Category: Motorcycles

A couple months back I wrote an article about the Ducati Scrambler, singing its praises. I don’t take anything away from that article but I’d like to add an element of reality to the mix: price. The Yamaha FZ-07 is faster, more fuel efficient, and nearly HALF the price of the Ducati. And it’s even the same class of standard-but-kind-of-dual-sport bikes.

At $6990 for a brand new one, you won’t find a better value other than maybe a 2015 model FZ-09 for $7600 but those are a bit overpowered for the average rider. Even the pros all say the 09 felt like it was trying to kill them.

The FZ-07 has a vertical twin, 689cc “Crossplane Concept” motor that is extremely impressive in low and midrange power creation. From 0-5500 rpm it’s honestly not far off from the 899 Panigale or other larger two cylinder bikes. And the low and midrange power completely demolishes 4 cylinder bikes even as large as an FZ1. The fuel injection works like magic, starts right up, idles well, and gives the feeling of control and precision.

At 479 lbs it’s one of the lightest street bikes on the road, even 50lbs+ lighter than competing bikes like the SV650 and the Ninja 650 with similar power output (65hp, 45 lb ft) giving the FZ the edge in performance and responsiveness.

Although it doesn’t have fancy upside-down forks or fully adjustable suspension, the ride is predictable and controllable. The seating position and well-placed ergonomics make it a very comfortable bike to ride although you may want a windscreen if you’re going farther than about 50 miles in one go.

The brakes are on-par with the best of them with four piston calipers up front and a two piston unit in the rear with wave rotors all around. The styling and controls really make this bike feel like it’s a $10-$12k machine and certainly not a bargain buy.

Pretty much can’t beat the fun per dollar value on this bike.

Back in my single days my buddy and I would on occasion relate to one another experiences in courtship using automotive analogies. A Ferrari, for example, is very impressive by way of looks but the drawbacks are obvious – with high performance comes almost unbearable maintenance. When you’ve got such accentuated strengths, the weaknesses that accompany can be a real drag. Ferraris only carry 2 people comfortably, should never ever tow a trailer, get bad gas mileage, need a valve adjustment every 10k miles, and scrape on every speedbump. Sure a BMW 3-Series won’t do 12 second 1/4 miles or give you a stomach cramp doing a 0-60 run, but they’re pretty dang fast, come with a great stereo, can outrun a surprising number of cars on a twisty track, and can tow a decent sized trailer with a couple dirtbikes! And they’re less likely to cheat on you 😉

I give you the BMW 3-series of motorcycles: the Ducati Scrambler.

Is it the fastest 0-60? No. 3.4 seconds on a motorcycle is like 6.0 seconds on 4 wheels but the truth is you can beat 80% of cars on the road. Is it the fastest flat-out? Not even close, sorry. 120mph is kinda lame for a bike these days. BUT, it does weigh less than 400lbs and it DOES do a 12.0 second 1/4mi; you’ll smoke nearly anything under $200k! AND it can drift in the dirt while carrying a passenger (if you’re both a little nuts). That’s serious versatility, folks. If you own one 2-wheeled creation, I dare say this is it. The seating position is very comfortable, the footpegs are in the right place, the bars aren’t too low or too high, and it gets 43 mpg.

Did I mention it’s a wheelie machine? Since you’re more upright and have a nice wide grip on the bars this bike is really quite easy to rear with a modest degree of control. The very torquey v-twin makes just the right amount of power to get you in the air at low speeds and have a little fun. Props to Ducati on choosing an air-cooled setup on this bike, too. One less thing to worry about that lets you spend more time on the road and less in the garage.

I kind of feel like an old man now that I may have enjoyed a ride on a “standard” style bike instead of a thoroughbred racer, but this Duc is way too much fun.

Ducati’s sport bikes are raw. I haven’t yet ridden one that didn’t immediately communicate that it preferred me dead. 999R, 1198S, doesn’t matter which one they all have a hellacious midrange and just when you thought the excitement was over they punch you in the face with ridiculous peak horsepower that doesn’t seem possible from a V-twin.

The Panigale is no exception. While it’s no 999 or 1198, it still makes plenty of power and is all Ducati. That means an aggressive riding position, rock hard seat, and some fun tech to go with it. Much like modern performance cars the Panigale has standard, sport, and race modes with gear indicator, lap timer, and shift light included.

Like most peaky sport bikes the 899 doesn’t get exciting until you’re past 6,000 rpm but with a redline of nearly 11,000 there’s plenty of room to burn through the gears. With the engine in the go-range it sounds celestial. And the stock exhaust is decently loud as is. Brembo brakes are standard up front and in the rear. Tons of feel and more than enough stopping power.

Overall it’s a track-day weapon and an around-town jaw-dropper. One thing the Italians always seem to get right is looks and they’ve done marvelously with this bike. One advantage over the 999 and older Duc’s is your butt doesn’t get slow-roasted by the exhaust. The lowering of the center of gravity by placing the exhaust down low I’m sure helps shave off a hundredth of a second on the track, but practically speaking it’s just nice not to get burned. Both the passenger’s legs and your rear end.

At $15,500 it’s not exactly cheap but the Italians have never shipped bright red sex appeal to the US at a bargain.

A Grom, or Grommet is a young surfer. Whether that’s what Japanese designers had in mind for this bike I’m not sure, but it’s hella fun, if you speak adolescent Californian.

The recipe for the Grom is simple: 125cc fuel-injected 4-stroke “real” motorcycle. That means while the bike is fitted with comical 12″ wheels it has a clutch, 1-down 3-up transmission, rear monoshock, and even upside-down forks!

I don’t use the word “fun” lightly with this bike, either. It’s a freaking barrel of monkeys. The Grom is easy to dismiss because of its size but there’s something about the full instrument cluster, silky-smooth motor, and go-kart handling that make this thing a blast to ride in any condition. It even makes a decent trail bike.

Right off the showroom floor you’re going to want to trade out the front sprocket for a 14 tooth instead of the stock 15; it’s really geared too high. Getting started, especially with a passenger, feels like you’re wearing out the clutch which engages at something like 10 mph – an odd feeling on such a compact machine. You’re even rewarded with a higher top speed by giving an incisor to the tooth fairy.

The only annoyance I found was that the turn signal switch is in the wrong place. You’re punished by a blast from the amply shrill horn every time you want to indicate a turn. A few dozen hours aboard should classically condition that out of you I suppose.

For beginner riders I would highly recommend this over a scooter. You’ll be able to keep up with traffic, get real 2-wheeler experience preparing you to move to an SV650 or Ninja 500, and it just looks 100x better than any scooter.

$3200, 225lbs, 100 mpg, 60mph, 4 gears, 2 people. That’s basic arithmetic for a great time especially when you add in Honda reliability and resale value.