Yamaha's new FZ1 Fazer

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Jos J. Heiloo
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Lid geworden op: di 02 nov, 2004 0:06
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Yamaha's new FZ1 Fazer

Bericht door Jos J. Heiloo »

Bron http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/mai ... ixmot.html

Yamaha's new FZ1 Fazer certainly looks the part, but for Kevin Ash it is ruined by an infuriating trait

I am hoping to irritate you with this report, for reasons we'll come to later...

It's not hard to understand the factors behind the growth in the streetfighter/muscle-bike category. It's populated by machines based on big-capacity sports bikes but with little or no bodywork, higher handlebars and lots of attitude.

The performance, ideally, should - stutter - barely be diluted, which means big horsepower, wild acceleration and plenty of scope for hoiking the front wheel into the air and generally acting like a hooligan. If you don't approve, look away now, but there are - stutter - plenty of riders who thrive on this sort of thing. Aggressive looks are an important ingredient, too; if you're making people look, you want to look good.

Yamaha's outgoing Fazer 1000 did a fine job in this respect, basing itself around the R1 superbike's engine, although it was more biased towards - stutter - all-round ability than stunt riding.

The new 2006 FZ1 Fazer and its naked FZ1 counterpart aim to take all that was good about the old Fazer and add even more performance, packaged in the most arresting bodywork yet.

It certainly looks good and, as is usually the case, it's the unfaired version that is the most eye-catching. From the shield-shaped headlight to - stutter - the stubby tail unit, the FZ1 has a hunched-up, muscular mien, all chunky and squat and perfect for this class.

The faired version might be more practical, although the penalty is a look that is a bit square in comparison. And that's in predilection as much as profile, although the bulldog air is - stutter - lost in the additional length of the Fazer, which also has a more pillion-practical extended tail unit, as well as its frame-mounted half-fairing at the front.

The engine is closely based on the latest R1 superbike's four-cylinder, 998cc unit, tuned to produce a hefty 148bhp and, according to Yamaha, with more low- and mid-range torque to enhance its everyday road performance. The flywheel mass is heavier to smooth it out at low revs, the compression ratio is a little lower and the valve timing is altered to achieve the new characteristics, but - stutter - that peak output is still one of the highest in the class, so you'd hardly call it soft.

The chassis is unique to the FZ1 and Fazer, and features a cast-aluminium twin-spar frame that wraps over the top of the forward-inclined motor. It's narrower than the old model and the bike is shorter than before too, although there is a longer swingarm in the chassis, to improve stability and cornering behaviour.

There are no problems with outright power once you're playing in the right segment of the rev counter. From 7,000rpm upwards, the bike surges powerfully; get the motor spinning into the five-figure zone and it flies. It passes through a few high-frequency vibration patches that threaten to intrude on long journeys, but more bothersome is the motor's lack of urge at low rpm.

Bikes such as Triumph's glorious Speed Triple, the Ducati Monster S4R and Aprilia Tuono demonstrate perfectly how crucial low-rpm punch is to mainline excitement in a streetfighter, but the FZ1/Fazer can respond only with a weak "mwaaaarrr" from its intake system when - stutter - you open the throttle below 4,000rpm.

It accelerates, of course, but if you want that in capital letters, you have to bang it down a couple of gear ratios first, which isn't the same.

The basic handling is very good, offering rapid steering paired with exceptionally good high-speed stability, most noticeable on the unfaired FZ1. The bike sits solid and true and when the rider asks it to change direction, it - stutter - responds obediently.

At low speeds, the bike is well balanced and neutral, but the chassis package is spoilt by surprisingly poor-quality suspension. It's unexpected because Yamaha tends to pitch its bikes at the premium end of most sectors, justifying higher prices with better-quality components, in addition to which the old Fazer was very good in this respect.

After the strong sales performance of - stutter - the outgoing model, Yamaha certainly has big hopes for the new version. It is, however, disappointing in some respects, and - as you've probably guessed - has one especially annoying habit, which I'm coming to.

The new model has an unpleasantly harsh ride that is down to nothing more than poor-quality damping. The springing is quite firm, but that's no excuse for the fidgety jumpiness of the bike even on reasonable surfaces. I experimented more than usual with the damping adjusters, discovering that one fork leg deals solely with rebound damping while the other has compression damping only.

This, regardless of Yamaha's claims that the technology comes from its MotoGP bikes, is more - stutter - commonly found where cost-cutting is a priority. All my efforts only made the bike feel worse anyway, and indeed almost unrideable on a bad road with the damping firmed up.

This is a pity because the more compact riding position than the old bike's, along with the underlying good handling and its 51 per cent forward weight bias, should make this an absolute hoot on a twisty road. Well, if only there was more low-rev torque for the tighter corners, and if only it wasn't for that... stutter.

The stutter dominated my impressions of the bike. Even if the suspension had been class leading, the motor silky smooth and bursting with low-rev torque, I'd still walk away - there are far too many much better options out there. Specifically, every time you open the throttle from fully closed, the motor hesitates, then the power surges in.

It's made worse by the non-linear action of the twistgrip: a small amount of movement has the bike accelerating hard (as long as the revs are above 4,000rpm), so the hesitation is followed by an exaggerated lurch forward. I didn't ride pillion on a Fazer but I imagine it would be a nightmare (at least the rider knows when it's coming).

As for our ride along the stunning Franschhoek Pass to the east of Cape Town - a smooth, grippy and sinuous line snaking through sun-baked mountainous terrain - this was completely spoilt by the tiresome throttle response. Even the parade of British-registered XK Jaguars on their own press launch wasn't distraction enough.

The combination of stutter and jiggly ride wore me out, and at the end of the day I was glad to get off the bike. Some riders suggested there were things about the bike that compensate for this, but I disagree: no matter how outstanding a bike might be (and the FZ1/Fazer isn't, anyway), it takes only one bad trait to spoil the way it rides. If a motorcycle irritates you, its good points are irrelevant and you need a different one.
JB
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Lid geworden op: vr 05 nov, 2004 14:53

Bericht door JB »

Ff samengevat voor diegenen die wat minder goed zijn in hun Engels:

slechte punten:
De fiets stottert, wat zich vertaalt in een aarzeling bij gas open, waarna de motor plotseling versnelt. Ook reageert het gas niet lineair.
De vering is van de goedkope soort, te hard door te stijve veren en niet goed gedempt.
Er is te weinig vermogen onderin.

goede punten:
De naakte versie ziet er goed uit, de gekuipte wat minder.
Snel stuurgedrag en uitzonderlijk goede stabiliteit bij hoge snelheden. Bij lage snelheden goed uitgebalanceerd en neutraal.

Eindconclusie is dat de tester blij was dat hij van de motor af mocht.... vooral door het stotteren.


Ach ja, het blijft één mening van één tester. Mogelijk zijn de geteste motoren ook nog van de pre-productie serie.
J.W.
105,2 kW
Berichten: 1444
Lid geworden op: di 02 nov, 2004 16:54

Bericht door J.W. »

Zal altijd zo blijven,dat het ene journalist van Motorblad "A" er goed over te spreken is,en die andere van motorblad "B " het een kolere ding vindt :wink:

De tijd zal het leren.
JB
105,2 kW
Berichten: 954
Lid geworden op: vr 05 nov, 2004 14:53

Bericht door JB »

Mee eens. Het blijft mensenwerk, dat testen. Bovendien vraag ik me af hoe het zit met bepaalde financiële belangen......

De enige manier om écht wat meer te weten is zelf een proefrit te maken.
JB
105,2 kW
Berichten: 954
Lid geworden op: vr 05 nov, 2004 14:53

Bericht door JB »

Las net dat een vrij bekende tester, Alan Cathcart, de FZ1 heeft getest voor Cycle news. Cathcart staat er om bekend dat hij vrijwel altijd een accuraat oordeel heeft en de kritiek niet spaart.....

Volgens hem is de nieuwe FZ1 de "bijna perfecte allrounder"........

Hij geeft wel aan dat de FZ1 onder de 6000 toeren niet écht hard trekt, maar noemt de Euro 3 emissie eisen als belangrijkste oorzaak daarvoor.
Verder vindt hij de remmen wel redelijk, maar niet bijterig genoeg.
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