Yamaha Fazer1000 versus FZ1 Comparison Review

The Fazer is considered by many to be one of the best and affordable all-rounder bike.
The Fazer1000 (above in silver) was the previous model and the FZ1 (above in red) is the current model.

This comparison may especially be of interest to you if you are thinking of buying either a used Fazer1000, or a FZ1 (new or used).

Newer of course better lah! This is no brainer what.
You can save your Fazer comparison test report liao.

Wait, wait, wait. Newer doesn't always necessarily mean better.
Son, life is not so simple understand?!

You know the meaning of trade-off?
It means that if you are good in one thing, you may have to compromise on some other aspect.
Don't understand?
Let me think think...Ah, I give you example and you will understand.

It is like girls, you know.
Girls who are thin, usually have no big breasts.
Girls who are good looking, usually need to spend more time and money, of theirs and yours, to maintain their looks.
Girls who are rich (because of their own career), have little time for you.
And girls who are rich (because of her parents' money) and beautiful, don't marry you.

U understand liao?

So comparing the old Fazer (Fazer1000) versus the new Fazer (FZ1) is like this.
There is no perfect bike out there, just like there is no perfect girls out there.
You pick the one that is most suited to you.

Overall Conclusion

The types of condition that I test-rode the two different Fazers for an hour were through slow traffic and fast, through twisty trunk roads.

I will begin by telling you my overall conclusion first.

If you like to do lots of long distance touring that requires riding through the NorthSouth Highway, the previous Fazer1000 is a more comfortable touring bike. If you like to play road corners going in fast and low, and like to do once-in-a-blue-moon track riding, then the FZ1 is a more sporty bike.

Power Characteristics

I hear Ah Tan, the Mr-Know-It-All starts to say:

Of course the newer FZ1 more powerful lah, it's got more horsepower what.
The Fazer1000 makes less horsepower.

Yes, on paper it is like this.
If it all comes down to the more-horsepower-wins, then don't need so many engineers and scientists in MotorGP and Formula F1 liao. Just build the bike and car with the most horsepower wins.

But it is like this, you see. It is not so simple.
Especially for road riding, away-from-track riding.

A large factor depends on how much and when the torque is delivered.
Other factors include the gear ratios, gear box and clutch swift.
And also the brake system to control the power.

The Fazer1000 is a slightly more "torquey" bike. Meaning that it delivers higher torque at a lower rpm, than the FZ1. For instance, to get the same speed on the FZ1, you need 1,000 more rpm than the Fazer1000. The Fazer1000 builds up a mountain of torque from 5,000 to 8,000 rpm. Because of the strong mid-range torque of Fazer1000, it is a bike that you can just stick to one gear and you rarely need to change gear.

But the FZ1 can rev to a higher rpm. It is also much more willing to rev than the Fazer1000.
The FZ1 engine behaves like a sports bike engine. It is very willing to rev high, rev low and you can pull its rev across the rev range (10,000 rpm) like a big rubber band. So it is a very fun sporty engine. And to overtake, you play with the slick light gearbox to drop 1-2 gears.

The Fazer1000 is carburetted-fueled whereas the FZ1 is electronically fuel-injected.
Because of this, you need slightly longer time to crank up the Fazer1000 from cold.
But with carbs, it is almost fail-proof, and good for riding into uncharted territories.
The fuel injected FZ1 gives more instantaneous response at low rev.
The FZ1 I rode is of 2006 model and I found it's infamous snatch at about 4,000-5,000 rpm which many bike magazines complained about.

You can find it when at that rpm, you roll off your throttle, pause a while, and then turn it back on. The bike response by pausing a while...and then just as you thought when is the power going to come back on again, it gives a slight tug forward.

Having said that, I must say that is is really more an imperfection than a factor that is so severe that should deter you from getting the FZ1 if you really like it. If I don't consciously find it, I can't notice it. When I found it, I could live with it. It's alright. It's not a big deal.

















The FZ1 (red) feels like a sportsbike without fairing.
When you ride the Fazer1000 (silver) fast, you feel like a traffic police.


Brake System Characteristics

Both bikes inherit brake systems from the R1 sports bike of their respective time. Actually, same also for the engines.

The Fazer1000 already has strong brakes. But I just love the FZ1 brake feel much more. Maybe because it needs even less effort to brake hard. Possibly the effect of a larger master cylinder rather than due to bigger discs.

Handling Characteristics

There goes Ah Tan again:

Of course the FZ1 easier to turn lah. Because it is lighter and got a shorter wheelbase what!

Dear Mr Tan, you are wrong again. It is not so simple.

The surprising thing is, when you ride the Fazer1000, you need less effort to turn it than the newer and more sporty FZ1.

How come like this?

This is because the Fazer1000 has wider handlebars. So with the principle of leverage in physics to assist you, it takes the rider very little effort to turn the front wheel of the Fazer1000. You don't really feel the weight difference of the bikes when riding on the road.

Then why make the FZ1 harder to turn?
You do need to exert slightly more effort to turn the handle bars of the FZ1. But the FZ1, I realised, is designed to be ridden and turned like a sport bike. That is, you wriggle your body side-to-side, or even slide your butt off the slippery seat to hang off, when attacking the corners fast. The same stance when you are like riding a sport bike.

Whereas on the Fazer1000, you ride it upright and turn the bike with your body pretty much upright. The same stance when you are like riding a ST1100 or BMW.

When you do your sport riding stance right on the FZ1, it gives a very rewarding feel when you rush through the corners. The bike feels more precise and stable when going through corners fast. And due to its shorter wheelbase, it is easier and faster to change its direction mid-corner compared to the Fazer1000.

For the suspension, the Fazer1000 has a rear suspension that is a tat too soft. I counter this problem by raising (hardening) my rear preload from one click from max. And it works fine since. The front suspension of Fazer1000 is fine.

For the FZ1, its suspension is harder than Fazer1000. It is a bit on the hard side, but it is not as hard and harsh like a true sports bike. Between the VFR and FZ1, I think the FZ1 has a harder suspension.


Comfort

This is the department that Fazer1000 wins hands-down.
Once you get onto the bike and sit down, its big cushy soft seat allows you to sink down and go 'Ahhhhhh, so comfortable'.

The FZ1 bike is harder and does not sink in.

In the Fazer1000, you ride it almost upright and you see the road ahead with your head level. The grip is at chest level, like a BMW bike. Your hands are on at a 'puppy-beg' position.

On the FZ1, your body is leaned forward. Your head has to tilt up somewhat. The lean is no so severe like a full-fledge sport bike and you wouldn't get hand aches or palm numbness. If you were not previously riding a leaned-forward bike, you might experience some neck-ache initially. But it should go away in due time as you get more used to the bike.

I find the leg positions for both bikes alright.

The ability of to take windblast of the rider for both bikes, depends very much on the type of windshields that you install. I think for bth bikes, the stock windshields should allow you to ride comfortably up to speeds of 130-150 kmh. For both bikes, there should be a greater variety of aftermarket windshields for you to choose from.

















That's it. To sum up:
You would want to take the silver Fazer1000 when you ride on the NorthSouth.
And you would want to take the red FZ1 when attacking the trunk roads.

















Thanks to AC_Devil64, the slim and bubbly lady owner of the nice looking red FZ1 for lending me to ride her lovely bike!

Parting Shots

Here are some pictures of this really low-passing, brewing angry storm clouds, off Kupkup in Malaysia.





In life, every now and then, and once-too-often, we tend to experienced storms.

But remember, the best thing is,

It can't rain forever.
And after each rain, there is a beautiful sunshine that awaits you.

Picture is courtesy of BornFree.