What annoys you in your FZ8?

impostor1981

New member
As above,

What are the points that you feel could be improved on FZ8 to make it better bike.

I will start with:

- To soft front susspension
- Not enough ground clearance in turns (I am catching pegs)
- Seat makes me slide down towards the tank
 

FZ8Grid

New member
As above,
- Not enough ground clearance in turns (I am catching pegs)
- Seat makes me slide down towards the tank

How far are you leaning to be doing that? FZ are not track bikes they are street bikes and are designed around that. If you want to get a 90Deg angle around turns then look at the r6 or r1.

Not a fair complaint imo.

Tank grips will solve your slipping problem. This is also common with the FZ series in my circles. Just have to use your knees.
 

beefcake morris

New member
I love how the bike is setup performance wise. The only thing I have been doing is cosmetic mods.

I will always say if you going to mod your bike for performance, the first thing should be suspension. It is the most over looked item.
 

lothodon

Super Moderator
since i came from two r1's i'm not interested in turning my fz8 into a 'rocket' or race bike so performance wise i'm VERY happy with it.

i'd get rid of the seat for a corbin (if they make one) but other than that i'm very satisfied.

i haven't dragged a peg yet but it's mostly because wisconsin (my part anyway) doesn't have roads friendly enought to do so. just because it's not a "race" bike doesn't mean you can't lean!!!!

the grey painted bars irked me the most, as do the cheap covers on the foot peg covers. both of which i fixed myself though.
 

Hereward

New member
As above,

What are the points that you feel could be improved on FZ8 to make it better bike.

I will start with:

- To soft front susspension
- Not enough ground clearance in turns (I am catching pegs)
- Seat makes me slide down towards the tank

A fellow UK rider!
Don't find any of those things anoying, front's absaloutly fine though full range of adjustment front and rear would have been a nice addition, ground clearence..........slow up a bit in corners....problem solved or hang of it more LOL....seat, nope don't slide down it, it was hardish at first but you get used to it LOL

Foot peg rubbers agree
RH mirror vibrates at speed
radiator hoses look an after thought
Standard end can ........

The majority of stuff is cosmetics but thats the thing with street bikes you change out stuff to fit your own personal tastes. FZ8 is a very good bike, overlooked in the UK due to the popularity of 600's and the FZ1 and not forgetting the street triple.......and yeah I'm one of those who dosn't like them, I'm in the minoroty I know :)
 

impostor1981

New member
How far are you leaning to be doing that? FZ are not track bikes they are street bikes and are designed around that. If you want to get a 90Deg angle around turns then look at the r6 or r1.

Not a fair complaint imo.

See that's the point, I do not lean that far. Pegs are scrapping and there is still about 1 - 2mm of the edge of the tyre not used (chicken stripe) and the front suspension dives in to much under hard braking.

Do not get me wrong I am not complaining, I love the bike, otherwise I would change it long time ago. It is exactly what I needed.
When I am riding with guys on super-sports I keep up with them no problem and when I go for couple of days trips around the UK my back and bottom does not suffer any more than guys' on VFRs, GSX1250F, CB1000F or FJ1200 which are proper touring bikes.

I think that Yamaha made absolutely perfect bike to fit exactly in the middle of Sports Tourers, but adjustable front would make it possible to customize the settings to riders preferences. Sport riding - stiffer, touring - softer.

Although fantastic bike and fun to ride
 

Hereward

New member
Jack of all trades master of none LOLFirst up 1-2mm chicken strips, are you taking your tablets? Anyway, The FZ8 (naked) is happy in the twisties, can bring a grin to your face in a straight line at about 7k is happy to sit in traffic all day (though the fans will eventualy cook your legs) It will sit on the motorway/freeway all day (though the wind will tire you eventualy) It looks prety evil and dose stand out from the crowd, you can customize it till the cows come home and it's prety bomb proof engineering wise........there are plenty of bikes that can do any of these individual things better than the FZ8, theres not many that can do all the things the FZ8 can do to the same level...........can anyone think of one? Kawasaki Z750? nope? Street tripple? nope? ducati monster? nope? honda hornet? nope but nearly, Suzuki Bandit? nope..........For those looking for an allrounder with street fighter looks and performance balanced with usability on the road not the track then the FZ8 has it all!.......1-2mm chicken strips :rolleyes:
 

FZ8Grid

New member
For those looking for an allrounder with street fighter looks and performance balanced with usability on the road not the track then the FZ8 has it all :rolleyes:

I agree 100%

I wasnt trying to be harsh or anything by my original post. I learned to lean pretty far and hadnt had an issue, but thats not my typical ride style either.
I take it as a warning mark to make sure im not trying to push the bike to hard in leans.

I love the style. Iv always wanted a ducati street fighter, but 1059cc, the price tag, and the price to keep it maintained is just not for me. The look however is and the FZ8 fits my style perfectly. I plan to get back on her next season after my leg heals up, but with the 2012 modle.


I will also agree with the engin almost being bomb proof support wise. Even after my wreck (from a kid pulling out in front of me going 40mph) it would still turn over and sounded like she always did (giving you that get on and lets ride hum). Even with the bike mangled it was all in tact, but the part of the frame that hold the forks was bent and warped.

Only thing i would change is maybe a seat that held you up more so your knees dont have to keep you from hitting the family jewls now and then.
 

impostor1981

New member
Hereward I dont think you red my post with understanding. I said that it is I perfect bike that fits in the middle, otherwise I would be riding something else, I just simply asked what annoys owners in their bikes.

In terms of pegs I looked at some of my friends bikes and learned that to give you more lean angle pegs do not have to be higher. If they were only shorter that would still give you comfortable touring position but more lean angle equals tighten turn and you do not really need track speed to lean your bike at the angle where pegs are catching ground. And reason I mentioned chicken strips was to demonstrate that the tyre is capable of doing even steeper lean if only bike would allow it to. Sometimes it is matter of riders safety (turns tightens suddenly and you would be able to safely lean the bike more but hard parts are starting to drag)

As I said it was just simply my moan ;)

And by starting this post I was thinking that more owners might have some different issues and others may help resolving them cheaper way then putting money in to aftermarket parts (that's easy enough)
 
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Hereward

New member
LOL wasn't having a dig imposter, I was simply jumping in politely before someone got the wrong end of the stick.......you come on an FZ8 forum and say bad things about FZ8's..........spanish inquisition time LOL

Pegs....positioned too low? maybe but I find them comfy where they are and if you know where the bikes lean limit is then just give yourself a bit of a margin, or change the peg position. It;s another trade off, comfy touring peg position against squating frog race rep peg position.

Seat......yep you can slide down it into the tank if you aint gripping hard enough with your knees, again a tade off with the shape of the tank and the rake of the seat, more race rep than touring in this case. I think also the reach to the bars can adsadurate things under heavy braking, sit upright, brace arms, brake heavy and with the pegs being slightly to the rear you got to clamp your knees or you'll naturaly move foreward......pillion seat is far worse for slideing around on though LOL

Like every bike it has it's quirks but being a jack of all trades it has more than usual, adapting to them soon becomes second nature and theres nothing I've found yet that bugs the hell out of me., not even the huge 1st gear LOL

When you let the bike just flow on a set of fast twisty roads keeping it up around the 7-8k mark the thing just stuns you every time.....

Quick vid in homage of all of us who ride nakeds....yes an idiot but if your going to go out then on the back af a FZ one handed at 150 looking like a cow in a chrome helmet is prety much perfect......41 seconds is all I'm saying and sorry for going a bit off topic :)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VOY-ft6U1I&feature=player_embedded]‪Fz1 Ride 150+‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]
 

impostor1981

New member
Am not saying bad things about FZ8, I ride it myself and I am big fan of it. I am just being realistic and honest, thats all.

All the best
 

lothodon

Super Moderator
i myself thought this was a very cool thread. see what things you don't care for and your solutions as it's good to hear about what others have encountered and the steps they took (if any) to correct.

i don't ride aggressively to drag a peg as i stated but i know it's very doable on the stock setup. i don't let my chicken strips bother me as i enjoy my rides and don't give a ---- what other people think of my tire usage.

i am surprised how many users seem to want to turn their 8's into full on rockets. perhaps it's because i came from race replicas that it's not a desire of mine but it still surprises me. to each their own!
 

djcecil

New member
i don't want to turn mine into a rocket, but it is the first thing i bought myself nice enough to modify, and i do have a good job so i have an "allowance" that i can buy small things or save up a bit for the pipe/pc/etc. if i had full access to the cash, i'd have the same as that white one, plus new front suspension and fancy rearsets! i was stoked with it stock, and like making it look and run better than stock. but i am not dissapointed any day with still not having the pipe or pc or suspension. did a 500 mile round trip to go to a club for 3 hours, was not misserable at all, did a 425 mile round trip to get a part for big truck and only stayed 20 min did 80-100mph on that trip and still smiled when i got home. i love our bikes, had they put all the best goodies on them, we would have paid 11,000 instead of 8500 and then we would not be doing all these cool simple and complex mods to make them all one of a kind (or some are similar because we have such awesome taste)
 

mano1192

New member
One thing I think needs some help is the brakes are very mushy after a while. One of my next mods is to go with steel braided lines to counteract the soft braking.

And for those who think the front end dives too much under hard braking... LEARN TO BRAKE! The proper technique is to hit the rear a split second prior to the front, this aids in settling the suspension so that you do not get a hard dive in the front. Yo donht have to apply the rear brake much just enough to change the center of gravity of the bikes suspension. Its a easy technique to master quickly, you just have to practice. Search youtube for some tips on this. It helps tremendously in hard braking.
 

Künstler

New member
[lang=de]Hi everybody,

I am from Istanbul,Turkey..:)
Beside my BMW1150Rt for long journeys,I need always a street-city bike.Till last month I had my old 93 model zzr600.But for my age (57 years old..:),it becomes more and more hard to ride in traffic,also torture for that bike in city like Istanbul .
Maybe I cant say more with only 450km on spedoo,but,shortly its really good bike for street.
Mine is without ABS,and tested well in caotic traffic -(Istanbuls traffic is a mess..:(..---. I am 178cm and 105 kg.This bike were several times stopped very good against cars attack...:).I remember my old TDM850..It has good brakes,but susspension was very soft.I see many of you ,crtitises that back soft susspension FZ8.Yes its a bit soft,but I am happy with it till now.

Shortly its a very good looking bike.Eqzoust seems a bit ugly but sound (He,which sound ..?:)It is like a blender!..Maybe I need later different one for better sound.For the power of engine,I cant say something before 1500 km..

I wish you all a nice weekend.

Celal[/lang]
 
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DJK1505

Guest
The stock foot pegs and the grey handle bars are the biggest things for me. Although this will all be rectified by this weekend. I hate the rubber foot pegs!!!! I bought the Vortex rear sets, got a good price. They will arrive tomorrow, excited to change these out. And this weekend I am going to most likely remove the handle bars and take them to my friends shop to have them powder coated black. If not this weekend within the next two weeks. Other than those two things I really enjoy this bike. Does everything I need it to do and more, along with being very comfortable to ride and looks damn good!

DJ
 

Hereward

New member
The stock foot pegs and the grey handle bars are the biggest things for me. Although this will all be rectified by this weekend. I hate the rubber foot pegs!!!! I bought the Vortex rear sets, got a good price. They will arrive tomorrow, excited to change these out. And this weekend I am going to most likely remove the handle bars and take them to my friends shop to have them powder coated black. If not this weekend within the next two weeks. Other than those two things I really enjoy this bike. Does everything I need it to do and more, along with being very comfortable to ride and looks damn good!

DJ

Love the bars, but each to there own, pegs though I agree with you 100% Not found any I particularly like, though stock R1 units look ok. I've had a bit of a reighning in sesion of late, Got the tail tidy the Akrapovic end can mini LED indicators and the fly screen plus the rad guard.....I think the more that I do the more it detracts from the bike, and I love the bikes looks! think next is to spray that rad guard black, and just start de stickering the whole thing and getting everything subdued on the bike.
 
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DJK1505

Guest
SWEET!!!!!! The rear sets just showed up. Will be installing them tonight. Hopefully all goes well and I will have pics up tonight. I read somewhere someone had already painted their stock bars. Is there any pics out there? Can you give me the link, or PM me a few pics of what they look like?

Thanks!
 

Shleeve

New member
SWEET!!!!!! The rear sets just showed up. Will be installing them tonight. Hopefully all goes well and I will have pics up tonight. I read somewhere someone had already painted their stock bars. Is there any pics out there? Can you give me the link, or PM me a few pics of what they look like?

Thanks!

Can't wait for pics and your opinion, I want these so bad :)
 
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DJK1505

Guest
It was a hard decision between the Power commander or the rear sets. I was so tired of the rubber on my feet, and the bike has enough power for me right now I decided to go with the rear sets. As soon as I get them on I will get pics up and go for a long ride. Will let ya'll know!

DJ
 
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