[added a few more items to this, now that I have ridden over 2,000 miles]
Hi Guys,
Just bought my faired Fazer 8, 2011. Mine also has;
Oxford Heated Grips
SatNav with built into the bike charger
Akro can
R&G protection here and there and everywhere
Hugger
Hence this review is biased towards a bike with the above in it. I am also trying to write the review against the competition, rather than comparing it to an R1, BMW S1000 or a Ducati Multistrada!
Using MCN type of titles below
Engine
+ Very very torquey, great for town or motorway blasts
+ Lots of grunt
+ Bliss not having the horrible vibes/vibrations of a twin when on a long motorway stretch. I can still feel my hands and feet afterwards
+ Compared to some of the competition (eg F800's) it has way more power and it shows when you accelerate
+ Yamaha obviously spent a lot of time making sure that the "30mph" area is very sweet without glitches and it shows. Having to stick to the limit is easy on 2nd or 3rd without fuel glitches around it, it feels comfortable
+ Good fuelling with no glitches or surges
- Not the power and grunt of the FZ1, but for the price of my Fazer 8 I could only get a 2008 FZ1 with a bucket load of miles on it. I prefer my F8
- Get in traffic and your thighs will start getting hot... I think I can cook a barbecue down there. Real shame this is an issue
Ride & Handling
+ My Akro can makes it sound oh so good
+ Easy in town and motorway
+ Good for general riding. If you do lots of different road types, good bike
+ Quick and easy to get on with
+ Enough power to get you excited when you want to
+ Flickable
+ Great bike if you accept it as a "Jack of all trades". It is a great bike for someone who can only have 1 in the garage, like me
+ Generally a fun bike allowing you to enjoy all road types
- Not as light on the weight side as some competition. Yes its flickable, but not quite like a Triumph Triple, which I think every bike finds difficult to beat
- No steering damper, which comes standard with an F800S/ST and a few competitors
- I'm happy to do short weekends away, but wouldn't go full touring on it. Then again, this is not a touring bike! This is a do it all bike. Its a "Jack of all trades, master of F@@k all" so we need to accept it for what it is
Equipment
+ Usual items all available online (cans, screens, mods etc)
+ Plenty on ebay and other sites
+ Easy bike to work with when adding items or mods
+ ABS standard, big plus for those of us doing late night riding in winter
+ Some cheap parts available
- Doesn't have all the BMW toys as standard (heated grips, gear indicator etc)
- No gear indicator
- No centre stand
- For the buy price, considering its a do it all, things like gear indicator or centre stand etc should probably have come as standard
- Side stand randomly in between footpeg and gear change, not a huge issue but what was Yamaha thinking!?! Fiddly to get out every time
Quality
+ Feels sturdy, a bit like a Russian tank. If you drop it, it will rub the dirt off its knees and get up again
+ Feels good quality for the price, but needs to be cleaned if winter riding
+ Feels way higher quality than Suzuki (eg GSFs), but lower than BMW. Believe on par or near with Honda
+ Good service intervals, recognised you can service it yourself easily enough
- Not quite BMW finish, but lets face it you are not paying BMW price
- Stuff will go furry in winter if not looked after
Value
+ Second hand it was a great deal, competition had nothing near it for the same year / all the extra goodies I have on that buy price
+ Reasonable ish insurance considering the power it has
+ Reasonable service costs
- Yes, in UK it is quite expensive new
- Me being able to buy so much bike at such a great price means it must depreciate quicker than some of the competition
General
+ Looks good, especially from a "sideways and back" angle
+ Always considered too expensive when new in the UK, but used prices are very reasonable compared to competition (such as VFRs and BMW F800s)
+ For the first time, I have a bike where I am getting lots of people looking at it as I stop at traffic lights every so often
- Does not have the same cult following as F800s and VFRs
- Not that many of them out there, we can get lots of spare parts, but not as wide as some of the competition
For me, its the bike I will probably keep for many years to come. That Akro can is excellent and I love the mix of easy flickable riding and power. Triumph Triple would be nice, but it does not have ABS or a nice fairing with tall screen protecting me for winter and motorways. For someone needing a general all rounder with a bit more oomph and spice than some of the competition, this could be it for you. I also think the Yamaha reliability mixed with reasonable parts prices is an important factor for someone wanting to do a lot of all year riding.
To finish off - what do you call a motorbike who has decided to go into comedy?
Yamahahahahaha
Hi Guys,
Just bought my faired Fazer 8, 2011. Mine also has;
Oxford Heated Grips
SatNav with built into the bike charger
Akro can
R&G protection here and there and everywhere
Hugger
Hence this review is biased towards a bike with the above in it. I am also trying to write the review against the competition, rather than comparing it to an R1, BMW S1000 or a Ducati Multistrada!
Using MCN type of titles below
Engine
+ Very very torquey, great for town or motorway blasts
+ Lots of grunt
+ Bliss not having the horrible vibes/vibrations of a twin when on a long motorway stretch. I can still feel my hands and feet afterwards
+ Compared to some of the competition (eg F800's) it has way more power and it shows when you accelerate
+ Yamaha obviously spent a lot of time making sure that the "30mph" area is very sweet without glitches and it shows. Having to stick to the limit is easy on 2nd or 3rd without fuel glitches around it, it feels comfortable
+ Good fuelling with no glitches or surges
- Not the power and grunt of the FZ1, but for the price of my Fazer 8 I could only get a 2008 FZ1 with a bucket load of miles on it. I prefer my F8
- Get in traffic and your thighs will start getting hot... I think I can cook a barbecue down there. Real shame this is an issue
Ride & Handling
+ My Akro can makes it sound oh so good
+ Easy in town and motorway
+ Good for general riding. If you do lots of different road types, good bike
+ Quick and easy to get on with
+ Enough power to get you excited when you want to
+ Flickable
+ Great bike if you accept it as a "Jack of all trades". It is a great bike for someone who can only have 1 in the garage, like me
+ Generally a fun bike allowing you to enjoy all road types
- Not as light on the weight side as some competition. Yes its flickable, but not quite like a Triumph Triple, which I think every bike finds difficult to beat
- No steering damper, which comes standard with an F800S/ST and a few competitors
- I'm happy to do short weekends away, but wouldn't go full touring on it. Then again, this is not a touring bike! This is a do it all bike. Its a "Jack of all trades, master of F@@k all" so we need to accept it for what it is
Equipment
+ Usual items all available online (cans, screens, mods etc)
+ Plenty on ebay and other sites
+ Easy bike to work with when adding items or mods
+ ABS standard, big plus for those of us doing late night riding in winter
+ Some cheap parts available
- Doesn't have all the BMW toys as standard (heated grips, gear indicator etc)
- No gear indicator
- No centre stand
- For the buy price, considering its a do it all, things like gear indicator or centre stand etc should probably have come as standard
- Side stand randomly in between footpeg and gear change, not a huge issue but what was Yamaha thinking!?! Fiddly to get out every time
Quality
+ Feels sturdy, a bit like a Russian tank. If you drop it, it will rub the dirt off its knees and get up again
+ Feels good quality for the price, but needs to be cleaned if winter riding
+ Feels way higher quality than Suzuki (eg GSFs), but lower than BMW. Believe on par or near with Honda
+ Good service intervals, recognised you can service it yourself easily enough
- Not quite BMW finish, but lets face it you are not paying BMW price
- Stuff will go furry in winter if not looked after
Value
+ Second hand it was a great deal, competition had nothing near it for the same year / all the extra goodies I have on that buy price
+ Reasonable ish insurance considering the power it has
+ Reasonable service costs
- Yes, in UK it is quite expensive new
- Me being able to buy so much bike at such a great price means it must depreciate quicker than some of the competition
General
+ Looks good, especially from a "sideways and back" angle
+ Always considered too expensive when new in the UK, but used prices are very reasonable compared to competition (such as VFRs and BMW F800s)
+ For the first time, I have a bike where I am getting lots of people looking at it as I stop at traffic lights every so often
- Does not have the same cult following as F800s and VFRs
- Not that many of them out there, we can get lots of spare parts, but not as wide as some of the competition
For me, its the bike I will probably keep for many years to come. That Akro can is excellent and I love the mix of easy flickable riding and power. Triumph Triple would be nice, but it does not have ABS or a nice fairing with tall screen protecting me for winter and motorways. For someone needing a general all rounder with a bit more oomph and spice than some of the competition, this could be it for you. I also think the Yamaha reliability mixed with reasonable parts prices is an important factor for someone wanting to do a lot of all year riding.
To finish off - what do you call a motorbike who has decided to go into comedy?
Yamahahahahaha
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