YAMAHA FZS1000 FAZER (2000-2005) Review

You will be hard pressed to find a bike in this price range which has 'everything' you're looking for from an all rounder. It's fast, comfortable, reliable and easy to ride. Bits corrode if you ride it through winter and the stock wheel paint is... Read more awful. I had the wheels power coated and now they're awesome. You may want to upgrade that suspension and have the carbs 'Ivanised' to get the best from this glorious beast. It has no fancy gadgetry so there's not a lot to go wrong. You could service and maintain this bike easily yourself. I would expect it to do very high miles if looked after. The EXUP valve is annoying to maintain and can seize.

I love my Fazer 1000 - it has superb acceleration and I've recently done a Europe trip on it with my fiancée, so the bike was fully loaded with panniers and a top box and a pillion and it performed extremely well going through France, around the Alps... Read more into Italy and back through Switzerland. There are bits and pieces that tend to corrode over time - my radiator was badly shot as I'm pretty sure the stock radiator guard does nothing to protect the rad, the stock suspension is rubbish and feels like a broken mattress, so I've gone for the HyperPro kit on mine. Being mechanically minded I just love the fact this bike is so easy to work on. Everything is easy to get to and DIY servicing is a doddle.

Best features - quick acceleration - smooth delivery - grate handling - lights are good at night - very predictable Worst... Read more features - seat could be a 2 pice rather than one.

Had one of these back in 2003. Then went to GSXR1000K3 and now just sold a BMW K1600GTL to buy this a second time round. Done track days, IOM and Nurburgring trips on the previous. Will change to drag bars and otherwise just enjoy it. Read more

Do a rear shock conversion/replacement, new valves and springs on the front forks, drop forks through the yolks by 10mm, 2 up on the back & 1 down on the front sprockets and get it fully Ivanised (pref by the Falcon) and this bike is 5 out of 5. Read more

awesome machine, comfortable, quick, reliable Read more

Absolutely superb. If I had known how good it was going to be I would have bought 2 Read more

It's takes alot to maintainin it Read more

Just bought an FZS1000, first un-faired bike, had to downscale my bike budget and coming from a 2003 R1, I didn't want anything too lacking in grunt, plus the seat and grabrails will hopefully tempt my partner to come out with me now and again. Not... Read more put many miles on it yet so still adjusting to the riding position (comfortable and abnormally high bars for me) but I am getting the hango of it. Had a "spirited" ride out with my mate on his 954 - we're pretty quick together and we were both surprised how quick I could still go round the twisties, it really is easy to ride fast and keep the pace up. Obviously a 1000cc bike is going to be fast enough, but how easy this is to ride at pace was a wonderful surprise. I don't really think the reviews do the bike justice. I have had the usual mix of the Sport bikes like Fireblades, Aprilias, ZX9Rs, VFRs and so on and won't rule out another Sportsbike for the track and short rides when and if I have more cash, but for a one-bike person, this should be considered by everyone. I have dropped the front end 10mm, jacked the rear up to max preload and adjusted damping to suit - and with some cash thrown at the forks and shock and a jet kit, there is surely going to be a storming bike unleashed, that you can ride for several hours at a time and you can also bimble to work through traffic without your wrists getting a caning. Great value bike for the cash, highly recommended.

I have had my 2005 Fazer for almost five years now. I was looking for a machine in this class after selling a BMW1150GS. (At the risk of upsetting all the BMW fans out there I'll say that, although it was the most comfortable and most efficient bike... Read more I have owned, it was sooo BORING!! Sorry, just didn't do it for me.) The choices at the time we machines such as the Suzuki Bandit, which was a little too old school, and the Honda Hornet 900. The Fazer seemed to be the best overall package as the motor at 145BHP had more stomp than the others, it had the suspension lifted from the Thunderace, brakes from the R1 and it had a modern look. I found mine in the MCN classifieds and purchased it as an 18 month old machine with only 1100 miles on it. It was if it had just come out of the crate. So what's it like to own - great! It's a fast and easy bike to ride. The engine is smooth and picks up really well from almost any revs. It's actually a little more modified than the 'detuned R1 engine' label tends to suggest. Amongst other subtle modifications is a heavier flywheel which makes the engine more tractable from low RPM. The carbs are also smaller which give better mid-range. I have not ridden an R1 so can't comment on how much stomp the motor has lost at the top end of the rev range but, take my word for it, it's fast enough! The suspension often comes in for criticism as being too soft and past its best by 10,000 miles. I have increased the pre-load at both ends a little and set the bike up for me. The result is a bike that handles very well and is still comfortable. With 7,000 miles now showing the suspension shows no signs of fading yet. (Yes, I know I have only put 6,000 miles on it but I am lucky enough to own more than one bike. As and when the suspension shows signs of fading I'll upgrade it because I intend to keep this bike long term. There's probably no need to comment on the brakes - R1 stuff so enough said. The riding position is day long comfortable and the controls are light and easy. The switchgear is standard Yamaha fare so no problems there. I usually get around 150 miles to the tank in general use with 170+ on a run. Starting is a first time affair as long as you never use full choke. Even in the coldest weather on half choke is needed or the bike coughs and dies. A lot of the time there is no need to use the choke at all. I have had it checked and no, the bike is not running rich. My machine is also fitted with a Scorpion end can which sounds fantastic; even with the baffles still in. The OE Metzler tyres were not to my liking and have been changed to my preferred choice - Bridgestone BT023's. A big improvement! The half fairing is very effective, particularly with a slightly taller screen. I have a double bubble on mine and cruising at three figure speeds is no problem. The build quality looks good although to be honest it hasn't really been tested as this machine is used mainly in the dry; year round but only on dry roads. There are no stone chips on the paintwork and even the paint on the engine, so often a weak spot, is immaculate. The only mark is on the tail fairing where is caught it a few times with my boot getting on and off the bike. (Well, I am only 5'9") The only let down with this bike so far has been my local Yamaha dealer but I won't go into details. Perhaps I have been spoilt having dealt almost exclusively with Honda dealers in recent years. However, I now use Woking Yamaha for my servicing and they boys down there are top guys. So, there you have it; a good all round machine. When I purchased mine they were still a little under rated so they were a bit of a bargain. You don't see too many for sale and I think that's because, when you own one, you tend to hang onto it when you realize what a good bike this is. How's that for a recommendation? I have seen the described as 'The thinking man's sportsbike' and whilst I don't fully agree with that it's not completely untrue either. Buy one and enjoy.