The track beater



The FZ 1

 

The 05-06 R1 is pure sex. Make sure you have your life jacket on when you ride. Because you're about to drown in lady parts.





I love my R1, she's has far more power than I could ever imagine using. She's beautiful, I get compliments on her everywhere I go, and she screams and purrs when I take her out. I can't imagine a better bike than this. I would get the 04-06, look for one with aftermarket stuff (you can get stuff cheap) and then dump the extra into MORE aftermarket stuff.

I paid $4900 cash for my 2005 R1 and it came with $4000 (yes, $4000) in aftermarket performance parts. Use sites like Search Tempest to search craigslist nationwide, check it everyday and you'll eventually find a great deal. I was looking at bikes for about a year before I found this perfect bike.

 

i have the 08 and have ridden the 06.

the 08 is breathtaking over 8k rpm!!

however - if youll be on the track, a few things to consider:
the 04-06 was in rpoduction longer, this means there are more spare parts if you crash, and a greater variety of aftermarket parts.

secondly, given that youll track it a fair bit, Id probably suggest a low mile 06 - as it will leave you more money for personal set-up, which is probably a much larger factor on the track than just having the slightly newer bike

 

I agree with tigerim20, having a 08 is unreal with a few mods...

On the track its all about the rider, I have been overtaken and lapped by adventure bikes.

When I bought mine I wanted something newish, after a little research I got the 08 since it was the right color and year model I was after.

Allot has changed since then, these days you need acronyms to be fast and safe.

 

acronyms - TCS, Abs, LC, IMU etc

 

eek, i wouldn't pay anything over 7k for 07-08, even that is pushing it. not sure your market or what the difference is between the two models, but both a pretty old now and where i'm at are only a few hundred apart. as both are old, you find parts as easily for 07-08 as you will for 04-06, again depending on how many of each are around your area. i don't remember any vast changes, get whichever u like better or get the best deal on. both are great and i don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

to your question, as you know, worth is 100% subjective. to me, the newer bike was worth it because A) liked styling better, and B) i generally default to newer because of newer development and tech.. just remember that the older the bike is the sooner it's life will end, or at least start needing more serious maintenance.

with all the commuting you talking about, i'd worry about the difference in comfort between the two, not tech. i'm not sure 04-06 is any better, but 07-08 isn't fun in stop and go. not what i got it for, but u are, so something to consider probably more than tech.

 

Dear god, 07-08 still are in the $7,000 range? That's laughable. I got mine for less than that nearly 6 years ago with low mileage.

For the most part, they'll probably be nearly identical on the road or track. The 07-08 certainly looks better, since it doesn't have the fat, whale tail or those goofy gills.

 

Yeah I picked up a 2010 LE Rossie for $8,000 with low miles

 

Best bet would be to look on the classifieds around your area and see whats available. I know its frowned upon(but we all do it) but throw out some lowballs and you might get lucky, i got my 09 2 years ago for $7200. Found a couple bikes i wanted and sent out some reasonable low balls and the guy took it.

Pretty sure you're going to love any gen R1 but between the 04-06 to the 07-08 i would go the latter. Its a newer bike and theres still an abundance of parts for it. Ive owned an 04 and an 08 R1 and the 08 was a better ride. Not often you hear a guy doing it the smart way lol staying out of debt and wanting the bike set up right for his weight is pure genius!

 

It's going to be a 04-06. The amount of money I have to spend covers this generation and the required changes. Suspension changes are key to a good handling bike. Everyone loves pipes, tunes, stacks etc, but very few people can actually use the all stock horsepower.

Just to be clear, I love all the that stuff too. I just feel suspension should be first.

 

The OEM suspension on the 07-08 was supposed to be some of the best that Yamaha ever put on an R1, according some of the suspension gurus on this site. Check with DanQ, I believe he will echo my comments.

If so, might want to think about getting the 07-08 for the better suspension.

 

15k road miles and a few track days. i would set the suspension for the road and back off a bit on the track days. thats alot of miles of the road. my 07 rides on rails compared to my 00 on the street. obviously. but i ride the hell out of her on the street and i could not see me pushing her any harder than she already does on the stock suspension. the 07 handles amazingly well on the street.

 

First off, there's the 20 valve 04/05.... then the 06!. Followed by the 32 valve 07/08.
Each set of years gets better... YCCT sucks ass.. Flash for that, and the last year should be best!!!

:fork

 

07-08 are 16valve motors, not 32.

The 20v motor is great but Yamaha was able to achieve more bottom and midrange torque by going back to a 16 valve setup. As far as the non-crossplane inline 4 engines go, the 16v R1 motor of the 07-08 was the best of that engine evolution.

 

Hi Brad,

I personally would place far more importance on the option which allows you to spend money on decent suspension. Throw the stock shit away - compared to what you get installing Penske/Ohlins/WP/KTech/Maxton fork cartridges + shock, the stock suspension is not worth spending a cent on.

Any of the R1's from '04-'08 will do what you want, and do it well. As someone who's spent a good amount money on suspension for my bikes, I can tell you there is no better upgrade for going fast, safely, than a properly built set of fork cartridges and shock. My suspension builder specialises in building Penske stuff, every time I've let him do the suspension on my bikes it has transformed them. Night and day transformation, it's unreal.

Sure, you can change the settings on the stock stuff, and yeah it does improve things if you get the right springs for your weight + comp & rebound settings set, but honestly the stock suspension costs around $40 to supply to the OEMs. You'll never get Ohlins or Penske damping out of $40 kit. Oh, and the other kinda pet peeve I have is people who have these sets of magical 'settings' they use for different things. Don't buy into it - as fork and shock oil gets used, it becomes thinner and basically useless for damping. A set of suspension settings which works after fresh fork oil's been put in, on a summer day will definitely not do the same damping as fresh fork oil on a cold autumn night. As fork and shock oil degrades, to get the same damping you need to adjust comp & rebound to compensate. I'm guessing you know this but in case you don't, don't be fooled - any suspension engineer who gives you a recipe of clicks to adjust for different situations is only catering to your ignorance.

Also, this is why, if you're going to install Ohlins or Penske kit, use decent fork & shock oil. It actually *does* stay stable much, much longer. Check out the oil article on page 20 for a bit of an overview: http://www.ohlins.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Performance3.pdf

If you're on the west coast have a chat with GP Suspension. Dave Hodges knows his shit inside out. Otherwise get a knowledgeable suspension shop to build up some Ohlins or Penske stuff. I'm an Ohlins fan, but have been very, very happy with the Penske kit my guy has fitted for the kind of crazy road riding I do.

 

wow, lots of good info in here. I've never touched my suspension. Know of any place in Ky where I can have it set up?

 

GET THE 04 Cant go wrong

 

One other thing to think about is the 04,05 has no slipper clutch.
I have an 04 that I put a slipper in as a track only bike and love it but it was not cheap

 

Most of the opinions you're going to get here will be what model people themselves prefer. I love my '04, it's a fantastic motorcycle. I'm your same height and probably weigh roughly the same when laden with my track gear. My R1 pulls double-duty as both a street machine and a track day ripper - I have two sets of wheels to accomplish this.

It's important to note that no matter what, setting the machine up for one use will cause it to suffer a bit in the other. I've tuned my motorcycle for the track, so on the street it has lost a lot of it's comfort. Due to lightweight bits like grips, bar-ends and rear sets, everything vibrates more than stock. Due to geometry setup (clip-on angle, rear set position), the bike is punishing to ride for long distances on the road. Due to suspension setup focused on the track, the ride on the road tends to be a bit harsh and stiff. The same kinds of things will hold true for you, so as you select your setup, figure out if you want to tailor your ride toward primarily street use with occasional track use, or the other way 'round. You'll get it sorted.

At the end of the day, both the 04-06 and 07-08 models are excellent. Stock for stock, the 07-08 tends to make more power. I prefer the 04-06 models cosmetically - I think they're beautiful to look at - much more so than the 07-08. If you're not dead-set on one or the other, I'd recommend going with the 04-06 and putting the saved funds toward setting the machine up optimally.

Your focus on suspension is, in my opinion, the correct focus. I'm a firm believer in making the bike WORK well first (suspension, brakes, ergos), after which you can focus on cosmetic mods and power improvements.

Here's mine, just because I like looking at her:

 

At the end of the day, both the 04-06 and 07-08 models are excellent. Stock for stock, the 07-08 tends to make more power. I prefer the 04-06 models cosmetically - I think they're beautiful to look at - much more so than the 07-08. If you're not dead-set on one or the other, I'd recommend going with the 04-06 and putting the saved funds toward setting the machine up optimally.

I was going to type this out, but quoting was so much easier. Thanks Silas...

07-08 does have a slipper clutch though... I have never had one, so I have no idea what I am missing, but a lot of riders make a big deal out of it, so something to think about.

The 04-06 model is so my sexier though.

You shouldn't be paying more than $5k for a 05-06 in pristine condition (low miles, no major issues). I have about $4k into mine at this point, so just be patient and picky.

 

Or, you could find an '06 "LE"....

Ticks the boxes.... :icon_cool:

Killer looks
Stock slipper clutch
Ohlins suspenders
Forged Marchesini wheels
Still fast enough for most mortals

 

Oh the LE, I really wish I could afford one. It has everything I want, even the yellow color is growing on me. I'm not opposed to one, they are just out of my price range.

I have my build all decided, after many hours of searching and reading here. I just need my FZ1 to sell. The track beater sold in two days for asking price. Not one nibble on the FZ yet, I think it's time to lower the price.

 

I found one!! 2005 with 13k miles for $900. The seller was moving and needed to move it quickly. It had been sitting for a few years and needs some work.

I ordered $1900 worth of parts tonight and once I start actually working on it, I'll start a build thread.

 

Awesome you found one for stupid cheap!! Gah wish I could come across a steal like that.

 

$900?!?!?!

WHERE THE FVCK ARE THESE STEALS?!?!?!:rant

Congrats sounds like she's in good hands.:thumbup

 

$900?!?!?!

WHERE THE FVCK ARE THESE STEALS?!?!?!:rant

No kidding.

05 R1. It's not like it's a 70's KZ that's been sitting in a barn for decades. That's awesome

 

You son of a bitch. How the hell did you find one so cheap?!?!?! I've got a few hundred laying around, you think you can find me a Panigale? Jesus Christ. You need to go buy a lottery ticket.

I got my 2005 R1 for $4900 and thought it was a steal....

 

Sick deal for sure!

 

Here is the purchase story:

I was scouring CL like I do every morning trying to find that great deal right as it was posted. I came across the add and the seller was asking 3k and stated the bike ran, but had rust damage from sitting for 3 years.

I was able to get him on the phone and convince him to pull the ad until I was able to see it the next morning. The seller was moving back to Texas and needed the bike to sell before he left. He purchased it in 2011 as his first bike ever, rode it for a few months, dropped it while making a right turn at an intersection. The dropped scared him and he parked it and forgot about it.

Fast forward to 2015 he was moving and needed it gone. He was getting bombarded with calls and offers for the bike and I think he was overwhelmed. I drove the 60 miles to his house the next morning at 7 AM. The bike has some serious rust issues on the exposed metal parts (brake rotors, chain, fork lowers etc). The seller had zero mechanical knowledge.

I spent a good 45 minutes showing him the damage from neglect and rust and explaining why so many parts needed to be replaced. (I have his history in mechanical stuff, motorcycles, cars, fork lifts, trailers, military vehicles). I think he really appreciated the time I spent showing/explaining the issues with the bike. I never mentioned a purchase price.

After I was done looking over the bike, he asked me if I was still interested. I explained to him that I did not want to insult with a crappy lowball price. He asked if I would take it for $1000? I could not pass up that deal. Turns out the registration was also expired so he knocked another $100 off. A $900 R1!!

 

Started on it today. Pulled all the body work and cans/mid pipe. I was really worried about rust in the gas tank/fuel pump. Pulled the tank, then the pump. It was all perfectly spotless!!! ?? Pair removal, valve check/adjust next