Opinions - FZR1000 Exup

[Jag-D]

Right, I'm looking for opinions from people who have owned or at least have rode the FZR1000 Exup for a considerable amount of time if possible.

I've just been looking through the classifieds (as always) and (as always lol) I find myself looking at one of my favourite all time big bikes, the Yamaha FZR1000 Exup.

They're a good price, they still look good (maybe just in my opinion, but I love em) and I love the sound of them so was wondering what the lowdown is from those in the know?

[base]

I have owned a exup 1000 by todays standards its a big fat bloated beast, but i have a soft spot for them they are cheap speed, exup valve can sieze and be a bit of a bugger from my experience nothing a bit of brute force and ignorance cant sort out followed by a bit of TLC the motors have a tendancy burn some oil but i have yet to find any 90's bike 2nd hand that doesn't (i am stuck in the 90's BTW ) having owned one and a pre exup i am glad i srcatched that itch.

[Jag-D]

I dont mind the idea of a bloater of a bike, first sports bike was a 97 CBR 600 which isn't exactly a lightweight and I've ridden fat bikes so shouldn't be too bad.

What was the comfort like? Last time I sat on one, I think I was about 15

[Lost soul]

I had one , seamless is how i would describe the pwoer delivery , and she was a lot better handeling than most

[C8PPO]

I have a 14 year old Thunderace, not quite the same I know, but with a garage which usually contains 4-5 bikes at any one time, and having owned several other litre bikes, including 2 brand new GSXRs (which incidentally I loved), the 'Ace is the one which is still in said garage and is definitely not going anywhere anytime. Cracking bit of kit.

[Jag-D]

C8PPO said:

I have a 14 year old Thunderace, not quite the same I know, but with a garage which usually contains 4-5 bikes at any one time, and having owned several other litre bikes, including 2 brand new GSXRs (which incidentally I loved), the 'Ace is the one which is still in said garage and is definitely not going anywhere anytime. Cracking bit of kit.

Ace is on the list if me and the missus are still together

If we dont, FZR1000/Firestorm/Blade/R1/ZX9R/Blackbird or something equally stupid

[Biker's Nemesis]

They were great when they were new Scott, can't say much more apart from but a well looked after example.

As you know I had all the variants apart from the fox eye face lift.

Here's my H reg one.

[Jag-D]

Biker's Nemesis said:

They were great when they were new Scott, can't say much more apart from but a well looked after example.

As you know I had all the variants apart from the fox eye face lift.

Here's my H reg one.

Aye I recall you recommending them before I binned the ER

Jesus John, do you spend all your time on one wheel or the other?

Are they comfortable bud?

[Jazoli]

I owned one for 4 years, put over 40,000 miles on it, they are a great bike, fast enough (still), the handling is not as sharp as modern stuff but you can jack up the rear a bit with some shorter dog bones and drop the forks in the yokes to get it to turn in faster.

The exup valve can be a real pain if it is seized solid, it completely ruins the power delivery, and secondhand exhausts are becoming rare.

I had a full ti Akrapovic on mine, jetted correctly and it was putting out a genuine 132rwhp, which was nice.

Budget for replacing all the bearings, fork springs, probably the shock and plenty of other stuff, they are getting old and tired now (bloody hell they were released 20 years ago) they are heavy powerful bikes and munch their way through consumables pretty quickly, I got 1500 miles out of a set of D208's once (although that was in 40 degree heat when friends were visiting in Spain) after a weeks hard riding.

I miss mine, sometimes, I loved the way it looked.

Gratuitous pic:



Ignore the rim tape, took it off after a day

[Biker's Nemesis]

Not bad mate wide ish seat and low pegs, I think they were a bit heavy on the wrists at slower speeds, can't be sure as I only ever took my time till I got out of my street.

[Jag-D]

I dont mind rim tape

They're a cracking looking bike, one of the 20 year old bikes that have really aged well

I think there's only the late ZXR750s and GSXRs that have grown old so graciously (or is that deliciously)

As for lifting the rear and dropping the front: I did that with the CBR600FV anyway

[Jazoli]

Try and get one which has been upgraded a bit, stuff like blue spot calipers, braided hoses, aftermarket shock etc, they do burn oil though, at the end mine was doing 1 litre per 1000 miles, but they all do that sir.

There was a decent owners club too, something like www.exup1000.co.uk not been on since I sold mine.

Edited by Jazoli on Sunday 24th January 19:19

[Jag-D]

Biker's Nemesis said:

Not bad mate wide ish seat and low pegs, I think they were a bit heavy on the wrists at slower speeds, can't be sure as I only ever took my time till I got out of my street.

Shouldn't expect any less from your good self should I

Hmmm might be on the list then, unless a good YZF750R comes up before hand

[podman]

I had one for 4 years, an 1991 RU with the upside down forks, i sold it in the end because of its appetite for oil, a common issue..as was my YZF750 and R1 that followed..at this age, condition is all, the fastners /plating are poorly finished, carb rubbers harden over a winter or two and seem to fall away at the slightest work around that area. cant imagine you'll find one restricted but its an easy check, never had an issue with the EXUP valve seizing but my paranioa kept that at bay I think.

Handling wise it was very good from what i remember and it was comfortable, I loved the slender grips and the classic Yammie clocks. Certainly more of a sports tool than the GSXR1100 of the era

A nice derestricted one with a K&N and Dynojet kit to match should punt out around 120-125RWHP, enough to get along quite nicely,certainly enough to keep up with an early Blade on the straights it not elesewhere.

I like the look of them even now, certainly a nice looking and more focused bike than the ThunderAce that followed.

If I was to want another, for me it'd have to be the original of 1989 in the classic blue/red/white scheme above..

[blade7]

Had 2, RU was better than the earlier exup.

[Jag-D]

podman said:

Certainly more of a sports tool than the GSXR1100 of the era

I love the look of the old GSXR1100, but the sheer size of it puts me off. It's not the weight or the width, but the bloody length...it feels like a routemaster it's that long

[TallPaul]

I owned mine for about 5 years. Although the seat height is pretty low, its a long reach to the bars, so it was pretty comfortable for a tall fella like myself! The main issues with it were its incredible appetite for oil and the padding in the saddle wasnt as "new" as it could be. I used to strip & clean the EXUP valve once a year and it never gave me any trouble. It had loads more mid range stomp than my current 954 FireBlade, but a bit less outright power. The later RU models can have the rear shocks rebuilt fairly easily & they have much better forks. The front discs warp very easily, but they're the same as most Ducati & (I think) Aprilia ones.
Obviously look for the best condition you can, you'll end up spending more tidying rough one than buying a minter.
Any excuse for a photo...

[Jag-D]

Droooool

[y2blade]

Jag-D said:

Right, I'm looking for opinions from people who have owned or at least have rode the FZR1000 Exup for a considerable amount of time if possible.

I've just been looking through the classifieds (as always) and (as always lol) I find myself looking at one of my favourite all time big bikes, the Yamaha FZR1000 Exup.

They're a good price, they still look good (maybe just in my opinion, but I love em) and I love the sound of them so was wondering what the lowdown is from those in the know?

what model are you interested in?

my favourite was the "RU"

[fildigger]

You have been given some good advice so far, so i will not add to that...

Other than they are superb bikes (best bike of its day, until the Blade came along!) I have had four in total, the best being the RU, never had any significant problems at all and travelled around Europe on a few!, Yes! get the Exup valve stripped and lubed if it hasn't been done........Look out for a clean example and you wont go wrong!

Join 'Exup 1000 forum', great guys and advice on there.

Here's my last FZR Exup....'91 model with a genuine 14K miles....as mint as you could get!, this side of a collectors item!