Well, I think the bike is more important than the review and I like the bike! Second only to the FJR 1300. Can anyone answer a question for me? I see that they say there is a lower cowling available. So would that give you essentially a full fairing?
First Ride: Yamaha FZ-1
Yaaah! The obligatory first post!
81 - 98 of 98 Posts
That would be a review: the FZ-1, the Bandit 1200, the FZR 1200 and the 4 valve Duc. So where is Honda? Sittin' on their thumbs telling us what we want instead of listening to what we want.
Cut Minime some slack? I do empathize with his limited time on the machine but it was obviously sufficient time to generate his opinions on several important points:
"Sure this bike has power, but it just felt too sketchy." What does that mean?
"It's still not a very slick-shifting tranny" (compared to what?)
"The vibes are noticeably less than what the R1 tends to dish out and make for a much more enjoyable and buzz-free ride."
(the R1 is notorious for very high vibration levels. Anything "noticeably" less may still be too much for some. I can appreciate that if the words chosen were "the R1 vibe levels are absent on the FZ1 making for a buzz-free ride..." then it would mean something. But how can "noticably less than the R1 co-exist with "buzz-free" in the same sentence, considering the vibe levels on the R1)?
Bladehandler, I asked for clarification several posts up on precisely these issues. Simply that Minime expand on what he's already said in a non-cryptic fashion. Unfortunately to this day my request has not been responded to other than "hey guys, this is not a full test." This response does not excuse journalism that on the one hand DOES offer opinion based on observation, only no one can really tell what the opinion really means. At least this non-professor can't.
Minime could have been far more informative, with fewer words, and with no more time spent on the FZ-1. And I agree with you, that all we expected is for this article to have imparted quality information, as with other excellent MO articles.
"Sure this bike has power, but it just felt too sketchy." What does that mean?
"It's still not a very slick-shifting tranny" (compared to what?)
"The vibes are noticeably less than what the R1 tends to dish out and make for a much more enjoyable and buzz-free ride."
(the R1 is notorious for very high vibration levels. Anything "noticeably" less may still be too much for some. I can appreciate that if the words chosen were "the R1 vibe levels are absent on the FZ1 making for a buzz-free ride..." then it would mean something. But how can "noticably less than the R1 co-exist with "buzz-free" in the same sentence, considering the vibe levels on the R1)?
Bladehandler, I asked for clarification several posts up on precisely these issues. Simply that Minime expand on what he's already said in a non-cryptic fashion. Unfortunately to this day my request has not been responded to other than "hey guys, this is not a full test." This response does not excuse journalism that on the one hand DOES offer opinion based on observation, only no one can really tell what the opinion really means. At least this non-professor can't.
Minime could have been far more informative, with fewer words, and with no more time spent on the FZ-1. And I agree with you, that all we expected is for this article to have imparted quality information, as with other excellent MO articles.
baker:
As a courtesy to your reply, I re-read your original post. I didn't want to be unduly harsh. After reconsidering my critisism, I believe my words were short, to the point, and accurate. Indeed no further comments were needed the first time around.
As a courtesy to your reply, I re-read your original post. I didn't want to be unduly harsh. After reconsidering my critisism, I believe my words were short, to the point, and accurate. Indeed no further comments were needed the first time around.
Thanks, you've just reiterated my previous appraisal of you...
Re: Review falls short/Don
Excellent response. It is nice to read a genuine opinion that is well thought out prior to posting.
Excellent response. It is nice to read a genuine opinion that is well thought out prior to posting.
Actually, it IS more important to be able to do wheelies and off-the-bike burnouts than to understand how the machine works... hehehe
Saw The Bike, Very Dissapointing
I was planning to trade in my VFR800 for an FZ1 but when I saw it today at the Montreal Motorcycle Show I was very disapointed. It appears to have poor build quality and has many ugly design details. It really looks like a parts-bin bike. From the seat the "" looks really crummy with seemingly jagged chunks of plastic sticking here and there.
My advice is to wait till it appears in showrooms so you can see it for yourself before you make any decisions.
I was planning to trade in my VFR800 for an FZ1 but when I saw it today at the Montreal Motorcycle Show I was very disapointed. It appears to have poor build quality and has many ugly design details. It really looks like a parts-bin bike. From the seat the "" looks really crummy with seemingly jagged chunks of plastic sticking here and there.
My advice is to wait till it appears in showrooms so you can see it for yourself before you make any decisions.
Smart move, Hubec. Now take that $4 grand you saved by not trading in your VFR for the Yami, buy yourself a full-system exhaust pipe to liven up your ride with an extra 11 or so ponies and treat that someone special in your life to a nice dinner. You've earned it!
Thanks,
I wanted a few more sites booked mark with motorcycle news.
Tony
I wanted a few more sites booked mark with motorcycle news.
Tony
I truly enjoyed the FZ-1 Bike review posted on www.motorcyclenews.com. At least they provided some info on vibration levels and wind protection. All the test riders really enjoyed the bike. That's more than I can say about the sad excuse of a bike review motorcycle.com provided.
Take a look at the lower cowling on the Yamaha-Motor web site. It's not a complete functional lower cowling. It simply appears to be a decorative piece similar to one on the Buell X-1.
For those of you also interested in Yamaha's "not coming to the U.S. this year" FJR1300, there is an online petition at:
http://www.geocities.com/revin_rev/
http://www.geocities.com/revin_rev/
I agree that this article largly missed the mark for many readers. MO needs to draw considerably more relationships between this bike and it's competition, the ZRX 1100/1200 and the Bandit 1200. I just didn't get a substantial feel for the performance levels of this machine from the rider feedback. I'm sure the testers have spent a good deal of time on the other bikes.
--More comparitative sensual data, please.
--More comparitative sensual data, please.
Re: Review falls short/Don
Well said, even tempered and thoughtfully critical!
With all due respect to the critics, there's a catch-22 to such viewpoints. They experience so much that they become highly sensitized. But this sensitation often times keeps them from seeing the forrest because of the trees. I feel they respect us and expect that we will read between the lines, but too much is often left out and too much redundancy of specs we enthusiasts have already ferreted out is included.
Well said, even tempered and thoughtfully critical!
With all due respect to the critics, there's a catch-22 to such viewpoints. They experience so much that they become highly sensitized. But this sensitation often times keeps them from seeing the forrest because of the trees. I feel they respect us and expect that we will read between the lines, but too much is often left out and too much redundancy of specs we enthusiasts have already ferreted out is included.
At a dealership, I sat on and had my hands all over a blue one this weekend. I had read the MO review, but still felt like I was had only a slight leg up on the company propaganda line. Could I ride the bike at the dealership? Yea, right! If the points you mentioned had been addressed, then I would have considered myself a descently informed consumer, which is the reason d'etra for this kind of journalism.
You can say that again. I could care less about how pretty Spain is. It's the bike, stupid. Also stop reminding me it's NOT an R1. In short, crap review. You guys get paid for this?
John
John
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