Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128094
just watching - people in local farmhouses were grabbing the kids and bringing them out to get a glimpse. We were amazed. In America, as we all know, the locals would have called the SWAT team and a helicopter immediately - what else do you need to know about Spain? The 2001 Yamaha FZ1 is actually the perfect bike for a country like Spain. Our route took us on a little bit of everything, from freeways (well, not what you and I call freeways) to goat paths, and I mean that literally, goat paths, I'll explain in a minute. Some of the roads were curvy and as smooth as a billiard table, while some of the others were dusty and strewn with potholes, but all were a blast. ranean) popped into view. Our route also paralleled the fabulous Costa del Sol, Spain's version of the French Riviera. At times I completely forgot about the motorcycle under my butt, and was simply in awe of the landscape. We ate lunch in Sotogrande, a swank little private resort with towering yachts littering the marina, and Ferraris sprinkled along the shore. Truly a sight to see. I think Spain is one of the coolest countries in Europe, and a lot of that has to do with the things I mentioned above. But the number-one reason I love Spain has to be the people. Especially in the context of motorcycling - Spanish women are hot, don't get me wrong - but Spaniards are rabid motorcycle fans. It doesn't matter if it's racing, where 150,000 fans routinely show up for the GPs, or just the bikes themselves, they are nuts for it. Half of the motorcycles we saw on the road were Valentino Rossi replica Aprilia 50s and 125s, not to mention the hoards of scooters, with Carlos Checca or Max Biaggi livery emblazoned all over them. During one of our photo shoots on a public road, we were doing wheelies for photographer David Dewhurst - a small crowd started to gather simply to watch. People were pulling their cars over, getting out their cameras and family of sheep didn't seem bothered at all by the fact that my front tire was locking and chirping, as I tried my damnedest not to become an added ingredient to some sort of road-kill stew. Neither the wretched sound of screeching rubber nor the 600 pounds of hurling metal, plastic, leather, and, oh yeah, my body, budged the clueless sheep. After I got the bike to a stop they simply looked up at me and wondered why the hell I was yelling at them. Next time I'll remember to be more careful - next time. Our groups of American journalists are always ready to rip up the roads of a foreign country, and this day was no different. The local police seem to be more abundant than in the US-ofA, but they are mostly motorcycle cops and simply give you a friendly wave as you go by. This just added to my theory about how cool the Spanish are. The combination of a comfortable riding position, a great motor, good handling, and brakes, makes the FZ1 a pleasure to thread through the labyrinth of streets and lanes in the small villages and countryside of Spain. You never know what you're going to encounter around the next bend, but a bike like the FZ1 is so forgiving that you can simply adjust and carryon. My expectations of the bike were hig~, and the FZ1 met them with aplomb for the most part. The bike I should know better because I've been through this before, but I always forget. Riding in Spain takes about 20 times more concentration than riding at home - you always have to expect that you're about to get taken out. The past two years in a row I've almost run into a heard of sheep at abou~ 90 miles per hour - they don't rely on fences very much over there. Last year on the R1 near Barcelona, I saved Rich Oliver's life, because he didn't see them right away, and on this trip I took the meaning of threshold braking to a new level. The little was obviously designed to compete against the likes of Suzuki's Bandit 1200, and Kawasaki's ZRX1200, but I think Yamaha has one-upped its competitors. It doesn't feel like the FZ 1 has as much torque as the larger-displaced competition, but if my seat-of-the:pants horsepower scale is in any way accurate, it makes more horsepower than both. I know for a fact that the Yamaha weighs a lot less than either the Suzuki or the Kawasaki. Yamaha claims that the FZ1 weighs in at 455 pounds dry, which isn't too shabby for a n _ _ os • MARCH 7, 2001 15 "In America, as we all know, the locals would have called the SWAT team and a helicopter immediately - what else do you need to know about Spain?" cue I •