1moreroad

Interesting report that ran across my feed this morning... Police News: Fort Worth PD releases BMW motorcycle ballistic testing results. https://www.police1.com/motorcycle-patrol/articles/ballistic-testing-on-a-bmw-r-1200-rt-p-x04dgoOWYGafHQwp/

Roads are pleasant but anything besides mild, gentle sweepers are few and far between locally. We do have series of traffic circles in town that can be fun when there's no traffic... 🙄 Ozarks are 4 hours away and Smokies are 8. I miss Los Angeles when we could get breakfast at Newcombs Ranch before work if we just woke up a little early (but don't miss the rest of the traffic). I have the skid plate that looks like a belly pan. I think the sides block easy access to the oil pan screw.

Well there's "a" curve around Carollton as you drop into the Delta. Just like there's 2 curves in Cascilla. There's a fun stretch of maybe 6 miles through the middle of Grenada Lake (between the bridges) but it takes me hours to get there after the bridge on the Coffeeville side collapsed. And to bring this post on-topic: After I remembered what screws needed to be unscrewed (pro tip: order matters and not all of them) on the skid plate, I got the oil changed and the chain tightened up to just over an inch slack.

With 100k+ miles and multiple riding schools and track days, I'm not the average rider, but I do not have nearly the experience as some riders here probably including you, @duckie. That said, upgraded suspension was absolutely noticeable to me over stock suspension on my 2001 Ninja. Smoother on rain grooved highways and potholed backroads and easier to pick and hold a line on the track (Intermediate). Same with springs on the FJ09 - no more crazy fork dive. Immediately noticeable. @bwringer is right. The smoother ride on "normal" roads would have been instantly appreciated by any rider. Whether it was worth $1500 is in the eye of the rider but it made track days more fun and it made my commute and 600 mile street days less tiring. A suspension upgrade can make all of those things better. Or it can make a track prepped R1 better at just the track. Both of these are true.

Agree with @roadrash83. Klim repaired a jacket of mine, but I don't know all the parameters for what they will repair. There is a leather repair place near Dover, DE owned by riders that repaired a pair of A* GP gloves with a torn stitch for me a couple of years ago. There are other leather cleaners and repair places that understand riding gear. A* themselves resoled a pair of my boots almost 20 years ago. Nice new sole, but the boots leaked at the seam so I couldn't wear them on tours anymore. It wasn't an expensive repair at least. I also went through an almost 20 year old mesh jacket of mine and replaced the CE armor. Mesh is in good shape. Bohn said their armor is good until crashed, but Knox recommends replacing armor every couple of years (don't remember the #). I guess I hang on to gear a long time.

Interesting thoughts. To your last question, that's very specific to the reader's financial situation and riding interests. This forum long ago came to the conclusion that the FJ is a budget bike compared to BMWs and Ducatis out there, but we still like it for what it is. Let's see - there is a whole range of upgrades. Getting the forks sprung for rider weight if it's outside Yamaha's design is a relatively inexpensive suspension upgrade that makes the bike safer as well as higher performing. Aftermarket shocks can have less stiction so they provide more comfort and better handling at the same time. Both of these upgrades improve the ride at any speed.

FZ09SP or Triumph Street Triple

Here's how I understand it - spending more money on suspension gets you less stiction - suspension activates sooner - consistent operation under a variety of conditions, and more adjustment within the limits of the suspension to fine tune the ride. Spending the minimum on an upgrade (like me on the FJ) gets you the right spring rates so the nominal condition (my weight, average road conditions, average road speeds) works well.

That wasn't my experience riding a Ninja 650 v FJ. I was surprised how budget the 650 felt. Couple of possibilities - FJ is a little light in the front end. Raise the forks and maybe up the preload on the rear to put more weight on the front end. The "heavier" front end should make it turn in quicker. Have you played with suspension settings? OE suspension has a little bit of adjustment. Did the 17 FJ have a narrower handlebar than the 15? A wider handlebar would give you more leverage but might not fit you as well. Finally there is a suspension upgrade. $1000 - $2500 is cheaper than a new bike, but you might not want to throw good money into a pit.

I've upgraded 2 suspensions, an 01 Ninja 600 with 3+ clicker Ohlins rear and Racetech spring/valves and the FJ with K-tech Razor (not R) and just springs. Spending more money will get you a smoother ride EVERYWHERE - better on the brakes, better in corners with pavement roughness, easier to hold a line on the track, and more comfortable on long days. The "budget" upgrade on the FJ fixed the braking issue (mostly the springs) and helped hold a line cornering on rougher pavement but didn't make the bike more comfortable. After maybe 4 years, the "full" upgrade started showing other issues in the bike (exhaust dragged before pegs) and the rider (ability and lack of flexibility). If you've got the budget and plan to hold on to the bike, go for the better suspension. The difference is noticeable. On the FJ, I'm satisfied with my upgrades in my budget, but I know what I'm missing.

Visiting in-laws and parents. I did get to visit the Revzilla showroom in Philly yesterday. They had fantastic customer service in person. It was nice to try on different sizes and brands. It was smaller than I expected. I had gone to the store hoping to pick up a pair of Held Monacos and left with a pair of RevIt Sand 4 H2Os that accomplish the same thing (unlined waterproof gloves). My wife found a Spidi jacket on closeout much nicer than the 20 year old Tourmaster she's been using. She even thanked me for the 2nd Christmas gift. I got brownie points at home for going to a moto shop!

That's in that other measurement so all we know is that means "warmer than reported"

Depends on what the weather will do. I've ridden down into the mid-20s but only if the temps will warm up later in the ride or the trip. Also any chance of precipitation and those temps are nope, nuh-uh, 'nother time. I've hit black ice on the motorcycle and the bicycle. Neither one was fun, but the moto incident was more expensive.

This is by no means a great photo. But it was a great ride - the wife and I got off work an hour early. It was 70 degrees in mid-December(rare even in Mississippi). And we got coffee and a 20 mile loop in before dinner.

Yes we will but not right away. Definitely could be broken, tho. You're right there. I have a setting in my phone to stay unlocked if it's Bluetoothed to my Sena or on my home network. Mainly for convenience, but if the phone is within 25-ish feet of my helmet, I can make a voice activated phone call. Besides phone and SPOT, I have a RoadID (www.roadid.com) on a chain around my neck with my wife's and mom's phone #, blood type (not a big deal - they'll give you O- in an emergency) and allergies.

Moving a motorcycle in a confined space. I did it all the time to move my previous little dual sport in the garage without moving any of the cars. For the FJ the only time I've done this was to store it on a covered porch with a narrow 90 degree ramp before a really big storm with tornado risk.

+1 for Givis. I think I've had mine since 2017 or 2018. They keep a surprising amount of wind off of the hands. Air temperature will be what it is so you may still get cold hands. They work well in light, short duration rain, but water will get past them eventually. Easy to install. I usually keep them on the bike from Oct to maybe March and then swap them out for a pair of FZ09 bar ends. There are a couple of little parts that can be easy to lose, so I screw or zip tie everything together in the spring before I throw them in my motorcycle storage box. They are too warm to keep them on the bike during a Southern summer. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/givi-eh2122-handguard-extensions-yamaha-fj-09-2015-2016 Like @Wintersdark said, pogies will keep your hands warmer and dryer. From his description he found a set that was safe and didn't push on the clutch/brake levers. I feel claustrophobic just looking at them, but I've also never tried them.

I got to test ride a Zero. As part of the safety review, they said, do NOT blip the throttle at a stop. You will get to know whoever is in front of you and their insurance agent very well. I would guess a DCT would be similar. Are you ever in neutral? When my wife and I only owned manual transmission vehicles, it was an adjustment to drive an automatic and compensate for creep in stop and go traffic.

Oof. That's tough. Where is it pulling off? Around the ears?

Nice area. I was last in that area on the moto near the Kentucky Dam for the eclipse.

Welcome. East, Central, or West TN? I'm not too far from Memphis.

Can you hear them? I could hear them at 20k. They were all tight. I'm at 35k miles and I can't hear them yet. So long as they don't make noise, I'll check them again at 40k miles probably in the late spring. (This is not the most scientific method of checking, but this motor has very distinct sounds that make it crazy making and/or a little easier to troubleshoot)

I use OE FZ09 bar ends in the summer with no issue - but my grip heaters only get used when the hand guards are mounted.

Motorcyclist move to FL? Double u tee eff? 😄 Go look at my thread just asking about a ride in FL.

For a garage your size (assuming it's car/truck length deep) where you don't have to open the door, these things are awesome. They take a while to warm up the space, so you turn it on before a leisurely breakfast then you're ready to work. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Comfort-Zone-1-500-Watt-White-Electric-Oil-Filled-Radiator-Space-Heater-with-Silent-Operation-CZ8008/311300771 Oh, wait... MN. Maybe 2 or 3 of these heaters?