What was your close 2nd choice to the FZ8?

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decooney

New member
Curious to hear from others on this site who seriously researched and demo'd other bikes before making that final decision on the FZ8 over others. I see a lot of posts about FZ1 vs. FZ8, yes, and this makes sense to struggle over since its in the same family. I'm assuming some bought the FZ8 regardless of price, and maybe just because they liked it better than another bike for specific function or performance reasons.

What was your close 2nd choice to the FZ8, and what was that final deciding factor that told you, "YES, the FZ8 is THE bike for me" ?
 
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Fazed

Guest
I guess my 2nd choice would have been to fix the leaky head gasket on my old bike.
 
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Camo

Guest
I test rode a ton of bikes but in the end I was comfy on the 8, the price was right, it put a smile on my face, ticked the boxes and figured I could have a beer or two and look at it in the garage :)
Serious consideration went to Speed triple, st1050, CB1000r and a blackbird.
The triumphs were to pricey and didn't feel to dissimilar to our 8, the cb felt like it was as narrow as a dirt bike and I'd have to of torn up my license if I bought a blackbird.

I never got round to test riding an SV1000 but I'd like to. A guy I see all the time at my local, swears by his. Even has a second one setup as a track weapon. Both are the S model

Edit: I also liked the late model VFR800's but couldn't justify the extra cost and Vtec kinda annoyed me.
 
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WARPTH

Guest
suzuki gsr750, aprilia shiver 750 sport, street triple, or husqvarna smr511, got a great deal on the fz8 and thats what tipped me over the edge for it. that and the finer details are finished off alot better than pretty much all the others. aprilia excluded... what a magnificent piece of engineering!
 
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n00b

Avid Rider
I'm a new rider... I started looking for used SV650's and then FZ6. Stumbled on a great deal on the FZ8 and went with it.
 
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decooney

New member
Good to know.

My 2nd choice was a used Ducati Monster S2R or Hypermotard 796, not willing to pay for the Ducati 1100 either. And, if I could of afforded it, I probably would have ended up with the new Honda CB1000R; which fit me like a glove for some reason. In the end, the overall package and best value for me seemed to be the FZ8. Sort of liked the idea of having to zing an FZ8 up a bit vs a rocket liter bike with more power than I really need for local riding.

I like Italian styling and even ride Beta Italian bikes in dirt, but for some reason could not get myself to pull the trigger on the Ducati with various issues reported on Ducati forum sites; i.e. tank expansion, injection valve complaints/posts on forums, cam belt replacement often - every 4 years, etc. Spoke with three different sales managers at different Yamaha dealerships who all "use to" work at Ducati dealerships. All of them said the same thing, if you want consistent reliability and performance, buy one of the big-4 japanese bikes. So, I did. FZ8 it is. Formerly rode a lot of Yamahas and Hondas on dirt since the mid 1970s and only had one sport bike back in 1986, Ninja 650 to compare to. In this search, prior to landing on the FZ8, I was hung up on just about anything v-twin in a naked bike format, for example SV650 N, and even seriously considered taking a 2005 Honda Superhawk V-twin and converting it into a naked bike. Just didnt' want to fuss with it this time around on a bike build, so FZ8 is my next try. Should have it tomorrow, new from the Yamaha dealer. I'm hoping I don't miss the v-twin aspect and the FZ8 will do other things better in ways I don't yet know. Thanks.
 
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Guillaume

Guillaume

Member
Well, I was a little afraid of an FZ1 for a first bike so I went for the FZ8.
Oddly enough, my true second choice was actually the 1200 Super Ténéré... But it was too expensive.
 
Ben1105

Ben1105

New member
Guillaume said:
Well, I was a little afraid of an FZ1 for a first bike so I went for the FZ8.
Oddly enough, my true second choice was actually the 1200 Super Ténéré... But it was too expensive.
Click to expand...

I was really interested in the Super Ténéré but, ah, again the cost.
 
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Gokul

New member
Aprilla Shiver 750, Street triple and Suzuki GSR750. Half fairings and good deal tipped me over.
 
master paper clip

master paper clip

New member
My other option was a 2012 Honda cbr60rr all black upgraded exhaust, what got me on the fz8 was Honda wouldn't finance me so the guy said Yamaha would so I went and checked out the r6, loved the looks of that bike but was so uncomfortable, dealer showed me the fz8 and I liked it, then my girlfriend pointed out that it kinda looks like the bike from the Batman movie... hr later and I was riding home, also the reason why I blacked out most of the stuff on my bike
 
Mansack

Mansack

New member
My first choice was a Street Triple R. Adjustable forks / shock, and I was used to the Triumph Daytona (I had one for 3 years) and figured that would be a good move. I'm 6'4" and my legs felt really cramped on the Triple. Also, the maintenance issues I had with the Daytona (lots of issues, and many parts are shared between the 675 and STR) coupled with the dealer I would have had to deal with made the Triple a no-go.

Could have gotten the STR for 4500 after a 5500 trade in on my Daytona, but instead I sold my Daytona for 6700 and bought a used 2011 FZ8 for 6200. Figured I could soup up this bike for way less than a new STR, plus it was comfy. So far I'm happy with my choice overall.
 
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thach1130

New member
Buell XB9s, at least before i had a chance to ride it. Once i had a chance to test drive a used one i hated it. Vibrate like crazy, and felt super heavy. I also read the reliability of those HD engine are nonexistent so i went with the FZ8. Also i figure the HD engine would be costly to service.
 
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Ignacio-Arg

New member
My first choice was a Kawasaki ZX6R, but in my country we have many problems with imports, and I didn't found a new ZX6. So I start looking other bikes, and I bought the 8. Very happy with my bike.
 
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decooney

New member
Interesting. While getting back into researching street bikes after a 20 year gap of riding sport bikes, I actually considered many of the same bikes listed here by all of you; even some of the smallish ones just for kicking around locally. :)

Even though I could have spent more on something different, I came to the realization the FZ8 seemed to provide exactly what I needed, and that I actaully did not need to spend more money. Or, this is the hope. Will know for sure by the end of this week. Was pleased to read how the FZ8 has more torque and usability under 8k range than the FZ1. My buddy and I bought our FZ8s the same day, and he changed his mind last minute from the FZ1 to FZ8 instead once he too realized it was better suited for the type of local riding we do, under 70mph most or 99% of the time. i.e. we'll be searching out more of the foothill type curvy roads with low speed turns and staynig off freeways as much as possible.
 
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Skully

New member
Street Triple was my first choice but didn't want to spend the money.

I've always wanted a Ducati Monster too.
 
Black Widow

Black Widow

Avid Rider
What???.... There are other naked sport bikes available? Oh well, i'm sure i got the best one. If it doesn't have a tuning Fork logo i won't buy it.:cool:
 
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