Dave's new Yamaha!

My new bike!

Today was the day I picked up my new motorcycle! Yes, my first new bike in five years. I was running in circles for years about what I wanted to get next. What kind of riding was I going to do, what kind of riding did I actually want to do. The FZ-1 was NOT my first choice. I fact, when the bike came out I was not very fond of how it looked. Initially, it looked like a parts bin bike. To me , it screamed " R1 on a budget "! And then, as my wants and needs became more defined, the Yamaha came into the picture.

I rode one for a day in Vermont and just fell in love with it. THIS WAS THE BIKE! My dealer, Baer's Yamaha Kawasaki, just received a silver FZ-1 off the truck and had it assembled. When I saw the silver, I knew that was my bike. They also had a blue, but I am so sick of that color. It's everywhere! Since I have been shopping there for about 14 years and have bought five bikes from them, I was given the deal of the century. And today, November 16th, 2001 I took it home!


The new Yamaha - 3.4 miles on the odometer.

I didn't take it riding, but just rode it home. It was cold out, and I had so much work to do! The stock windscreen is the worst and will be the first thing to go, well almost! The ride home was only six miles, and then it was time to park it in the driveway and take some pictures.



Various shots of the still bone stock Fazer.

And now that the photo's were done, it was time to start changing things. The first item was the rear fender. No, I didn't chop it off, but added a personal touch to it that I had on my last motorcycle - the FU tag. Yes, it's back! Next up was all the reflectors! I took them all off, as they look too obtrusive to the lines of the bike. And then, I removed the safety decals. You know, the bright orange tag on top of the gas tank that says " Please put gas in tank, or the bike may stall! " or whatever they say. One hairdryer later, and a little elbow grease and I now have a clean tank.


The hairdryer will soften the glue holding the sticker to the tank, the infamous FU tag, and the clean gas tank.

I then spent some time adjusting the suspension, adjusting the levers to make it a more comfortable reach to the clutch and brakes and finally setting the clock. And that was it! A quick shine, and its ready for the ride into Vermont Sunday.

I ordered a bunch of parts last Thursday, including a full set of Givi hard luggage, a new Zero Gravity windscreen and a Throttlemeister. I also ordered from Yamaha a factory service manual, as I will be doing the service on this bike, not the dealer.

I will be making install pages for the various bits I add to this bike so that you can also see its transformation. I think you will enjoy it. I know I will!

Dave