I got this bike new from Eddy Grimsteads in Ilford in 1988. It was pretty much the last of the FZR1000 bikes before the EXUP was launched. I traded in my 86 Suzuki GSXR750 to get this. After riding an RG500 for some time the GSXR750 felt a bit tame. Don't get me wrong, it was a true Race Rep bike and I liked it a lot, but it just didn't have that mad killer feel like the RG had. Anyway, after having the GSXR for a couple of years, it was time for a change.

It was a choice of either getting the GSXR1100 or the Yamaha FZR1000. Having test ridden both, my preference was the Yam. The Suzuki was far bigger and seemed far less maneuverable than the Yamaha and wanting to do more than just go in a straight line, the Yam won hands down.

The bike was very quick for it's time, leaps ahead of the GSX750 on power and braking yet felt not much bigger. The overall engineering of the bike was excellent. Like many Yamahas I've had, it never let me down and coped with the abuse I regularly chucked at it. Looking back, it's one of those bikes I wish I'd kept, but after about 18 months or so I decided to trade it in for the EXUP version of the bike.

When you consider this bike was in production from around 87,

the difference in technology and design over the 1980 Triumphs was colossal.

Even today, the design, power and handling is still top draw

and that's 20+ years on.