OK, I did it, I finally did it

[MartyA]

See if this works.

Easing my mid-life worries

Just took this home today, brandy new and shiny.

Lemme tell you, this thing does not make you just smile, you laugh all the way home. Absolutely fabulous, marvelous.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Marty,

Nice new ride!! You gonna bring it to NY and sell rides?!?! I have a hard time keeping up with 1 bike, and you now have 3!! Guess we'll see the 78E in the classifieds soon! At least you stayed in the Yamaha Family. How long before it gets broken in? Are you able to ride sitting up vs. hanging over the tank?
T.C.

[MartyA]

It is an upright riding position, the tank is not in the way at all. It is smaller than the XS, weight, wheelbase, but the distance from the seat to the handlebars is only a smidge less.

I laughed for the 1st 42 miles (stopped at the house to pick up Sally) and laughed out loud for the next 60 miles. This thing has torque. 6th gear at 3000 RPM and twist the throttle and you are GONE! It is terrific in the twisties, what little we have around here that resemble sharp curves. It is a real hooligan.

Sally fits fine on the back, comfortable except she really misses her backrest, so I have one on order.

The suspension has a jillion adjustments at both front and back and top and bottom - rebound, dampning, firmness, I don't even know what all that is yet or what it affects, but it'll be fun learning. The front shock preload alone has 5 different 'clicks.' It's great as is, can only get better.

I can't describe the feeling of sticking to the road, the instant, easy, amazing amount of power, the easy braking, the solid feel of a bigger but lighter bike.

998cc, 11.4:1 compression, 11,500 RPM redline, 143 HP, 459 lb. The wheelbase is shorter than the XS by 5 inches and it is lighter by ~110 lb.

My only complaint right now the seat is a bit too firm, but it was very hot today and the seat is new. After 1 1/2 hours I had to get off for a minute. I have a better seat ordered, should be here Thursday. Bags and a tank bag and it will be my short distance sport tourer.

Otherwise, this is a bike I am still smiling about as I type. Even though it has only had it's first 100 miles today, I am extraordinarily happy with it. Yes, eventually the XS is going to be for sale, actually it has always been [unofficially] for sale, but it does run fine and is still fun to ride. First I am taking the XS to the NY rally, then we'll see. Imagine it has a "For Sale" sign on it (and of course the bajillions of parts I have.)

The FZ-1 is absolutely a blast! I smile every time I think of it. I can't wait to get to NC or North GA or WV.

Hey, Sally is off to church, I'm gonna check out the head lights (yep 2) at night. See ya!

[MartyA]

Gee, gotta change my signature...

[Wayne]

All i can say is...

NICE!

[Shack]

143 HP... WOW!! I bet that is a hoot fer sure. I have always wanted a bike with more HP than what I have now!! I know the Yammy will keep ya laughing and smiling a long time. The hardest thing for me was going from the 1979 XS11 to a 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200 was the corners sure sneak up on ya!! Ride safe and God Bless..

Shack

[RS Thornton]

Congrats

So, how did the night ride go? With all the grinning you should have a bunch of bugs in your teeth by now.

Interested to know if you tried or looked at the FJR, I am kind of thinking about one for my next bike, had not thought about an FZ1.

[MartyA]

still grinning

I met up with Highlander put nearly 400 miles on it Sunday, with Sally hanging on. It is SUCH a blast to ride. Most corners are ignored, it just seems to drive itself through anything but the tightest curve. Gear selection seems to be optional, 4th, 5th, 6th, any speed grab some throttle and hang on - marvelous torque all over the RPM band. Yeah, I am still grinning! The original seat completely sucked, so I ordered the Yamaha-Corbin seat when I ordered the bike. That made a BIG difference.

I am waiting for accessories to make this a more than one day bike - luggage rack and rear bag from Ventura-bike.com, and Yamaha side bags. I plan on using this bike just like I use the XS, load it for a trip and scrape a few pegs when I get there, or maybe a day trip somewhere, or maybe a poker run nearby. The difference is I can go a bit faster through those curves. And of course if I ever need any, parts are probably available.

My only gripe now is the little windscreen puts the air flow right at my face shield, so cleaning the bugs from the helmet is a must after each trip. But there is a good aftermarket windscreen selection and I will probably change that next year.

I did look at a the sport tourers, and of course the FJR, I even tried one on - thanks Tom! - but I already have a '91 Venture Royale for touring / cruising. If I am taking a trip and the destination is sure to be REAL twisty then the FZ is going on the trip. Otherwise the Venture makes a nice long distance ride. If I had no bikes the FJR would likely be my choice, but since I had the Venture and I needed a replacement for the XS, the FZ was my choice.

I did try a few other naked bikes, a Bandit would have been the only other consideration. The Hondas were too small in the seat / tank area, The Kaws - the ZX1000 and the ZRX(?) 1200 were both too small for two-up. I did not try the Vstrom, that might have been an acceptable alternative. I looked at wheel base, seat height, peg height, stuff like that. I am a bit bigger than most. When I sat on the FZ-1, it was perfect. And Sally fit on the back just fine.

It just works well, and it is so easy to drive. I am taking the XS to Bean Blossom this weekend, and I will miss the FZ-1 - if I had bags it would be the one going to Indiana. As soon as I get bags it will then be a choice of the Venture or the FZ-1 for any trips.

[xsivebiker]

Congradulations on your new purchase, Marty. 'Sounds like a mighty fine steed for sure.
Does this mean that the next time you're in WV, all we're going to see is a "silver streak" go by???
Ride Safe,
Greg
'80 XS1100-G "Christine"
'93 KLX650-C1
'87 GL1200-I [I've been doing a little "trading" too]

[MartyA]

[Robert Haller]

Hey Marty,

Congratulations! I have been away from the list the last several months and just found out. Does it feel like a natural progression from the XS-11? I really like the standard aspect of the XS-11 in that I can either lean in for wringing it out or lean back for cruising. You say it's has lots of torque? I thought the FZ-1 was more of a high revver.

I am saving up for a new bike myself and am pretty close to being ready. I love the XS-11 but would like to partake of the advances in engineering during the last 25 years. The ones I'm thinking about are the FZ-1, Speed Triple, V-Strom, and the new BMW K1200R (although it's price may be prohibitive). The FJR and Sprint are options, but I really like naked bikes.

Robert

[MartyA]

HEY BOB!!! I thought you fell off the edge. How are you?

I would recommend the FZ-1 as the natural successor to the XS11, in that it is a naked, it is a 4-across, my wife and I are very comfortable on a 400 mile day, it is 100 lb lighter, and it is SUCH A BLAST to ride!

It pulls from 3500 very well and launches itself at about 5000 (redline is 11,500). It is the de-tuned R-1 engine, has carbs and is tuned for mid-range power. This is a very well behaved, easy to handle bike, that will outrun about 98% of everything on the road. IMHO.

I added quick-remove bags and a Ventura rack and rear bag system for a 'mini-sport-tourer' look.

I could go on and on, but remember what I like might not be for you at all. Try on everything on your list, read all the reviews you can. If you choose the FZ plan on dumping the OEM seat. The lines of the seat fit the lines of the bike, meaning it was designed by an artist not a rider. It completely sucked for me. I got the Yamaha-Corbin seat. Unless of course you truly have an iron butt, I don't.

Are you coming to TWO in Oct?

[Parr8hed]

hey there, would love to see some pics of the bike with bags and all???

[MartyA]

Can you see this album? I'm not good at this.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2124705971

[chevy45412001]

very nice

yes i too like the looks of your new ride. kinda funny they use XJ bars on the venture though.I guess if i ever need a set i know where to look.