Fz 09 vs Z900 comparison review | GTAMotorcycle.com

Fz 09 vs Z900 comparison review

bigpoppa

Well-known member
**This is primarily a comparison between the Fz09 and the Z900(but i'll also throw in how different they are compared to the my little cbr500)**

I'm hoping this will help those interested in the z900 and the new Z900Rs (since Kawasaki for some reason no longer does demo rides)
I got lucky and was able to convince a friendly dealer to let me take it out for a spin
These are just thoughts and notes I took in the summer when I had the chance to ride a bunch of bikes

Fz 09
The Engine is awesome(surprise right?)

-The ever slightest opening of the throttle/roll on produces power, anything more results
in instant vicious acceleration, hitting you and throwing you back ,,the further you crank the throttle in A mode,
the wilder the bike and its power gets,
, then as the revs climb higher, progressively
you feel like you are sliding off and being pushed back off the seat in a more linear fashion.
Even after I tucked in and clamped on to the tank this continued. The power doesnt stop.

-Power is everywhere in the rev range(from bottom to redline), in all gears. (If traction control 2 wasnt on, i would have been wheeling all day)
-Its light and agile, however the Fj 09 feels slighty more agile(wider handlebars? Or placebo effect)
-Rear Brake is garbage(for a bike this powerful and capable, this surprised me)



-I was coming from the cbr500 and immediately I noticed some differences:
1. you CANNOT ham fist this thing.
2. The cbr feels lazy compared to the FZ(in the sense that the yamaha always felt like it likes to rev), in addition on the cbr I have to rev 1/4 turn and feather the clutch
to get it to go from the stop light. On the FZ, that is a bad idea. Just smoothly let the clutch out and watch it go.
3.You HAVE to be careful with the throttle(modulating)
,and be fully awake when riding, on cbr the throttle is lazy, you can put all your weight on it
and nothing will happen.
4. It is Easier to rev match on the fz 09 compared to cbr500r(this might be because i have a lot of play in the throttle on the cbr, or because of the slipper clutch on the fz )



The best way I can sum it up according to my experience:

The Fz 09 is Rambo, wild, powerful and crazy
If you are riding at a spirited pace, or aggressively, you WILL know it.


Where as the Z900 is James bond. Smooth, linear, and confidence inspiring. From its Power to the handling. (You know that feeling you when your leaning the bike over, it starts off by leaning a little sluggish, and then falls into the turn quickly? Nope, wont happen with the Z, this thing will lean smoothly and in a linear fashion all the way)

It is also deceptively quick, you could be riding along, and without even realizing it, be doing prison speeds. You wont know until you look at the speedometer. It is that smooth

The Z is very docile at the bottom end, and starts to come alive at the midrange, continuing its song till the rev limiter

Both are phenomenal bikes, and ultimately one would be very happy with either.
(I also forgot to mention the 2017 fz has a lot more in the way of electronics as opposed to the Z)
 
you're gonna love that engine
torque of a twin
and rev happy like an I4

I think they got the fuel mapping refined a bit now?
it was downright dangerous in A Mode, first year of production

observation about the rear brake is accurate, it's useless
had tires put on last spring - FJ09
install was pretty quick, then tech went for a road test
bike went back into the shop for over an hour while I waited
finally asked what was going on
service clerk told me the guy was having a very hard time bleeding the rear brake
can bleed it all day and never get solid pedal

and the nimble feeling on the FJ I think is from the higher center of gravity
with a full tank it tips in without any noticeable counter steer
 
Last edited:
I was surprised to find after I test rode the FJ in the summer, its heavier than the cbr500 but felt lighter...
 
Why are you two harping on about the rear brake so much? The only time i'd ever consider using it would be if it was a rainy day. I can lock up my rear wheel using the rear if i want to so it's not an FZ09 issue.
 
Why are you two harping on about the rear brake so much? The only time i'd ever consider using it would be if it was a rainy day. I can lock up my rear wheel using the rear if i want to so it's not an FZ09 issue.

anyone there with you who has English as a first language that can interpret for you?
can't understand WTF you're trying to say with that
 
^ What he said
 
Fun bike, I took out the FJ version this summer. I really like the F..09, it's a great in-between that's comfortable to ride distance, and easy to ride in urban traffic. I'd love to see this platform in an adventure style setup - that would be a killer bike. I didn't notice anything wrong with the rear brakes on the one I rode, the rears are a bit squishier than I'm used to, I think that's Yamaha's ABS feel.

If you're coming off a CB500, the FZ09 would give you a nice kick in the pants!
 
anyone there with you who has English as a first language that can interpret for you?
can't understand WTF you're trying to say with that

^ What he said

So Jayv leaves out ONE word "BRAKE" and english is not first language. LOL
You guys are funny and bp has got nothing better to do than post useless and pointless threads, instead of posting hit the tread mill instead of the thread mill... go for a jog.... since you are always commenting on your own size limitations on an ss.. and get the ss with premium back brakes.

What happened to GTAM all the fun folks are gone... inred... stb...and many others who would be sarcastic but at least contributed now we are left with annoying Nubathas who cant ride for beans and know it alls.
So much negativety thought I would join in the reindeer games as this site is good for nothing else as for me when I was riding would frequent the rides section but alas thats dead also.
 
Last edited:
So Jayv leaves out ONE word "BRAKE" and english is not first language. LOL

okay wise one, take the word BRAKE
insert it anywhere you like in this sentence
and explain WTF it means?

I can lock up my rear wheel using the rear if i want to so it's not an FZ09 issue
 
okay wise one, take the word BRAKE
insert it anywhere you like in this sentence
and explain WTF it means?

I can lock up my rear wheel using the rear if i want to so it's not an FZ09 issue
I think Jayv is saying that he can lock the rear wheel on his fz9 so the brakes are strong enough.
I think others are saying that they evaluate their brakes a little differently. Modulation, effort etc, instead of "it'll lock up, that's good right?". Also, alot of riders on here simply feel the rear brake is useless on most bikes. Not me, I use mine alot for stability during low speed stuff.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
he can lock the rear wheel on his fz9

context
it can be useful

thanks Iceman

and yes, like you, I use the rear brake almost always with the front
and with dual sport tires on the bike, sometimes a lot more rear than front
and the rear sucks
 
@mad mike
kick in the pants is right. And im not even talking about insurance

And sounds like the butthurt is strong with mm.




Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
okay wise one, take the word BRAKE
insert it anywhere you like in this sentence
and explain WTF it means?

I can lock up my rear wheel using the rear if i want to so it's not an FZ09 issue

Okay ......can lock up my rear wheel using the rear BRAKE if I want to so its not fz09 issue

AND THIS MEANS he can lock the rear brake anytime his heart desires ....sooooo not an fz issue

Btw ease up on the java your brain cells might work better
 
MM, try and take it easy on Java as he is obviously somewhat challenged. He believes there is a benefit to using more rear brake more than front on the streets.

BTW Java, it's centre not center North of the border....
 
@mad mike
kick in the pants is right. And im not even talking about insurance

And sounds like the butthurt is strong with mm.




Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
Butthurt LOL.... life here on my end is f'ing fantastic. ^^^^ "What he said " lol bandwagonar
 
MM, try and take it easy on Java as he is obviously somewhat challenged. He believes there is a benefit to using more rear brake more than front on the streets.

BTW Java, it's centre not center North of the border....

your reading comprehension is about on par
with your ability to express yourself verbally

but anyway, carry on bro

and I'm not French
 
Butthurt LOL.... life here on my end is f'ing fantastic. ^^^^ "What he said " lol bandwagonar
Yes must be quite a fantastic life, coming into a review thread with insults a 5 year old could conjure

Keep living it



Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
 
your reading comprehension is about on par
with your ability to express yourself verbally

but anyway, carry on bro

and I'm not French

Center = South of the Border.

Centre = British English.

"i'm not French" just shows how obtuse you really are.
 
Yes must be quite a fantastic life, coming into a review thread with insults a 5 year old could conjure

Keep living it



Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
agreeing with an insult thrown at jayv but meh that dont count but yah its a review thread so carry on.
 
So anyways..

I had planned to keep the R3 for another season but i found too good a deal to pass up, so count me in the '17 FZ09 club as of tomorrow.

I originally had my heart set on the Street Triple but damn i can't find a single video of the FZ09 where the rider isn't laughing his/her *** off. Lifes too short to not want that. Looked briefly at the Z900, not a fan of the dash one bit or some of the ergos.

^5 poppa
 

Back
Top Bottom