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The MT-07 Forum

New to riding


mtalbo

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Just completed the Motorcycle training course and got my M1. I have only ridden duel sports on the street and I am a beginner. 50 Yrs old and in good shape. Want more performance and comfort than a duel sport. Don't want a big Harley. I want a forgiving bike and don't want to upgrade later.   My local shop recommended the FZ-07. sound about right?  Buy new or used?

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used. probably should move this to 'new rider' section. Have you read thru those threads?

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5-10 180 Lbs. Not planning on being a daily rider but that could change if I really enjoy it. Safety is my top priority so if I get a FZ07 already thinking of getting a louder exhaust.

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You wouldn't go wrong with the FZ 07. I have 3 friends who started on a FZ 07. As long as you have proper throttle control you should be fine on it. However if you get a chance to actually ride it then it would be helpful in your decision making. And also look at other bikes like the sv650, z650 etc.

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I took an MSF class 4 years ago and just this year picked up an FZ-07. This is the first bike that I've owned/ridden on the street and I have no regrets. Good luck with your decision.

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Not planning on being a daily rider ...   Safety is my top priority so if I get a FZ07 already thinking of getting a louder exhaust.
*sigh* 
As a newby you absolutely should plan on being a 4+ days of the week rider for a few months to develop a skills baseline. Louder exhausts do *NOTHING* to improve your "visibility" to others in traffic. Your horn (there's a couple threads on that), color of your ATGATT gear, and your awareness of and honed predictive analysis to recognize a developing situation and taking pre-emptive action is what matters.
 
If there is one simple thing that'll save your hide it's proper lane positioning.
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[div]Good, used is a fine way to save money and possibly get a bike with some warranty still on it and besides, if anything is going to go wrong with the bike the pros say it's most likely going to happen within the first year so worries of it being turd are less likely after the warranty has expired.
 
 
Aaah, yes, the ongoing "loud pipes save lives" debate rears it's ugly head once again. This is my opinion on it. If it's true that many drivers of vehicles didn't hear a bike next to them, switched lanes and caused a fatal accident by bumping into them then the opposite has to be true that there have also been many people in vehicles that did hear a bike passing them (because of it's loud exhaust) and chose to stay in their lane and effectively, not cream the biker next to them. For that not to be true is an impossibility according to the law of averages. So, IMO, loud pipes do save lives and even if they don't save many we have to remember that little, inescapable saying everyone is so fond of saying. "If it saves just one life." 
 
That's not to say a loud pipe will get you noticed every time. You do need to take other measures like passing vehicles quickly and keep an eye on them when you do pass, don't ride beside them if you can help it, stay as far away from them as you can when you pass to give yourself more space for more reaction time if they do decide to come over into your lane. 
 
 
 
[/div]

Beemer

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I had a bike creep up on me today when out riding. I pleased to hear him before I could see him. He sped passed me while I was considering going around speed bumps.

Just do it! 

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Just completed the Motorcycle training course and got my M1. I have only ridden duel sports on the street and I am a beginner. 50 Yrs old and in good shape. Want more performance and comfort than a duel sport. Don't want a big Harley. I want a forgiving bike and don't want to upgrade later.   My local shop recommended the FZ-07. sound about right?  Buy new or used?
Ok, can answer a few questions since I was in the same situation not long ago. 
Got my license last year, decided to go for a brand new FZ07 as there was not that much difference used vs new (+ I got 5 year warranty).
Out of the 6 bikes that I tried up to now (but not extensively), it is by far the "most fun" and comfortable (meaning also zero back ache) bike to ride, but like jbone said, your build could make quite a difference, but at 5'10'' and 180lbs, you are more than fine for this bike (I'm 6'1'' 175lbs, but with +-35'' inseam, and I wouldn't recommend this bike to someone with a taller inseam, they could feel a bit cramped up leg-wise.  I would also say the FZ07 is the most forgiving out of those I tried (2 customs and 4 "naked" bike), as long as you are not to hard on the throttle (because you can if not careful lift the front wheel in 1st, 2nd, and some in 3rd gear).
 
Stock exhaust sounded like a scooter that mated with a weed-eater! lol  So yeah, did went for an exhaust change, went with an M4.  And as for the debate concerning the "sound visibility", I'm sure an M4 did save at least one life just by being heard, that thing is l-o-u-d!!
 
And like timjh said, 2WDW flash does make a difference (but personnally I wouldn't say a "world" of a difference), and it does especially concerning the engine breaking and throttle response becomes much more linear, you dont have those "flat" rpm range anymore.
 
If you wanna go 100+mph on highways, don't buy an FZ07, it's not meant for that.
If you cruise around within speed limits, that bike as plenty of power and torque, is very light (+-400lbs wet) and very agile.
 
But bottom line, do I regret buying my FZ07 as my first bike ? Absolutely not.
Do I intend to sell my bike anytime soon ?  Absolutely not.
Is it a fun bike to ride either in the cities or in the twisties?  Hell yeah... ;)
Oh, and personally, I think a nice deep sounding exhaust on this bike adds a LOT to the fun of riding it... That parallel twin sound... 8-)
 
Hope it helps you out!
 
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