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Oh man, now I know how to win every fitbit competition I enter!!

I rode in to Seth's workshop and had him build me one while I waited. I put it right up there with my old Russell for comfort. I'd keep trying.

I commute on my bike as well and this is how I do it. Over the years my office has turned into a little Men's Warehouse store, where I keep 3 pairs of shoes, 8 suit jackets, two belts, and 6 ties. The only thing left on my bike is an old, ratty Cycle Gear bike cover.

I've found 3 bikes to be the right number. I had a big cruiser, but ironically my wife asked me to sell it and buy a comfier bike for her. Her riding position, slightly reclined, with her knees propped up high by the tall footpegs, and the wide bike splaying her apart, she often commented that I should replace the pegs with stirrups, because every ride left her feeling like she was getting an exam.

There's no question that it's a blast to ride a slow bike fast. I get more giggles and grins riding my SV650 in the mountains and on the track than any other bike I've owned.

Welcome! I don't have much of substance to respond to, it's just that the French version of my name caught my eye!

Thanks for the pictures. I zoomed in to get a better sense, and it seems like the bars have less of a vertical rise, and an increased horizontal bend. I wouldn't call them Tiller Style, but compared to stock, they seem to orient to that direction. Am I seeing it right? You mention the vibrations at 90+. How is it at 70? Any different than stock?

There's pros and cons to both, but I'll say this much. More power is not inherently better. It's better in some situations, and it's more cumbersome in others. Both have plenty of power for freeway slogs, so it's a push there. For slow riding - in town, or in technical terrain the old saying is true: it's more fun to go fast on a slow bike than slow on a fast bike. So I'd definitely throw that consideration into the mix. For me personally, I have 3 bikes right now. The FJ-09, a 150 HP hypertouring bike, and a 65 HP utilitarian naked bike. Guess which one gets out for non-commuting more frequently? Yup, the little one. Tootling around town, going to the store, etc, the little bike is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. When I got the FJ I figured I would sell the SV, but as it turns out, they each excel at their own thing, and do ok on things that aren't in their forte, so I keep both and use each for their strengths. Long winded way of saying you can't really go wrong with your choices. But one is going to be more right for you, and all the advice you're getting here will help you decide which way to go. Good luck!

Plus if I crash, I'm already in the Superman position so that I can slide on the only protected part of the body. It's brilliant, really.

Thanks. My bike already has the handguards removed. It came that way, so I never had a chance to experience the big blobs at the end. All my other bikes with bags have had wider bags than handlebars, so it's not an issue for me. I gauge to clear the side mirrors, which automatically gives me a big cushion down lower where the bags are. I'll be really interested in the Rizoma bars to see how they fit and work.

For the first time in 35 years of lane splitting, I hit a car mirror with my handlebar. I commute on the bike daily, and have logged thousands of hours lane sharing without a single incident. The FJ-09 is still somewhat new to me, and the handlebars are the widest of any bike I’ve ever owned. Muscle memory told me I had the clearance, but obviously I didn’t. Has anyone cut down the width of their handlebars? I think I’d be happy taking 4-6 inches off each side.

And just to make sure everyone knows the trick to putting on rain pants during a ride… if you go on a ride carrying your waterproof gear in your saddlebags instead of wearing it, and you need to put it on because it starts to rain, carry a couple of plastic grocery bags and rubber bands (this isn’t critical, but helpful). Slide the plastic bag over your boots, secure w/rubber band, then put on your rain pants. The plastic cover will help your boots glide through the pants without getting stuck. This is especially useful if you’re doing a roadside suit up as it starts to rain.

I commute in the Northern Sacramento Valley, so I regularly ride triple digits. I've ditched the cooling vests for a variety of reasons. I now wear very tight compression long sleeve shirt and pants under my vented gear. I drink drink drink lots of water, hit the road, warm up, and start sweating. The tight fitting clothes immediately wicks away the sweat and you get transpiration cooling. Even the cheap stuff works well, no need to spend a fortune (though the good stuff does last longer). Something like this and the accompanying pants will do the job just fine. BTW, I've ridden like this from NorCal to Yellowstone, in a single day through the Great Basin, where I had 10+ hours of 110-115 degrees and I did just fine. Just need to find the right amount of air going through your jacket/pants so that you don't overdry your body. Oh, and drink, drink, drink. Lots of water and gatorade. You need to sweat like Ted Striker landing a plane. Sedici Close Long Sleeve Compression Shirt WWW.CYCLEGEAR.COM Base layers designed to elevate your ride. Not just close, Sedici Close.

I have the CyclePump unit which is a highly rated pump and I carry it mostly for ballast and the ability to say “at least I tried!”. I have no confidence that it would do anything other than give me something to throw in anger. I’ve tried it at home and after blowing a number of fuses I finally got it to turn on. First, the thing is as loud as a jackhammer. Holy crap, keep your earplugs in. Second, it is finicky. The hoses had to be Just So in order to get air coming out the right place, but; Third the thing bounces around like a bull in a rodeo just after the chute opens. This thing just jumps and bucks and wants to go everywhere, when you recall point 2, you try to get it under control and run into: Fifth, the thing gets hot enough to cook naan on it. I even ruined a pair of riding gloves while holding it down in my garage, only to have the leather seared and crackled. Buy Now: Cycle Pump Motorcycle Air Compressor, EZ Air Tire Gauge, Tire Repair Kit | Pashnit Moto WWW.PASHNITMOTO.COM Compact Travel Air Compressor for Motorcycles and Sport-Touring Travel Motorcyclists So I still carry it in my saddlebag (even though it’s not very light or practical), and also carry a bicycle pump (which I’ve used a lot, actually).

I don’t go looking for rain, but I won’t let it keep me from riding. I’ve tried a whole lotta methods, gear, etc, and my preference is the full barrier method. I have dedicated raingear, with full coverage. Two piece Olympia rain suit, Aerostich triple digit glove cover, Aerostich boot rain cover, silk balaklava with enough fabric to tuck into my jacket to prevent rain coming in under my helmet. Also, I wear a smartwool layer on my skin, just in case I do have some water seep in it’ll still keep me warm. I ride mostly in California, so hot weather rain is a rarity. The couple of times it’s happened I just kept riding, got wet, and dried off. I have no idea what it’d be like to ride in Florida, or any of the hot muggy rainy states.

I just looked this up and it appears to be linked with the iOS only app. I don't see an Android version. Did I just miss it?

As would I.

I'm at the hot end of the Sacramento Valley and I commute 50 miles to work, often in the temp range you describe. I've found over time that I acclimate pretty easily and it's not a big deal to ride like that, even wearing my dress slacks, shirt, and tie under my riding gear. Last summer I rode to Yellowstone across the Nevada desert, and I happened to do it during a hot stretch. I left Chico at 4am, and by the time I hit Reno it was already in triple digits, and the rest of the trip until sundown it was no less than 110, at one point hitting 118. But I was geared properly for it, and guzzling gallon after gallon of water and gatorade. Death Valley, though, I'm not sure I can do extended riding near 120. That's just nuts.

I have commuted on my SV for several years wearing the S21. My commute includes 50+ miles of dead straight, boring freeway. For the commute I run 40/42 and I have no squaring issues with the tire. For as much grip as it has for weekend joyriding, the tire is amazingly durable.

That seems like the logical thing, but the way it's been functioning for me is that the default is "end trip", and you have to press "continue" in order for the map to go on to the next point. What do you use for multi point navigation?

Question on using Google Maps to navigate multi-point destination. When it comes to maps and routing, I’m old school, I put a map on the tank bag and navigate by dead reckoning. I recently tried using the Google Maps navigating function to stream the directions via my Sena bluethooth, but I ran into an issue that I can’t resolve. When I set up a route that includes multiple destinations, the Maps app requires the user to press “Continue”, which isn’t practical. I futzed around the settings but could not find anywhere that would bypass this step. Do any of you know how to work around this?

Or buy a used FJ-09 that someone else has farkled up to your liking. I got a '15 with cruise control, heated grips, ECU flash, factory panniers, bar risers, extended cables, 3 different windshields, FJR pegs, and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall. It was two years old, 9k miles, YES extended warranty, for $6.9k. No, the cruise doesn't look factory, but it works well and isn't hideous. Then again, I'm more interested in function than I am in looks.

Yes to all the above. I used the Scorpion EXO 900 for a few years, it fit me well and was very balanced, despite its heavy weight. I just replaced it with the EXO AT950 and the fit is not nearly as comfortable, and the balance is too far tilted to the front for my riding style. I probably should have walked around the store longer wearing it.

I rode an ST 1100 for many years and it was common to match up a rear ME880 with a front Z4 (Z6, etc). I did it many times with Metzler and Bridgestone, always with good results.

I wouldn't go with a GT spec tire for the FJ, it's just too light. The GT spec, if I understand correctly, has a stiffer casing that requires the additional weight of the intended bikes to create the right contact patch and keep sidewall flex in the appropriate range when cornering, making the bigger bikes more stable. On a light bike you may risk having less contact patch at any given PSI than with a regular spec tire (which impacts available traction/grip), and not enough flex on cornering. To compensate for this, you'd have to run at lower PSI, which of course is going to chew up your tire a little bit faster.