Learning to love it

I read with interest Simon Weir’s report on living with the Suzuki GSX-S1000F (June) as I have a similar relationship with my bike. Last year, after a four-year break, I stopped dreaming about a KTM 1290 Super Duke GT and started riding a bike I could afford.

The budget was £2000. That had to get me a bike with decent power, handling and weather protection as well as reasonable comfort for my 6ft 4in frame. Essentially, I was looking for a budget Super Duke GT. Everything kept pointing me to the same option: a mid/high-mileage Yamaha Fazer 1000... Zzzz…

So, in July I bought a 2002 Fazer 1000 with 40,000 miles for £1800. I immediately loved the carbed R1 engine but grimaced at everything else, most notably the handling (it really didn’t like corners or bumps) and complete lack of character. In the past nine months I’ve covered just under 10,000 miles – including riding through winter – with an ever increasing but perhaps unfairly grudging respect for it.

As funds allowed, I modified areas I wasn’t happy with. All-day comfort: double-bubble screen, Renthal bars and adjustable footpegs. Character: booming stubby slip-on exhaust. Handling: R6 rear shock mod. Looks: 2014 Tech 3 Sticker Kit. In total it has cost around £250-£300. After nine months, the bike on my phone wallpaper is no longer a KTM 1290 GT: it is my 2002 Yamaha Fazer 1000. That says it all. Matt Charlton