Faults:

Nothing at all. It was trouble free.

General Comments:

My favourite motorcycle, after owning numerous other makes. Comfy, styling, speed & good handling.

Faults:

Typical - clutch slave cylinder, front and rear brake master cylinder kits, fork seals.

General Comments:

I had an '88 FZR1000 Genesis around 1990-1995. Loved that bike. Rock solid and hard charging. Fit me great back then (6'4" 210lbs). Rode it like I wasn't afraid of it. That was back during my college years, and other than changing the oil, not much was done to this bike. Prior bike was an '85 FZ 750, which was also fantastic and got me hooked on Yamahas. Never had a single issue with that bike in five, hard years.

Fast forward 22 years and I got the itch again, finding a beautiful one-owner, low mile '87 FZR1000 at a dealership in DFW. The bike came from PA and was bounced around by a couple of dealers before I got it, where it was serviced by a former pro Yamaha mechanic. So she was ready to go. It took a week or so to get used to the bike again but, man, I love it. Takes me back and screams just like I remember. Having a costly blast sourcing some of the typical wear parts, many coming from Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan. In love all over again. Outside of the '89 and '91 exup paint schemes, the '87-88s are my favorite.

Just this week I was lucky enough to recently purchase a '97 YZF1000 from the original owner (also in PA) and am looking forward to spending some saddle time on that bike and reviewing it here. I consider that the last iteration of the FZR1000.

In fairness to you guys who have ridden newer bikes (as compared to my 31-year old FZR), I haven't owned a street bike since my '88 model. So I have nothing to compare my '87 to (nothing modern). So while I have no doubt there are dozens of newer makes/models that would destroy my FZR, I'll never know and am cool with that.

Faults:

My FZR1000 was a rescue bike. When I purchased it in 2014, it had been sitting in the warehouse I picked it up at since around 2000. The bike had obviously been neglected in the warehouse, but I learned during its restoration that it had been taken care of pretty well prior to its arrival at the warehouse. Once the dirt and dust was removed and all the routine maintenance was performed, the bike has not given me any trouble.

General Comments:

The FZR1000 is the best bike I've ever ridden or owned. It pulls like a rocket. The 0-4 thousand RPM range is very quick. In the 4-7 thousand RPM range it REALLY gets going. In the 7-11.5 thousand RPM range this thing is MOVING! Quick glances at the tachometer are the only time I take my eyes off the road.

It's the father of modern sportbikes. You have to be familiar with what came before it and it eclipsed to really appreciate it. The FZR1000 was a pioneer with its twin spar frame and stressed member cantilevered engine, servo controlled exhaust valve (4T), down draft carburetors and inverted forks. The Fireblade may have come along and revolutionized weight savings, but the designer of the Fireblade, Tadao Baba, acquired and used an FZR1000 as a performance benchmark. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Faults:

Front fork seals leaked after being left not ridden for one year.

Battery changed twice. Although the last battery prematurely failed due to a faulty charger overcharging it. Still not bad for 15 years.

Clutch seal leaks if left unused for any long period of time.

EXUP valve seized, required removal and grease to fix. Use only good quality high temp copper based grease.

General Comments:

Very fast bike.

I owned the 91 EXUP and traded it in for a new 95 model.

The 91 model went harder, but was more peaky and was modified. The 95 had smooth almost linear acceleration through the rev range. Linear, but it really pulls like a train. Watch out in the wet or if you have harder compound tires.

Easy to power slide out of corners, but stable in doing so.

Brakes tend to go from oh wow to nothing special after a year or so, as opposed to brake fade.