pixlox Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I'm new to this type of motorcycling. After 40 years of cruisers thought I'd try something totally different and exciting. I am however finding that riding this motorcycle like it was a cruiser has left me somewhat disappointed. I know from all accounts this bike is a performer. Am I being to gentle? I'm looking for advise to get the best out of this bike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted June 12, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 12, 2015 You need to adjust to the different engine. Adapt your gear changes to be at higher revs. I bet you are short shifting too early. Use the rev counter. Aim to change up at three quarter full revs. Keep the revs over 5000 when riding on open roads, maybe one or two gears lower than you are used to This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panooch Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I'm new to this type of motorcycling. After 40 years of cruisers thought I'd try something totally different and exciting. I am however finding that riding this motorcycle like it was a cruiser has left me somewhat disappointed. I know from all accounts this bike is a performer. Am I being to gentle? I'm looking for advise to get the best out of this bike? Yep, follow the manual for your break in period and then get her in the 7-8 k rpm range. Motor is happy up there. You won't hurt it and you won't be disappointed. Everyday's a good day when your able to ride 15 FJ-09 - 2WDW ECU flash, Givi SV201, Nelson Rigg tail bag, OES sliders, Koubalink extenders, Ermax Sport, Vista Cruise, OEM seat mod, (smiles) 07 Honda ST1300A (sold) 06 Kawi KLR650 - Big Gun full exhaust, Corbin, Givi, PMR racks, carb mod (keeper) 97 Honda VFR750 - Traxxion Dynamics, Penske, Givi 3 piece, carbon exhaust (keeper?) 20+ years of snowmobiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odisspunkmuer Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Ride it like you stole it. I don't know the specifics on how you rode your cruisers, as I have seen some people flick em around at thier handling limits pretty well. But, as far as riding for The FJ. My best advice would be to just point out that your speed, braking, and handling limits are drastically improved. Now how you choose to ride, is entirely up to you. However it is possible to ride a lot harder on this bike than any cruiser and still be within the bikes limits; maybe not your own, but the bikes. You don't have to reduce a nice set of twisting road to a moderate pace, you can dig in a kick it's ass. I would recommend that you work your way up to it. As with any change in bike or style(especially after 40 years), it will take some time to get use to what it's fully capable of and what you're comfortable doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixlox Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Thanks for the reply. Rode it again today and it seemed a bit easier and I got a bit braver on the throttle, lol. Sometimes I have trouble shifting it into 3rd and just wonder if it's the foot position change for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixlox Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Wow, you guys have some great advice! I realize I am probably babying this bike at this point. Never had my cruisers rarely over 2500 revs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiff Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 2500?!?! Geez... I didn't know a bike could even be ridden at such low rpm's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixcharlie Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Wow, you guys have some great advice! I realize I am probably babying this bike at this point. Never had my cruisers rarely over 2500 revs.Take your time. The motor is a hoot and makes power almost everywhere in the rpm range. Get to know her and she'll prove eager to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panooch Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Thanks for the reply. Rode it again today and it seemed a bit easier and I got a bit braver on the throttle, lol. Sometimes I have trouble shifting it into 3rd and just wonder if it's the foot position change for me? The clutch lever is not exactly user friendly for some. Its a long reach lever and if your short fingered, not the best fit. You may end up wanting to change that in time to a shorty lever or two. Nice to have em match on each side but you'll end up using two or three fingers for pulling the clutch lever in. Same on the brake which many do anyways. The shorty levers are in fact shorter as you can see in the post. Link provided below. The transmission will break in and shift smoother as you get miles on the bike. Mine felt noticeably better after the first 1,000 or so. Its a reasonably high RPM engine and performance oriented transmission. I'd bet it has tighter tolerances. beberle has a nice post showing off his levers and 3m carbon fiber taping talents here: http://fj-09.org/thread/1410/nekkid?page=3 Use the search function and you'll find many more. Everyday's a good day when your able to ride 15 FJ-09 - 2WDW ECU flash, Givi SV201, Nelson Rigg tail bag, OES sliders, Koubalink extenders, Ermax Sport, Vista Cruise, OEM seat mod, (smiles) 07 Honda ST1300A (sold) 06 Kawi KLR650 - Big Gun full exhaust, Corbin, Givi, PMR racks, carb mod (keeper) 97 Honda VFR750 - Traxxion Dynamics, Penske, Givi 3 piece, carbon exhaust (keeper?) 20+ years of snowmobiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Wow, you guys have some great advice! I realize I am probably babying this bike at this point. Never had my cruisers rarely over 2500 revs. You risk lugging this engine at 2500 RPM if you are at speed. To put it into perspective, I usually downshift all the way to 3rd to pass on a 2 lane 55 mph road. I don't like to spend much time in the lane designated for oncoming traffic and that is the quickest way around. The rev limiter I think is 11,250 RPM. You can get all the way up over 100 mph in 3rd gear before you need to worry about up shifting during a hard acceleration. You can get really close to 60mph in 1st but traction control usually kicks in to keep the front wheel on the ground in first gear over 5,000 RPM when accelerating hard. I've seen cruisers with rev limiters at 5,500-6,000 RPM. This engine is just starting to wake up at a cruiser's rev limiter. Cruisers are geared at different ratios because the power band is in a different RPM range. This bike is capable of hitting 60 mph in the 3 second range. I only know of a handful of cruises that are under 5 seconds 0-60. Most are 5-8 seconds. I've seen a couple reports (not sure of the accuracy) of under 3 seconds 0-60 for the FJ, but it'll take a lot longer if you stay under 5,000 RPM. You're not going to hurt the bike by revving it out. I won't even shift up into 6th under 40 mph. I think the manual suggests 37. The engine is lugging pretty hard at 35-36 mph in 6th gear so I like to keep it in 4h or 5th for a 35-40 mph speed limit road. 4th if I'm feeling spirited, 5th if I'm driving tame. I usually wait till even 45 mph to shift into 6th. That's if I'm driving tame and not planning to accelerate soon. Otherwise, the engine lugs. I'm more afraid of doing damage by lugging the engine than revving up every once in a while. This bike has gobs and gobs of power. Let her sing and you'll see that too. Stay safe, keep the rubber on the pavement and let 'er rip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 2500?!?! Geez... I didn't know a bike could even be ridden at such low rpm's. My previous bike, a 2007 Honda CB1300, could pull hard from around 1000 RPM. Really nice for riding two up on twisties like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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