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Gnomad posted:I've been trying to figure out a good winter project and think this may be the lucky winner. Oh man it'd be awesome to see a build like that.
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Oct 12, 2009 00:28
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Any of you guys have any experience with the first gen Yamaha FZ1? While my Duke was awesome for city riding, I now live in the middle of nowhere in the Florida Panhandle, land of very few curves and lots of highway riding. After 20 minutes at 70 mph, the Duke vibrates so much that my hands, feet, and rear end all go numb. It's like torture, and totally sucks all the enjoyment out of riding. So I started checking Craigslist for bikes in the $2500-$4000 price range, and was surprised to find a couple low mile 2001-2002 FZ1's around $3K. I remember how much all of the mags raved about these things when they came out, and they seem purpose-built for the sporty-touring slant I'd like to use my next bike for. To be perfectly honest, I don't really feel like I need this much motor. I've never really ached for mor power out of the Duke. But as long as power delivery is fairly sane, I think I'd be fine. I lust after new Ducatis, but need to come to the realization that owning something like that won't happen anytime soon. So, how is that era FZ1? Anything else comparable at the same pricepoint?
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Oct 12, 2009 02:17
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OK, now I'm ready for winter.  This should keep me busy this winter, between this one and the daughters Dauphine I should be able to keep cabin fever at bay. Over the years, I owned many different bikes, but this one is actually my first Kawasaki. May as well jump in head first then, right? It turns over but won't fire, so there is likely to be teeth and hair growing in the carbs. No biggie, I'm going to strip it to the bare frame, clean up the rust and filth, and try to decide what exactly to do with it. It's fairly complete and looks to be mostly original, but not so pristine that going freestyle on it means the world has lost a precious irreplacable ZR1.
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Oct 12, 2009 06:23
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Hot Buttered posted:Any of you guys have any experience with the first gen Yamaha FZ1? While my Duke was awesome for city riding, I now live in the middle of nowhere in the Florida Panhandle, land of very few curves and lots of highway riding. After 20 minutes at 70 mph, the Duke vibrates so much that my hands, feet, and rear end all go numb. It's like torture, and totally sucks all the enjoyment out of riding. I have one, a 01, and like it well enough for being a UJM type bike. You are right to be wary of the motor. Being a 1000cc motor, it has plenty of torque lower in the RPM range, and is docile and smooth up until 6 or 7K, and which point it unleashes a huge can of whoopass and you best be focused when you unleash the beast. My first attempt to see how fast the bike would go in first ended in a power wheelie at 60 mph on the Seward Highway, in a double fine zone, fortunately, noone official witnessed this act of unintentional squidlery. As long as you are able to maintain throttle discipline, it's not the end of the world, but the FZ1 is a bike that you don't want to have catch you off guard. Handling is fine, the bike tracks well, and it's a comfortable bike, the ergos are good for all day rides. I'm considering adding a slightly taller set of bars, other than that, the stock seat isn't the best-I have a Corbin on mine, a much better seat. Similar Bikes would be something like a Kawasaki ZRX. Big motor with big power, sit up ergos and classic UJM style. Suzuki Bandit 12, another bike in that same mold. It is a lot of very good bike for your target price range, and if I had to downsize to just one bike I think the Fizzy might be the winner.
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Oct 12, 2009 06:40
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Gnomad posted:Over the years, I owned many different bikes, but this one is actually my first Kawasaki. May as well jump in head first then, right? Here is your new favorite online store: http://www.z1enterprises.com
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Oct 12, 2009 06:47
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Should I buy this? I am a new rider and former auto mechanic, and would not be getting on it until I had proper gear and a MSF class under my belt. It's right down the street from me. Alternate post title: Tell me about shaft drives. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1416931741.html (1982 Suzuki GS850, just had a tuneup, new battery and plugs, won't go into gear now, $200)
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Oct 12, 2009 15:29
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it has nothing to do with the shaft drive. If it can't be shifted into gear, the shift dogs are gone, or there's something wrong elsewhere in the transmission. Basicly, the bike is up the creek. If you want to have fun... you're looking at $3-500 in parts, plus 20-40 hours of work to fix that. Even if the bike were free, it would be a questionable deal.
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Oct 12, 2009 15:32
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I'd stay away from it, personally
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Oct 12, 2009 17:14
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Gnomad posted:I have one, a 01, and like it well enough for being a UJM type bike. Classic UJM style is something that I can go either way on. I'm drawn to naked bikes, but am tired of the wind blast I get on the Duke, so I figured something with a half fairing might be better. Regardless, the FZ1 seems like more bike than I might need. Unexpected power wheelies at 60 mph are more than I can handle at this point. I started riding about 10 years ago, but took the last three off. A fairly balls-out liter bike is probably not the best way to get back into it. Thanks for the input. Can't beat first hand info. I would probably be looking at a more adventure type bike, but I've decided that I don't want my next bike to be a thumper, and all the twin offerings that I've found are out of my price range. Time to do some more research.
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Oct 12, 2009 18:14
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Gnomad posted:Great BMW info. Thanks for the advice, I'll keep all that in mind when looking. I've seen up close (but not sat on yet) an 1150GS and it really is a massive bike. But, I look like Andre the Giant on my 250, so the largeness of the GS is only when compared to my 250, not me. Probably won't be an issue if I do get one, but I'm still weighing the cost. I missed out on the K (guy sold it to whomever looked at it an hour before I was supposed to), but I've found another possible bike. I'm waiting to hear back from the guy on whether I can get to see and ride it in person before the auction ends. What would be a good price to pay for this 01 F650GS? Any things I should look out for? Also, if I can't ride it before the auction is over, would sitting on an 09 model be comparable for fit testing? There is a BMW shop a block from my office that has an 09 on the floor. Would this be a good starting point to ride for a bit and decide if I want to continue onto an 1150 or 1200 rather than just getting one of the bigger bikes? For reference I'm 6'5" and 300 lbs. (only 31" inseam though) and I want to do some serious touring across the US next year (IL to NM and AZ, for example). Pvt. Public fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Oct 12, 2009 |
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Oct 12, 2009 19:42
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Pvt. Public posted:...would sitting on an 09 model be comparable for fit testing? The 'old' F650GS is a thumper, and it was so popular that BMW brought it back alongside the 'new' F650GS, which is a twin. You'll want to sit on the new G650GS, which is the old F650GS in disguise.
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Oct 12, 2009 21:43
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Nerobro posted:it has nothing to do with the shaft drive. If it can't be shifted into gear, the shift dogs are gone, or there's something wrong elsewhere in the transmission.
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Oct 12, 2009 22:07
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It would be a $5-700 bike if it were ridable now. It's not, and therefore it's not. Your time is ~not~ free. Even if you can afford your time more easily than someone else's, it's still not free. I have a bike in my garage I'd happily sell you for $300, and it's a better bet than that bike.
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Oct 12, 2009 22:28
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Jabs posted:They share the name, but they're different bikes, actually. Ah, ok. When did the switch take place?
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Oct 12, 2009 22:30
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Pvt. Public posted:Thanks for the advice, I'll keep all that in mind when looking. I've seen up close (but not sat on yet) an 1150GS and it really is a massive bike. But, I look like Andre the Giant on my 250, so the largeness of the GS is only when compared to my 250, not me. Probably won't be an issue if I do get one, but I'm still weighing the cost. I would try and get that F650 for about 3500-4K. It looks clean and the guys says he has all the records. The bike itself is worth about 3500 and the bags are worth a good 700 bucks provided all the rubber bumpers are in good shape. The bike is fun to ride and makes good power for highway touring but it's annoying passing vehicles on the interstate out west (75+mph) it'll do it just not as quickly as I'd prefer. I weigh ~1/2 of what you weigh but I've had enough weight on the bike to equal your weight riding solo and the bike still moved along just fine. The F650 will be just fine for your inseam. I've put about 26K on mine (at 58K now). While I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 1150 or 1200 with that milage there are somethings which may need to be done on a F650 with that many miles. If its seen the dirt much the steering bearings are likely in need of replacement if they haven't been already, if it goes through stream crossings much the swingarm needle bearings are likely in need of replacement. Depending on how it's been ridden the clutch may need replacement in 5-10K. None of these are extremely costly but all together they might run you close to $1200. My transmission started to pack up at 52K and I ended up needing to replace the engine but I'm confident that was due to the heavy abuse I gave the bike rather than a flaw in the design. edit: looking at the picture of the rear I expect the tip over tweaked the luggage rack. It's repairable but from previous experience with those bags once you tweak the rack a bit getting the bags on and off is a bit of a hassle. PlasticSun fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Oct 12, 2009 |
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Oct 12, 2009 22:33
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Pvt. Public posted:Ah, ok. When did the switch take place? 2009
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Oct 12, 2009 22:33
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Nerobro posted:It would be a $5-700 bike if it were ridable now. It's not, and therefore it's not. Your time is ~not~ free. Even if you can afford your time more easily than someone else's, it's still not free. Tell me more about this $300 bike you have and how it's spitting distance from Seattle... 
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Oct 12, 2009 22:46
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Thanks for the info PlasticSun. I noticed the luggage rack too and plan on testing removing and putting on the bags if I manage to see it in person.
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Oct 12, 2009 22:51
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Pvt. Public posted:Ah, ok. When did the switch take place? 2006: The G650 Thumper adds three new configurations: Xcountry (Scrambler), the Xchallenge (Enduro), and the Xmoto (supermoto). 2007: the last year of the F650GS Thumper. 2008: the first year of the F650GS as a twin. 2009: the F650GS and F650 Xcountry single cylinder bikes were reintroduced as the G650GS and G650 Xcountry, with the same Rotax engine as the original, now made in a factory in China. Word has it it's the same tooling and supervisory personnel, moved from the original factory to s(h)ave labor cost. The single and the twin are both on my "I have this bike, but I *want* THIS bike" list.
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Oct 13, 2009 00:58
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Hot Buttered posted:Any of you guys have any experience with the first gen Yamaha FZ1? While my Duke was awesome for city riding, I now live in the middle of nowhere in the Florida Panhandle, land of very few curves and lots of highway riding. After 20 minutes at 70 mph, the Duke vibrates so much that my hands, feet, and rear end all go numb. It's like torture, and totally sucks all the enjoyment out of riding. Hey you. Yeah, you. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3119867&pagenumber=2#post366971657
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Oct 13, 2009 01:52
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MrKatharsis posted:Hey you. Yeah, you. drat. Too bad that's on the total other side of the country. Always liked the styling on those bikes. Need to sell the Duke first anyway. Unless she considers it to be a supermoto, then......drat. Why's it gotta be on the west coast?
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Oct 13, 2009 02:34
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Pvt. Public posted:T Would this be a good starting point to ride for a bit and decide if I want to continue onto an 1150 or 1200 rather than just getting one of the bigger bikes? For reference I'm 6'5" and 300 lbs. (only 31" inseam though) and I want to do some serious touring across the US next year (IL to NM and AZ, for example). Given your build, you won't like the F650, it will be too small for you if you plan on doing any road work. At 5'11" my Aprilia Pegaso (almost a twin to the F650, same motor, etc) was borderline, which is one of the reasons I upgraded to the 1150. For a big guy, the 1150 is a great bike, lots of room to stretch out, you'd like the ergos. So aaid the riding buddy who is over 6' and fairly large. Even a K75 is going to be smallish for you. I sold mine to a guy who was 6'6" or so and while he loved the ride, he couldn't ever get comfortable on it. He bought, wait for it.....a 1150 GS. So yes, I think we can accept the R1150GS as a big guy bike. Another bike to consider if you can find one would be a Aprilia Caponord. Lighter and more powerful than a 1150 GS, chain drive, and without the roundel tax. Or you could step up to a KTM 950 Adventure-it's a fairly wild ride and the maintenence is a pain but it's a cracking bike.
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Oct 13, 2009 02:41
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Gnomad posted:Another bike to consider if you can find one would be a Aprilia Caponord. Lighter and more powerful than a 1150 GS, chain drive, and without the roundel tax. Or you could step up to a KTM 950 Adventure-it's a fairly wild ride and the maintenence is a pain but it's a cracking bike. The 955 Triumph Tiger is also a great big guy bike with fantastic road manners that's crazy cheap. If you can get over the looks it's a really nice buy.
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Oct 13, 2009 03:36
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Hot Buttered posted:drat. Too bad that's on the total other side of the country. Always liked the styling on those bikes. Need to sell the Duke first anyway. Unless she considers it to be a supermoto, then......drat. Why's it gotta be on the west coast? You said you live in the panhandle? I live in Gainesville, FL.
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Oct 13, 2009 14:55
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Gnomad posted:Given your build, you won't like the F650, it will be too small for you if you plan on doing any road work. Even with my midget legs? Either way, I'm going to stop by the BMW shop down the road and sit on everything they've got.
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Oct 13, 2009 21:21
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Pvt. Public posted:Even with my midget legs? Either way, I'm going to stop by the BMW shop down the road and sit on everything they've got. A regular 1150GS or lowered 1200 GS would likely fit you really well. I think the lowered 1200 GS is a fantastic fit. The F650 GS (twin) is also a good fit but I don't think any of them are suit for much more than a graded gravel road.
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Oct 13, 2009 21:51
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So now that I finished the MSF BRC, and got a chance to ride a little yamaha XT250, I'm curious what the chances of a 5'10" guy with a 30" inseam finding a good dual sport as a beginner are. I'd really like to be able to flat foot or at least have the balls of my feet down, and I would like some highway capability(30ish horsepower minimum?). I'm still looking at UJMs from the 80's mainly, but that XT gave me an itch that I suspect will bother me a lot as time goes on. My budget is still around 1300 dollars, and it looks like an old UJM would be easier in that area, but if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them(keeping in mind I am a newb, and a short one at that).
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Oct 13, 2009 23:39
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Pvt. Public posted:Even with my midget legs? Either way, I'm going to stop by the BMW shop down the road and sit on everything they've got. I have a 30 or 31" inseam and I can flatfoot a GS. The seats have a high and low position, you could try both settings.
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Oct 14, 2009 02:28
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PestiferousTrollop posted:So now that I finished the MSF BRC, and got a chance to ride a little yamaha XT250, I'm curious what the chances of a 5'10" guy with a 30" inseam finding a good dual sport as a beginner are. I'd really like to be able to flat foot or at least have the balls of my feet down, and I would like some highway capability(30ish horsepower minimum?). I'm still looking at UJMs from the 80's mainly, but that XT gave me an itch that I suspect will bother me a lot as time goes on. I doubt you'll find an XT in that range buy I have a similar inseam and can flat foot most motards I've sat on. Bear in mind that I'm like... 230 pounds so there's a bit of suspension compression.
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Oct 15, 2009 00:16
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Now that I have had my first wreck promptly ending the life of my 2000 CBR600, I have started looking around for a replacement. The CBR was my first bike, I rode it for about 4 years totaling a bit over 15k miles. At first I was thinking about replacing it with a 2007 or newer 600rr or ZX6r. I wanted to stay with a 600 since I'm much more familiar with that size versus a liter bike and it seemed like I could find those models in extremely good condition with low mileage for around $6-7,000. A problem arose when I found that a not too far away Honda dealership is selling new 2008 1000rr for $6983. I haven't read a motorcycle review in loving ages. What is the general consensus on 2008 1000rr? Is that a good deal?
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Oct 20, 2009 21:37
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I believe the produced too many of the CBR1k's and that's why they are dumping them SUUUPER cheap. Great bikes. Honda reliability.
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Oct 20, 2009 22:08
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In terms of finances, it's pretty much one of the best deals you'll find for a new 1000rr anywhere. Southern Powersports has some of the best pricing in the country on Honda's, because they deal in such huge volumes. I'm just assuming you're talking about Southern. I don't have any firsthand experience with the bike itself so I can't comment there, but as far as I know they're fantastic bikes.
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Oct 20, 2009 22:09
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-Inu- posted:In terms of finances, it's pretty much one of the best deals you'll find for a new 1000rr anywhere. Southern Powersports has some of the best pricing in the country on Honda's, because they deal in such huge volumes. I'm just assuming you're talking about Southern. I don't have any firsthand experience with the bike itself so I can't comment there, but as far as I know they're fantastic bikes. Haha yea, I'm talking about Southern Honda. Its about a 5hr drive from where I live in SC but I figure if I'm saving money and getting what I want, why the hell not.
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Oct 20, 2009 23:46
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iroc_dis posted:Now that I have had my first wreck promptly ending the life of my 2000 CBR600, I have started looking around for a replacement. The CBR was my first bike, I rode it for about 4 years totaling a bit over 15k miles. At first I was thinking about replacing it with a 2007 or newer 600rr or ZX6r. I wanted to stay with a 600 since I'm much more familiar with that size versus a liter bike and it seemed like I could find those models in extremely good condition with low mileage for around $6-7,000. Make sure that that's not the deal with the discount in "Honda Bucks" or whatever it is that must be used the day of purchase for gear. Otherwise, the 2008 1000RR is an astoundingly good motorcycle. Terrifyingly good. One of the most absurd literbikes available, period. Be prepared to hit 130 like your 600 hit 90.
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Oct 21, 2009 00:03
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Z3n posted:Make sure that that's not the deal with the discount in "Honda Bucks" or whatever it is that must be used the day of purchase for gear. Doesn't say anything about Honda Bucks. Their site does mention the price includes a "lifetime engine warranty"
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Oct 21, 2009 01:42
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They're no strings, but keep in mind that they have a dealer fee of $100, and some weird 3% Tennessee business tax on top of everything else.
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Oct 21, 2009 01:50
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-Inu- posted:They're no strings, but keep in mind that they have a dealer fee of $100, and some weird 3% Tennessee business tax on top of everything else. The guy that told me about them mentioned something about a delivery deal they have? If you ask them to deliver across the state line into GA, they will waive the TN sales tax. The delivery fee is cheap it sounded like, and they'll deliver to whatever to the first open parking lot across the GA line
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Oct 21, 2009 02:40
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iroc_dis posted:The guy that told me about them mentioned something about a delivery deal they have? If you ask them to deliver across the state line into GA, they will waive the TN sales tax. The delivery fee is cheap it sounded like, and they'll deliver to whatever to the first open parking lot across the GA line
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Oct 21, 2009 03:27
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-Inu- posted:I'm not sure about their delivery options. Do you live in Georgia? I don't know how it works in other states, but I know in GA they'll make you pay sales tax on the bike as soon as you go to register it. If you live somewhere other than GA and are doing some kind of funky deal where they deliver it to GA and you register it in another state to circumvent the tax, I dunno how that would work. Nah I live in SC. The friend that suggested it said that the dealership would deliver the bike to a parking lot just on the GA side to get around the TN sales tax. I'd end up either registering it in SC under my name or in VA under my dad's name.
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Oct 21, 2009 04:01
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iroc_dis posted:Their site does mention the price includes a "lifetime engine warranty" Of course it does. He'll be going through a few engines with an 08.
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Oct 21, 2009 14:43
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