Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer

BERTIE’S BLATHER

Our Bertie this month waves a flag for the slightly saner version of the R1…

Parts bin specials often make great bikes and Yamaha has made some pearlers. My favourite is the Fazer 600 – the Thundercat motor and associated odds and sods make for such a good all-round usable machine. It made sense then that Yamaha finally built a ‘grown-up’ version for the 2001 model year. Like its little brother, the FZS1000 used well-proven parts. In this case the motor was from the YZF-R1, but mildly-modded. It produced the same torque as the R1, but at 1000rpm lower in the rev-range. Different carbs and ignition and a heavier crank basically gave the motor more low to mid-range stomp, but power was still around 140 claimed bhp at 10,000rpm, even if you’d probably be best served hanging about at 7-8000rpm where the meat of that mid-range (78ft-lb) sat. And yes, there was still the EXUP valve fitted to beef-up the mid-range still further. Chassis-wise it was new. The alloy frame rails aped little brother and the right-hand rail unbolts to aid with servicing/engine removal. Forks were conventional right-way-up items and Blue-spot brakes – also from the R1 – gave the bike plenty of retardation. Riding the Fazer thou’ is a real pleasure and – unsurprisingly – the star of the show is that motor. If there’s any criticism to be levelled at the big Fazer it’s that the suspension was on the soft-side. Normally, this wouldn’t be such a criticism, but at launch it was and here’s why. For some reason Yamaha aimed the bigger Fazer as an alternative sports machine to the R1 and priced it accordingly at £8039 on launch. In comparison the Honda X-11 (weird naked with Blackbird motor) was just £6950… Yamaha took a while to see sense, but the price did go down to £7234 towards the end of 2001 and it dropped back to £6789 in 2002. Aesthetically, the big Fazer was better looking than its smaller sibling and pointed the way to a re-styled FZS600 Fazer, with a lupine lilt to the headlights. The half-fairing did an admirable job of keeping the elements off you and the bike itself was plenty comfortable enough, even if going two-up anywhere really punishes that soft suspension. Overall then, there was a lot to love and the bike itself was adaptable. I’ve had friends who’ve used them solely for commuting, while one sorted the suspension out and took his trackdaying. You’ll also spot lots of them with a full complement of luggage… Today there are quite a few Fazer 1000s to choose from, as the bike had a good five or so-year lifespan until replaced by the FZ1 in 2006. Prices start from as low as £1500, but (as normal) it is a case of buyer beware: many of the cheaper bikes will have had a harder life and despite being an eight grand bike from new, the actual finish wasn’t the best, with paint on the engine and wheels being particularly troublesome and flaking off. Other issues are few and far between – but yes the EXUP valve often sticks… So, the Fazer 1000 is a good bike, but every time I’ve ridden one I’ve always thought there’s an even better bike in there waiting to get out. Try one, buy one and make it your own…