2001 Yamaha FZ1

Summary:

Great, all around, straightforward bike

Faults:

Nothing so far... but I just got it...

General Comments:

Wanted to share some thoughts on my newly purchased used 2001 Yamaha FZ-1 motorcycle... saw it on craigslist for 2999.00, which was a little more than I wanted to spend... tried to negotiate with the gentleman, but he only went down to 2800.00... actually wanted to spend about 2300.00 on a older bike... but read a lot of reviews on bikes, and most reviews had this bike as reliable, which was my number one concern..

Since I keep my bikes a long time... last bike owned was a 1982 Nighthawk 750 Honda... that took a dive due to my and other owners neglect... I am an older rider and don't really want to race around... so if you keep it below 7000rpm, it's very easy to ride... the few times I took it over 7000rpm, it tries to take off on you, which I am not ready for yet...

The last owner didn't drive it much, and sat in his garage for the last four years or the time he had it..... he was the second owner... and bought it in 2005 from he first owner, who bought it in 2001 at Berts Motorcycle Mall in Southern California... he had the original sticker for it from Berts, and the price was 8499.00 plus fees...

The bike was very dirty, and I spent a lot of time cleaning it up... also buffing out the paint and waxing it... it had a lot of scratches on it... bought some black touch up paint to deal with 5-7 heavy scratches on the bike...

Some of the things I didn't like on the bike.. was one of the past owners or both... had changed the front handlebars to a lower set and took off the rear blinkers/license plate owner.. not sure why they did this... but I will have to deal with it later, since I spent more than I wanted to, and it cleaned me out of my funny money stash I keep for fun and entertainment...

Overall the bike drives very nice and smooth... doesn't like a lot of choke, and I will have to look into that.. to see if that's correct...

Shifting is smooth also... will post future comments as I get to know the bike better...

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2010

23rd Nov 2010, 02:43

Wanted to add comments to my original comments on my just bought used 2001 FZ1 Yamaha...

I noticed that the side kick stand several times seemed like it was positioning itself to fall... I needed to kick it back in place several times as I moved it to clean the tires/wheels and chain... so I knew sooner or later it was going to fall... Placed an order for a t-rex frame slider from eBay for 24.95 plus 10.00 for shipping... it was black... Not sure if they had other colors... they (eBay) didn't seem to have a lot of frame sliders for a 2001 Yamaha FZ1...

Also purchase a frame/crash/bar/engine guard made by SW-Motech from twistedthrottle.com... it comes in silver and black.. The silver one was on sale for 101.00 plus shipping of 14.98.. the black one is about 25.00 more... I bought a silver one for about 115.00 OTD... not sure if I can put both (slider and engine guard) on this bike... not sure if they can both fit in the same area... will let you know in future comments.. I haven't received them yet...

Also bought (from eBay also) a small factory owners manual... the one you get with a new bike for 19.95 used... and a larger detailed Cylmer manual for 23.98, plus 4.95 shipping, for a total of 28.99...

2001 Yamaha FZ1

Summary:

Excellent, willing, and able

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

This is not a naked R1, BUT, it is an awesome motorcycle. Handles great with an engine that is very ready and very willing. There is not a sportbike out there that can run away from you; you can chew up the big bore twins like the Aprilia or Ducati if you keep it in its powerband; remember this engine is rev happy. Brakes are the same as the R1, awesome.

It is a little heavy, and not as readily flickable as a dedicated sportbike, but once you know this, it is very capable.

This bike tied the BMW 1200 GS as the best all-around street bike!!

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th May, 2005