fr8dog

Could be. If serious about one, I would ride a new one. I've ridden a couple of beemers. The suspension stood out the most. Very plush and comfortable ride. Can't get past the engine. Most bikes I've test ridden have better suspensions than our stock FJ's. Our engine has lots of character.

Ordered a Pit Bull Headlift stand this morning. Have to get into one of the forks. Had piston, valves and springs installed. Shop put it back together wrong. I have only four clicks of rebound. I'm 500 miles away, so taking it back isn't practical. Watched the Dave Moss video posted by @captainscarlet. I'm ready to go. Also went for 150 mile ride.

@betoney - What cartridges are you considering?

I miss the smell, the sound and the crazy powerband. Brakes have come a long way. Looked for an H2, but never had the cash back then. Spent some time at Laguna Seca in the 80's. Wanted a RG500 Gamma. Cannery Row in Pacific Grove Shut down the street at night for bikes only parking during Superbike Races. Saw a row of 10 Gammas. Most people had moved on to the 4 strokes by then.

I think I went with 1.00 kg springs. I did the shock first. Seemed to be more of an issue. Went with a Nitron R1. If I did again I would go with K-Tech cartridges and springs. I'm happy with the current set up, but always looking for better performance.

I did number 2. Night and day difference. I'm 225#, so it helped out a lot. Wanted to go the pattonme route but didn't seem to be an option. I looked at Andreani cartridges, but read they were set up more for racing. The cost is good. After my positive experience with K-Tech, option 3 could be in my future. Stoltec has some nice stuff too.

All stock photos except for the FJ. Colors are the same. The 2 Hondas had Kerker pipes and the H1 had expansion chambers. Learned to ride on one of those Honda step throughs in the orchards by my Grandfather's house. .1. 71 Suzuki TS90 - First bike. I was 12. 2. 72 BSA 650 Lightning - Dad gave it to me when I turned 16. He stripped it down to the frame and painted. Loved that bike. I beat it up pretty good. Two speeding tickets the first 6 months. Mom wasn't too happy. I was on her insurance. 3. 76 Honda 750 SS - Hit by a car. I was fine, bike totalled. 4. 78 Honda 750 SS - Kept for a couple of years. Sold when I went into the Air Force. 5. 72 Kawasaki H1 500 - Fast and fun going straight. Sketchy in the twisties. Sold to a friend. He was high and crashed. 6. 78 Suzuki GS 750 - Should of bought one of these instead of the second Honda. Bought from a friend. He repo'd it from another friend of ours. Crashed. Daydreaming on Hwy 49 Mokolumne Hill Presidents Day 1985. Laid it down in gravel and hit siderail. Repaired and repainted. 7. 86 Yamaha FZ600 - Loved that bike. Had it and the GS at the same time. Didn't ride either very much. Kids starting popping out and the second crash was still on my mind. 8. 16 Yamaha FJ-09 - Love this bike. After a 30 year break I'm back at it. 34k plus miles. Making up for lost time.

Finally. I've had this Nitron shock for a year, and to me, it didn't feel a whole lot better than stock. I could feel a difference on good pavement and twisties, but In town it was almost unridable. Harsh. I also had the stock shock rebuilt and it felt about the same. Frustrating. Last week I went to a local suspension guy. He didn't make any adjustments, we just talked shocks. He showed me the innards of a shock and explained how it works. Got me to thinking. I've been turning the rebound knob the wrong way. Stupid. My wife helped me set the sag. She was very patient. Ha. Rode it to work the next day and what a difference. I can actually feel the shock working. Kind of weird. I'm at good starting point to where I can start to fine tune it. Kind of. When I had the forks done, the shop didn't assemble it back together properly. I have only 5 clicks of rebound. They will fix their mistake, but I'm 500 miles away. I had the forks done a week before we moved to Idaho. I can probably do it myself. I think I need a spring compressor and a vice. Not sure of any other special tools. Oh, and a proper stand. I'm going to the dealer today to see what they would charge. So anyway, things are moving in the right direction. I was about ready to give up on this shock.

The R1 that we have is for street use. They make one like your double clicker and then 2 racing shocks. I do agree it seems extreme. Could be why it felt good in the twisties. I need a little forgiveness on the surface streets. I did describe my type of riding, weight and if I carry passengers, etc. Mine was sent 10 clicks out.

I'll try B mode. I'm in Standard all of the time. I know I'm probably in the minority. I've ridden in A and it's a blast. It's like a different bike.

Rain tomorrow so on Thursday I'll get some more seat time. I think I was 8 clicks out. I'll double check and write it down, but I think I'm 17 clicks out now. I was way off. I'm getting closer. Roger showed me a disassembled shock and how the different parts work. The oil flow part was when it came together for me. I had it backwards. The funny thing is, I almost gave up on this shock. I've had it for a year. The one thing that kept me going was it handled good in the hills on good surfaces. Decided to take it to somebody to help sort it out or get another shock. I think the Nitron will be fine. I've been looking for "the next bike", but always come back to the FJ. An "upgrade" would be costly and probably not worth it. The engine alone makes it keeper. A lot of bikes are heavier and maybe not as dependable. I know, I'm preaching to the choir.

I wasn't clear. I didn't get those things done because of how it ran at 25 mph. APS was done to smooth the abrupt throttle (it helped) and TBS was done when valves adjusted and plugs changed. I agree about the use of the clutch.

In second gear at 25 mph mine runs a little rough. I've adjusted the APS and had the throttle bodies synched. I just figured it was the nature of this motor.

Went to Braaap Suspensions this morning. He's local here in Boise. Trying to sort out my Nitron shock. I feel kind of stupid, but I gained some knowledge. I've read here some of the things we talked about, but being able to ask questions in person and to have things clarified was great. So basically when I thought I was turning the adjuster knob for rebound/compression I was probably going in the wrong direction. Ended up 5 clicks the other way. The ride home felt better. Need more time to evaluate. He's not too crazy about combined rebound and compression adjustment. I get it. I was thinking for my type of riding I could get by with the shock I purchased. We'll see how it goes. He's an Ohlins dealer so that may be in my future.

I bought a set and have to agree. Wasn't aware of the difference. Pretty sketchy going aggressively into a corner/turn. The stock Dunlops were better and also had a set of Shinkos that performed well. What to try next? Maybe the RS3's or some Bridgestones.

I have the R1. I answered all of the question so they could build it to my needs. Bumps are harsh. Forks soak up road imperfections then the shock feels pretty harsh. Had Dave Moss look at it one day at Cycle Gear before I had the forks done. He did what he could, but basically said the front end was making the shock act the way it is. Had K-Tech valves and pistons installed along with springs for my weight. Huge difference. No fork dive and soaks up road imperfections pretty good. I've set the sag and played with rebound. No matter what setting bumps are harsh. I'll call them. Doesn't seem right.

I also have a Nitron shock. What does extending it do? I've been disappointed with mine. Doesn't feel any better than stock. Can't seem to get it dialed in. It is set up for my weight. Had the forks done. Huge improvement.

We're good. We're from NorCal, so unfortunately kind of used to them. I think we're about 150 miles from the epicenter. Thanks for asking.

The dealer will want to see pictures. They send them to corporate. If you can't get good ones, the dealer will snap a few pics.

I had mine replaced under warranty at about 21000 miles. Service Mgr at the dealer took care of everything.

We moved here from norcal. I was spoiled. 20 minutes from hwy 49 in Auburn.

I'm new to the area. Moved here in October. I saw some roads on the map in Oregon. Looks good. Another month and I'll be out every week.

I waived. Do you visit? Let me know next time and we can meet up. The road from Emmett to Horseshoe Bend is a good one. First time up in that area. Most of that ride was good. The only bad stretch is from Lowman to Idaho City. Still a lot of snow and something about the road makes the tires a little sketchy and feeling loose.

Managed to dodge most of the rain. Fueled up in Horseshoe Bend, then it started to pour. Lasted about 20 minutes. Made small talk with a harley guy. It was painful. Was nice to get out and find some good roads.

I don't do facebook. Used to, to see what the kids were up to. Saw it and then didn't really want to know what they were doing. That's a funny name. You making it up? You saw my rear tire? Ha