As a few have mentioned, here is a comprehensive review of the latest fz6 Fazer against the ’04 and the ’97 model as taken from the latest edition of Motorcycle news. Enjoy.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS???
’07 Fazer vs. ’04 Fazer vs. ’97 Fazer
Yamaha’s new Fazer has had its handling and fuelling tweaked, aiming to strike a balance between the user-friendly original and the sportier model that replaced it. We tried all three to see if it hits the spot.
The original Fazer was a simple, but brilliantly successful idea. A detuned, carburated Thundercat engine held in a basic frame with budget suspension may not exactly ‘give wood’, but it was fun, practical and cheap in a way not seen since the original Suzuki bandit.
Trouble was, it’s 1994 successor, though quicker, hasn’t continued that sales success. Which is why there is a new one for 2007.
That second-generation Fazer featured a detuned, fuel-injected R6 motor and R1 brakes. And although it proved to be fun, it was criticised for been too racy. The motor needed to be revved to get the most out of it and the original bike’s ease of use seemed to have been lost.
To counter that, there has been a raft of changes for 2007. These include a slight restyle, tweaks to the handling (including a new swingarm) and modifications to the fuelling to boost the midrange and rekindle the original’s ease of use.
But has it worked? Does the new Fazer now have the best characteristics of the two old bikes? Is it the best of both worlds-easy to use, but still fun to ride? We decided to find out…
SO WHAT’S CHANGED?
ON face value, not a lot. But look harder and there’s more than you might expect.
The front fairing has been restyled, the mirrors have been repositioned and the clocks are all new (they’re from last year’s Fazer 1000). The brakes have also been changed to both look good and give improved performance. The new swingarm has been designed to give added rigidity and, like the front forks, is now finished in black.
And there’s more. The seat has been redesigned to give greater comfort on long journeys (although the seat height is the same). Plus, although the motor has remained unchanged, Yamaha has played around with the fuelling to give more midrange. Other minor changes include a larger
Radiator, redesigned pillion pegs and a new helmet holder.
CAN YOU FEEL THE DIFFERENCES?
YOU do notice some changes straight away. The clocks certainly improve the view, for a start. The redesigned fairing is more angular and sporty, but still gives decent protection up to 90-95mph. the slightly wider mirrors offer a better view and if you jump straight from the ’06 bike to the ’07 bike, you’ll notice the difference in the seating and bars. The seat is far comfier on the new bike – it’s 150 miles-plus before you start moving around looking for extra comfort.
The new brakes feel stronger, and overall the new bike feels more focused. Engine wise, we previously reported on snatchy fuelling from the first bike we road in Japan. Yamaha promised then that the problem would be rectified before bikes reached the UK, and they have been as good as their word – the fuelling is almost faultless. If you really play about with the throttle there is a slight snatch, but you really have to look for it. There is also a slight improvement in the mid-range thanks to the modified ECU, but you still have to river dance on the gear selector to get the most out of the R6-derived motor.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE OLDER BIKES?
IF you ride on the far side of 10,000rmp this so-called ‘learner friendly’ bike turns into a different beast – it’s almost like a comfy sports bike. Rev the balls out of the motor and you’ll be rewarded by a top speed of over 140mph.
The suspension and brakes will take it all this in their stride, and only at trackday speeds does the suspension start to complain. Ground clearance is better than the competition, too, as are the improved brakes.
On the down side, you have to ride the new machine hard to get the most out of it, which is slightly confusing for a machine designed for inexperienced riders.
But the real shock of this test was how easy to ride the original bike was. With both of the two later machines, you really have to dance around on the gear selector in order to make good progress, but the older carburated bike is far easier to live with.
The original may not be able to match the new in terms of handling, but it’s still good enough for most – and it gives more than enough performance for inexperienced riders.
IS THE ’07 EASIER THAN THE ’06?
THE new ’07 bike does have a slight improvement in the mid-range, although it’s only really noticeable when riding back-to-back with last year’s model. But compared to the original bike, it feels like it’s missing a massive amount of mid-range – check out the roll – on test figures. Around town and at low speeds the carburated bike is much easier to ride and more learner-friendly. On the other hand, head the wrong side of 100mph and both newer bikes leave the original for dead.
THE STATISTICS TELL IT ALL
THE facts and figures tell the truth. In terms of speed, the new ’07 Fazer and ’06 version are near identical; the new bike has a slight edge and both are obviously quicker flat-out and over the quarter mile than the old bike.
On the brakes, the new bike wins again. But look at the real world roll-on figures and the old bike throws up a few surprises.
We did some performance tests which simulated real-world manoeuvres. We accelerated from 40-80 in third gear, as if leaving a 40mph limit and getting up to speed. We also simulated an overtake of Mr Volvo with a caravan in tow, with a fifth gear roll-on acceleration from 50-90mph. OK, the figures are slightly illegal but they do reflect real-world riding.
The ’07 bike has improved and is easier to live with than last year’s bike, but it still can’t match the original for real-world usability. The dyno illustrates the point further – the old bike has huge grunt and mid-range. You can also see the improved mid-range from the new ’07 bike compared to the previous model.
VERDICT
The 2007 S2 Fazer is an improvement, but it’s not the massive leap forwards some might expected. With slightly more mid-range get-up-and-go, better brakes, and more aggressive looks, it’s still a fun, revvy, relatively easy-to-ride 600 and, at £5299, is reasonably priced, too. But it is just not as new rider-friendly as competition like the Suzuki bandit, nor does it have the original Fazer’s user-friendliness. So, sometimes the oldies really are the goodies.
http://www.bikez.com/pictures/browse...24450&pageno=1
Best of both worlds??? 07 fazer vs. 04Fazer vs. 97 Fazer
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