fr8dog

2 hours ago, rustyshackles said:

The BMW demo roadshow was in my area yesterday.  I chose the R1250RT.  30 minute ride with opportunity to stretch its legs just a bit.

Nice bike but I was expecting a more refined experience.  There were vibrations, and power delivery was not exactly instant.  Weight was down low and it felt more flickable than it looks.

The fleet all had NJ plates.  Could life on the road be effecting the bikes?

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?

On 5/29/2020 at 9:56 AM, texscottyd said:

Every time I hear some one complain about the abrupt on/off throttle response of the FJ, I think back to my H1 and chuckle...    

You’re being very generous in your summary of the handling.  To me, it was almost diabolical.  And for added entertainment value, the brakes were occasional, at best.   But it didn’t kill me, so the memories are good.  

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.

8 hours ago, bugie said:

Yeah i'm at a similar weight to you too. Did you go for a 9.0 or 9.5nm spring? And did you just do the front, or, did you also do the back too? If so, what did you do to the back?

 

Option 2 would involve removing the stock fork internals and replacing the piston. I'll be pairing this with stiffer springs. The stock adjuster and cartridge can be used. Will need to check if the valving and shim stack can be altered so thanks for that.

went with

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.

2 hours ago, bugie said:

So i'm planning on getting my front suspension upgraded with K-Tech components and am in a toss up between:

 

1. Springs only
2. Springs and piston kit whereby they just use the OEM fork cartridges and replace the OEM pistons
3. getting new fork cartridges and a spring

Would be keen on hearing people's first hand opinions based on their experiences with the above

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.

6 minutes ago, betoney said:

@piotrek and @fr8dog  Are the Nitron shocks sold for track use?  If you are needing to open the compression to 17 clicks out to be usable for street use, - 3/4 of its usable range, - it seems that they must be built with very firm/ restrictive damping.

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.

4 hours ago, piotrek said:

Glad you found your way (kinda) with the Nitron. I remember that mine came from the factory set at 12 clicks out (CCW), and it felt like it wanted to punt me off the seat over bumps. I progressively backed it out until the rear behaved (17 clicks), and then adjusted the front to suit. The damping clicker has a range of 24 clicks... experiment. 🙂

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.

14 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

It's not really fond of running at low RPM, which is basically required to ride slow.  The TB's being out of sync makes it worse for sure, but it's not really happy at low speeds ever.  I find  you basically just want to use the clutch to smooth things out at really low speeds (which is generally what you do for low speed maneuvers anyways)

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.

17 hours ago, 1moreroad said:

New RS2s are cheap in every sense of the word. After this pair is worn out, I won't by discount sport touring tires ever again. And I generally like Dunlops. 

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.

9 minutes ago, betoney said:

Which shock do you have, R1, R2 or R3?  If it is the R1 then the adjuster changes the rebound and compression simultaneously with one knob, the upper tier shocks have individual adjustment.  The custom built shock 'should' be a noticeable improvement in ride quality, however I don't find one adjustment that alters both rebound and compression damping to be ideal, *for my needs*.  I usually get the compression set and then leave it but fine tune rebound a bit more.

The ride height adjustment raises the rear, same as lowering the front, more front weight bias and sharper steering input. 

According to Nitron -

 

Please include your weight (with any specific requirements you may have regarding whether you want a lower or higher default seat height - i.e. if you are taller or shorter than average) and state how your bike is used (i.e. road solo only, road with pillion, road and track or track only etc.) as we will be building your shock to your specific order with the optimum length, spring rate and damper adjustments pre-set for you. If you need further information or assistance, please call us to discuss your needs.

• Nitron will build your shock to order with the specification based on your individual needs and with all adjustments pre-set (see above)

If it was custom built and they didn't get it set up correctly for you, I would give them a call.

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.

4 hours ago, Buggy Nate said:

I bought a set of chinesuim adjustable rear sets to try and get a little more leg room. I have extended the rear nitron shock and have the forks pushed through flush so I have a little lee way to drop them down.

Hopefully the metalurgy is ok on them when they turn up.

I'll be greasing the swingarm and linkage bearing whilst i'm in there. I may even service the nitron rear shock as I have had it on there a while now.

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.

16 hours ago, Dodgy Knees said:

18 tracer. 2000 miles on clock.  I've noticed condensation inside clocks. Doesn't affect anything but ain't quite right.   Anybody else had this.?    Is it worthy of a warranty claim.?

 

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

1 hour ago, betoney said:

Oregon riding is a slippery slope down the rabbit hole, you have been warned. 😎  I'm not joking, all the way up to the Washington border and out to the Pacific coast, it is AMAZING.  I have logged many more miles in Oregon than my own state.  If you want suggestions on day trips or overnight trips, just ask.

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

9 hours ago, betoney said:

Being right on the border, you are close to all of the amazing riding that Oregon has to offer.  Are you new to the Boise area or have you already ridden the good stuff?

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.

3 hours ago, Cruizin said:

Was it the state trooper? He got me last summer coming down banner summit. Rumor is that he gave his own mother a speeding ticket. He lives in Lowman. 

Are you on the Facebook group chicken strips and lattes? It's a local ride group. 

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