[whipped99]

Hi all, I've been browsing the FZ09 forum for a while as I've been eying the FZ as a 2nd bike. The looks, price and power are hard to beat when shopping for another bike.

Just some background on my riding experience.

I've been riding a CBR250r as my first bike for over a year now and have 6000 miles on her. I bought the bike mainly for commuting due to its 70MPG fuel economy and easy to ride and learn nature. I've been looking at moving up to a more upright bike with a bit more power for the weekends and of course the commute. I know the FZ appears to be a beast and probably a bit more than I need but has anyone moved from a 250 starter bike on to the FZ and would you reccomend it?

I currently ride the 250 like a bat out of hell, I make use of all ~25HP. I feel i push this bike to near it's limit in the street with exception of extreme lean angles. I Haven't made it to the track, but would love to get her out there. Main point is, I feel very confident with my bike and would like to move up a class or 2. I'm just not sure if the FZ is a bit more than I could handle. I've never ridden anything faster than the 250. Fastest thing I've driven is a Mustang GT and love the rush associated with speed. The FZ may a bit more than I should have, but I'm looking for some advice on what would be a good next bike. Again it needs to have an upright riding position and be below $8K. I have some shoulder neck issues from a rear end collision. The sport bike position isnt good for me.

Thanks!

 

[eolith]

The FZ09 is my first bike. My question to you is: are you a disciplined learner or are you more likely to get silly with this bike? Your answer will determine whether you're ready for this bike, in my opinion. If you are addicted to speed, you may want to play it safe and get something in between.

Also, have you taken the MSF basic rider course?

 

[whipped99]

The FZ09 is my first bike. My question to you is: are you a disciplined learner or are you more likely to get silly with this bike? Your answer will determine whether you're ready for this bike, in my opinion. If you are addicted to speed, you may want to play it safe and get something in between.

Also, have you taken the MSF basic rider course?

Hi eolith,

Yeah I'd say I'm pretty disciplined. I wouldn't say Im addicted to speed but would like to grin now and then.
I took the MSF before I bought the bike over a year now. I was looking at the CB 500F and KTM390 as possible choices as well.

Thx

 

[Lynchy803]

Hi all, I've been browsing the FZ09 forum for a while as I've been eying the FZ as a 2nd bike. The looks, price and power are hard to beat when shopping for another bike.

Just some background on my riding experience.

I've been riding a CBR250r as my first bike for over a year now and have 6000 miles on her. I bought the bike mainly for commuting due to its 70MPG fuel economy and easy to ride and learn nature. I've been looking at moving up to a more upright bike with a bit more power for the weekends and of course the commute. I know the FZ appears to be a beast and probably a bit more than I need but has anyone moved from a 250 starter bike on to the FZ and would you reccomend it?

I currently ride the 250 like a bat out of hell, I make use of all ~25HP. I feel i push this bike to near it's limit in the street with exception of extreme lean angles. I Haven't made it to the track, but would love to get her out there. Main point is, I feel very confident with my bike and would like to move up a class or 2. I'm just not sure if the FZ is a bit more than I could handle. I've never ridden anything faster than the 250. Fastest thing I've driven is a Mustang GT and love the rush associated with speed. The FZ may a bit more than I should have, but I'm looking for some advice on what would be a good next bike. Again it needs to have an upright riding position and be below $8K. I have some shoulder neck issues from a rear end collision. The sport bike position isnt good for me.

Thanks!

As a first bike the FZ-09 is not the best idea. For a second bike the FZ-09 is a great bike.

 

[Stellmon]

Hi eolith,

Yeah I'd say I'm pretty disciplined. I wouldn't say Im addicted to speed but would like to grin now and then.
I took the MSF before I bought the bike over a year now. I was looking at the CB 500F and KTM390 as possible choices as well.

Thx

Hard to go wrong with either of those choices, assuming you mean the 390 Duke that's supposed to arrive sometime? The biggest difference is just going to be the power, so you just have to decide how much you need? The Honda and KTM are still fast compared to most every car on the road, but the FZ will blow them out of the water, no comparison. But like I said, the question is whether you actually need that or not. I admit, the KTM sure looks like a lot of fun, and it's a sweet looking bike.

 

[moto126]

I rode a ninja 250 also and rode for 2 years before I switched to the fz09.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk now Free

 

[Fitz]

Whipped 99:
I made exactly the same transition you are contemplating. I rode a CB500R for 10K miles as a commuter and have now made the transition to the FZ-09. For me, the major attractions of the FZ-09 were Yamaha quality (and easy service access), the three cylinder engine, and the low weight. I had contemplated a Street Triple but couldn't justify the expense (and the closest dealer is much further away); I also thought about a Honda CB500R or F, but I wanted a more spirited ride. Well, the FZ-09 is certainly spirited. I've only put 300 miles on it so far but I can affirm that in "B" mode you can ride it like the CB250R if you are very disciplined with the throttle. Or with a little more aggressive throttle you can recreate the feel of a rocket ship blasting off. Periodically when I'm not in bumper-to-bumper traffic I settle in to the Std. or A mode and challenge my throttle skills. All of this is to say that I every time I get on he bike to get from home to work or vice versa, I have both fun and polish my skills a little. I know I could have done this same things on a Honda 500F, but I wouldn't have had the same wonderful sound of the three cylinder or the torque of the FZ-09.

I confess that I do miss the ergos of the Honda CB500R but otherwise I know I made the right choice for me every time I ease on the throttle when the lights turn green.

 

[DNFDOUG]

Kawasaki Versys 650 would be something to look at. Looking back, I never dreamed that I would own 30 plus bikes in my lifetime. I always wanted the latest, greatest, and fastest until I matured. I still regret trading my VFR800 for my CBR954RR.

 

[redeye]

Hi whipped99, and welcome. I recognize you from the CBR250R forum. The FZ-09 may not seem like a logical next step from many in that forum's perspectives. While the incremental performance increase in the new 500cc Hondas makes them a very attractive next step, and I don't question for a moment they are excellent rides, they weren't sufficiently different from the CBR250R, in my opinion, to justify several thousand dollars in additional purchase expense.

For people like you and me, with a fair amount of experience on 250cc motorcycles, having confidence in our ability to exercise some restraint with the throttle is essential. The FZ-09's power will amplify mistakes that might be merely embarrassing on the CBR250R. The FZ-09 handles better and with more precision than the CBR250R, so you may find yourself entering turns at higher speeds. The brakes are much more powerful and require more skill from the rider.

My transition is far from complete, but after less than a week, any concern that the FZ-09 is more than I can handle is in the past. This is not to say that I am ready to ride the FZ-09 to the limits of its performance. I'm nowhere close to that skill level, but this is a motorcycle that will challenge my skills for quite some time into the future.

If I could turn the clock back one week, I would buy my Rapid Red again, without hesitation. I hope to exchange more messages with you on this forum, but regardless of which direction you decide is right for you, best wishes and ride safely.

 

[whipped99]

Kawasaki Versys 650 would be something to look at. Looking back, I never dreamed that I would own 30 plus bikes in my lifetime. I always wanted the latest, greatest, and fastest until I matured. I still regret trading my VFR800 for my CBR954RR.

The Versys looks like an interesting bike, I'll take a look. I definately don't need nor can afford to buy new bikes very often. I want a bike that's comfortable with upright ergo, leightweight and has decent power. I'm definately waiting to see what Yamaha is going to unveil in the next couple of weeks. If they release something similar to the FZ09 but with less power then I'll be interested.

 

[whipped99]

Hi whipped99, and welcome. I recognize you from the CBR250R forum. The FZ-09 may not seem like a logical next step from many in that forum's perspectives. While the incremental performance increase in the new 500cc Hondas makes them a very attractive next step, and I don't question for a moment they are excellent rides, they weren't sufficiently different from the CBR250R, in my opinion, to justify several thousand dollars in additional purchase expense.

For people like you and me, with a fair amount of experience on 250cc motorcycles, having confidence in our ability to exercise some restraint with the throttle is essential. The FZ-09's power will amplify mistakes that might be merely embarrassing on the CBR250R. The FZ-09 handles better and with more precision than the CBR250R, so you may find yourself entering turns at higher speeds. The brakes are much more powerful and require more skill from the rider.

My transition is far from complete, but after less than a week, any concern that the FZ-09 is more than I can handle is in the past. This is not to say that I am ready to ride the FZ-09 to the limits of its performance. I'm nowhere close to that skill level, but this is a motorcycle that will challenge my skills for quite some time into the future.

If I could turn the clock back one week, I would buy my Rapid Red again, without hesitation. I hope to exchange more messages with you on this forum, but regardless of which direction you decide is right for you, best wishes and ride safely.

Redeye thanks for the reply, it's nice to hear from a previous 250r rider about your experience with the FZ and providing feedback and expectations. I'm going to hold off for the next set of Yamahas to be unveiled. If one is similar to the FZ09 but with less power 650cc ish then I'll perhaps consider that one instead. I'm also going to look at the Versys and CB500x and NC700 although I'm sure these bikes are not nearly as fun to ride. Thanks again!

 

[lucas2696]

The Versys is an awesome bike! Very intuitive and not intimidating. The only issue most people have with it is it's height, it has a pretty high seat so if you're inseam challenged it may be an issue. Being that it's tall, it feels a lot heavier than it actually is, so low speed handling can be a bit tricky. But the other option is the Ninja 650, nearly identical motor, suspension, and brakes in a shorter package.

 

[MasonMoto#1]

Whipped 99:
Or with a little more aggressive throttle you can recreate the feel of a rocket ship blasting off....I know I made the right choice for me every time I ease on the throttle when the lights turn green.

I could not agree more. Love the ability to take off if I want too, or slowly achieve cruising speed when the 5-0/traffic are around. Coming from a Vulcan 500, Throttle skills are the biggest challenge for me too, but I grin every time I swing my leg over.

 

[ktk_ace]

If you stay in B mode , imho might work.

 

[Rapid red]

I wouldn't reccomend it. Too much bike - get a CBR500 or a 650 Ninja

 

[rinkydink]

.

For people like you and me, with a fair amount of experience on 250cc motorcycles, having confidence in our ability to exercise some restraint with the throttle is essential. The FZ-09's power will amplify mistakes that might be merely embarrassing on the CBR250R. The FZ-09 handles better and with more precision than the CBR250R, so you may find yourself entering turns at higher speeds. The brakes are much more powerful and require more skill from the rider.

There is a lot said in this short statement.

Honestly it makes me nervous when I hear younger riders saying things like "Pushing the bike to near it's
limit" or "Like a bat out of hell." I'm not questioning your riding ability but instead, your bravado. Riding a motorcycle on the street is a very foolhardy dangerous endeavor. I don't doubt you could physically handle the 09 (of course I haven't received my 09 and haven't even seen one in person) but as I told my son and daughter, "It turns to shit real real fast." If you do consider a smaller bike, take a look at the SV650. Wonderful bike with plenty of power. Good luck with your decision.

I just reread my post and I didn't mean to come off as sounding like your father. My intent was to suggest caution.