Great review! I appreciate that you covered a lot of key points. One thing (yeah, I know), it's not an adventure bike. It's classed as a mid-weight supersport tourer, meant for street ONLY. I mention this because, yes, it looks adventure bike-ish, but peeps are busting oil drain plugs when going over very tame terrain. Just saying this so folks don't bust drain plugs on their brand new bikes when it's not designed to be ridden that way. It can be modded to handle mild off road terrain. The FJ-09 forums talk about this and give links to sites to mod the bike to handle more rigorous terrain. I just wanted to mention that for those seriously looking at this bike. Cheers, and thanks again for a great review!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this particular bike. I just got this exact one a couple months ago used, and I love it. Coming from and R3 the Fj09 feels fantastic. I have Teneré in mind, good to hear your comparison also. 🤙🏽
The problem i had with the FZ1 and the Z1000, they both was so tall i didnt feel safe. But i loved the headlights on the Z1000. Made it look a bit scary. Like a monster.
Great vid review! One of the best I've seen online for this bike. I rode this back to back with the 2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. I ended up buying the Versys.
+You Toober, the power and torque of the 2015 Versys 650 is more than adequate for my needs. I'm a commuter and weekend canyon carver. I'm 5'11" and weigh 200 lbs and have NO problems whipping the bike around; riding solo or two up. I've also taken the Versys to the track (it's a fun bike in that element too!) I would absolutely recommend the Versys. Its versatility has far exceeded my expectations! I chose it over the FJ-09 for its more comfortable seat and ergonomics, value for money (paid $8,400 final price for the LT version), its more torquey engine and more planted feeling chassis. Awesome bike overall! Hope this info helps :-)
Thanks for the review, I'm in the early process of deciding on a bike to use as a commuter/ tourer in sunny Queensland and am looking at all options. So many great choices!! Sports bikes are awesome, but I think in reality 150+ km's per day possibly sports tourers wiser option..?
great vid mate. Must see some more of yours. But yeah seems like a damn nice bike, triumph triples have great gearboxes too, might be a triple thing ..or not. And you're saying what? you can stand up on that.. surely. haha ..something about the little pegs. [edit: yeah total about the whine - I had a vfr back when -audi v8's aren't tooo bad either ....otherwise shame about the nanny not blowing through a couple of curves for y'all]
my posture similar to yours, and with your vid, i feel like how myself riding those bike, good vid! and i do want have that FJ-09 :D so thanks this made me can picture how myself on that bike.
Wicked Devil Did I hear that you're 5'7", 155lbs? I'm your height, with29" inseam, weighing in @ 154 lbs. Did you feel the seat height too tall? You talked about clutchless shift. Does the MT-09 Tracer have quick shift feature?
Nice review. I want to get one of this but afraid of the seat height being to tall for average person. Do you think I would be able to ride this? I'm 5' 7" by the way.
I bought the 2017. I'm 5'7". Seat on lower setting, comfortably on the balls of my feet both sides. Still put a lowering kit on it which brings it down another 20mm.
If you have discipline like that, you can try it, but my advice is to try something smaller. Like in the 300cc to 600cc range. First off it's cheaper to insure and second it's also cheaper to maintain.
+You Toober thanks, I have been trying to find an "adventure" bike that's in the 600 range that has the right features the only ones I found were the vstrom and verys both of which most all reviews mention significant front tire lift at anything over 80. A few of the roads I regualrly travel are going up to 80 mph so I had not heard anything about the fj09 not be planted. thoughts? recommendations?
I'm more experienced with dual-sport (dual-purpose) and sport bikes. So that's what i can speak on. But if i were a beginner and looking for an adventure bike (or something close to it), here's where i'd be looking (along with the Kawasaki versys 650 lt): *Bmw g 650 gs and f 700 gs, Kawasaki klr650, Honda nc700x and cb500x and the Suzuki dr650s.* There are others, but i would be looking at those first.
+You Toober when I said "adventure" I kinda want a sport touring bike. basically looking for a functional commuter that had hard side boxes and a top box.
Oh. Well there's a difference between an adventure bike and a sport-tourer. Motorcycles like the one you mentioned are usually in the 1000cc range. I would recommend you go to a motorcycle dealership and talk to the salesmen and sit on a few bikes then.
Usually this bike is perfect for tall riders but buddy you are huge :) I would recommend you to grab a fr of yours, a camera and go to a local dealer, browse around and try the bikes while your friend is filming you. Then you can watch the video and judge for yourself. All the best!
+Derli Campos fz is the american name for MT which means " Master of Torque " in EU. Same with FJ which is Tracer in europe, which means the more touring oriented MT - 09
