[harsha.muvva]

Its been a while since I have acquired fizzy( well,that’s how I would like to address her), so I think its time to finally put-up review and share the amazing ownership experience I had so far.

Before getting into details about fizzy, I would like to add a note on my biking background

HISTORY:

It was in june 2010,when i started serious biking and acquired Kawasaki ninja 250r, there were hardly any options in the quatre-litre segment(cbr was still a rumor then) , more over with ninja it was love at first sight, so dint take much time to decide on ninja and after 20,000 kms & 2 years later I can confidently say that it was the one of the best decision I have ever made. Have done couple of inter-state rides,endurance rides(BB2500 and SS1600) and many weekend rides,it always lived upto my expectations.

But as the time progressed my greed for power has also increased proportionately,so was having thoughts about selling it. But everytime I rode her I just dint feel like selling it and was left in a dilemma whether it’s a good decision or not,Finally bit the bullet and sold it to a friend of mine(ensuring that she is in safe hands).All this happenend in a hurry and I preffered it that way so that I wont get second thougts again



P.S : I would have never sold, if I were in a position to take care and maintain 2 bikes, however that isn’t possible in my case, so had to let it go with a heavy heart

All this happened at the end of 2013

Options considered :

Note : I am a fan of Inline-4 machines for the way they deliver power smoothness they have, reliability (compared to ducati..etc) and finally they noise they make , so I might be little biased here

When I was looking for upgrade I was open for all the options that are available then

1. Kawasaki ninja 650 :

Undoubtedly this was the first option I have considered especially when it was launched with Very good price and more-over one of my friend Ram(tbhp id:kingofmyworld) acquired, so it was easy to have a quick TD and returned with mixed feelings, reason for this being the sound the bike is making is so similar to my250 albeit a little deeper and riding stance is way too relaxed for me. Some how it just dint strike the right cord for me

No doubt that its powerful, it handled well and easily one of the most practical and VFM bike available in the market right now. It can handle most of the roads we generally encounter while touring, powerful enough to give company to other SBK’s except for those really straight-stretches where one can give fully open the throttle. IF not for the similar sound,ultra-relaxed riding postion and of-course “the greed” for more power there isn’t a single reason why one should look beyond ninja 650.

2. Hyosung gt 650 : one ride on it was enough for me to decide that I am never going to get it

3. R1/CBR/gixxer : though I was very much tempted to pick super-sport(who wouldn’t),decided against it for couple of reason. One being knowing the kind of riding I do, the supersport riding postion isn’t any good for it. Of course there are people who have ridden across states with these, but somehow I decided against the idea. But ya sometime later in future there might be one among them giving company to my “fizzy”

4. Suzuki bandit : somehow dint like the idea of myself on bandit, so gave it skip. But this is the by far best I4 motor available in our country which can take you from kanyakumari-khardungala without breaking sweat

So finally I narrowed down my options to Japanese,Inline-4,1000cc and a naked machine. I have two options available which are full-filling this criteria. HONDA CB-1000 and YAMAHA FZ1, this will be the biggest dilemma for anyone who is in market with a similar criteria.
But let me tell you, these are two different machines. CB is more mature in the way it delivers power,equipped with ABS and technologically have little edge over FZ1.

FZ1 on a different note is more aggressive in the way it delivers the power,wilder and not to mention the extra horses(~25) it has compared to FZ and more-over I liked the looks of fz1 more which is a completely personal preference. Here I was leaving about the price factor which is again in favour with FZ1. Hence it was an easier choice.

SO FINALLY IT IS YAMAHA FZ-1.

Initially I was keen on on getting a new one, but just looked at the used options just to make it more VFM.After coming across couple of shady-deals and unrealistic prices, I decided to go for a new one. It was then I came across this particular FZ1(fizzy as I would like to call her) through couple of friends of mine, very well maintained and kitted up with accessories that are carefully chosen and reasonable price. So it dint take much time to proceed with deal. Couple of negotiations here and there and finally we were on the way to Mumbai, that is where the bike was located.

A travelogue for the same has been documented on the forum, here is the link for that :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...amaha-fz1.html

so I would like to skip the details on that.

Now coming to the details on the bike:

MAKE : Yamaha
model : FZ1
year : 2011

After-market additions when I bought the bike :

* brembo brake kit(master cylinder,reservoir,lever and mirror mounts)
* hel steel braided lines for front n back
* ligh-tech clutch lever
*givi windshield
*gel seat
*dynojet power commander 5
*dynojet autotune
*G.P.R deeptone CF exhaust
*K&N air and oil filter
*frame sliders
*spool sliders
along with this two more things which are not fixed on the bike :
* handle bar risers
* chrome rear view mirrors
and almost a brand new set of tyres.

This is how it came to Hyderabad from Mumbai and after couple of detailing sessios( thanks to the rains), I decided to add couple of things which I have ordered for the bike.

These are the things which I have put-on the bike:

* 46 rossi tank pad
- was a fan of rossi,so ya it’s the obvious choice.Have ordered this from planetdsg.com

* PIAA head lamp bulbs
- I felt the stocking lighting to be little in-adequate and not so interested in going HID for obvious reasons, so ordered these bulbs. Though a bit expensive, these by far the best bulbs I have used

* fender eliminator with led indicators
- who wouldn’t like to flaunt the fat tyre

* VR46 reservoir sock- unfortunately this was stolen when I parked the bike on a ride

* Replaced the spark plugs with NGK iridium spark plugs during the regular service

* RD moto fork and swing arm protectors. Ordered these from BACHOO MOTORS

Enough of show, now let me speak about riding it. Couple of rides which I have done till now.

**** MUMBAI - HYDERBAD

**** HYDERABAD – SRISAILAM – HYDERBAD


**** regular weekend breakfast rides to Kamareddi for that yummu natukodi pulusu( chicken dish) which they serve for breakfast and to jadcherla for some nice idlies/dosa’s and to suryapet.
A ride to these three places means a round trip of 200-240 kms

**** Ride to Anantgiri hills which is a scenic place around Hyderabad

**** couple of rides to my home-town which is 150 kms away from Hyderabad.

In all I have managed to put-on nearly 5000 kms in this brief period of ownership. Cant wait to do a proper Interstate ride.

RIDING EXPERIENCE SO FAR :

Since I have done decent number of kilometres, here are my observations

*Power : In simple words it is MAD/WILD/AGGRESSIVE.
Its is basically a high-revving engine which shows its true nature only in high-mid RPM’s. But thanks to the PC5 and AUTO-TUNE it is now making power from as low as 4000 RPM all the way till red-line. The kind of power she has demands high-level of respect, a simple blip in the throttle is what all you need to put the tarmac on fire.
It does “accidental” power-wheelies under full throttle even in third gear, I guess this can give you rough idea about the mad acceleration she has.

*Handling : you can feel the weight of bike especially in low city-crawling speeds. But once you gain speeds, the weight hardly bothers you. Now coming to cornering, I would like to keep it simple by saying that she loves corners but not as much as super-sport would do.Needless to mention,like everyother super-bike a simple blip/non-linear throttle in the corner is enough to make you kiss the ground. So you to know the limitations before pushing the bike

*Sound : This is personal choice again, everyone like a particular type of sound. For any Inline-4 lover, it is pure music to ears and its loud enough to catch attention of the people/cars/trucks on highway.I am totally addicted to it

There are hardly any vibrations even when the engine is red-lining(not that I do it regularly).

Now coming to the important aspect i.e riding gear. This is how my gear is as of today

HELMET
1. HJC RPHA10 ben-spies monster energy replica
2. AGV K3 rossi 5 continents replica

GLOVES : RST razor leather glove

RIDING SUIT
1. RST razor leather two-piece suit( riding jacket and jeans)
2. RST razor textile jacket

KNEE GUARDS
1. Alpine star bionic knee guards

BOOTS SIDI ST AIR

So I would like to finish my “longish” post to here.

P.S : I used to follow the FZ1 thread here and must admit that its quite informative and that’s to all the people who has made contribution to that thread.

**This is my first ever ownership report I am writing.So please do bear with my skills]


now time for some pics :

The key to happiness:



Face-off :



From a ride to AH hills :







Couple of pics from SRISAILAM RIDE :





Some biker-meets:






Pics from a shoot done by a friend of mine :

[moralfibre]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Motorbikes. Thanks for sharing!

[moralfibre]

I found the FZ1 to be a very practical to own superbike. There is one for sale in Pune asking Rs. 9,80,000/- with a host of add-ons. The power output, torque, ride and handling etc is on par or even better than the more popular Honda CB1000R.

How easy is it to get periodic maintenance done on the bike?

[createrkid]

Now this was what I was eagerly waiting for

Was the G.P.R installed when you bought the bike? Planning to change it anytime soon? Racefit or Akrapovic would be something to kill for :P

[harsha.muvva]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

How easy is it to get periodic maintenance done on the bike?

periodic maintenance is just like any other any other japanese inline4 bike,,it is pretty reasonable.I guess you must be having an authorised service centre over there, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The service interval followed generally is for every 6k kms. It includes engine oil+oil filter + air filter = it roughly sums up to INR : 6000(including labour)
Apart from there it includes brake-pads,tyres...etc depending up-on your usage.
stock brake-pads on fz seems to last pretty long.However, i have got GALFER HH SINTERED BRAKE PADS for front and rear which costed roughly 7k.

Coming to tyres, now that michelin has officially launched their range of SBK tyres(michelin pilot road2),its now easier to source unlike before.There are people for whom stock tyres lasted as long as 17k kms and again few people who had to change at 6-7k kms,The later being majority.

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by createrkid

Now this was what I was eagerly waiting for

Was the G.P.R installed when you bought the bike? Planning to change it anytime soon? Racefit or Akrapovic would be something to kill for :P

thank you.

yup it was installed before,no plans to change it.this sounds perfect to me,not too loud like Racefit or not too subtle like akrapovic. However Arrow headers is on cards,to make it a full-system

[harsha.muvva]

In this post i would like to highlight about some "negatives" of the bike or few things which people will be apprehensive about before going for FZ1 or say any other naked.

1.WINDBLAST

Yes,it is definitely there.But it bothers you at the speeds which are very very dangerous on our roads.On the normal touring speeds, its not an issue at all.
wind blast wouldn't bother much for those occasional high-speed hurts.
However a good wins-screen takes care of the wind blast to greater extent.

2.ROAD PRESENCE :

Trust me,only very few people will get confused FZ1 for FZ16. The stance it has on road,the sheer bulk the front engine shows(advantage of being nakedly.It doesn't go un-noticed.
Needless to say,once on move, no one will every get confused.

3.MILEAGE:

though this will be the last thing anyone who is buying a super bike think about,would just like to add it for reference.
on the first ride from mumbai-hyderabad,it gave me a whooping 18-20kmpl throughout the journey.However,after that i never got more than 11-12


Went for a short-spin yesterday morning to a near-by DHABA. nearly 160kms round trip.
Had a chance to see n feel TRIUMPH ROCKET 3,It is massive.Every bike looked puny in front of it.will add a reference pic for that

Lineup for yesterday : 2RSV4,FZ1,N650,HD super low,HD iron,Triumph ROCKET

[mobike008]

Congrats on the FZ1. It surely looks great and iam sure its a speed demon

How much was it that you paid for it? Also, can you share details of where you sourced your riding gear and cost of same?

You seem to be practically living on the bike considering you clocked 5000kms in such a short span of time since acquiring it.

Btw, coincidentally I with a few other Team-BHPian did a ride last saturday and had breakfast at the same place as in one of your picture. It's on Bangalore highway and has a bright yellow car as one of their signboard. Nice food and place for breakfast.

Great to see the first Triumph Rocket in India on Hyderabad Roads. I saw it in person before it was delivered at the Triumph showroom and as you rightly said, indeed is a massive bike

Enjoy and Ride Safe !!

[HyperRetard]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Great to see the first Triumph Rocket in India on Hyderabad Roads. I saw it in person before it was delivered at the Triumph showroom and as you rightly said, indeed is a massive bike

Enjoy and Ride Safe !!

The very first delivered Triumph Rocket is in Delhi.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SikhMotorcycleClubPunjab




Congrats on the bike man. One of the most practical bikes around. And an engine from a prev. gen R1 means it can go ballistic when you want it to.

[dreamseller]

Congratulations, albeit late, on your acquisition Harsha. It is a gem of a machine. Do let us know how (un)bearable the heat is at city speeds. A perspective with respect to other similar bikes that you've ridden would be helpful.

P.S. Hope Ram is also getting one of 'em i4 sooner than later.

[createrkid]

We need some videos of that lovely exhaust note ASAP! :P
Do post them here, pretty please! I bet the superbike lot attracts a lot of eyeballs wherever you guys park, ain't it?

[harsha.muvva]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congrats on the FZ1. It surely looks great and iam sure its a speed demon

thank you, needless to say that its a speed demon(after all it has 150 horses

How much was it that you paid for it? Also, can you share details of where you sourced your riding gear and cost of same?

most of my riding gear except for the AGV helmet i have acquired some 2 years back.prices where less than half of what it was today.I sourced the jacket(s),pant from UK,HJC helmet from US, boots from Let's gear up - banglore,,AGV helmet again from US.

we now have some good options in hyderabad. EX : DYNAMIC RYDERZ which deals with spartan pro gear,cramster and puma riding boots.
there is one planet dsg store in sainikipuri too via terra.

Now we have plenty to options for riding gear available locally, so choose carefully!

my suggestion is to go to either of them and check out the fit(its very important for The gear. back then i dint have many options.

hope this helps!

You seem to be practically living on the bike considering you clocked 5000kms in such a short span of time since acquiring it.

She will see more number of miles

Btw, coincidentally I with a few other Team-BHPian did a ride last saturday and had breakfast at the same place as in one of your picture. It's on Bangalore highway and has a bright yellow car as one of their signboard. Nice food and place for breakfast.

Ya, thats the hill park, we have been going there since 2 years, let me know the next time you people are up for a ride, will be nice to catch up!

Replies in bold and ya congrats on bonnie, its one very capable machine.My advise is to avoid shopping riding gear from the showroom. in general they tend to over charge a lot for the branding!

Originally Posted by HyperRetard

Congrats on the bike man. One of the most practical bikes around. And an engine from a prev. gen R1 means it can go ballistic when you want it to.

Thank you and its a "wolf in sheep's clothing"

Originally Posted by dreamseller

Congratulations, albeit late, on your acquisition Harsha. It is a gem of a machine. Do let us know how (un)bearable the heat is at city speeds. A perspective with respect to other similar bikes that you've ridden would be helpful.

Every higher CC bike(including n250) heats up like crazy in city traffic. i got burns on my things on n250 once.FZ is also no expcetion, but the best part is we don't feel much heat here(may be because of lack of fairings,the heat gets dissipated and i generally do avoid taking my bike during peak traffic

P.S. Hope Ram is also getting one of 'em i4 sooner than later.

Amen to that

Originally Posted by createrkid

We need some videos of that lovely exhaust note ASAP! :P
Do post them here, pretty please! I bet the superbike lot attracts a lot of eyeballs wherever you guys park, ain't it?

Have a video, will post it up soon!
and ya it does attract lot of eyeballs

regards,
harsha

[harsha.muvva]

Here is the link for fly-by videos we shot for fz,these videos dont dont do justice to the exhaust note.

http://youtu.be/6dGUsecUtx0

P.S: couldnt rev much as the road is little narrow,my guess is its under 6-7k rpm for most of them time

Will attach couple of Go-Pro videos next time.

Regards,
Harsha

[harsha.muvva]

Couple of updates from my side :

1. SENA SMH10 bluetooth intercom:

I was completely impressed by this, more than the bluetooth/ability i took it for the intercom facility available on this.It is lot easier to communicate with the fellow riders. SMH10 has a very good range.
battery life is also very good.One full charge lasted me almost 24hrs of intercom/music usage.Worthy investment if you ride out regularly!

2. RIDE TO HORSLEY HILLS

Did this the last weekend(feb 15&16).Have done a total distance of 1150kms(approximately).It was an amazing ride.
Me along with couple of friends one on RSV4, another one on a HD super low & few friends in car did this ride.
Nothing much to see there apart from a rocky view-point and APTDC resort which is close to it.We just wanted a reason to do little longer ride rather than our regular weekend ride,so have chosen this
will upload more pics as and when i get them from my friends!

for time being here are couple of pics which i have clicked from my mobile

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by harsha.muvva

2. RIDE TO HORSLEY HILLS

Did this the last weekend(feb 15&16).Have done a total distance of 1150kms(approximately).It was an amazing ride.
Me along with couple of friends one on RSV4, another one on a HD super low & few friends in car did this ride.

That must have been a lovely long ride with majority of it being on the Bangalore Highway

Can you throw some light on handling, ride quality and overall ability to keep pace with each other of all these 3 bikes? Would be interesting to know

[createrkid]

This is some lovely stuff harsha, seriously! 1150km in two days?! on the FZ! ..Waah
I'd still prefer the sweet sound of the I-4 over the V4. But on the contrary, how is the roll-down performance of the RSV4 compared to the FZ?