Yamaha FZ1 - Best Used Bike

I was really happy to see that Cycle World chose the 1st gen FZ1 for their "Best Used Bikes" column. My other bike is a 2003 FZ1, and I have to say Yamaha really outdid themselves when they made this bike. Along with the Bandit the 1st gen FZ1 is the last of the steel-frame UJMs and the ultimate in terms of price/performance. It has a comfortable upright seating position like the Bandit, a real R1 racing engine and components, large gas tank, and easy-to-read analog dashboard. It has the humble Bandit beat in power and braking departments, gets better mileage, and is a much smoother ride. My only quibbles are with the size and ergonomics. The FZ1 feels like a big bike compared to the Bandit even though it's lighter. It's longer, the seat is narrower and less comfortable, and the footpegs are higher so my legs are bent in a less comfortable position for long distances. Oddly I feel more cramped on the FZ1 even though it rides like a bigger bike. It's a bit harder to squeeze into tight parking spaces than the Bandit because of the wheelbase. This has not stopped me from putting in 600 mile days on the FZ1. It's a joy to ride and I can't say enough good things about it. Hit the throttle and it goes exactly where you want it to go, quietly and effortlessly. Whenever I see an '05 up for sale I'm tempted to buy it just to have a spare, so I'll never be without one. In my opinion it's one of the best kept secrets in motorcycling.

Schwarzenegger Signs SB435

...AKA the Motorcycle Anti-Tampering Act. This was originally introduced by anti-motorcycle Senator Fran Pavely as an anti-smog bill which would require motorcycles to get regular smog checks like cars. The version signed into law makes it illegal to modify emissions systems on motorcycles made in 2013 and after, but doesn't require smog checks.

I am not a fan of air pollution or loud pipes. All my bikes are stock and I'm not planning to buy a new one soon. So this bill doesn't directly affect me. However laws don't have to personally restrict me to be bad laws. As a friend put it, it's a slippery slope when it comes to making someone else's freedoms into victimless crimes. Freedoms enjoyed by motorcyclists are being chipped away at one by one. Like previous motorcycle restrictions, this was a poorly conceived bill enacted by legislators wanting to look like they were doing something useful. First there was the helmet law in the mid 90s, then bridge tolls for bikes recently went into effect, now this. My concern is that eventually they will go after something really fundamental to motorcycle commuters, like lane sharing. All it takes is for one rider to buzz too close to Senator Pavely's car before this is a possibility. As motorcycles represent roughly 1% of the traffic on the road no one would be able to stop such legislation. If that happens I may as well ride the bus 30 miles to work instead of sit in traffic waiting to be a Bandit sandwich. The Hurt report backs that notion up. So share lanes politely people, it's not just road rage we need to be concerned with. Put another way, if you ride like an asshole and piss off someone powerful enough your freedoms will be taken away. Period.

The orginal article from the LA times is here.