Issue 133 : February - March 2004
Millennium Ride
Fazar FZ6
The Treffen
Elephant Rally
HD Shipley Rally
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Millennium Ride
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Fazar FZ6
The original Fazer which first appeared in 1997 was a great middleweight bike sold at a budget price. The half faired roadster used a modified YZF 600 R engine in a tubular steel frame and it had a four into two into one exhaust system and came in red or black. Apart from the odd minor modifications, like a larger fuel tank and revised instruments, it remained much the same until 20002 when it received a makeover to try and keep it on the pace with the competition i.e. the Honda Hornet and the Suzuki Bandit. It is now clear that was just a stop gap measure as now they have produced a whole new bike, complete with under seat exhausts and a whole host of other changes that make it a totally new bike. It also now comes with the option of being naked as well, to bring it in line with the competition. In appearance the new bike is very Italian in looks which should make it a big hit with those who like some style to go with precision engineering. As with a lot of bikes these days the bike sports a minimalist frame that is used as part of the overall styling. This is moulded in two halves using advanced die casting techniques which is claimed offers a saving of 7kg compared to making it in the more conventional manner. At the rear is a conventional box section swinging arm that is 70mm longer to increase stability. There is an extra 23mm on the wheelbase, 9 degrees more trail and the head angle has gone up one degree to 25. The conventional 43mm telescopic forks are taken from the larger and very popular 1,000cc model. Wheels come from the R6 and the rear tyre is now up to a 180/55 to cope with the extra power. This comes from the new engine taken from the R6 due to the fact that the old Thundercat derived motor was not a bad powerplant, but it could not meet the new emission laws. However, it has not been just supplanted, it has the power output changed for the more middle of the road style of the Fazer rather than the sports focused R6.
The under-seat silencers are a first in the class and very much in keeping with current trends. In the winter pillions will be happy, but by time the summer comes they will have a different opinion on their positioning! The bike has a very conventional and comfortable riding position and the bars to peg relationship is excellent. The new LCD instrumentation is not only trick, but it is excellent and easy to read, both during the day and at night-time. To go with the 'captain sensible' approach a centre stand is fitted which unfortunately makes life difficult when using the side-stand - still it is the thought that counts! Appearance wise it is still angular but all the edges have been nicely rounded off giving the bike a curvaceous look in both its two incarnations. So appearance and specification wise the new bike is definitely bang up to date, but how does it perform in real world riding situations and in comparison with its predecessor? The answer is not that easy to give because while overall the new bike is a big improvement there are many areas where the older machine is preferable, the engine being the main one! The retuning may have produced a slightly more rideable bike than the R6 in traffic but it has still left a yawning gap in the middle of the rev range. Most of the time the bike stays below 7,000 rpm and this will keep it well ahead of anything in the legal speed limit range.
This also means that if you really want to use this type of performance you need to snick up and down the six speed gearbox to avoid hitting this middle rev range flat spot. Some may well like having to work the motor hard, but anyone steeping from an earlier model will probably not. Neither will somebody who wants a relaxed lazy ride. On a positive note though, the new chassis is spot on, to deal with the engine characteristics and can handle a sports bike approach to riding. There is none of the soft wallowy traits of the earlier machine here, despite a distinct budget cutting approach, like lack of damping and pre-load adjustment on the forks. There is plenty of ground clearance and the centre stand does not dig in unless you are really trying. The bike is stable and holds its lines well through the corners and overall the steering is quicker and until you really start getting into a complex series of bends, it would probably match a sports bike. In the braking department there are also a few signs of cost cutting with two piston sliding calipers on the front forks. It must be said that they work well like the single rear item and are well matched to the machine, but they just require more pressure than you become used to these days and more maintenance. The riding position is just as comfortable as its predecessor and the bike can be ridden to the end of its 19 litre tank range averaging out around 43 to the gallon unless you are really caning it! The lights are excellent on both main and dipped beams and the bike will not spend much time in the garage. During the week it will be slicing through congested streets without even having to think about it. In the evenings it will be out as basic transport and then come the weekend it will either be loaded up for a weekend away or out on Sunday for a thrash with the rest of the gang. Certainly it will hold its own in many of these areas and not be disgraced in any of them. Whether it is actually better than the old bike is questionable and very much a matter a personal choice. If you have not ridden the old bike you will love it, but if you have owned the earlier model I will bet you will resent paying £5,449 for this new version. It is not a bad bike, it is a very good bike in fact, but the Bandit and Hornet are now that much closer and it may well be brand loyalty that keeps the Fazer ahead of the pack! Ian Kerr |
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Ian Kerr rides Yamaha's new mid range Fazar and finds it good but a bit peaky.
New camshafts with a profile identical to the original bike are just one of the tweaks that bring the motor to 98bhp with greater mid range torque. No doubt the new exhaust plumbing complete with a catalyser to bring it well with Euro 2 limits also has something to do with the new power characteristics.
Take it passed this and there is not a lot of difference until the LCD circle spins past 10,000 and it is like having a turbo kick in. Keep it above this and up to the 14,000 red line and you have the type of performance you would expect from the R6 making it something of a 'Jekel and Hyde' character!