trade up for the 2015 fz-09 ?

We have both at our house. I own a 2014 FZ09, and my wife has the FZ07. I spent the first 600 miles on her bike doing the engine break in for her. The 07 is a great bike, very light weight and lots of "grunt" for a 700cc bike. The suspension is non adjustable, as you all probably know, but it works very well for her, since she is only about 120 lbs.

The FZ09, when it first came out, had what many folks consider a very twitchy throttle.....kind of like the previous poster stated, on/off.......nothing in between when you were below approx. 4500 RPMs. Yamaha issued a re-flash for the 2014 models that the dealer will do for free, and of course the 2015's came with the updated mapping already there. Suspension continues to be an issue for some/many FZ09 owners.......it's soft and basically not very adjustable. Suspension fixes are fairly simple though and it's always easier/less expensive, to upgrade suspension that to buy a bike with great suspension and the motor is lacking. The two bikes, even though they are similar in looks, are worlds apart in engine performance. The FZ09 has a monster motor and seriously, I would not recommend the bike to a fairly new rider.

The 09 is definitely quicker and faster, which anyone would expect. It feels better planted when running on undulating surfaces and the suspension is adjustable. Heavier riders complain about the suspension but most lighter riders think it's OK. I thought the seat on my 07 was better than the stock seat on my 09 and I plan on changing the old seat out. As far as speed goes, both will break any speed limit in the U.S. so that isn't a big deal. The 09 weighs about 18 lbs. more which isn't very much, tires are the same on both bikes. The 2016 09 has perfect fueling so that has been corrected by Yamaha. I think the 09 could use a larger tank because it drinks fuel at a rate of about 45 MPG and the tank is about the same as the FZ07 so range is a little shorter. I don't think either bike is meant to have a passenger and wouldn't buy either if I rode 2-up. Both bikes are good deals and no other manufacturer that I know of can do as well as Yamaha has with this pair. Not perfect, but damned good if you're on a budget.