FZ-07 complaints that I don't understand...

[trainspottingbaby]

Ok first of all, a disclaimer -- I'm new to FZ-07 ownership, so I'm still in the honeymoon phase. But I hear a lot of nitpicking about various aesthetic and functional parts of the bike, most of which don't stand out to me and are not things I'd ever have noticed. And sorry but some of those things really do sound like "if other people think it's ugly/bad then I should change it just in case". Here are some examples of things I've read around the internet (not necessarily on this site)...:
 
- "The front signal lights are a monstrosity".
Lots of people seem to agree on that point, but I really don't see what the big deal is. They look like perfectly normal blinkers to me. 
 
- "The engine is so quiet. I hate that."
Since when is quiet a bad thing? Maybe it's just my age, but isn't being obnoxious and annoying people on my street worse? I swear if I hear you kids revving your $1000 Akrapovic/M4/Yoshimura exhaust in front of my house, I'll run out on my lawn and shake my cane at you. 
 
- "Worst color scheme evaaaar."
Wrong. There has never been a bad colour scheme on the FZ-07.  Blurrple is compelling and unique. Raven has a classical sexy look. Grey with high viz wheels (or otherwise) is eye-catching and bad-ass. Glacier/metalic blue (my bike) and red both look instantly appealing, like something I'd want to lick. Matte silver is classy and refined. Yamaha's aesthetic department knows what they're doing.
 
- "I wish they made the heel guard/frame black instead of silver to match everything else"
See above. I don't get that complaint -- the two-tone gives it a really nice visual contrast and dynamic.
 
- "I don't like the stickers on the tank"
I do. So there!
 
- "The rear brake is mushy"
Two words -- Engine Braking. This bike has it, a lot! If I ever end up having to replace my brake pads, I'll be very surprised.
 
- "Front shocks are not adjustable, rear is bad too"
Ok, I'll concede that maybe I don't have enough experience to know what you're comparing against. But it feels fine to me, and I weigh 190lb.
 
- "Rearview mirrors suck"
First of all, no, they don't suck. Your shoulders suck. In all seriousness, that's the first thing I'll change, because my shoulders suck too.
 
- "Cheap plastics"
I guess some of it's thin, but it looks like it will hold up. I don't think it looks cheap either; mine has a pretty cool matte carbon fiber pattern.
 
- "First mod I'm making is FENDER ELIMINATOR"
WHY?! What is so bad about that fender? Did someone tell you it looked bad? I don't get it. That thing serves a purpose, and aesthetically it looks like it's meant to be there. Yamaha knows what they're doing.
 
Ok re-reading this, I sound like Andy Rooney. "I don't get it. I'm old." And TBH I really do get how fun it is to tinker and tweak and I'm sure I'll be wanting to change some of the same things within a year. 

[mossrider]

Nice try Ebaneezer but you'll fall in line soon enough.
 
We've all tried to rationalize our toys, it'll save money on gas, I can get around town easier, I wont change a thing, not gonna spend money on it, blah, blah.
 
Take a pic now and in a year from now and repost.
 
"Discussion is irrelevant, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated."
 
Ha.
 
Fellow geezer, 
(and my neighbors hate me just like their own kids)

[sgreene]

These are all opinions and personal tastes, no one is right or wrong. I do agree that it is too quiet though, I think it's a matter of safety. 9/10 times cars will hear you before they see you.
 
Half of what comes on the bike is hideous and because of federal safety requirements. I guarantee that if Yamaha had their way, the bikes aesthetics in the back and directionals would look much more sleek and pleasing to the eye.

[trainspottingbaby]

These are all opinions and personal tastes, no one is right or wrong. I do agree that it is too quiet though, I think it's a matter of safety. 9/10 times cars will hear you before they see you. 
Half of what comes on the bike is hideous and because of federal safety requirements. I guarantee that if Yamaha had their way, the bikes aesthetics in the back and directionals would look much more sleek and pleasing to the eye.

Nah, some of them are just wrong. JK, I agree that it's all down to personal taste. But I honestly don't see how the default aesthetics are not already pleasing to the eye. I think the bike looks really nice out-of-the-box. At this point I wouldn't change a thing, but as @mossrider points out, I'll probably fall in line.   
*Edit*: Also, good point about the safety thing. I never considered that before, but it does seem like a pretty compelling reason to upgrade the exhaust. 
 

[sgreene]

These are all opinions and personal tastes, no one is right or wrong. I do agree that it is too quiet though, I think it's a matter of safety. 9/10 times cars will hear you before they see you. 
Half of what comes on the bike is hideous and because of federal safety requirements. I guarantee that if Yamaha had their way, the bikes aesthetics in the back and directionals would look much more sleek and pleasing to the eye.

Nah, some of them are just wrong. JK, I agree that it's all down to personal taste. But I honestly don't see how the default aesthetics are not already pleasing to the eye. I think the bike looks really nice out-of-the-box. At this point I wouldn't change a thing, but as @mossrider points out, I'll probably fall in line.  

 
 
Even the hideous liscense plate shovel on the back? Yuck ?

[dmoney]

Ok first of all, a disclaimer -- I'm new to FZ-07 ownership, so I'm still in the honeymoon phase. But I hear a lot of nitpicking about various aesthetic and functional parts of the bike, most of which don't stand out to me and are not things I'd ever have noticed. And sorry but some of those things really do sound like "if other people think it's ugly/bad then I should change it just in case". Here are some examples of things I've read around the internet (not necessarily on this site)...: 
- "The front signal lights are a monstrosity".
Lots of people seem to agree on that point, but I really don't see what the big deal is. They look like perfectly normal blinkers to me. 
 
- "The engine is so quiet. I hate that."
Since when is quiet a bad thing? Maybe it's just my age, but isn't being obnoxious and annoying people on my street worse? I swear if I hear you kids revving your $1000 Akrapovic/M4/Yoshimura exhaust in front of my house, I'll run out on my lawn and shake my cane at you. 
 
- "Worst color scheme evaaaar."
Wrong. There has never been a bad colour scheme on the FZ-07.  Blurrple is compelling and unique. Raven has a classical sexy look. Grey with high viz wheels (or otherwise) is eye-catching and bad-ass. Glacier/metalic blue (my bike) and red both look instantly appealing, like something I'd want to lick. Matte silver is classy and refined. Yamaha's aesthetic department knows what they're doing.
 
- "I wish they made the heel guard/frame black instead of silver to match everything else"
See above. I don't get that complaint -- the two-tone gives it a really nice visual contrast and dynamic.
 
- "I don't like the stickers on the tank"
I do. So there!
 
- "The rear brake is mushy"
Two words -- Engine Braking. This bike has it, a lot! If I ever end up having to replace my brake pads, I'll be very surprised.
 
- "Front shocks are not adjustable, rear is bad too"
Ok, I'll concede that maybe I don't have enough experience to know what you're comparing against. But it feels fine to me, and I weigh 190lb.
 
- "Rearview mirrors suck"
First of all, no, they don't suck. Your shoulders suck. In all seriousness, that's the first thing I'll change, because my shoulders suck too.
 
- "Cheap plastics"
I guess some of it's thin, but it looks like it will hold up. I don't think it looks cheap either; mine has a pretty cool matte carbon fiber pattern.
 
- "First mod I'm making is FENDER ELIMINATOR"
WHY?! What is so bad about that fender? Did someone tell you it looked bad? I don't get it. That thing serves a purpose, and aesthetically it looks like it's meant to be there. Yamaha knows what they're doing.
 
Ok re-reading this, I sound like Andy Rooney. "I don't get it. I'm old." And TBH I really do get how fun it is to tinker and tweak and I'm sure I'll be wanting to change some of the same things within a year. 

 
 
I agree 100%. I've had mine for a year now and all I've done is add a screen (did that about 3 days after i bought the bike) for the record, i got the yellow anniversary colour and i freaking LOVE IT!!!!

[DewMan]

I agree and disagree with you at the same time @trainspottingbaby .
 
I agree that the factory blinkers are fine. but the rear "fender" had to go. I eliminated the rear fender but kept the stock blinkers.
 
My biggest gripe with all new bikes in general is lack of sliders & centerstands from the factory and the piss poor headlights. I've already ordered a new Cyclops LED headlight bulb for mine. The stock bulb gives out less light than my cellphone. I'm over driving my headlights at around 20mph even with them repointed.
<EDIT> Oh yeah... it should have come from the factory with a radiator guard as well.

[trainspottingbaby]

Nah, some of them are just wrong. JK, I agree that it's all down to personal taste. But I honestly don't see how the default aesthetics are not already pleasing to the eye. I think the bike looks really nice out-of-the-box. At this point I wouldn't change a thing, but as @mossrider points out, I'll probably fall in line.  

Even the hideous liscense plate shovel on the back? Yuck ?

Yep, even that. It looks great to me, and I've heard people say they regret getting rid of theirs since it serves a functional purpose as well. Maybe it'll keep mud from spraying up your back, and as an added bonus, you can use it as a shovel if you get stuck in the mud! 

[trainspottingbaby]

I agree 100%. I've had mine for a year now and all I've done is add a screen (did that about 3 days after i bought the bike) for the record, i got the yellow anniversary colour and i freaking LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you! Finally somebody with some sense.  Wait, there was a yellow anniversary colour?! Stock yellow!? Damn I'm so jealous. Have you posted pics?
 
BTW what kind of screen did you get? (Notice that's the one complaint I haven't complained about. It needs at least a tiny screen).

[trainspottingbaby]

I agree and disagree with you at the same time @trainspottingbaby .  
I agree that the factory blinkers are fine. but the rear "fender" had to go. I eliminated the rear fender but kept the stock blinkers.
 
My biggest gripe with all new bikes in general is lack of sliders & centerstands from the factory and the piss poor headlights. I've already ordered a new Cyclops LED headlight bulb for mine. The stock bulb gives out less light than my cellphone. I'm over driving my headlights at around 20mph even with them repointed.
<EDIT> Oh yeah... it should have come from the factory with a radiator guard as well.

Why not just mount your cellphone to the front of your bike then? Ok, you've sold me on the headlights, and also the radiator guard. I agree that should have been included.

[trainspottingbaby]

Nice try Ebaneezer but you'll fall in line soon enough.  
We've all tried to rationalize our toys, it'll save money on gas, I can get around town easier, I wont change a thing, not gonna spend money on it, blah, blah.
 
Take a pic now and in a year from now and repost.
 
"Discussion is irrelevant, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated."
 
Ha.
 
Fellow geezer, 
(and my neighbors hate me just like their own kids)

Alright @mossrider, you win. Already, I have been convinced that I need the following upgrades (for practical purposes mind you -- none of this is for vanity ): 
- Rearview mirrors (remember, because my shoulders suck)
- Exhaust (because to hell with my neighbors, safety first!)
- Headlight (because stock is dimmer than @DewMan's cellphone)
- Radiator cover (I agree, it should have always been there)
- Small windscreen (I don't like my keys flapping in the wind)
 
Let's see what else you guys can change my mind on!
 
 

[Eastern Kayaker]

Many owners, myself included, have had the same issue where your body blocks most of your view with the stock mirrors. Another option for the stock mirror problem is to purchase FZ-07 mirror extenders that attach to the mirror mounts. This enables the mirrors to be moved more outward so your body will not block your view. These extenders are found on eBay (China made) for under $20 US, just make sure there is one LH and one RH thread and I think 10mm. There is another extender, which is more expensive, but the finish is better. I think it cost around $30 and is found on this website, www.adventuretech.biz . Use the search feature on this forum to find these extenders on members bikes and search eBay for the China made mirror extenders.
 

[DewMan]

Am I the only person who doesn't have an issue seeing with stock mirrors?

[skiddum]

For me I'm going to change my headlight to an led as well as blinkers. And I'm building fenders that will remove the need for the rear fender thing that sticks off the back then I'll add a tail tidy new led tst tail light and led turn signals. Im doing most of these things for safety reasons. The tst tail light as well as many others that will flash quickly before becoming a solid break light. And leds are brighter and more eye catching. I'm huge on safety especially on a bike cause it'll never be safe but we can do things to make it safer

[skiddum]

Also. I'm going for a black widow exhaust cause cause from what I've seen it isn't to bad starting out but will bark when you get on her. I want something quite just riding around town but when revved will be l loud for safety purposes an the extra bhp. I'm also adding an air horn from revzilla. Sometimes I use it sometimes Rev bomb it. Just whatever comes first. I've read about a couple occasions where the loud exhaust all of a sudden saves the rider. One the lady was texting whole driving and tried to move into the next lain but him and his bike where there, she didn't even look. He revved it abs scared her so she dropped her phone and went back into her lain. Where as a horn she might have stepped on it and moved faster into his lain

[dmoney]

I agree 100%. I've had mine for a year now and all I've done is add a screen (did that about 3 days after i bought the bike) for the record, i got the yellow anniversary colour and i freaking LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you! Finally somebody with some sense.  Wait, there was a yellow anniversary colour?! Stock yellow!? Damn I'm so jealous. Have you posted pics?
 
BTW what kind of screen did you get? (Notice that's the one complaint I haven't complained about. It needs at least a tiny screen).

 
Haha yeah stock yellow with a black stripe. If you image search 'mt07 yellow' it'll come up. I dont think it was for the US market though. I got the yamaha sports screen, its a bit longer which is a pain in the a$$ if you have big hands but it keeps my garage remote dry and working. The stock mirrors dont work for me either but I've figured out how to set them up so i can see between my body and my elbow if i slightly flick out said elbow. Not ideal but ive had that with every bike ive tried. Just part of being a plus sized brother unfortunately

[Mr.Puss]

 IMO its all about the allure/addiction (I definitely fall into this category) of making your very own FZ-07 unique. Stock is fine for some but to me there's nothing more absolutely mundane and unappealing than "vanilla".  Adding, removing or modifying and especially fabricating or machining custom bits and pieces brings about a very special kind of satisfaction when it all comes together you can step back and say "I did that, I made that, this is MINE, and there's no other FZ-07 like it on the planet!"  8-)
 
  
 
 
 

[dmoney]

 IMO its all about the allure/addiction (I definitely fall into this category) of making your very own FZ-07 unique. Stock is fine for some but to me there's nothing more absolutely mundane and unappealing than "vanilla".  Adding, removing or modifying and especially fabricating or machining custom bits and pieces brings about a very special kind of satisfaction when it all comes together you can step back and say "I did that, I made that, this is MINE, and there's no other FZ-07 like it on the planet!"  8-)  
  
 
 

 
 
Can't say i disagree with you on the uniqueness of having your own bike thats different to everyone elses. For me personally, i dont have the disposable income to justify alot of things people add to their bikes so unless its an improvement that i fell is really necessary then i give it a miss. The screen makes a difference and wasnt expensive so that was easy, exhaust I'm still deciding but it probably wont happen for a while. Suspension is the same story for me. The fender eliminator isnt even a thought for me as i dont mind the stock one so to me its a waste of money. Having said that, i have absolutely nothing against people throwing money at their bike, smoke if you got em.

[trainspottingbaby]

Thank you! Finally somebody with some sense.  Wait, there was a yellow anniversary colour?! Stock yellow!? Damn I'm so jealous. Have you posted pics?
 
BTW what kind of screen did you get? (Notice that's the one complaint I haven't complained about. It needs at least a tiny screen).

Haha yeah stock yellow with a black stripe. If you image search 'mt07 yellow' it'll come up. I dont think it was for the US market though. I got the yamaha sports screen, its a bit longer which is a pain in the a$$ if you have big hands but it keeps my garage remote dry and working. The stock mirrors dont work for me either but I've figured out how to set them up so i can see between my body and my elbow if i slightly flick out said elbow. Not ideal but ive had that with every bike ive tried. Just part of being a plus sized brother unfortunately

I found it, and it's really nice. MT07 has so many interesting colours that never came to North America. Apparently they're convinced interesting colours won't sell here. 
I'm sort of average sized for a Canadian but yeah, 2/3 of each mirror is occupied by my shoulders. I think the Japanese are just a narrow-shouldered people.
 

[dmoney]

The reality is that most bikes are designed for someone between average female and average male height. Me being just under 6'5 (i recently needed a suit so i know my shoulders are 23inches point to point) and the wrong side of 300lbs means any bike i get isnt designed with my size in mind. Thats just how it is and i make do with what i can like the mirrors.

[dmoney]

And thanks, i love the yellow too. Makes it stand out enough without having to add stuff to it ☺

[YZEtc]

Complaints you don't understand?
Been reading stuff like that for decades, myself, especially back in the day before the Internet took off and all motorcycle test reviews were in print magazines.
More than once, a test of a new model was proclaimed so much better than the model it replaced that it was no contest, only to have time prove that notion premature and, basically, false.
 
 
 
 
 

[trainspottingbaby]

 IMO its all about the allure/addiction (I definitely fall into this category) of making your very own FZ-07 unique. Stock is fine for some but to me there's nothing more absolutely mundane and unappealing than "vanilla".  Adding, removing or modifying and especially fabricating or machining custom bits and pieces brings about a very special kind of satisfaction when it all comes together you can step back and say "I did that, I made that, this is MINE, and there's no other FZ-07 like it on the planet!"  8-)  
  
 
 

Ok I get that. In a way it's about expressing yourself artistically. You want it to have your personal signature, and not be identifiable as something that just rolled out of the factory.
 
I think I'd enjoy making mine unique as well, especially if I could fabricate my own parts and have them not look like one of my 6-year-old's tinfoil pie-plate macaroni art projects. But I'm with @dmoney on this, in that I don't have a budget for this sort of thing -- time or money really. TBH I'm pretty envious of people who do. But I'm at that age where being responsible means just enjoying the things you have, and putting any disposable income away for retirement or kids' university funds. And since there's really nothing on this bike that I can't stand to look at, that's pretty easy for me to do.
 
That said, I've already flip-flopped in this thread and have been convinced on a few safety-related mods. One of them is a new louder exhaust, but wow... in Canada at least, I can't find anything for under $1000. Not sure how I'd get that expenditure past my wife.

[Beemer]

I agree with most of your observations but that's coming from a guy that did most of the mods you mentioned. So why did I do it? I joined this site and listened people, read reviews, looked at their links, pic and video's. I dared to look into the eye of the beast and I became a victim. Got sucked into the void! Give it time, you may get sucked in a little at a time yourself. I think for the most part people just want to change things and make the bike their own. It's a tradition to mod. Who wants a clone bike? Of course it's silly to take off something that's functional and replace it with something non functional (like a rear fender) but if you asked me why I did it I would tell you I like the looks of the tail tidy better and I usually don't ride in the rain. If I did I wouldn't mind getting water on my back because most everything else on the front is soaking wet. Other's have their own reasons, that's mine.
 
 
But my [HASH]1 reason for change is:
 
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/IyhJ69mD7xI]

[trainspottingbaby]

Complaints you don't understand? Been reading stuff like that for decades, myself, especially back in the day before the Internet took off and all motorcycle test reviews were in print magazines.
More than once, a test of a new model was proclaimed so much better than the model it replaced that it was no contest, only to have time prove that notion premature and, basically, false.
 
 
 
 

But I'm really just talking about things people complain about as though they can barely stand it, and posting platitudes like "ugh, it's hideous! It's a monstrosity!" and then throwing $$$ at this perceived "problem" that they've built up.
 
I do understand people wanting to make their bike unique, and I think I'd enjoy tinkering as well. I've also been convinced of a few safety mods I'd add. But when I talk about "complaints I don't understand" I'm really just confused about what people are seeing that I don't, when they talk about "hideous" signal lights or fender for example. To me it looks fine, and not hideous at all.