I had one for 2 days from my local dealer to take down to the club and ride around a bit. Some people miss the point of this little bike. It is a toy with a practical side to it if you want to commute in town. More power than the Triumph and it sounds better. Three modes of power delivery of which the B-mode is better in town as it masks the on off fueling that the Euro emission laws are to blame for. In this mode it delivers the fueling 20% slower than standard. A-mode is a hoot that brings out the bikes character (20% faster fueling than standard) and you'll find that twisting the throttle enthusiastically will make the front go light. The engine is the focus of this bike. You get that induction turbine sound and then the exhaust throaty sound as you accelerate, very addictive. First thing you notice when pulling away is how smooth everything is, no vibrations and once on the throttle the power delivery is very linear. It has got a bit of engine braking so no problem doing your IAM thing. The bike is light and manoeuvrable, the seat is a welcome low compared to the GSA. The riding position is upright and comfortable. That said going a bit faster than the speed limit and you'll feel the wind pressure and you'll have to lean well forward at any speed above the ton to alleviate the pressure. It helps that the seat is rather flat so can change body position easily. The only other naked I've ridden that lets you forget about the speed is the 1098 Streetfighter from Ducati, it has a more aggressive seating position. Because of the frame design the seat is narrow but not uncomfortably so. There is an option for a plusher seat from Yamaha. The clocks are easy to read once you have accustomed yourself to the layout. Revs at the top, gear indicator lower left, speed bottom centre, above that the time and odo or whatever function you choose to display from the menu. Mirrors is good, and foot pegs is spot on for me (178 cm or 5'10'' with size 10/45 Euro boots). Brakes are good for road riding, rear brake is effective. The action on the levers is light and positive and you can dial in as much braking as you want accurately. I like it very much and it will bring out the nasty in you.
Now the not so good. The headlight on this particular bike is not very good. I guess a bit of adjustment might fix it. The clocks are quite bright at night but easy to read in the daylight. I don't know if this brightness might tire you at night if you do some distance but it didn't distract me. The rear brake and gear lever could do with a bit of adjustment for me, a bit too high to my liking. The rear suspension was lacking in the damping department being quite responsive to the undulations in the road. I have not pushed the bike on the road so cannot comment on the vague front end. May have to ride it on track to find the shortcomings of the machine but unlikely to happen.
Overall a very good bike from Yamaha, in the USA it is badged as the FZ-09 and is the replacement for the FZ8. I really like the orange paint. It is so easy to ride and for the people that sat on it at the club all of them liked it, one of them a 675R owner. The first thing they noticed was how light it is. There is quite a few accessories available from Yamaha like the fly screen (don't expect any better wind protection if any at all) and the full Akrapovic system, levers, adjusters etc. A big thanks to my local Yamaha dealer for letting me have a go on it.
