rambodog Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Hey guys, I have been reading through all of the suspension threads and I apologize in advance for sounding like an idiot, but everything I've read so far seems like Chinese to me. I am 6ft, 190lbs, ride with no luggage, and would like the option to take my wife (110lbs) as a passenger every once in awhile. The stock suspension is woefully inadequate and I would like to upgrade. What is my best option for around $800-$1000usd? There are so many differing opinions on brands and setups and I am very confused. I just need a baseline to start from. I live in South Florida and would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance for not flaming me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I would suggest Getting your Fork and Rear springs adjusted for your weight. We have two awesome suspension shops in our supporting vendor section to choose from. @pattonme is onherre often and can also give you some great advice. In fact, he will see that I just mentioned his name and join in this conversation when he logs in today. But certainly, everyone should have their springs changed out to suit their weight and riding style, makes a night and day difference in the twisties. Hey guys, I have been reading through all of the suspension threads and I apologize in advance for sounding like an idiot, but everything I've read so far seems like Chinese to me. I am 6ft, 190lbs, ride with no luggage, and would like the option to take my wife (110lbs) as a passenger every once in awhile. The stock suspension is woefully inadequate and I would like to upgrade. What is my best option for around $800-$1000usd? There are so many differing opinions on brands and setups and I am very confused. I just need a baseline to start from. I live in South Florida and would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance for not flaming me! Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panooch Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I'm no expert but best to adjust your preload both front and rear when adding another 100+ lbs and see what you think. Lots of info on youtube and your owners manual on how to do that. For suspension upgrades, supporting vendor Traxxion Dynamics AK20's and Ohlin or Penske shock I think would be the best. But it's out of your desired price range, . Some here have been pleased with Andreani internals and supporting vendor Pattonme is currently having a special on suspension upgrades (I'm tempted). This option is also within your budget and probably all you would ever need. You may or may not have a learning curve on proper adjustments. Not sure how many miles you have but some have let the springs settle in some. Adjust the preload up, higher settting, if your bottoming out with additional weight or down if it feels bouncy and unplanted. Rough, choppy roads are the main issue for the FJ in my opinion, I ride solo, and an upgrade is necessary to improve that. 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...
pattonme Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Thank you Cruizin for the tag. 'Fraid @rambodog you have some more reading ahead of you. But in the immediate case, http://fj-09.org/board/43/forks-matt and in particular the current Andrani+Shock combo is probably the best thing going in performance per dollar. http://fj-09.org/board/36/traxxion-dynamics-total-suspension-solutions also addresses the issue with their AK-20 and Penske shock offerings. The fork springs are just hopeless at your weight and intended use. $70-90 can fix that right up. But the damping leaves much to be desired. And when you put a rider on the back, the lack of rebound in particular means you'll get a bit more see-saw action than you probably want. The shock spring isn't too far off but the shock unit itself is 'cheap'. The absolute lowest price upgrade is a ZX6/ZX10 shock from ebay overhauled by a suspension shop and sprung and valved to match. You can get there for about $400. There are some really long threads on a popular fz09 forum that go into this option. So between that and my Basic or Intermediate level upgrade you're under $1K. Otherwise you fix the front OR the rear, or you take advantage of the Andreani+JRi combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambodog Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 Thanks so much guys! I'm gonna keep reading and see what I can do with the stock set-up for now as I am only about 300 miles deep on the new FJ. After the break in period and putting in a few hundred more miles, I should understand the feel of the bike more and where I need to go from here. Right now the bike feels "soft" to me in the corners and while braking, but super bumpy/vibratey/stiff when encountering any type of bump or rough road at any significant speed. Increasing the preload on the front fork legs will help with the soft feel but make the bumpiness worse, correct? Same with the rear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Right now the bike feels "soft" to me in the corners and while braking, but super bumpy/vibratey/stiff when encountering any type of bump or rough road at any significant speed. that you're this new to the bike and already can make these observations just shows the degree to which you're observant and just how lousy the as-delivered setup is. preload will slow down the suspension a little, so the demands on the comp circuit are lessened but on the flip side more of the shock will be passed on to you. It will also make the rebound worse. Preload is for putting the suspension at the correct height in its stroke and for handling 'static' loads so you don't end up with no travel left. Hard braking on a smooth surface is essentially a 'static' state. Preload (and spring rate obviously) is there so when you put ~250 extra pounds on the forks during a stop, the spring doesn't squash to the point you have no more suspension left. It's not for fixing damping problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambodog Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 Gotcha. Thanks again. I experimented a bit yesterday with the rebound settings and got a small overall improvement by adjusting all the way to the slow side, riding around, backing off a click, riding around, backing off and so on. I ended up 3 clicks out from factory in the front and one in the back. After watching some YouTube vids, I am going to level out the front and rear and measure my sag hopefully tomorrow. I got rained out during my endeavor yesterday so I will keep you guys updated on my progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambodog Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Sorry for the long delay, it's been raining like a mother down here in Florida the past few weeks and I haven't been able to get out. After taking everyone's advice, I was able to get my stock suspension set to tolerable levels. For blasting around town in stop and go traffic I'm pretty happy with it. However, when I get out on the open road, the annoyances rear their ugly heads still. I will be doing the full aftermarket upgrade sometime in the near future, but I think I'm going to start by replacing the rear shock first as it is a plug and play part. I am not equipped to rebuild the front forks myself and having to send them out to be rebuilt is my last resort. I will be looking around for a shop within driving distance that does this type of work. If the local option falls through, I will definitely be contacting @pattonme to do some work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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