Yamaha FZ-09 on a scale (pics)

[soihok]

Yes, ABS is a consideration.

I need to read up on more road tests before to commit though.

[BKKBike09]

Price isn't the main reason although it is about 25K Baht more, more of preference ( then again 25K baht isn't a lot when you consider crashing or not).

Do you own an MT-09 with ABS?

Have you really tested it out (tried to lock up), if so does tend to roll further than what you expected (as in momentarily releasing to avoid locking)?

Will try to read up on more road tests I think.

I'm waiting to see if they have a demonstrator. Interestingly enough I was going to go for the MT-07 until I saw the price difference, don't know why they are priced so similarly.

I'm waiting for a reply from the Yamaha distributor about waiting lists. Will buy one when I get there towards the end of September.

I've got an FZ-09 without ABS. There's currently no ABS option available here although I imagine Yam will offer it before too long. Most of my riding is in BKK. In 30 years of riding I must confess I've never actually owned or ridden a bike with ABS, so it wasn't a deal breaker for me on the FZ.

That said, if it had been available I would have spent the extra to get it. In the 3 months I've been riding the beast I've briefly locked up the front twice braking thanks to <deleted> who decided to either pull out from a soi without looking or (second time) turn across me. In my experience most city "oh s##t" moments are of this nature, when there's precious little to do other than max braking. That's when you might be glad of ABS, particularly if the road is also wet.

Don't forget this is a light and, in both A and STD modes, very powerful bike that accelerates extremely quickly So to my mind anything that helps you stop it quickly is a good idea. I'm currently toying with the idea of replacing the front pads with something more aggressive (HH rated). I've changed the lines for stainless but it doesn't really make that much difference.

Reading road tests is certainly interesting but there's no substitute for hands-on experience. Definitely try to get a test ride on both the ABS / non-ABS versions if you can.

It is curious that there's little difference between the 09 and 07 in pricing. Just another reason to get an 09! Enjoy.

[nikster]

^ The main reason for ABS is to prevent the wheel from locking up. Good job in not crashing BKKBike09!

If you brake as hard as you can *without* locking up the brakes, ABS won't kick in at all. So you can still do your best braking even if you have ABS.

[soihok]

Thanks for your comments BKK. Very helpful.

I think I will go for the ABS as the cost difference is not very large, the Yam dealer is prepared to place a resevation on a bike which is cool.

Now, what colour?

[soihok]

Reservation placed with Hong Leong in Singapore.

http://www.hlcorp.com.sg/motorcycles/index.asp

MT-09 ABS = 21,450 SG$

Colour as below.

Can't wait!!!

Edited August 7, 2014 by soihok

[JonnyF]

Congrats, I'm thinking I might get one of these to replace my Ninja 250 as a BKK bike. The lack of a screen was putting me off as I'd like to do some touring on it as well but these screens look pretty good so my only remaining concern is lack of ABS. Hopefully this can be retro fitted when the ABS models are released? I'm guessing that shouldn't be a massive job?

[brfsa2]

Nice choice, the purple looks best I believe...

ABS is definitely a saver in the city, only reason I would not want ABS is for a stunting.

sometimes you are on cold tire just left home.. or it starts raining. ABS can be helpfull.

I believe in Singapore you wont have to deal with the kind of street imbeciles on wheels as we do in Thailand.

Keeps as posted here in Thaivisa once you get your bike and your experience riding in Singapore. I heard you can ride on highways there!

[JonnyF]

Another nice looking MT-09

[bramds]

Nice choice, the purple looks best I believe...

ABS is definitely a saver in the city, only reason I would not want ABS is for a stunting.

sometimes you are on cold tire just left home.. or it starts raining. ABS can be helpfull.

I believe in Singapore you wont have to deal with the kind of street imbeciles on wheels as we do in Thailand.

Keeps as posted here in Thaivisa once you get your bike and your experience riding in Singapore. I heard you can ride on highways there!

Wrong, every week I see posts about hit and runs in Singapore involving a car and a motorbike.

And it ain't the motorbike who is doing the running.

[soihok]

Having lived in Singapore for about 11 years, I am quite well acquainted with riding there.

Owned a VMax for about 8 years.

Last bike was a Triumph Street Triple R.

MT-09 - bring it on

[BKKBike09]

Congrats, I'm thinking I might get one of these to replace my Ninja 250 as a BKK bike. The lack of a screen was putting me off as I'd like to do some touring on it as well but these screens look pretty good so my only remaining concern is lack of ABS. Hopefully this can be retro fitted when the ABS models are released? I'm guessing that shouldn't be a massive job?

Not sure about retrofitting ABS. Sort of feel it might well end up being quite complicated, not to mention pricey, so probably worth waiting for an ABS model to be released here (2015?). Or buy a non-ABS 09 now and then sell and upgrade.

Lack of screen does equate to a lot of wind buffet above 130/140 kmh, particularly if you're tall, and also because of the fairly upright riding position. I don't know how much good that little screen in the picture would do.

[BKKBike09]

Reservation placed with Hong Leong in Singapore.

http://www.hlcorp.com.sg/motorcycles/index.asp

MT-09 ABS = 21,450 SG$

Colour as below.

Can't wait!!!

Sweet! Now you can fill in time pre-delivery by deliberating over what mods to make

[soihok]

Any advice on preferred mods?

[ll2]

Get the abs version if there is. Piece in mind especially in big cities. No need to discuss abs. Your first crash might be more expensive than abs.

And the one with blue rims is the best color version IMO.

Congrats in advance.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BKKBike09]

Any advice on preferred mods?

One man's etc.

I recommend checking out the fz09.org forum. Mostly US FZ bikes but also some Antipodeans with MTs. Masses of good ideas and info.

I don't like the stock indicators (though MT has clear lenses so not quite so bad as the FZ orange ones), the cheap levers and that monstrous tail appendage. That's all gone on mine. Put some generic LED blade indicators (need a relay to slow flash rate; got one online from CustomLED); bought shorty levers from Mad Hornets; tail today from a UK company called SP Engineering (note: you'll get big-time road spray with any tail tidy].

Also splashed out on adjustable bar end mirrors from UK firm Oberon. Pricey but I really like them. Also braided lines from UK firm HEL Performance. Picked these bits up when back in UK last month.

I've also got a basic Ohlins rear shock on order here from Dirt Shop (model is YA 335; THB 23,000) and have a set of Ohlins fork springs (# 08422-90; ordered from a place in France for EUR 129 - long story) that I'm going to pair with some heavier fork oil - stock front springs and oil are for me, at 90 KG geared, a bit soft. I've got 9 n/m to replace the stock 7.3 n/m and will probably go for 5W oil as opposed to stock 0W.

There's a lot of forum talk about the perceived soft front forks / hard shock and snatchy throttle. My advice would be to get some mileage on your MT before making any decisions about suspension / ECU flashing etc. See if you can get the sag set okay and then just take things from there. I'm changing the fork springs and the shock because, for me, the front is definitely too soft and i think that if there's one performance mod that benefits most bikes, it's upgrading OEM suspension.

I'm also probably going to put some more aggressive brake pads on the front - maybe EBC HH pads?

Other than that I'd suggest getting some more padding on the seat. There's a 'Comfort Seat' option but I'm sure you can just take the stock seat to a local bike seat shop and have them do it. That's on my to-do list here.

Welcome to the addiction.

[ll2]

Any advice on preferred mods?

One man's etc.

I recommend checking out the fz09.org forum. Mostly US FZ bikes but also some Antipodeans with MTs. Masses of good ideas and info.

I don't like the stock indicators (though MT has clear lenses so not quite so bad as the FZ orange ones), the cheap levers and that monstrous tail appendage. That's all gone on mine. Put some generic LED blade indicators (need a relay to slow flash rate; got one online from CustomLED); bought shorty levers from Mad Hornets; tail today from a UK company called SP Engineering (note: you'll get big-time road spray with any tail tidy].

Also splashed out on adjustable bar end mirrors from UK firm Oberon. Pricey but I really like them. Also braided lines from UK firm HEL Performance. Picked these bits up when back in UK last month.

I've also got a basic Ohlins rear shock on order here from Dirt Shop (model is YA 335; THB 23,000) and have a set of Ohlins fork springs (# 08422-90; ordered from a place in France for EUR 129 - long story) that I'm going to pair with some heavier fork oil - stock front springs and oil are for me, at 90 KG geared, a bit soft. I've got 9 n/m to replace the stock 7.3 n/m and will probably go for 5W oil as opposed to stock 0W.

There's a lot of forum talk about the perceived soft front forks / hard shock and snatchy throttle. My advice would be to get some mileage on your MT before making any decisions about suspension / ECU flashing etc. See if you can get the sag set okay and then just take things from there. I'm changing the fork springs and the shock because, for me, the front is definitely too soft and i think that if there's one performance mod that benefits most bikes, it's upgrading OEM suspension.

I'm also probably going to put some more aggressive brake pads on the front - maybe EBC HH pads?

Other than that I'd suggest getting some more padding on the seat. There's a 'Comfort Seat' option but I'm sure you can just take the stock seat to a local bike seat shop and have them do it. That's on my to-do list here.

Welcome to the addiction.

cool man. good mods!

post some photos when all these are installed.

and yes, i think best mods you can do for a bike are suspensions and tires.

[RubberSideDown]

Here's the Revzilla long-term wrap-up for the FZ-09:

http://www.revzilla.com/hub-2014-yamaha-fz-09-long-term-test?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=stream&utm_campaign=living-with-the-fz-09

[soihok]

Many thanks for your suggestions on preferred mods, did you look at any exhaust cans? I understand that Yamaha offer a Akraprovic can.

Just for the record, In Singapore, any aftermarket exhaust or deviation from the manufacturers standard on a bike or car in Singapore requires an approval and physical inspection carried by the government. If it passes, then a certificate is issued and must be presented if stopped by the LTA Traffic Police or at an inspection. When I had my Street Triple, it had Zard carbon cans along with the certificate. Well, one day I noticed that one of the decibel killers can fell out somewhere on the road so I removed the other one and set about making a duplicate at work. Thing is that it sounded absolutely stunning without them in so I decided to leave them out.

Some after I was stopped by the LTA Police (who only concentrate on vehicle mods), who had a look at the cans, confiscated my driving license and told me to follow him to a testing station. It was inspected, all documents checked and Zards photographed, told I had 7 days to present the bike back for inspection, and get this, was fined SG$500 = about 12700 Baht!

I kept the decibel killers in after that.

[BKKBike09]

Here's the Revzilla long-term wrap-up for the FZ-09:

http://www.revzilla.com/hub-2014-yamaha-fz-09-long-term-test?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=stream&utm_campaign=living-with-the-fz-09

Thanks. Hadn't seen that one. Here's another longer-term review.

http://www.cyclenews.com/366/24642/Racing-Article/Living-With-The-Yamaha-FZ-09.aspx

Interesting that both these guys say they spend most of their time tooling around in 'B' mode. It's certainly smoother in terms of initial throttle response at lower RPM (below 3-4,000) but nothing like as much fun as A or STD. I've only used B twice, when it was raining. Otherwise it's A or STD - usually the latter simply because the bike defaults to STD every time you turn off the ignition. Personally I don't find the sharp response too bad. Never having ridden any other ride-by-wire bike I've got nothing to compare it with, though.

The suspension has attracted a lot of attention. I go with the Cycle News review on this: "good but nothing to write home about. Overall, I found the ride to be a bit bouncy, and the front end to dive excessively when you get on the front brake". Like I said in an earlier post I'm going to change the fork springs/oil and the rear shock. But I don't consider it absolutely essential / bike is unliveable without etc etc.

I'd also agree that front brake is adequate but not fantastic (I believe the Advics calipers came off an earlier R6 model). Hence thinking about trying HH pads.

[BKKBike09]

cool man. good mods!

post some photos when all these are installed.

and yes, i think best mods you can do for a bike are suspensions and tires.

Will do. Here's one showing the mirrors, indicators and levers.

[BKKBike09]

Many thanks for your suggestions on preferred mods, did you look at any exhaust cans? I understand that Yamaha offer a Akraprovic can.

Just for the record, In Singapore, any aftermarket exhaust or deviation from the manufacturers standard on a bike or car in Singapore requires an approval and physical inspection carried by the government. If it passes, then a certificate is issued and must be presented if stopped by the LTA Traffic Police or at an inspection. When I had my Street Triple, it had Zard carbon cans along with the certificate. Well, one day I noticed that one of the decibel killers can fell out somewhere on the road so I removed the other one and set about making a duplicate at work. Thing is that it sounded absolutely stunning without them in so I decided to leave them out.

Some after I was stopped by the LTA Police (who only concentrate on vehicle mods), who had a look at the cans, confiscated my driving license and told me to follow him to a testing station. It was inspected, all documents checked and Zards photographed, told I had 7 days to present the bike back for inspection, and get this, was fined SG$500 = about 12700 Baht!

I kept the decibel killers in after that.

Exhaust is certainly on the list. Need to do something to tidy that massive scrotal sack under the bike

I quite like the Yoshi one but it sticks out aways. The Akra one is pretty sweet and I met a guy at the dealer last weekend who has one fitted on his 09, with DBK out. It sounded fantastic. The guy who he bought it from was also there and offered it to me for THB 43,000. This is the full titanium system which is about US$ 900 or so in US. I'm sorely tempted but it's a lot of dough and it's purely cosmetic as far as I'm concerned.

I asked the guy who had it on his bike whether the shop had also tuned his bike. "Huh? Oh, no need" ...

There's some forum talk about aftermarket pipes and warranty issues i.e. will putting on an aftermarket pipe affect warranty. Since the Akra is an official Yamaha accessory now, that may also be another point in its favour?

[ll2]

cool man. good mods!

post some photos when all these are installed.

and yes, i think best mods you can do for a bike are suspensions and tires.

Will do. Here's one showing the mirrors, indicators and levers.

IMG_3729.jpg

bbk bike, did you change the tires to premium ones?

i am sure better tires make the handling, traction and stopping distance better.

[soihok]

Best tyres I have used (on the Street Triple) were Pirelli Supercorsa SC2.

[BKKBike09]

cool man. good mods!

post some photos when all these are installed.

and yes, i think best mods you can do for a bike are suspensions and tires.

Will do. Here's one showing the mirrors, indicators and levers.

IMG_3729.jpg

bbk bike, did you change the tires to premium ones?

i am sure better tires make the handling, traction and stopping distance better.

No, running on the stock OEM Bridgestone BT20s. They're okay. Will wear those down a bit before I change stock rubber. I also want to see how suspension upgrades affect handling / traction / braking on the stock rubber.

[RubberSideDown]

More detailed info on the suspension fix:

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/yamaha-fz-09-improving-the-suspension?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=boosted-post&utm_content=stream&utm_term=yamaha-fz-09-improving

[BKKBike09]

More detailed info on the suspension fix:

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/yamaha-fz-09-improving-the-suspension?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=boosted-post&utm_content=stream&utm_term=yamaha-fz-09-improving

I've now changed the fork springs for 0.9 kg/mm Ohlins springs, and have also switched from 0W to 10W oil. I haven't re-valved the forks. Total cost around US$ 200 and worth every cent. Stiffer fork springs and heavier oil make an amazing difference for me (90 kg in gear), at least tooling around BKK. I haven't yet had a chance to get out of town. It will be interesting to see what difference changing the rear shock makes: waiting for a basic Ohlins shock to be delivered.

I'd highly recommend anyone buying an FZ09 to upgrade the fork springs. Best performance upgrade for the money.

[ll2]

More detailed info on the suspension fix:

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/yamaha-fz-09-improving-the-suspension?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=boosted-post&utm_content=stream&utm_term=yamaha-fz-09-improving

and god knows how much these cost?! bike is 7999 USD a great deal ion USA but then another 2000 USD for suspensions.

Strange really from Yamaha, great bike, great power yet they did not put proper suspensions to hold the ground!

Nowadays, all japanese manufacturers cutting corners a great deal. All of them. yamaha no proper and dangerous for some suspension setup, honda less powerful engines and no proper components- not even a pro link at cbr650f -, kawa the same.

[DILLIGAD]

Has Yammy given out any official statement about this (what seems) universal need for improvements?

[BKKBike09]

^ I don't see why Yamaha would need to put out a statement. Sure, many riders think the suspension could be better, but equally, going by what I've seen posted, there are many riders who have no problem with the stock set up. I suspect that the "need" to upgrade the fork springs just sounds to many people like a major and expensive PITA, but it's really neither a big deal (at least only changing the springs + oil isn't) nor expensive and isn't indicative of some underlying design problem. To me it's basically just one of many possible performance mods. Anyone who'd happily spend money on a bike to change stock tyres or exhaust, add a fuel controller or whatever, really shouldn't have any issue with suspension mods.

[mania]

^ I don't see why Yamaha would need to put out a statement. Sure, many riders think the suspension could be better, but equally, going by what I've seen posted, there are many riders who have no problem with the stock set up. I suspect that the "need" to upgrade the fork springs just sounds to many people like a major and expensive PITA, but it's really neither a big deal (at least only changing the springs + oil isn't) nor expensive and isn't indicative of some underlying design problem. To me it's basically just one of many possible performance mods. Anyone who'd happily spend money on a bike to change stock tyres or exhaust, add a fuel controller or whatever, really shouldn't have any issue with suspension mods.

Exactly!

As you said fork springs matched to riders weight & ride style + good oil is very inexpensive & a major

improvement on any sport riding type bike. NO bikes in this price range have decent suspension they are all too soft for hard riding.

This bike also has over 100hp so when used hard things like this would be more noticeable than on lower hp bikes

Also no bike manufacturer could make a suspension that fits all riders given their size, bike usage,ride style etc.

Mods such as suspension/tires/brakes are the best bang for the buck around.

Edited September 10, 2014 by mania