fjdog Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Hi, I have been lurking on this site since last May. In July of last year, I upgraded my ride from a 2014 HD Sportster 883 Superlow to a 2016 FJ-09. No looking back, I love the new ride. The Harley is still in the garage, but it doesn't get much love anymore. This forum has been great for lots of ideas and advice on upgrades to my bike. Here is some of what I have done: Lowered with a T-Rex lower kit and shorter kickstand. Also moved the fork tube up in the triple trees. I have only a 30" inseam. Removed rear lights and fender with a Motodynamics fender eliminator. Replaced rear tail light and front indicators with LEDs also for Motodynamics. Raised and replaced the handlebars. Replaced the windscreen more than once and ended up with a Rifle tall, but still not happy with airflow for my height, 5'7". Put on some really cheap front crash spools, they are really only there are highway pegs. Replaced the brake lines with Galfer stainless lines for the higher bars and wanted better brake feel. Replaced clutch cable. Things I have done to service the bike, with lots of help from threads on this forum: changed the oil and did the initial service [span] including syncing the intakes [/span] oiled the chain several times notched the side panels to prevent cracks So far I have put ~2500 miles on it riding mostly around Santa Barbara county. Have ridden as far north as SLO and south to Oxnard. Trailered it Monterey and then road up in the hills above Santa Cruz with my son for a great weekend. I have a piddly 2 mile commute to work and if the sun is shining, I usually ride it to work. Anyway, I want to give a huge thank you to all those that contribute to this Forum. Lots of fun and good info has been found. Have a great one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marashka Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 How much did you raise the fork tubes with your T-Rex Lowering kit? Did you notice any difference in handling after that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 Hi Marashka, I raised them about 3/4". I did not notice any difference in handling, but I am not the most experienced rider that might notice anyway. I can say I have read on this board that some people experience a high speed wobble on the FJ-09, but I have not had that happen at all. Very stable and nimble in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted April 25, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted April 25, 2018 Interesting - I used to hear about the speed wobble a lot a few years back, but I haven't heard that mentioned in a very long time. Not sure if it has been resolved, or if people just aren't trying to get the bike up to 125 mph anymore........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marashka Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 Hi Marashka, I raised them about 3/4". I did not notice any difference in handling, but I am not the most experienced rider that might notice anyway. I can say I have read on this board that some people experience a high speed wobble on the FJ-09, but I have not had that happen at all. Very stable and nimble in my opinion. Very good to know! Thank you so much. I received my kit in the mail today, but on the fence about installing. Do you have any issues with clearance now that the bike is lower? Like on speed bumps and such, does exhaust and oil pan ever rub? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marashka Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 By the way, I also came from a sportster to FJ. Still have a 2014 48 in my garage. Going from one bike to another is such a drastic change every time takes me a couple of miles to get used to it. I have put ~13k on the sportster, but only 600 miles on the FJ so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted April 27, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted April 27, 2018 Interesting - I used to hear about the speed wobble a lot a few years back, but I haven't heard that mentioned in a very long time. Not sure if it has been resolved, or if people just aren't trying to get the bike up to 125 mph anymore........ I can assure you when the suspension is sorted, handling isn't an issue at triple digit speeds... ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted April 27, 2018 Author Share Posted April 27, 2018 Very good to know! Thank you so much. I received my kit in the mail today, but on the fence about installing. Do you have any issues with clearance now that the bike is lower? Like on speed bumps and such, does exhaust and oil pan ever rub? I have not had an issue with bottoming on anything. clearance seems fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted April 27, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted April 27, 2018 Welcome from Oregon! You have a lot of great riding in your area. Many, many years ago I was in the Navy stationed at Point Mugu, and about once a month we'd come up and ride 154 past Lake Cachuma. Beautiful roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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