Anyone do a purchase off the web for their FZ8

[mckshred]

I couldn't find a thread for this - so if one exists please point me towards it and accept my thank you.
I'm still looking for an FZ8 and wondered if anyone purchased from the web. Tell us what you paid, who it was purchased from, how you got it home and the overall experience. Thanks!

 

[hypo]

nope most of us walked right into the dealership to touch and feel and fall in love...

 

[Camo]

I rode it for almost an hour before I'd decided it was my next bike.
I don't know that I could buy a bike online. Gear and parts I buy online but a new bike is a big loss if it goes south.

Just be careful I guess

 

[diz]

It's my first bike, so I wouldn't know what to look for on a test drive anyway. I tried to sit on it on motorcycle exhibition and in dealership. After that I sent few emails to authorized dealerships in region and asked for offer. After some mail conversation, i chosen one. Send an email with order. One short phone call, prepayment (~35%) and in one week I had a call that my fazer is waiting and feels sad without me...

 

[mckshred]

Thanks

Oh - I'm in love and it's my next bike. I did see, touch it and I am hooked, just not for the price the 'stealer' wants. So I am exploring my options. It's not a question of 'what' bike, but 'how much' and 'where' can I get it.

 

[highoctane]

if your buying from a dealer, and they are reputable I dont think you would have a problem. this is not uncommon to buy via internet allthough not done personally. I know people that have bought cars off ebay and had shipped by insured carriers. if you find the right deal you may find it being fairly esay to do. of course id check them and the carrier out. all im saying is this happens all the time.

 

[matt73]

I did plenty of research and window shopping and then found mine on the net at a dealer 12 hours away. I rang them and got some history on the bike. I had been watching it for a while and was surprised it hadn't been sold yet. The dealer had another store locally so I arranged for them to ship it down. I gave them a decent deposit to show I was serious but refused to pay the full amount until i had actually seen and ridden the bike.
The bike arrived and I am happy as Larry. Beware any pay pal transactions as there is a scam going around and don't hand over your money until you get the goods.

 

[Camo]

It's my first bike, so I wouldn't know what to look for on a test drive anyway. I tried to sit on it on motorcycle exhibition and in dealership. After that I sent few emails to authorized dealerships in region and asked for offer. After some mail conversation, i chosen one. Send an email with order. One short phone call, prepayment (~35%) and in one week I had a call that my fazer is waiting and feels sad without me...

I may be speaking out of turn but I don't think this is a good first bike.
Sure the FZ8 isn't a super sport but it's far from an entry level bike in my opinion.
You may want to consider or at least look into a bike better suited to your needs.
I started on a Honda CB400 and remember being extremely nervous of the power I had at a twist of the throttle haha! It took me a bit to get used to it and even then there was enough there for me to get myself into tricky situations.

The FZ8 is very forgiving but I still think it's alot of bike for the inexperienced.
It's a hard lesson to unlearn if you bite off more then you can chew on the road.
Ride safe pal.

 

[diz]

Well, my first choice was fz6, however Yamaha stopped producing it.
My other criteria were:
1. I wanted new bike
2. I wanted bike with ABS
3. I wanted bike strong enough for 2 passengers

I was pretty afraid from power of fz8, however today I know that it was good decision.

I'm almost 30 years old, and I don't have little racer in me (at least on public roads). I have ~4000km in 3 months and 1 week, and most of the time I was using up to 6000rpm. Of course I'm slowly adding revs, however I still have a respect. I was on a small circuit once - I tried there how is it when one adds to much power on corner exit, or downshifts with wrong speed/rpms. I was practicing emergency braking, turning etc on parking lot several times. I have read few books about riding...

In other words, as of today I didn't experienced any critical situation caused by inappropriate power usage and I'm trying train deliberately to avoid it.

So yes it's not best bike for novice, but I know it and trying to behave accordingly.

 

[hypo]

If you respect the power, the bike, and the affects that your decision as a rider will cause, and you should enjoy the bike tremendously.

 

[mckshred]

Can I suggest taking a MSF course to gain confidence if you want a FZ8 as your first bike?

It's my first bike, so I wouldn't know what to look for on a test drive anyway. I tried to sit on it on motorcycle exhibition and in dealership. After that I sent few emails to authorized dealerships in region and asked for offer. After some mail conversation, i chosen one. Send an email with order. One short phone call, prepayment (~35%) and in one week I had a call that my fazer is waiting and feels sad without me...

Check out a local Motorcylce Safety Foundation course if you need to gain more experience riding. They usually have an assortment of beginner courses and bikes to ride.

I don't work for MSF or instruct. Just trying to provide constructive advice here. They offer a 2 day Beginner course in my area and it's worth the appx. $250 to keep you safe if you are new to riding. Plus they do the license testing there so you don't have to test at the DMV to get your M class license.

I have about 50k riding experience on both a (Seca 750cc/900F) street bikes and took the course to regain familiarity and confirm I was ready to jump back into street riding, as it has been a few years since I owned my last bike. (See SECA 750, CB900F)