anyone got/ridden a Z750? (now also about the fz6!)

[Keen]

Hi,

Has anyone had any experience with the 2004 model Z750? what do you think of it? can it take throw over panniers ok? whats the tank range like? hows the comfort? I'm planning a test ride to see how it rides, but its the practical stuff involved with ownership that I was curious about... how does it stand up to winter?

thanks alot,
james
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[kawakid]

Got a 2006 S model. Same bike it just has a fairing and a different seat.

Tank range is excellent, 18 litre tank, I did 180 miles on Sunday last week and that had used 15.5 litres.

With regards to luggage, the Z is different at the rear to the Z750S, so I can't comment.
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I've a twin and a 4.

[h00dwink]

Send a PM to Torque (his username on here) think he has an 04 or 05 model and loves it.
Wee vid of what he's had from it;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3norYa2m5-8

Also in this one (blue bike)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdLUDkO8mO0
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www.youtube.com/h00dwink updated regularly

[colin1]

Suspension is not going to be as good a sportsbike. I doubt the brakes will be.

I sat on one at the NEC and it was amazingly comfortable. I've not ridden one.

I think the mid range of the 750 is going to make the engine much more useable that a 600 sportsbike without revving its tits off.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[L-Jam]

To answer your question, nope
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Skp 50 --> GS 500 --> CBR600F with custom HRC paint jobby --> GSX-R 750 K7, beautiful!

[kawashima]

I test rode Z750S and Zephyr750. Zephyr had richer torque at bottom end and it surprised me. Of course top end is Z750's win.

[_Will_]

Owned the z750s, same as Kawakid.

Tbh, mpg was ok - comfort was questionable (seats are different for the unfaired model though) Handling was ok and it stood through winter (including snow and ice) i did find out that the engine cases are made of material comparable to chocolate and r&g's for them are useless.

When i traded it in for the Fz6s i was pleasantly surprised with the new edition, overall i think i preferred the Fazer's package.

Hope this helps.
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[kawakid]

[butterob]

hoodwink whereabouts do you ride? im from essex area and am getting a bandit soon so wudnt mind a few rideouts
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g2 zx6r trackbike Trackdays done: Mallory park, Brands Hatch Indy, Snetterton 300

[mistergixer]

A mate of mine has one, my impressions from riding it:
Front end feels very vague, i had no confidence in its road holding ability.
Engine is a tad gutless, the fabled 'mid-range' wasn't very exciting and the top end was quite underwhelming - the bike just seemed to vibrate more without actually picking up speed.
Brakes were ok - but the soft front end would dive quite dramatically at the merest sniff of the lever. I guess this could be down to (standard) settings, but i wasn't about to whip out the spanners and set my mate's bike up to suit me. I found this prevented any late-ish braking, as the resultant 'pogo stick' effect really unsettled the bike.
The wide bars did give nice leverage and it could be whacked over onto it's side quite pleasingly quickly, once over it was quite stable, but i didn't have the confidence to push it hard because of a) the vagueness of the front end and b) because it wasn't mine to slide down the road.

All that aside, my mate is not really a sporting/quick rider - consequently he doesn't mind the 'handling issues' i've listed above and he does quite like the bike. His main complaints are:
Lack of fairing makes any distance/motorway riding a bit of a chore - his fault for buying a naked bike really.
Build quality is dreadful - he commutes into London village 5 days a week all year round, and his bike looks really tired and tatty now. Although it does now have 20-something thousand on the clock.
The (previously mentioned) chocolate engine cases - he's had 2 slow speed spills (one on each side), both times he ended up with a hole in the engine case and the bike has had to be recovered.
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[Keen]

cheers for the replies

Power wise I think it would be more than enough for me, coming from an 85bhp hornet.... I've heard negative things about the suspension, but the one I'm looking at has been professionally sorted front and back which is why it interested me, otherwise I probably wouldn't of considered one... the thin engine cases problem is seriously worrying though

Vee- I considered the fz6s but to be honest it just doesn't do much for me, apparently its very revvy, I'm not a huge fan of the styling (I like the new s2 model with the black frame, but too pricey) and the underseat cans put me off since I need to be able to carry panniers and pillions.
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[Kris]

Haven't heard from you on here in a while Keen, old boy.

I've ridden a mate's '55 plate Z750 (probably the same as the '04 bike) and have to say not that impressed. I think Kawasaki oversized the front tyre or the suspension is pants because the front felt very, very vague on tightish turns. After two foreign jaunts and about 6k milage I think the only faults were two missing chain adjuster plates which I guess fell off somewhere in France. Finish seems okay, mind you wasn't used as a day-to-day bike really. I find the revcounter annoying as hell. Grrr. On windy days there is very little protection.

Have a test ride, I say. See what you think.

[edit] Oh just remembered, the mirrors are shit and vibrate at speed, usually before they swing round and clout you in the face. Pillion accommodation is sportsbike bad and there's a lack of real bungee points for luggage...
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[mistergixer]

Have you considered one of the older 600 Fazers - for example like this one?

My bro had a few of these and absolutely loved them. From my experiences of borrowing his, i found they had a good punchy mid-range ('detuned' Thundercat engine, in contrast to the newer Fazers that are R6 derived and more rev-happy) and a reasonable top end, with stonking brakes (ex-R1 blue spots). The bikini fairing gives reasonable protection from the elements, and the suspension was relatively decent for a 'budget/parts bin special' type of bike - enough to get the pegs down anyway!
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[brianmcewan.co.uk]

Mixed reviews on the bike which is expected really.

I've had my 04 model for a year now and it has started on the button every single day. Managed 16000 miles in a year in all sorts of weather and didn't skip a beat once. I went onto the Z from an RS125 so didn't have much to compare and the Z won hands down in comparison obviously. Over the past year, I really got used to the bike and I would say that I can go at a pretty quick pace without having any mishaps...although I think thats down to the bike teaching me to respect it in the early days of owning it. Used to have chicken strips about 50mm on each side But its more or less to the edge now so I've gained a lot of confidence in terms of leaning off. I'm a 'big lad' (fat bollocks) and even at that I have to wrestle the bike around corners if its getting pushed on. If you hit a bump when cranked over you know all about it by the way the front end weaves but you soon get used to it and it becomes normal. Pulls away from the naked 600's after 100mph and can apprantley get to 135mph. Had 152mph on the clock but doubt very much it was anywhere close to the true speed The finish is a bit pants, the rear footpegs corroded at the start of winter and I ended up painting them black. The engine has a little midrange but its not brilliant, bit of a flat spot in 4th gear at 5k rpm, once you're after 9k it goes like stink. Its nice to ride round twisties like a 2 stroke running in the high end of the revs. I have the aftermarket screen fitted, not sure if it makes much difference at speed because I've never ridden the bike without it but I still get a fair bit of wind blast.

I'm actually trying to change mine at the minute, first of all because I'm putting too many miles on it (26000 at the minute and I'm struggling to get £1500 for it in the dealers) and because I'm pushing my/the bikes limits whenever I can. Considering a Tuono so that I don't have to rag the living shite out of it and the power is there without having to rev hard.

I'd recommend you go for it. At least give it a test and see what you think, mine has the budget forks/shock so the one that has been setup should be pretty flawless. Good luck in whatever you do mate
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Kawasaki Z1000 '05
Honda Fireblade 954 '03

[chris-red]

Ride magazine said it was the worst handling bike they have ever ridden. But they did a feature where they took the suspention to be sorted at Maxton(I think) It cost them £350 and said it was money very well spent.
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[_Will_]

https://bikechatforums.com/files/covers_190.jpg
From a sub 20mph off.

Underseat exhausts are fine with pillions and luggage on the fazer, just found it a better bike, specially the handling.

Oh and the z750 vibrates like a bitch.
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Keen]

[_Will_]

The heat shields are good, zaust dosen't really get hot (apart from the one plate underneath seat but thats out the way)

Tank range was ok, bout 150 till you should fill up again, only slightly better than the zee on that front.

Only used soft throw overs once but had no problems.

The downside the fz6 had was the slightly flat midrange, although i put a de-cat link pipe on and it sweetend it up nicely

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[king kong]

I really fancied a Z750, until I went on a test ride. Seat is hard as nails, I kept knocking my size 11 on the engine casing when changing gear and performance wise my GSX750F would murder it.

Also in this months ride magazine the Z750 was beaten over the 1/4 mile drag run by a Versys.

[kawashima]

[Keen]

so, I took an 05 fz6 fazer out for a test ride today.....

It's definately made me rule out the z750, purely because I realised how much difference it makes to have good wind protection.
The riding position was spot on, I could imagine crushing france on it, so thats a big plus. The handling was also superb compared to my hornet, the suspension quality was in a different league it was generally very satisfying to ride, just felt plush. The brakes were also spot on, more bite than the hornet but not so fierce as to be intimidating.
I'm in 2 minds about the engine though- on the one hand it was great fun, almost like a 2 stroke, at first I found it hard to get off the line, it needs to be thrashed to get anything out of it and the top end rush was great. Definately a very involving ride. But on the other, it really has next to no midrange, so I can see how it could maybe get tiring if you weren't feeling up for it. Overall though, thats what I'm after- a practical bike with a definate sporty streak. The fz6 definately has that.
I'm not 100% though. Another option would be a new style sv650s... I know its seriously down on power, but it makes more torque than the fz6 all the way up to 9k. The engine's almost a complete opposite, so I think I'm gonna get a test ride to see which suits me better. Has anybody ridden both already?

james
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[Dalemac]

Are fazers really that good?

Compare it to say a hornet. where would it stand??

I could go down the fazer route if they are decent bikes, as apposed to continuing down the gpz route.

Cheers,

Dale
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YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[Keen]

[_Will_]

Getting rid of the cat does make a suprisingly nice difference to the midrange.
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[Dalemac]