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Striple vs FZ09.org Rant

7K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  RamesesThe2nd 
#1 ·
So... before I bought my 2012 st3, I was shopping the fz09 pretty hard. I had actually decided to buy one before I test road any triumphs. I liked the price, and the power was awesome. I will gladly point out the positives of the FZ all day long(Even on a Triumph forum). I could have easily ended up with one, but the st3 was right for me and my hard earned cash at the time.

I ventured over to fz09.org from the googles, and was shocked at all the Triumph haters! Maybe I'm pigeon holing a couple threads here, but you'd think they were comparing the FZ to a Honda Grom. Had they every ridden a st3?? Then I was reminded of Yamaha's propaganda ad here:



Personally, I thought it was a slimy ad that didn't really say anything about the street triple, but I get that they are trying to compete with "bike of the decade" reviews. I don't think Triumph would want (or need) to put out an ad like that.

Back to the point, these guys are drinking up the yamaha koolaid big time.. OR ...Are they so set on justifying their budget bike purchase that they are stubbornly defensive? It's like an itch in the back of their mind.."It was cheap, but am I really happy with this bike?"
I think this forum has a little more couth than that. Enjoy whatever bike you have and all it's unique attributes, but don't bash a bike (especially the best one ever made, ever) just because you don't own it, couldn't afford it, or whatever... That makes you ignorant. If that's your style get a HD.

:End Rant:
 
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#2 ·
Im sure the FZ09 is a great bike, but better than the striple idk…..that bike turned me to triumph. Id have to ride a yamaha. Don't get too irritated by the words of people. Whether it is the better buy or not people will always justify their buy as it makes them feel better. I do the same sometimes. Really all that matters is that your happy with yours. Daytona vs ZX6r vs F3, R6 vs CBR6 vs GSXR6, there all the same battle and everybody has the best one for "insert" reason. When they run out of reasons why "insert" bike is better, it turns into the other bike is not as good for "insert" reason lol.
 
#3 ·
I don't know man. I was also deciding between FZ-09 and STR and posted a question on FZ forum. There were a lot of helpful suggestions and ultimately I ended up buying Triumph.

Yeah, people try to justify their purchase and Yamaha did produce a lame video to compare FZ and ST, but at the end this is quite common in Motorcycle industry.

ST is one heck of a bike and Triumph and most Triumph owners don't care much about Yamaha and its fanboys' opinions.
 
#4 ·
Yeah, I'm not bashing the whole forum by any means. And it's true.. every brand has it's douche following. The BS comparison info just pisssed me off, so I ranted about it. lol.

Everyone wants to research a product and compare these days to insure they get THE BEST of whatever they're buying. Motorcycles are no exception. People steer away from a particular brand because they read Joe Blow's "experienced" review or write up about an isolated incident. Now the misinformation is coming directly from the manufacturer disguised as a real comparison review? ..Leaves a bad taste in my mouth next time I'm shopping bikes.
 
#6 ·
Haters will hate. :whistle:

I for one have ridden the FZ-09. It's a good bike. Maybe I adapt well to a bike but I really didn't have a big issue with the suspension.
It's certainly faster than a Street Triple but other than that the Street Triple is a better bike. At least the R model. Better suspenion, better brakes, better frame, etc. I zip by FZ-09s all the time in Azusa Canyon, The Crest, etc( these are twisty roads in Southern California for the guys that don't know). I just wave . Maybe they have less skill? Inferior bike? All I know is they can't keep up.. :wink3:

I will admit though if you take an FZ-09 and drop maybe $2500 into it for steel lines, exhaust, front and rear suspension and some mirrors( yep, that's about what it'll cost in premium parts) you can have a better bike than a Street Triple or Speed Triple.
But a lot of the FZ-09 owners don't bother doing suspension upgrades or tweaking like that. Maybe on these forums but I for one haven't met one yet.
The beauty of the FZ-09 is it has the potential of being an astonishing motorcycle. The Street Triple Rs are amazing out the showroom.
 
#8 ·
Haters will hate. :whistle:

I will admit though if you take an FZ-09 and drop maybe $2500 into it for steel lines, exhaust, front and rear suspension and some mirrors( yep, that's about what it'll cost in premium parts) you can have a better bike than a Street Triple or Speed Triple.
But a lot of the FZ-09 owners don't bother doing suspension upgrades or tweaking like that. Maybe on these forums but I for one haven't met one yet.
The beauty of the FZ-09 is it has the potential of being an astonishing motorcycle. The Street Triple Rs are amazing out the showroom.
Ha, you posted while I was typing my post. Just to tag on to what I already said, even with upgraded suspension, the FZ just doesn't have as good of geometry as the ST3 making turn in more difficult. It's probably more stable, but not nearly as nimble and agile.
 
#7 ·
My dad got a FZ-09 last year. He got it to compliment his FJR as he wanted a lighter bike for short trips. He's kind of a Yamaha loyalist, but he was looking at a couple of Ducatis as well. Ended up getting the FZ because of the price. In the year he's had it he's spent I don't know how many thousands of dollars upgrading the suspension (including a Penske rear shock), exhaust (full Akro), brakes, etc. He even had the blurple wheels powder coated gunmetal and the forks cerrocoated gunmetal as well. Looks great, but I don't think he's saved much over a Ducati, other than maintenance costs perhaps, ha ha.

I rode it and it's a completely different feeling bike than mine. It rides closer to a powerful dual sport than a sportbike. Maybe it's just the way he has his set up versus how I have mine set up (his has higher bars than stock, mine is lower than stock bars and rearsets), but I felt like I was way too tall and upright.

Basically, his FZ will beat mine in a straight line (most sportish bikes with larger displacement will), but my bike can handle corners like an actual sport bike, whereas any FZ will struggle comparatively, even with upgraded suspension components. So don't worry about the haters. Let them enjoy their bikes and if they need to bash on Street Triples to feel good about their wallowy budget bike, so be it. :laugh:
 
#9 ·
I get it that $2500 into suspension will make wonders for the FZ handling. Issue is you will never be able to recover that investment when selling the bike.
In my book investing almost 30% of initial investment in after market parts makes no sense. If u on a badget buy the FZ but for god sake don't spend more money on it....
 
#10 ·
I think everyone has to justify their bike purchase at some point or another. The big difference between the people I ride with and those I stay away from is whether or not they have moved beyond the justification / dick measuring phase or not. Once people come together for the love of bikes and nothing more things are always better.
 
#11 ·
that commercial made me lol
 
#14 ·
Funny this is a topic bc I was set hard on buying an fz09, like it was gonna be my bike purchase. Then my brother turned me in the direction of triumph because he owns a D675. At the end of the day I found that the triumph community seemed a lot better than the FZ09 community and that's why I went to the st3.
 
#18 ·
**I've posted this about a year ago**
Having ridden both, and just bought a street triple R the Fz has a lot going for it. It is definatly a more torquey motor. I picked up a used 12 street triple R over the fz about a few weeks ago. Price wise the STR was just a smidge cheaper, but it was used. I paid 7200 for a 12 STR with 2300 miles, a FZ would have been 7500 OTD.

The Fz suspension needs to go directly in the trash. Theres no compression damping adjusting, only preload and rebound. It also has a dead fork leg. It has way too much rebound. Its like riding a pogo stick. The FZ is a steal, if you leave it stock. But I couldn't rationalize spending 7500, then spending another 1k to get the forks set up with compression adjustment and cartridge emulators. Then you have to tackle the rear shock. While there are some bolt on options from other bikes (ZX10R) a Penske shock is 1200 dollars. The street triple rear shock could use a little help, but its good enough for a season or two and you can bolt on an ohlins ttx unit off a Daytona 675R for cheap

The ECU needs to be flashed to smooth out the power delivery that's another 200 dollars. Does nothing for adding fuel for a pipe. If you want to slap on a aftermarket exhaust, you'll need a power commander, bazzaz and dyno time or a auto tune. That's another 6-800 dollars right there. On top of the cost of the exhaust. With the STR I could use tune ecu and do all my own diagnostics and tuning.

The FZ's motor is absolutely ****ing awesome. Blows the STR away when it comes to the torque. The motor is absolutely one of the best Ive ridden recently. Its got some snatchy ness but that can be sorted with reducing throttle cable play and flashing the ECU. Its stronger everywhere than the STR theres no doubt about that.
**after installing the daytona cams, I'd say the playing field is about level. The fz makes more Torque for sure, but Peak HP and smoothness STR all day every day**

When it came down to it for me, I wanted to just pay the money and have something that was mostly set up and the 675 was it. The bike has great suspension and brakes, a fantastic motor(even though its down on torque and HP),a slightly better build quality, has more aftermarket support at this time. The FZ is a steal, if you leave it stock but I'm a modder, I cant leave anything alone. I know people say you can address the issues that the fz has with aftermarket support, That's very true. You can get it mostly sorted out. If it was me, I'd wait a couple years. Let the aftermarket develop instead of being on the bleeding edge.

Short version
FZ PRO
-Fantastic motor
-Low price
-Good ergos

FZ CON
-1980's Front forks
-1900's Rear shock
-Snatchy throttle
-Lack of aftermarket support at this time
-Brakes need a little help
-Expensive to mod at this time
-Cheaper build quality( you can tell where they cut corners on this bike.)
 
#19 ·
Palmer hit the nail on the head..

I though think with a bike like that it would be worth the suspension upgrades. A tricked out FZ would be more Speed Triple territory . And cheaper.
I will have to admit though.... Once the Street Triple 800R hits the show room people will be like " FZ what?"
 
#20 ·
Also Street triple w/ Daytona cams will eat an FZ or 600 for lunch on the track. Take the Fz's power advantage away and the street triple wins every time.
 
#23 ·
You have to be more specific then that. Any naked bike can be similar.

If you're speaking of performance, parts or something more specific then you can narrow it down.
 
#25 ·
Most comparable to the Street Triple ( at least the R version) would be the Ducati Monster 821, Aprilia Shiver 750, kawasaki z800, Suzuki GSX-S 750, the Yamaha FZ-09, MV Agusta 800, Honda CB1000r,etc.
What's best ( despite being on a Triumph forum) is all preference.
But in my humble opinion the Street Triple R is one of the top middle weight nakeds right out the box.
I'd love to say the Ducati is the best but sadly I test rode one to prove otherwise. It was like sleeping with your high school crush to only find out she plays dead..:whistle:
 
#27 ·
Ill just add,I never rode an fz09 but when I was shopping for bikes I sat on one and to me it felt more like a sumo than a sport bike.
So I don't think the fz's riding position is similar to a street triple.
I find it odd the 2 bike are compared.
Different riding position
Different displacement
Different price range

But I'm obviously the minority
 
#28 ·
I'm sort of in agreement. When I sat on one - it immediately reminded me of an ADV bike. I hate it's fugliness as well. The fairing is too small to be of real value as far as wind blocking. The screen is uber-cheap looking and flimsy. I think Yamaha is going in the right direction with a lightweight sport-tourer, but this first-gen FZ09 is a rushed attempt and it shows. They'll sell a butt-load of them though, as Triumph (and most of the rest mfgrs) miss out.
 
#30 ·
I haven't ridden the FZ-09 yet but all I can say is after owning mine for the past 6 yrs. I still cant get over how much I love riding it. Anything else, i'm afraid,wont ever measure up to that feeling. The feeling of the power, torque, well planted and confidence in this bike. I haven't done anything to it since i've bought it and don't intend to.
 
#31 ·
Insurace for FZ was three times as much as STR for me. That made the decision easier, but ABS and overall fit and finish were my major reasons to pick STR over Yamaha. Yamaha also doesn't offer test rides (except demo days), which is kind of strange for company this big. One test ride on STR and I was sold. I came back from test ride and put money down on STR right away.

I like FZ-09 too, but over all STR was better in every category, except brute engine power. No matter what you own, there will always be something bigger and more powerful out there to one up it, but the balance and perfection that Triumph has achieved with ST is hard to beat. My STR will be one year old next week and I couldn't be happier with it. If I have to do it again, I will get STR again over FZ and other middle weight bikes in the same class for sure.
 
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