time to upgrade?

[agf]

Hi folks,
this year the Naked Wazp turns 10. So I'm thinking its maybe time to venture to the showrooms and start the hunt in earnest.

I have been looking at specs on a range of bikes but it comes down to $$$ and the bang for buck

I have looked at Guzzis and I have looked at Ducatis- when I wasnt thinking of how much $$$ I had to play with
I looked at the MT07 and the MT09 too much plastic on the 7 and I didnt like the reviews on suspension on the earlier versions
I really dont like the look of the MT 09 in its current form and the SP too me is just ugly!
But I do like the nakedness of the XSR900

So far sticking with the three tuning forks seems like it will keep me happy.

What are opinons of the troops? Interested in your thoughts
cheers
ade

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

IMO, you got your bike the way you want it, serves you well and is as dependable as a rock.. Best yet, there is NO other bike (with your custom paint) that looks like yours!!

Un-less you need a different style bike (say you going to do off road riding and need an appropriate bike for that) fine..

I'd be looking at different forums about the different model bikes and see "what the issues are with them". Can you get parts, decent SERVICE, price of parts, maintenance schedule, etc IE, The Kawasaki Concours 1400 requires valve checks every 6,000 miles! And that bike is WAY more involved (plastic/parts) AND expensive if your paying someone..

I was up to 4 bikes (G0ldwing, FJR1300, KLR250) when I bought my FZ in 2009 (as a beater to replace the KLR). I didn't do anymore LD rides, had issues with the Honda and the KLR needed a crank bearing every 32,000 miles (sold at 26,000 miles).

I fell in love with the FZ, replaced all the broke parts the PO incurred (layed down several times) and did my mods to suit me. Just did my valve adjustment (was not looking forward to that but good for ANOTHER 26,600 miles!). Needless to say, unless this FZ gets wrecked, I'm keeping it (and no other bikes-just more maintenance)

Lastly, the designs (looks) of the newer bikes (most), IMO, are generally ugly as heck. I want to ride something that looks sharp, that I like to look at... Somewhat like you, I believe I have the ONLY FZ6 in my county, DIFFERENT, but sharp! Many HD's(don't care for HDs) and 75% of bikes on the road are Harleys (down here)..

 

[agf]

Hi Scott I'm hearing you on the looks of many bikes new to the market! I'm thinking of taking advantage of a bike that still looks like a bike, a naked bike at that, riding modes, traction control ABS, a triple with torque throughout rev range.

This change over wil probably be the bike I ride for the next ten years and then I'll be nearly 70 so who knows what I'll be looking at then.

 

[Motogiro]

The XSR900 is a smart looking bike. That triple is a great motor with an awesome powerband. We had a rider with one in our SoCalHoons group ride. It definitely peaked my interest. Looked well made with good components and has that tuning fork heritage.
I admit the newer sharp angular fairing designs from Yamaha are not my favorite.
I liked the XSR900 because even though it was aimed at retro inspired bikes, it was not really a retro bike with the components and technology. I think Yamaha did a good job on this bike and put it in the group of bikes I'd be happy to own if I want to be naked.
I can totally see Ade on this machine!

 

[bigborer]

Time to upgrade comes when:
-reliability becomes an issue
-repairs require unreasonable resources
-newer models are vastly superior

Other than that, it's upgrading "just because". Nothing wrong with that, but I try to ask myself the following:
-will I actually benefit from the upgrade, or I'm just doing it because that's what the industry brain washed me to do?
-will I actually benefit from the upgrade, or I'm just doing it because all my friends have newer bikes?
-will I actually benefit from the upgrade, or I'm just doing it because it will make me feel good/better (for the first 30 seconds after the purchase)?

Apart from a few electronic gizmos (which might or might not be actually useful to you) bikes are pretty much identical today to how they were in the early 2000s. Didn't see anything about suspension in your sig- if you got something like an Andreani cartridge fork kit and Hagon rear shock you'd pay around 1000 USD and entirely transform your bike. If you weigh 75 to 85 kg for the front you might get away with a simple 03-04 R6 fork swap. The FZ6 is (still) a solid platform - with it's suspension upgraded and properly set up for your weight and riding style it will out ride and out corner a stock xsr900/mt 09.

 

[Cloggy]

I love the engine in my MT-09, it's great, plenty of umph and always available. Personally I'm not really into modern Retro bikes, especially when paying those kind of prices. My Tracer (MT-09) may not be the prettiest but it's very practical, with a topbox and intergrated heated grips (maybe not so necessary in Oz). If you buy a new bike read up on the weak points, the first Tracers had problems with the oil cooler corroding very quickly but the later models were fitted with a new part. Good luck in your search Adee
::thumbup:

 

[agf]

I gotta say that the fizzer is still a great looking bike and I still get comments asking if its new. Your right Scott about it being the only one like it and it still rides like a dream.

I like the concept of ABS and configuring ride power delivery options- and to be honest from my POV they are concepts, having never had or used them.

I will continue to explore and I'll take an XSR for a test ride to see what they are like- I might hate it!

bigborer makes very valid comments (particularly about that 30 second glee timeframe). If I decide to bite the bullet I have to include in the whole process that the FZ has all the mods that I wanted to include and the XSR doesn't-yet..... and it will add $$$$ to undertake what I have already done to mine. Cloggy too makes a good call on checking for weaknesses and I have cruised the FZ-09 site, the XSR is a sub page sort of thing, but I havnt read heaps.

All really good points to make one think (I might be saving a bucketload of cash here and spending it on a trip to Europe instead!- haha)
thanks for input, but anyone else with an opinion, I'm more than happy to hear from you

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Something to consider as well ( I did in 2004 when I ordered my FJR-do I get with or W/O ABS? ) is all the new gadgetry.

I did NOT get the ABS on purpose, just one more thing to break, get air in, maintain, etc). Been riding 48 years, I know how to stop and NEVER dropped a street bike while in operation.

If you got a new bike every couple of years (or sold once the extended warranty expired), no problem.

You keep your bike a long time and obviously take care of it.

The longer you have a newer bike with more electric crap, the more stuff there is to fail.

The switchable power modes are neat (per the FJR forum), electric suspension, etc, but price out a new Yamaha "electric" rear shock-it ain't cheap.


My local Yamaha dealer will NOT work on ANYTHING OLDER than 7 years... WTH?


I've always preferred KISS (keep it simple stupid)…

Just my 2ct's..

 

[bigborer]

My local Yamaha dealer will NOT work on ANYTHING OLDER than 7 years... WTH?

This is one of the multiple planned obsolescence (scare) tactics used by the stealerships worldwide. The more setbacks the customer has in maintaining their current product - purposefully overpriced parts, purposefully prolonged lead times, or plain simple refusal of service if the product reached a certain age- the more likely it is that the customer will just give up and buy a new replacement. More so, this helps them save money as it's cheaper to only train a borderline retarded wrench monkey to swap consumables on a few current models. Older bikes mean more complicated repairs (more training and better skilled aka higher salary mechanics) and additional models to be familiar with (or waste unbillable time reading shop manuals).

 

[Paul Myrus]

If I was to upgrade so to speak, it would be a street triple r, prob 2012 or 2013 model. In saying that the wind protection aint there over 80mph. I can cruise on my FZ6 semi faired at 110 mph. The only reason I would upgrade is for abs and traction control, but a steering dampner and using common sense when riding kinda eliminates rider aids kinda. Best of luck in your search man.