motorcycles, technology, music, business

Riding in on my way to work this morning, the question danced across my mind: Have I finally found the bike within my bike? That bike that is smooth, predicable, and ride-able?

Perhaps I have.

I first rode my step-father’s 2008 Yamaha FZ1 and loved it. It was the sportiest bike I had ever ridden to that point and it, by comparison to my 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, was sporty. Yet it was also practical for around town and long(er) trips.

After returning from that wonderful trip, within a week I had posted my Sportster for sale on Craigslist, and within a month or so I had purchased a used 2006 Yamaha FZ1 from a nice gentlemen in upstate New York via eBay. I was very excited to get the bike and really enjoyed its power and handling.

Relatively soon after buying it I started playing with the suspension and geometry to get it to handle better and at the beginning of the next season I did my best to set-up the suspension right. Also, soon after I got the bike I noticed that the throttle response at roll on was rather snatchy. I thought, and had hoped, the Ivan’s FCE (Fuel Cut Eliminator) would resolve this. After receiving an FCE via a generous Christmas gift, I installed it and liked what I felt.

Within just a few months of having this bike I had taken the time to adjust the suspension and geometry and also try to make some fueling modifications. My tweaks would work for most of that season, but as I got more experienced riding a sport bike, I started to want a better cornering experience. It took some time, but I figured out that I couldn’t trust my bike while it was leaned over because the throttle was so snatchy that I was afraid it would push me right out of the turn when I rolled back on the throttle. With that feeling, I couldn’t lean over as far and I would drive one or two gears higher than I wanted in order to not be in the meat of the power range when I rolled back on.

I began to question the FZ1. And I listed it on Craigslist several times but (perhaps thankfully) was unable to sell.

At some point I couldn’t take it anymore, I either needed to fix the problem or sell it. Since selling it and buying a new bike was out of my budget, I decided to try the ECUnleashed service. They should really advertise more, because I think I came across them rather accidentally on an FZ1 forum. The result was bike-saving, in that I didn’t feel the need to immediately sell my bike any more. It even seemed to increase my fuel economy while increasing the power and smoothness.

It was a lot smoother. As I got still more comfortable with it I still felt some of that snatchy throttle though. So, one morning before work I decided to put my FCE back in.

Got the bike opened and reinstalled the Ivan’s FCE in under 50 minutes. I could almost open that thing blind folded now. #FZ1 #fb

— Jeremy Blanchard (@jeremyblanchard) July 13, 2012

Three commutes later, with some rides through the Blue Hills, brings us up to the question posed at the beginning of this post. It seems, at least for now, that the combination of the ECUnleashed ECU and the FCE has resulted in a much smoother power delivery throughout the rev range of my 2006 Yamaha FZ1. I wish I could have sold my FCE to cover some of the cost of the ECU service but alas, I will take a better behaved bike.

My initial thoughts are that the FCE removes a bit of the Unleashed-ness making the bike feel a little less raw. This means that the bike is slightly less exhilarating, but much smoother and predicable mid-corner, which is what I have been shooting for all along.

In short here is my evaluation of the 2006 Yamaha FZ1:

1. Stock – Sell it!
2. FCE – Keep it for a while
3. ECUnleashed – Keep it for a longer while
4. FCE + ECUnleashed – Keep it (at least until your needs or wants change)

I now feel that I have a nice, predictable, yet powerful platform on which I can continue to fine tune various aspects to hone in on a better riding machine for my needs. Before, I didn’t want to try to build on top of a faulty foundation, but now I feel better about the idea of spending some money on certain accessories since I should get some return out of them.

Thanks for reading and happy riding.

I have owned three motorcycles to date. The first I purchased through a work associated classified ad, the second through craigslist. Both of those purchase experiences have been unique but as good as I could expect. The first bike, a Kawasaki Vulcan 500, turned out to be a great learning bike but a maintenance fiasco. The second, a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, was a great bike that I have been able to drive many miles over the last three seasons. When I was looking for those first two bikes, craigslist owned my life for months. Especially in the beginning of the riding season; the more affordable bikes go within 10 minutes. I had been searching on craigslist for a used Yamaha FZ1 (2006 or newer) or a Suzuki Bandit 1250S (2007 or newer). All of the local bikes that I found were priced more than I thought the bike was worth. I began looking on eBay and still the local bikes were overpriced. I then found a 2006 FZ1 outside of Buffalo, NY for a reasonable price.
I was torn. I had never purchased anything so large on eBay, nor had I dealt with vehicle shipping companies. To make a long story somewhat shorter, I purchased the bike off of eBay. The seller, Andy, was great. A gentleman of middle age. I had considered taking a plane or train to Buffalo and then riding the bike back. The train would have taken 12 hours to get there and the plane would have been difficult to bring essential ride tools and supplies. Also, the ride back would have been 9 hours of boring Interstate 90. That sounded dangerous due to fatigue and increased opportunity for drivers to hit me.
The actual sale of the bike went quite smoothly. Andy and I talked on the phone and decided on the proper steps that should follow. I sent him a Cashier’s Check. After he cashed the check, he sent me the Title, Bill of Sale, and one of the keys. I then proceeded to remove my Sportster from my insurance and registration and added the FZ1.
I tried to pay the seller to bring the bike to Albany, NY and I would take a Greyhound to Albany and ride the bike back. The seller couldn’t do it himself and couldn’t find someone else to bring it. I didn’t want to pay more for the bike+shipping than what I thought I could get for the sale of my Sportster. With that in mind, I didn’t have the funds to go with a big name vehicle shipper. I found another auction site, uShip.com, where I posted a shipping request and shippers then bid on your shipment.
I was surprised how many bids I received, and in hindsight I posted the request too early. In the future I wouldn’t post this request until I had won the eBay auction and also had completed the payment portion of the post-sale activities.
To make a long story short, the original shipper turned out to be a flake. He continued to over promise and under deliver, or in may case not deliver at all. After two weeks, I canceled with him and booked another shipper who was more expensive but worth it. My bike was brought to me in an enclosed trailer covered in a moving blanket.

I have had the bike a week now and have been loving it. It is so much fun. It’s a perfect specimen of an FZ1. I am sure there will be many riding adventures to come.

While trapped inside for so many hours my mind can’t help but wander to open roads on powerful two wheeled machines. What would any motorcycle enthusiast do but dream about what his next bike is going to be and rank them in order of preference. I took a more realistic approach at least and also considered the cost of ownership.
If I had my druthers, my bike of choice would be a hybrid of two bikes which may or may not be possible to build, and even if it is, it may prove to be cost prohibitive. It would be a Harley Nightster with the front end and rear swing arm of the XR1200. Here is a rough photoshopping of my idea. I didn’t bother to make the wheels match.
The reason for this is that I really like the look and feel of the nightster but I want more up to date components like suspension, brakes, and electronics. The cost of this would probably be a nightster with several thousand in parts and tools or labor depending on whether I did the work or not.

Now on to bikes that actually exist and there order. I first made a spreadsheet of the bikes in question.
I then considered the styling and potential ride characteristics of each bike and how they fit my current riding preferences and needs.
1st Place:
The first bike is still the Harley-Davidson Nightster, even without major alterations. This bike wins for several reason. The first is that it is a Harley and I really like the look and feel of the sportsters. For the most part I like to use my bike for fun commutes to and from places. I prefer to take back roads and take in the scenery. The sportsters do this well and they accelerate relatively quickly. I do not need to go 150mph or even 100mph. As for cost of ownership, sportsters with their belt drive and 50mpg fuel economy are relatively cheap to maintain. The downsides are behind the times technologies and weight. The nightster is the lightest sportster but still weighs 100lbs more than the non-harley bikes on my spreadsheet. Low horsepower is also a down side but this can be partially remedied through add-ons and upgrades.
2nd Place:
The second bike is the Yamaha FZ1. This is because it has so much horsepower (150) and is cheaper (retail) than the nightster. This bike also offers a relatively comfortable ride. The down sides are the styling and the fuel economy of 35 mpg. The styling is much better on the European version. Also, I don’t need to go 172mph which is the top speed for this bike. I want to get from zero to 45 really quickly and then maintain that speed comfortably.
3rd Place:
The third bike might be a tie between the Triumph Speed Triple and the BMW R1200R. I am not really crazy about the styling of either and both have similar power ratings. They both have similar to the yamaha fuel economy and would be similar to each other in terms of maintenance since parts would need to be imported and dealerships get more spread out than Harley and/or Yamaha dealers. I am however partial to Triumphs since I learned to ride on a 1974 Triumph Trident (never mind the neighbor’s tomato plants in the background). BMW is always a front runner in new technology which is why I am drawn to their bikes.
Honorable Mention:
The new Ducati Monster 1100 is a beast (aided by its absurdly light 370lbs of dry weight)  but is also a beast to maintain. The KTM Super Duke looks to be a downright blast but is too exotic and would require imports for every fix and dealers are ever so scarce. It is also the most expensive of the lot. Finally the Harley-Davidson XR1200. I like it but not enough to make me want to buy the whole bike. I just want the front suspension, brakes, electronics, and rear swing arm (which is stiffer and lighter than the stock) on my Nightster which would have a stage one upgrade to increase the power rating to something more respectable.

Please suggest any other bikes I may have left out, however please note that I will not consider Kawasaki or Suzuki bikes for reasons of personal experience, taste, and opinions. Honda doesn’t sell any standard motorcycles in the USA. They have plenty in Europe, even though their styling is uninspired. I have also been warned by many to steer clear of Buell.