Just got my FZ-07 today... comparison with my ninja 300

[asaulo1]

Just picked up my new 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 this morning. Matte Grey/Blue.... it looks so much better in person than in pics.... I'm blown away with this thing. I've been contemplating the FZ-09 when it came out but I'm almost certain it's just too much bike for me.... then came the announcement of the FZ-07 and I was immediately intrigued by it. About a week ago, I found out that a local Yamaha dealer was having demo days for the new bikes so me and my bro in law decided to head on down to try it. Unfortunately, the wait to ride the FZ-07 was 3+ hours so alas, we ended up ogling it and sitting down on the display bike. I immediately felt comfortable on the bike with it's upright riding position. Mind you, it's just a tiny bit taller than the ninja 300 as far as the handlebar position is concerned but it just felt good to me. To add to it, it felt light.. probably just a few pounds heavier than my ninja. Right there, I figured this is gonna be my next bike.... fast forward to tuesday and I've been on the phone all day trying to track down a matte grey bike... found a few white ones but alas, the So. Cal. tax is prevalent on all the stealerships prices.... called the more suburban dealers and finally found one that's around 40 miles from the house.... asked a buddy if he's good accompanying me to pick it up and this morning, we took her home....
 
Few notables things as compared to the ninja..
a. Power - power delivery is so smooth on this bike.... it just goes on any gear without hesitation..... it's not as abrupt (so I've heard) as the FZ-09... I guess the only thing I can really describe it with is SMOOTH....
 
b. tranny - again, just smooth.... I mean I'm so used to my ninja that's pretty good and my grom that's absolutely notchy... this thing is just buttery.... the throws are a little longer than in the ninja but it just feels so lubricated to shift that I find myself shifting just for the sake of shifting.....
 
c. ergos - even though I feel it's a combination of super motto and sport hybrid riding positions, it feels right for me... I'm about 5'7 158lbs and this thing just feels natural... the seat is super comfy compared to the bench hard seat of our ninja..... handlebar is a little higher than what I'm used to in the ninja but I easily got comfortable on it on the ride home..... the display is just gorgeous... once you have a gear indicator on the display, you'd never want to go back to one without.....
 
d. exhaust - it has a deep throaty sound even if it's just a twin cylinder engine..... revving it gives it more of a growl but not as nice as say the cbr650f which of course is an inline 4.... I'm looking at pre-ordering the akropovic exhaust but at $700, it's quite a pricey option.... I really want to keep the shorty style exhaust so I'd pass on the other options that are currently available for it that extends it like our ninjas do....
 
Overall, after the 50 or so miles I've put on it so far, I'm very happy with my purchase. I'm looking to sell the ninja since I see it as being redundant to this bike.... can't say that I won't miss it since I do adore the ninja...  
Cheers everyone... here's a couple of iphone pics to wet your appetite until our next group ride...
 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 

[Guru]

Nice write-up! Thanks for sharing.

[GAZ]

Yes, thanks for sharing! I almost bought a 300 instead of the 07. I sat on a 2014 300 and liked it. However, once I saw the 07, price point, and reviews on it. I was sold. One of my biggest deciding factors was the 07 had some more room to grow into.

[indomie]

awesome, read your thread on ninja300 forum as well. GAZ im in the same boat. are you a beginner rider as well? what are your thoughts on the FZ?

[GAZ]

awesome, read your thread on ninja300 forum as well. GAZ im in the same boat. are you a beginner rider as well? what are your thoughts on the FZ?

Yes. The FZ07 is my first bike. I took the MSF course and got my license. I was hesitant about choosing the 07 over the 300 due to the fact the 300 had some of the safety features like slipper clutch and ABS. Slipper is nice but not a deal breaker for me and ABS I can live without as some of the MT-07 (model with abs) owners said it felt spongy compared to the model without. I've never had a bike with ABS so I don't really feel that I would be grabbing the brake in a way to lock them up (or activate ABS). It's possible that the 07 will come out with an ABS version later on down the road. The brakes on this bike are pretty darn good. From a beginners stand point I can't really ask for more. Shifting is smooth throttle response is great throughout the RPM range. Its fast so you have plenty of power to grow into and 58 MPG is always good. However, you can go up on one wheel in any of the first three gears if you wanted to. I've heard of plenty of people say Dual-sports are great learner bikes but reason I didn't go that route is because I live in city and I would only want one if I could off-road with it. Hope this helps and good luck with whichever route you take. Anyone on two wheels gets my respect. 

[indomie]

great, thanks for the response. i'm basically thinking the same as you were. thanks again for your input. btw nice 370!, i'm a Nissan guy too. but i'm selling my 240 to get the bike, Texas emission laws are getting harder next year and i wont be able to get it inspected with the sr motor in. ill be checking the bike tomorrow at the dealer.

[asaulo1]

awesome, read your thread on ninja300 forum as well. GAZ im in the same boat. are you a beginner rider as well? what are your thoughts on the FZ?

Yes. The FZ07 is my first bike. I took the MSF course and got my license. I was hesitant about choosing the 07 over the 300 due to the fact the 300 had some of the safety features like slipper clutch and ABS. Slipper is nice but not a deal breaker for me and ABS I can live without as some of the MT-07 (model with abs) owners said it felt spongy compared to the model without. I've never had a bike with ABS so I don't really feel that I would be grabbing the brake in a way to lock them up (or activate ABS). It's possible that the 07 will come out with an ABS version later on down the road. The brakes on this bike are pretty darn good. From a beginners stand point I can't really ask for more. Shifting is smooth throttle response is great throughout the RPM range. Its fast so you have plenty of power to grow into and 58 MPG is always good. However, you can go up on one wheel in any of the first three gears if you wanted to. I've heard of plenty of people say Dual-sports are great learner bikes but reason I didn't go that route is because I live in city and I would only want one if I could off-road with it. Hope this helps and good luck with whichever route you take. Anyone on two wheels gets my respect.

My ninja 300 was my first street bike... which I bought right after taking the MSF course... what's funny is, i wasn't planning on getting a sports bike... I only took the MSF course because I was awaiting delivery of my Honda Grom which was backordered for 6 months... one my fellow students in the MSF course had me ride his brand new Ninja 300 around the MSF course and I was just smitten with it... sure enough, i was on the horn trying to find one (see a pattern here) and I was lucky to find one that only had 598 miles so it saved me a couple of grand off a brand new one... Anyway, I love the ninja even til now... it gave me the skills to feel confident enough to jump to the FZ.... like you said, I like the slipper clutch which actually gives me smoother momentum controlling my speed on high speed sweepers and the like..... anyway, I was contemplating on keeping the ninja but with the grom in the stable, it's hard to justify to the wife having all 3 rides..... either way, i think given the chance, I'd probably choose the ninja 300 again as a first bike.... Cheers!!! 
image by asaulo911, on Flickr
 

[socal07]

The bike looks great! If you don't mind me asking, what dealership did you get the bike at? I'm in SoCal as well and am shopping around. Thanks in advance!

[thestache]

Asaulo, u might wanna check YouTube, and check out Spacep0d's Ninja 300...lotsa mods that thing is awesome

[indomie]

cool, thanks for all the info guys. the ninja 300 would be cheaper for me for now, but dang that fz-07 looks sweet!

[indomie]

oh yeah the grom is a sweet ride too! looks super fun! i showed my gf that and she wants one bad! haha

[asaulo1]

Asaulo, u might wanna check YouTube, and check out Spacep0d's Ninja 300...lotsa mods that thing is awesome

 I ride with him all the time.. you might even catch me on some of his videos... in fact, he did a review of my honda grom.... he and this other guy, deltafoxtrotzulu has the most modified ninja 300s around.... in fact, I met up with delta last night at a local bike night and he even put in a GSXR front caliper on his ninja 300..... 

[asaulo1]

cool, thanks for all the info guys. the ninja 300 would be cheaper for me for now, but dang that fz-07 looks sweet!

I'm selling my beloved ninja 300, BTW.... so if you know anyone in So Cal looking for one, let me know....

[asaulo1]

The bike looks great! If you don't mind me asking, what dealership did you get the bike at? I'm in SoCal as well and am shopping around. Thanks in advance!

AV Kawasaki/Yamaha in Lancaster.. ask for James...  
tell him Alfred sent you his way... I believe he has a white one still in their Palmdale location which is a bit closer....
 
 

[thestache]

Asaulo, u might wanna check YouTube, and check out Spacep0d's Ninja 300...lotsa mods that thing is awesome

 I ride with him all the time.. you might even catch me on some of his videos... in fact, he did a review of my honda grom.... he and this other guy, deltafoxtrotzulu has the most modified ninja 300s around.... in fact, I met up with delta last night at a local bike night and he even put in a GSXR front caliper on his ninja 300..... 

LOL, Spacep0d almost convinced me just on his review to get the CBR650F

[howlinhoss]

I ride a 300 and my fz is coming soon. I love my 300 too much to get rid of it. I have modded the crap out of it too almost to the level of SpacePod and DFZ. I like to go to the track and the 300 is a perfect track bike and I think I would prefer to ride the 300 at the track.

[Guest montana07]

Good feedback! I have a feeling there will be quite a few people converting from the ninja 300 to the FZ-07, seems like a logical next step for a lot of riders.

[The Truth]

image by asaulo911, on Flickr 

Dang man you look great on the bike and so does the bike! Awesome color choice! May i ask how tall you are? I wasn't able to sit on a bike in my area i just was able to put a down-payment on it so your pic and height would give me a better idea of what i'm looking at height wise... 

[asaulo1]

 

image by asaulo911, on Flickr 

Dang man you look great on the bike and so does the bike! Awesome color choice! May i ask how tall you are? I wasn't able to sit on a bike in my area i just was able to put a down-payment on it so your pic and height would give me a better idea of what i'm looking at height wise...

 
Thanks. I'm 5'7 158 lbs. I can flat foot the bike but just barely. The nice thing is that the bike is light so it's very flickable in the turns.

[The Truth]

Lol I'm 5'7 170 XD

[Lusiphur]

Great writeup and comparison. I have the same 2 bikes as you, so you saved me the time of doing this.

 
Just some additional facts to add to the comparison
 
The FZ-07 is 13lbs heavier than the Ninja 300
The FZ-07 wheelbase is less than 1" longer
 
So the FZ-07 is just as nimble, but with significantly more power.

[Lusiphur]

I ride a 300 and my fz is coming soon. I love my 300 too much to get rid of it. I have modded the crap out of it too almost to the level of SpacePod and DFZ. I like to go to the track and the 300 is a perfect track bike and I think I would prefer to ride the 300 at the track.

I agree totally.  I am going to turn my 300 into a dedicated track bike and use the FZ-07 for my commuting.

[thestache]

Lol I'm 5'7 170 XD

Lenny I am 5'7" and I have no issues standing on 1 leg at stop lights. I, like asualo can barely flat foot it, but it feels more natural on 1 leg on this bike

[rotaryfz07]

We have the same helmet Asaulo!
 
My bike is red though! Haha
 
Good review man . I love this bike !

[asaulo1]

just to add to the "ongoing" review/comparison. I know this has been discussed in another thread but I think it's worth mentioning here. The fuel gauge is so damn conservative.... I mean it's at E and when you fill the tank, there's still over 1 gallon in there... I guess that's a good thing but I just hate seeing my fuel gauge on the E even though I know, I'm a good 60+ miles still.... oh well, better safe than sorry..... also, I'm noticing a little chain slack now... but given that I'm close to the 600 mile 1st service, I'll wait to have it done during that time.... anyone else see some extra slack on their bike after riding it some?