It had to be done. This was a quick decision made with the head, not the heart. June 2004 saw a change of wheels.

The FJ was getting too old for overseas tours.  It still does the job, and is reliable enough, but there are insurance penalities on older vehicles.

The VTR was great, but too thirsty.  Not just the cost of fuel consumed, but the pitiful tank range.

The Bandit 1200 is OK, but it's also a rental bike, so sometimes it isn't always there, instantly avaialble for me to use, and also customers tend to drop and damage my rental bikes from time to time.  
 
I need my own, personal bike, which is cherished, loved, looked after and always cared for.

Granby Motors in Beeston offered me a fair price for the VTR (which was still in excellent condition) and supplied me with an American spec FZ1 for £5999. It had to be done.

First impressions?
Fast engine - still buzzy though (I think Bandit 1200 pulls harder from very low revs however) and you have to work the gearbox. It's comfy, goes well, handles well, very good value for what you get, and the tank range is good enough for touring (200+ miles if careful).

I've put the Givi racks on to take my old boxes, so it's practical, if not pretty.   The boxes sit high up compared to the old FJ1200, and if you let go of the bars, you'll get a steering wobble, approaching tank-slapper proportions if you let it escalate.  But a lot of bikes do this if loaded and the air flow is disrupted.  (It's actually the top box which causes this, so I rarely fit that anymore)

It's off to France tomorrow. I'll have more thoughts after the Alps 2 trip. I've hardly ridden it yet.

I've just come back from over 2000 miles riding in France. This FZ-1 is insanely fast!!! It's not exactly the bike I thought I was buying, but I like it anyway. That R1 derived motor is still a seriously revvy sportsbike design, and though it offers usuability below 4000 revs, it's weak in this area. Conversely, it goes absolutely ballistic over 6 or 7000 rpm, and really is a bit too fast for the twisty mountain passes I've just been riding. I would have preffered more grunt at very low revs, for the continuous 1st and 2nd gear hairpins and steep climbs we've just been doing. Using the power higher up the rev range would be just too vicious in these conditions.

Interestingly, I only got chance to fully open it up twice in over 2000 miles!  This bike is so quick, you rarely get chance to use its ful potential.

The front end gets a bit light with heavy Givi boxes on the back, and I was a little surprised to find the front wheel lifting in the air at 100mph while exploring the upper end of the rev counter whilst passing a line of cars. In the wet, with a strong cross wind.

Economy? Superb. Thrashed over mountain passes it will easily get 145 miles to a tank. Just ridden back from Dover last night, some fast cruising, but mainly 60-80 given the traffic and yet more torrential rain, then a little bit of sporty cross country riding at the end. The trip meter is now showing 183 miles, and there's still about 1/6th a tank of fuel left. I think if ridden steadily it can manage over 200 miles on a 21 litre tank. Good. I'm more than happy with that. UPDATE - it did 208 miles before I topped up the tank (yes, the yellow light was now on), and it took 18.5 litres. Therefore there was still 2.5 litres left, so i reckon it would do 220 / 225 miles on a tank if really pushed. That's about 50mpg.  (Yes - subsequently I've found it will do 220 miles on a tankful when touring)

I think there's a bit of hesitation between 3 and 4 thousand rpm, but I'm hoping an airbox modification and change of can etc. may solve that. Any tips welcome.

Just come back from another 2000 mile trip down Western France, over the Pyrenees and into the Picos Mountains of Northern Spain. Still pleased with the bike, and was able to compare it back to back with a customer's 2004 R1. I prefer the Fazer.

Front end is still a bit light and twitchy - maybe I'll have to twiddle the suspenders. Just ordered a Blueflame end can, so it may even sound good soon.

Sounds excellent now, but is still not too noisy. The Blueflame can is well made and fits nicely.

Now, in 2006, after three more tours to the Alps, the TT races, several UK tours and two trips to Spain, I still love the Fazer!

There's 12,000 miles on the clock now, and I can't see any reason to change it.  The new Fazer looks OK and is an option, maybe.  The power increase to 150bhp isn't necessary though.  The insurance premium is high enough already!

For now, the Fazer will stay.  It will take me on this year's (2006) overseas tours, while the Thunderbird Sport will be my transport for some of the UK trips.

For my next bike.......

KTM 950 Adventure S?  Must have a test ride.  Yes, I like the KTM 990s, but.....

2009 update - I've still got the same Fazer (FZ-1).  Done over 30,000 miles now, and I can't think of anything better to replace it with.  The only problem has been one failed battery, and the Exup system seized up solid in midway position and needed replacement.  The exup valve seizure was maybe down to 2 causes; not using the bike over Winter, and possibly simply from not thrashing it enough!    Leading tours involves a lot of bimbling along at very slight throttle openings and I'm wondering if the valve simply doesn't get opened up enough if most of the riding is at only partial throttle and revs under 6000.

Since the expensive exup assembly replacement, I try and open it up, right to the redline from time to time now - just to keep the valve free from seizing Officer :)