the mods I did on my blackbird. It seemed twitchy too and I put in a power commander, new carbon fiber cans and just this summer a lithium ion battery.
I did check out the FJ 09 but can't justify the cost. The FZ 07 is really reasonably priced. I actually sold another bike to buy one of the FZ models only because I felt I was getting carried away with all the bikes in the garage.
 
Anyways, thanks again for everyone's comments. I'll post here with my review once I've taken a test ride.