So, haven't bought the FZ7 yet, but I have questions / concerns. And I've read through a lot of the posts on here, read lots of articles and watched real reviews on YT from owners. I am a woman in my 50's, have been riding for six years, I have a few physical limitations but I still want to ride. My needs are a bike that is in the 600 - 700 cc range, nimble, has good performance, is comfortable, easy clutch lever, upright seating...and since I like to tour a few times a year, it needs to be tour-worthy. Have looked at the nc700x, the Versys 650, the v-strom 650 and although I really like these, they are a bit top-heavy to me. I sat on a ninja 650 and was amazed at how easy it was to use the clutch lever and lift it up off the kickstand. Then, I sat on this FZ7 and was even more amazed. My concerns are:
- There's the fear of buying a bike that is the first generation where they may not have worked out the known issues. (Same reason why I don't buy the first generation of a phone, for example.)
- How do you attach saddlebags for a tour on this bike? (I have Cortech soft bags)
- I've heard that it can be 'grabby' or 'jerky' which is exactly one of the reasons why I'm selling my FZ6r...it's soooo not smooth shifting. Could be operator error, though.
- One review mentioned that the suspension is saggy but I'm sure that can be fixed.
- The only mods I would do is the fender eliminator and an easy clutch so I like that.
- This bike is almost a hundred pounds lighter in weight than my bike and has about 25% more power...hell to the YES!
- Everything else seems great.