I have never ridden one of the carbed fz1's, but for touring a lot of people say that those were the better model. For one, the carbed fz1's I believe got better mileage and I know had a bigger fuel tank (my fuel light comes on at around 140-150 miles), thus allowing them to go farther between stops. Also it seems like the ergos were more leaned toward the touring part of the spectrum on the carbed fz1. There is a wealth of knowledge available on these bikes at http://www.fz1-forum.com/forum/ and http://www.yamahafz1oa.com. I would say the newer fuel injected bikes are stil la great all around bike, just leaned a little bit more toward the sport side of the ST segment. Regardless there is a huge aftermarket for them to customize them to your liking (hard baggage, upgraded suspensions, seats, etc.). If you have any questions specifically related to the newer fz1's I would be glad to answer them. I actually was looking at fz6's when I came across a deal on mine that I couldn't pass up, the 6 is an awesome bike too(better on fuel) if you don't have the need for a 1000.