What a difference !!

[pilgo]

So back in February I had my front forks resprung and a new spring put on the rear shock , all measured to deal with my weight rather than a stock factory setting. Bike is a 2015 FJ09 .

Today was the first decent ( aka spirited ) ride on the bike that I've had since getting the work done , and all i can say is WOW !! 

The bike is so much better , it feels planted to the road unlike the stock suspension which always felt a bit wishywasy.

I knew it was improved from the couple of short rides I've had recently  but I hadn't realised just how much better it is now until today's ride through some fast , sweeping roads between Yerington NV and Bridgeport CA .

I'm no knee down fast rider like some of you but I seriously had the best ride today since moving to the States nearly 3 years ago , i really should have done these upgrades on my Tracer that i had back in England !! 

If you do only one thing to your FJ09 , upgrade the suspension 👍 

[dazzler24]

Congrats.  I had all of those same feelings and feedback after doing up my suspension on the same vintage bike a few years back.

It was like night and day.  Then, when following up with some great rubber a bit later on, put the cherry on the cake.

Enjoy your "new" bike!

[johnmark101]

Nothing offers the return on investment that you get with good suspension upgrades.  Enjoy!!!

[betoney]

11 hours ago, pilgo said:

If you do only one thing to your FJ09 , upgrade the suspension 👍 

I agree 100% 

Now that you have experienced a better handling bike, it sets the bar for any bike you will ride or own in the future.                         Like @johnmark101 mentioned, it is money well spent. 

[bwringer]

It's funny -- whenever someone brings up the topic of performance upgrades, they're always thinking about engine power, and usually about making the bike louder for no real reason. Well, no... that stuff is actually not all that important.

 

The absolute best bang for your buck is software upgrades: take some classes to upgrade the meat computer between your ears. Learning to ride more betterer pays off in every mile and every situation for the rest of your life. Which may be longer now that you have important safety skills on board.

Second best is suspension upgrades. If you know how to make use of said suspension (see first point above) that's where you'll get outstanding benefit per buck. 

Third best, if the bike requires it might be braking upgrades. Modern sporty and sport-touring motorcycles (like the Tracer/FJ-09) generally are perfectly fine braking-wise out of the box, but fresh aftermarket pads and perhaps stainless lines can improve feel a little bit (but are also entirely optional). Vintage and dual-sport bikes often have inadequate brakes, so things like stainless lines, caliper/rotor upgrades, etc. might be a very, very good idea on these sorts of bikes. And of course, see point #1; knowing how to USE your brakes is a lot more important than the hardware, and it's one of the more difficult and overlooked skills.  

[bobdog]

Heartily Concur!  My 2015 FJ09 received an Ohlins suspension all around. 46mm piston rear, with a .95 NM spring rate to handle my 250+ pounds.  Front also had both sides valved and sprung with .95 NM springs by Matt Patton in Springfield, VA.  A little choppy on dirt washboards, but stuck well thru the Tail of the Dragon more than once. Coupled with Pilot Road 4 rubber front and rear so I can ride in the rain, and all is good.