2linby

I just mounted a set of PR5's. Nice tires! Yes I've already rode in the rain. Loving them so far with only about 600 miles on them. I've rode on lots of Michelins with great success on many other bikes. They get my full endorsement!

Thanks everyone for your replies. Yes I agree that getting your face into the bike is an important aspect of riding. And yes I agree there are too many riders who just don't either care and/or they are clueless. I ride everyday. Put over 168,000 miles (all mine) on my old 2001 Concours. Just over 6200 miles on the 2016 FJ09 purchased in late February last year as a 2 year old "new" bike. I ride in the rain all winter long and just want to take better care of the chain and sprockets. This is why the inquiry. I wrench all my own equipment, including spooning my own tires, so I'm not lazy, actually attempting to be more proactive.

I've been reading up on these. My old Concours was a shaft drive, so no issues with the chain! HA!. Sure I oil it often, but it would be nice to set it and forget it just to add lube every 1k or so. Your thoughts?

Bite the bullet and mount the front as well. Nothing is as good as a matching set! Besides I mounted these babies just in time for the years first heavy rain. No lack of confidence with these!

New PR 5's

nice

You're like 6'5" right? Or am I thinking of someone else?You got those numbers in reverse!

My wife said to keep my clothes on! No never naked! HA!

I took off my GIVI windshield and put the stock shield back on. It's just been too hot and having the extra air in my face is nice this time of year. Oh and I changed the oil.

Installed Heli-bar risers. Nice adjustment up and back for this old guy.

Most recent change was to remove the factory hand guards and add bar ends. Summer change. I also got tired of the transformer look to the bike.

If I only know what I know now, when I was younger...........! Good Judgement comes from learning from your bad judgment........

So am am short legged. Even with my boots on and the seat in the lower position I wasn't quite flat footed. SO I ordered the factory lowering links. I've lowered every bike I've owned since 2001. This was a PITA! (Pain in the ass!) . Sorry but no pictures. So the instructions say to remove the rear wheel and remove the mounting bolts for the exhaust and lower the exhaust, presumably to give you more room to work. Ah, no I decided to not do this. How hard could it be to pull two bolts and replace to dog bones....... 1) Bike on the center stand. 14mm wrenches, ratchet, sockets , extensions, drift and bottle jack to raise the swing arm. I removed the nuts on the rightsize from the bolts. They are tight, very tight from the factory. The lower one has an access hole through the swingers, the top required a 3/8" drive universal. You could do it with a wrench, but the nut is very tight and I could not get enough purchase on the wrench in the confined space. Loosened the nuts, cool! 2) Raised the swing arm with the bottle jack to relieve the pressure off the bottom bolt. Removed the nut, lost the nut, found the nut. Drove the bolt out with the drift. The bearing spacer also falls out. DAMN IT! 3) Removed the top bolt with greater care and the space remains in place (Thank God!) 4) Spend the next half hour trying to get the bottom spacer into the link without f-ing up the needle bearings! (Arggghhhh!) Used a combination of a magnetic wand and a pair of long nosed needle nose pliers. Yes your hand is somewhat too large if you are over the age of 5 to get into the space between the inside of the swingers and the link. 5) Yes the spacer is back in! Bearing needles are safe! I am happy! 6) Place the left side dog bone and top bolt in place. Slip the left side dog bone over the bolt. Move the bolt out to the left and repeat, and repeat. Break out the blue painters tape to temporarily hold the bolt in place. Place the nut on and thread it to hold. Good! 7) Make several attempts to get the lower bolt in place. Work the bottle jack under the swing arm up to the right position, (finally) and get the bolt started. Drive the spacer out enough to scare me again! STOP!!! break out the blue tape, again. BTW I was doing this alone (note to all, this would be easier to have a little help at these critical moments) or a roll fo blue painters tape! HA! Get the bolt through and line up the left side dog bone just enough to catch the lip of the bolt. Tape the sucker in place and drive the bolt through just enough to get the nut threaded, no NO!!! I drop the bottom nut. It disappears again and this time I cannot find it! Search the entire ground area. Can't find it. Break out the trouble light and magnet. Can't find it. Thinking it may have fallen in-between the tail pipe shroud I remove the shroud, Three allen bolts off the shroud later I see the dog bone nut on the other side of the center stand where I looked five times before (I swear!) Gently thread the nut onto the lower bolt and then Tighten everything up! 9) Re-install the shroud and wash hands. Swearing less now! 10) Test sit and I can now sit flat footed on the bike. Center stand is a little harder to bring up and the side stand angle isn't as much, but tolerable. Ride is about the same. I test ride up the local roads to Hwy 36 then through triangle lake, down to Mapleton and back home to the big city going through Noti, Crow, Vaughn, Lorraine and finally home. (You can look up the names, they are real) Epilogue: I don't know if taking the wheel off and lowering the exhaust would have been easier, and I'll never again have to worry about it!. The links only lower the bike a meager 14mm (9/16") for us "muricans". However this was enough for me and the side stand/Centerstand do not require any adaptations and additional costs. My riding, while aggressive for some, is mild enough that I shouldn't have any group clearance issues, but time will tell. Again sorry for not taking an pictures, but I hope my description paints a good enough mental picture........ Remember, Everything is simple, nothing is easy!