almost new (a demonstrator) from a dealer in Zurich
(Switzerland), yet he wasn’t new to the FZ range of Yamaha’s.
“I used to have a Fazer 600,” he confirms. “They’re
a great balance between being good for city riding and
longer touring, while also having fun on twisty roads.
That’s a long answer, but the short answer is - I just loved
it.”
Understandable when looking at the bike and exploring
its design and construction. It’s almost bare, stripped
back very similar to Alex’s travelling style; he doesn’t
carry a lot of luggage, just the gear he needs. Keeping it
light is the key.
“It likes to go to the places it shouldn’t, just like me,”
Alex laughs as he recounts a river crossing in Pakistan.
The water was clear but turned out to be deeper than
anticipated.
“The bike nose-dived, and I hit the tank with parts of
my body that I’d rather of not.”
There’s a lot of laughter, it seems to be something that
the Fazer draws from Alex, perhaps there is a bond between
these two travellers despite a lack of affectionate
name.
“No there’s no name,” Alex shrugs again. “It doesn’t
even have a gender.”
Does it really need one? There’s more to a bike than a
TRAVERS