An MT-07 Adventure. Renting and Riding in the Suburbs of Tokyo.

The day finally came. Both daughters were healthy enough to not need constant care and attention. The weather was 70 degrees and overcast, perfect for getting out on a bike. I had a reservation for an MT-07 set for 10:00 am for an eight hour rental. I was excited and nervous all at once. Japan is a left hand side of the road country. I'm not worried about that so much as the visual nightmare that is the traffic sign and lighting system we have here. Add to that the way the roads are designed to cope with the rolling hills (think blind corners and crests with no right angled corners) that make up the greater part of this volcanically created country and you have a recipie for confusion and mistakes that could be costly on a bike. I got out in the car the day before yesterday for some practice and found myself getting used to it all pretty easily. Being on a bike should help as the controls don't change from country to country and I'll have more space in the tight lanes.

I did some Google searching for ways to rent a ride while on vacation here and found quite a few places. The biggest seemed to be Rental 819. They have branches all over the country and an English version of their website.

 

I went with the nearest branch to my mom-in-law's house. Windjammers Fuchu. The staff got me a reservation in about 10 minutes. It almost took me longer to decide on which bike to get than to do the actualy reservation. I settled on an MT-07 (FZ-07 in the US) as I've been wanting to ride one for a while. The shop sells and rents bikes. There were all maner of two-wheeled fun present. Seriously, how do you choose just one?!

 

After a quick and painless process that was exctly the same as renting a car in the states, I was out the door with my little red rocket you see here. Right away the bike felt good to me. Light and maneuverable, peppy and easy to ride. This was going to be fun! The seat was hard, but wide enough to adjust my position for both sporty and sedate riding. The bars felt just about right. The pegs felt a little high, but I got used to that quickly. All of the different reviews I've read indicated that me and the '07 would be a match made in heaven.

 

Warning: The following pics are the result of me, my camera and the bike all alone in the driveway. Scroll down if you aren't into sexy red Yamahas posing for their rider.

 

 

Did we just become best friends?

 

Yes, I took this last photo waiting at a stop light with my cell phone. Bad me. I didn't think I'd like the gauge, but it wasn't bad. The big black unit on the clutch side is an Electronic Toll Card (ETC) box. I didn't hit any feeways while on my ride, but if you do in Japan, these are a must.

 

One of the stops I made while out riding was to this used car parts shop. It is one of my favorite places. The specialize in car parts, but have a decent selection of bike stuff as well.



Here you have a good representation of what you can get here. There are seats, fenders, crash bars and a bunch of other very good quality and reasonably priced parts available for the prospective customizer.

 

A refueling stop was needed after 90 minutes of riding around the roads near my house. Sushi fit the bill again. It was warm and the fish was a refreshing way to recharge for the next riding session. $10 buys a good lunch that was quick and easy. Healthy as well. Important when the most important factor in maintaining a good power to weight ratio for racing will come from me dropping pounds from my waist versus stripping ounces from the bike.

 

I managed to get almost 6 hours of riding into the 8 hour rental. I put 120 kilometers (75 miles) on the FZ before reluctantly giving her back to her rightful owners. My impressions of the bike mostly positive. I loved the power and weight of the bike compared to my V-Strom. The seat needs work. I'd like something with a bit more give as well as a little bit higher up to give me more space on the pegs without sacrificing lean angle. I would want to change the bars as well for a more up and back set. Add in a fly screen and some hand guards, maybe some type of soft luggage and a mount for a top box and I'd have a very capable light sport tourer on par with the functionality of the V-Strom with better power and sharper handling. Perfect for commuting or for geting out on the open road.

 

The staff at Windjammers was just as efficient at getting the bike turned in as they were geting me out the door. I chatted up the staff a bit about bikes. The keys to the FZ has a Windjammers key chain. I asked if I could buy one and they said they come with the new bikes they sell. As the FZ wouldn't fit in my suitcase I didn't press for one. While waiting for the wife to come get me one of the staff that had over heard my request slipped me a key chain and made me promise to keep it a secret. Great people all around at Windjammers Fuchu.

 

I had a great time riding yesterday. Hopefully I can get out again next week. Stay tuned for more from the ride as I was able to make a few extra stops along the way.

 

Blue