Yamaha FZ1

POWER, as they say, is nothing without control. But with the FZ1 you get the joy of both. Based on the original huge-selling Fazer FZS1000, Yamaha updated the range for 2006 to bring us the half-faired FZ1 Fazer (for sensible touring and commuting), and its naked counterpart, the FZ1 (for awesome acceleration and downright silly behaviour).

Stripped to the essentials, the FZ1's highly competent chassis is wrapped around a slightly detuned 1000cc block from its supersport sibling, the YZF-R1. Combined with straight bars, a braced swingarm and fabulous tyres, what you get is an extreme riding experience that is not for the faint-hearted. Two things became immediately obvious as I rode this bike away from Fowlers’ showroom last week and headed for the hills. The first was that I instantly felt at home on it - a comfortable, familiar feeling as if I had owned it for years. And the second was that this bike is quick. It's 10kg lighter than its predecessor, it has sharper handling, and it accelerates like a demon.

Performance-wise, the FZ1 is essentially a sports bike with no clothes on, but it's also a very useful commuter with low-speed touring ability. There have been complaints that the bike's massive grunt should kick in at 4,000 rather than 6,000 rpm, but I prefer the power band to come later on a bike like this, because what you then get is two guises of motorcycle in one. A kind of Jekyll and Hyde machine, if you like. Keep the gears high and the revs low and you have a very well-behaved bike that you could pootle around all day on in comfort. But give it some beans and hang on tight and its rampant 150bhp motor will spin you into warp factor from 6,000rpm all the way up to the 12,000 red line. The wind resistance pushes your helmet firmly back into your cheeks and tests the strength of your arms, but the sheer grin factor is spot-on. Dump the clutch and the FZ1 is supremely quick out of the blocks. Just make sure you keep your weight over the front though to prevent the nose pointing skywards.

But lay off the acceleration and the drag is actually quite acceptable, which just goes to show how an aerodynamically designed instrument binnacle can work wonders. Travelling at a steady 70 is more than comfortable, while if, for example, you were on a track, you would only need to bob down a little for 100mph wind speeds to pass sweetly over your lid. Side winds on a motorway run did give cause for a bit of weave, but generally the super-sticky Avon Viper Supersports fitted to the test bike offered masses of grip. Great angles of lean made sharp corners a hoot, while long sweepers were taken comfortably in their stride. In the wet, too, the bike handled a dream, and the twin 320mm discs on the front offer as much braking power as you could need.

The FZ1's solid, hunched appearance is pleasing, although doesn't necessarily stand out in the company of Honda's latest Hornet or the current Kawasaki Z1000. It gets some pretty upside-down forks, a heart-shaped headlamp and lightweight five-spoke wheels. And while the downpipes certainly look good, the addition of a bellypan would help keep the worst of Bristol's weather off.

There really is very little to complain about with the FZ1. Even the slatted rear number plate hanger looks good, and that's usually the first thing I would ditch. My only bugbear is that the side stand is awkward to access, but all the horror stories I had heard about snatchy fuelling were completely unfounded on my test bike. There was nothing any more untoward than on any other fuel-injected motorcycle I have ridden. Even with devil-may-care throttle work it was always smooth and perfectly responsive. However, I am reliably informed that any fuelling issues on earlier models can be sorted by fitting a Power Commander for around £300.

Yamaha's press blurb says the FZ1 combines a supersport heart with a street soul, and who am I to argue? This style of bike is not usually my cup of tea, but such is its power, handling and versatility, one of these would certainly keep me amused for years.

Article written: Mar 23, 2007

The Yamaha FZ1 was kindly loaned by Fowlers Motorcycles of Bath Road, Bristol. For more information about test rides, call Fowlers on 0117 977 0466.

OUR STEER ON THE YAMAHA FZ1

Price: £7,070 (@ Jan 09) 

Engine: In-line four-cylinder

Power: 150 bhp at 11,000rpm

Torque: 78 lb ft / 106 Nm at 8,000rpm

Transmission: six-speed

Weight: 194 kg

Fuel capacity: 18 litres

Top speed: 143 mph

Seat height: 815 mm

by Jon Bennett