Yamaha FZ-09?

[ChuckPeazy]

I want the headlight. That's all.

 

[decooney]

It's too bad they could not have kept the FZ8 four cylinder version, made a new FZ6 three cylinder version (instead of FZ 09), and a sweet little FZ5 twin cylinder to compete in the new 500cc category. I'd consider a little FZ5 for ripping round locally if they made one.

I ride casually with friends who have FZ1s and the older FZ6s, the FZ8 is the perfect fit between the two camps and I never feel out of place riding up or down in scale. Kinda bummed to see they let go of the FZ8. Hopefully this FZ 09 does well for Yamaha.

 

[Bajaedition]

Another point is America is all about big spaces. Mid range bikes just don't do as well as in the tighter confines of Europe.
Touring bikes do great here, look at Harley's lineup. In tighter places I imagine a 800 is a nice cc size. Here we consider anything under a 1000 a beginners bike.

 

[decooney]

Maybe in ~10 years they'll be worth more than we paid?

I started looking for a collectors version R1 or a Ducati Monster or a Honda CB1000R a while ago and got hooked on the FZ8. Fell in love with the way it looked DAY-1. After doing a bit of research (like others here) I bought two 2012 FZ8s with a friend on the same day. We got a ridiculously good deal on them during a closeout holiday sale in 2012. Sort of strange - when all the FZ8s sold out in 2012 across the US, the new 2013 models came out in Black/Blue, it seemed like the used prices started going up again for the 2012 Matte Gray version with Gold forks. Been sort of tracking it for a while now, watching what sells and what does not. To this day, I continue to see used 2012s sell for more than what we paid for ours. And, they don't come up for sale as much as they did last year. I typically buy stuff, ride it for a few years, and sell it. Now I'm thinking I might keep my 2012 FZ8 for a while. I enjoy oddity stuff, limited production bikes, etc. Will be fun to track the FZ8 and see if its keeps its following and what happens with the new FZ 09. Do like the fact the new FZ 09 bike is 856cc, 50lbs lighter, and a little more torque is a good sign. I'd bet the used value of the FZ8 will partly depend on just how good this new FZ 09 is and how fun it is to ride.

 

[decooney]

Another point is America is all about big spaces. Mid range bikes just don't do as well as in the tighter confines of Europe.
Touring bikes do great here, look at Harley's lineup. In tighter places I imagine a 800 is a nice cc size. Here we consider anything under a 1000 a beginners bike.

Depends on where you live in America and CA. I live in NorCal, much different than the desert and open spaces. Many tight roads and dirt trails for single track dirt, and lighter weight midrange road bikes, super motards, riding mountain roads, etc. Tons of Harleys here too, but the midrange bikes tend to dominate on the tighter mountain roads. Lots of under 1000cc bikes here too. Gaining in popularity in fact. Got rid of my Harley to get back into midrange bikes.

 

[Bajaedition]

Trust me love the mid range stuff. Just ppointing out the general outlook in America

 

[TheDogsWeed]

Nice rant
I have always thought Yamaha was a quality bike. A bit ahead of S and K.
But behind Honda a bit. And not worried about spread in the lineup. And they do have a nice lineup including Star
So I need a bit to think on that rant

Agreed, love me a Yamaha. I started with a Ninja 250 and would love Yamaha to put out something comparable in the USA. I just have an affinity for small cc bikes.

 

[TheDogsWeed]

Another point is America is all about big spaces. Mid range bikes just don't do as well as in the tighter confines of Europe.
Touring bikes do great here, look at Harley's lineup. In tighter places I imagine a 800 is a nice cc size. Here we consider anything under a 1000 a beginners bike.

I toured for a month on a Ninja 250 and had more fun on that bike than any since.

 

[FZ8canuk]

Do you guys think the 50th anniversary edition of the FZ8 will gain in value since it was a limited run of a now short production run bike?

 

[Bajaedition]

ROFL

 

[Bajaedition]

I toured for a month on a Ninja 250 and had more fun on that bike than any since.

Looks like you need to go back then

Fav bike I ever had was a GS 850

 

[decooney]

Sound?

Just found this crude intro video of the new FZ 09.

Sort of sounds like the stock FZ8 exhaust to me. Need to hear it with aftermarket exhaust. It reportedly revs a little faster than the FZ8. Would like to see the dyno charts, and where the real torque begins and ends.

New Yamaha MT09 2014 intro - YouTube

 

[decooney]

Do you guys think the 50th anniversary edition of the FZ8 will gain in value since it was a limited run of a now short production run bike?

Hard to say. Very possible. There is a different buyer group willing to pay more for the anniversary bikes vs. the mainstream production bikes. In the case of the FZ8, we now know they did not make and sell that many. My favorite is definitely the 2012 Matte Gray and Black bike with Gold forks though. Looks menacing, reminds me of an MV Agusta or something. Looks likes its moving when its sitting.

 

[TheDogsWeed]

Looks like you need to go back then

Fav bike I ever had was a GS 850

LoL. Can't give up the 8's hauling capacity nor ease of long hauls on the interstate.

 

[DanS]

I'm with cambo. When i saw the 8 on the showroom it definitely caught my eye, and the more I looked at it the more I liked it. I probably read every review on the internet as well. This new one does none of that for me, I just don't think its attractive. Not something I'll be looking into much, if at all

First time I saw the 8 was just days after buying my previous Suzuki, I never really liked Suzy much after that but a little over a year later mounted this sexy beast FZ8 Best trade I've ever made!
Looking at the MT-09 from the front, the instrument panel looks out of place. I think it would look better shrouded.

 

[decooney]

I guess they call it MT-09 in Japan and FZ 09 in the US.

There are recent videos of the MT-09 from Japan starting to pop up on Youtube now.

 

[97audia4]

ill go test ride one at the dealer and see how it feels when they come out and if I like it better than the 8 ill trader her in even though the value has dropped so much on the 8 its crazy

 

[dtbrown]

Wow much more refined design. As much as I love my 8 compared to more current bikes the a lot of the fz8 hasn't changed for many years. Just little changes but the refinement isn't comparable to current naked bikes.

The fz-09 looks way more modern with design and fitment. Little things like the tail light with it's LED, the controls are finally updated to modern style, underside exhaust and what seems to be better design air delivery for better power with a more efficient more powerful 3cyl motor. I like it a lot. Headlight looks great lit up. A lot of room to customize. I hope they bring it to the states.

And with 115hp and only weighing 415lbs it'll be a screamer. Hope pricing about 9k or lower.

 

[thor]

I like it

Overall, I think it looks like a great step forward for yamaha and I'm excited to see what else they can do with the triple platform. However, the small gas tank is a bit of a non-starter for me...

Two nitpicks: a) the tail light looks like an afterthought, 2) I'm not a big fan of LCD tachs, as they tend to get lost in the sun.

 

[decooney]

Looking forward, I wonder if they will use this new 3 cylinder platform and build a light new 850cc Adventure bike to compete with the Triumph Tiger 800xc dirt version. Now that would be bad ass. Sign me up!