Premium Member builderbob Posted October 4, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm getting ready to take my first long trip on the FJ this week. I'll have fully loaded panniers and top case. I'll also have a seat bag. I weigh about 150# and probably 10# more with gear. For those who have done this, did you find that you needed to increase the preload on the shock to handle the additional weight? Mine is currently on the stock setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted October 4, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm getting ready to take my first long trip on the FJ this week. I'll have fully loaded panniers and top case. I'll also have a seat bag. I weigh about 150# and probably 10# more with gear. For those who have done this, did you find that you needed to increase the preload on the shock to handle the additional weight? Mine is currently on the stock setting. I'm heavier than you are, about 200lbs plus gear. On my last trip I had loaded panniers but very little on top so on the whole I think I would have been running heavier, although probably not drastically so. As such my settings may not apply precisely but I think the quick answer is "yes", you will probably want additional preload. I was happy with maxxed out preload on my last trip, it was definitely an improvement over stock (which was, IIRC, three clicks from max). I should have also increased damping at the same time, it clearly needed more, but it wasn't bad enough to make me decide to drag out the toolkit to get a screwdriver to fix it. The adjustment is quick and easy enough to do that you might keep the spanner accessible and then just ride for awhile to see what you think, adjust, repeat. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted October 4, 2015 Author Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2015 Thank you. A quick look at the tools in the pouch that came with the bike revealed no spanner for the shock preload adjustment. Is there supposed to be one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Thank you. A quick look at the tools in the pouch that came with the bike revealed no spanner for the shock preload adjustment. Is there supposed to be one?A C spanner was included in my tool kit. UK spec. 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...
auraaura Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I just got back from a trip. Prolly had 30-35 pounds of stuff. I added 2 notches of preload and 1-2 clicks rebound. Felt about right. Rode the bike without readjusting when I got home. Extremely rough. The rear shock seems pretty sensitive to small adjustments. You'll just have to play around with it. I weigh 170, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 My shock tools were not placed in the underseat pouch like normal. They were given to me in a bag with the manual, warranty, etc. I'd check there for it. Cheers 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 A quick look at the tools in the pouch that came with the bike revealed no spanner for the shock preload adjustment. Is there supposed to be one?You definitely should have received one. Mine wasn't in the pouch either, it was under the passenger seat along the right side. (Why not in the pouch? No idea.) I vaguely recall the dealer showing me that, but not until after I dug around looking for it.... Unfortunately other spanners don't work well as a substitute. There's so little space between the shock collar and the swingarm that most don't fit. You really want the Yamaha tool. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobby7 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I'm about 150lbs too. When solo I ride with minimum preload but it still feels harsh. Fully loaded with pillion I use Max preload and the bike feels a lot better. I'd guess at 150 with a bit of luggage you'd be looking around the mid point. If you can find the spanner then adjust as you go, once you've found the sweet spot you'll know it for future trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted October 5, 2015 Author Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Thank you. A quick look at the tools in the pouch that came with the bike revealed no spanner for the shock preload adjustment. Is there supposed to be one?A C spanner was included in my tool kit. UK spec.Well crap. Looks like I'll have to pick one up before Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Really, look under the seat to see if it's up against the side of the compartment on the right side of the bike. That's where mine was and I didn't even notice it. It was only the memory that the dealer had showed me the spanner that made me look closely enough to find it, it wasn't obvious. I moved it into the pouch after. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcophil Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I did a tour with with top box and panniers and partner on the back, i put it no6 or one off preload and also hardened the front up to about 11mm. it actually was less harse than standard settings solo, seems like its been designed with this in mind. Mine also came with the spanner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted October 5, 2015 Author Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Really, look under the seat to see if it's up against the side of the compartment on the right side of the bike. That's where mine was and I didn't even notice it. It was only the memory that the dealer had showed me the spanner that made me look closely enough to find it, it wasn't obvious. I moved it into the pouch after. No, it's definitely not there. Checked again... and again. With as much work as I did under there while installing the CC and fuse block, you would think I'd have run across it by accident if it was there. It's interesting that the extension handle for the spanner[strong][em] is[/em][/strong] in the pouch though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Really, look under the seat to see if it's up against the side of the compartment on the right side of the bike. That's where mine was and I didn't even notice it. It was only the memory that the dealer had showed me the spanner that made me look closely enough to find it, it wasn't obvious. I moved it into the pouch after. No, it's definitely not there. Checked again... and again. With as much work as I did under there while installing the CC and fuse block, you would think I'd have run across it by accident if it was there. It's interesting that the extension handle for the spanner[strong][em] is[/em][/strong] in the pouch though. Funny thing: I did the same kind of work. I cut out most of the center partition to stuff a fuse block in the space under the seat latch support, ran all kinds of wire to it, and still never noticed the tool. But then again my wife says I can't find my hand in front of my face, so you'd likely have had better luck. :-) My memory (like my observation skills) is really bad, but I was pretty sure the dealer had pointed out that tool when they walked me through the bike features. I just couldn't remember for the life of me where it was. My previous bike, a Daytona 675, didn't come with that tool at all -- I had to buy it. So I was about to grumble about the stupidity of not including that tool when I realized that they probably wouldn't have included an extension handle without anything to extend, so I looked a little harder and there it was. At this point I'd talk to the dealer if I were you, maybe it got misplaced during assembly. Dog only knows why Yamaha doesn't just put the damn thing in the pouch with most of the other tools. It fits fine. The other thing that was funny was that while I was trying to figure out where the spanner was I was going through the owner's manual trying to see if it told me where it might be. It showed several tools snapped to the bottom of one of the seats, so I pulled the seat off to take a look. Those tools weren't there. I was about to go all ballistic about that until I realized that the seat I was holding in my hand was the new Comfort Seat I'd received just a few days before. I went over to the old seats, sitting in the garage, and sure enough ... there were all the tools. Ha ha! I am a complete idiot. 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted October 5, 2015 Author Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 Dealers don't keep this specific tool in stock. I called around and found that Cycle Gear has a couple of spanners though. Just hope one of them fits the 75mm adjuster. This evening I tried using a brass drift and a hammer to adjust it. If it was the threaded type of adjuster, it would have worked better, but as it is, it took a lot of pounding to get it to move one notch. Not optimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jimf Posted October 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted October 5, 2015 I tried with an Ohlins spanner I happened to have around. Unfortunately to add preload I needed to pass it underneath the shock, and there just wasn't space -- the tool was too thick. I couldn't do it from the top, with the tool handle coming out of the right side of the bike, because (if memory serves) the passenger footpegs and the rear brake reservoir were in the way. There was only room to do it in the one spanner position. The Ohlins tool was not quite the right size for the shock collar either, but I think I could have made it work if there had been enough room. I wonder: Could something like a plumber's wrench work? There might be enough grab on the collar teeth for that. Of course, you might demolish the teeth if it doesn't work. I much prefer the adjuster on the Penske I used to have on the SVS; it used a collar with a bunch of holes in it, and the adjuster was just a bit of steel bar you stuck into a hole. Easy and it never, ever slipped. I'm half of the mind to replace the shock for no other reason than to improve the preload adjustment. But that would be silly, right? 2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate) 2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.) 1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.) 2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.) 2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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