ndivalte Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 My buddies and I are planning to go a motorcycle adventure next month and it might involve off-road trails. Just have to make sure that my 2015 Yamaha Fj09 Tracer is on tiptop shape once I pick it up. Do I have to replace the regular tires with dirt bike tires? What brand should I consider checking out? The owner said that he has a set of hardly used Maxxis Dirt Bike Tires in his garage and he is selling it to me for a cheap price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 1moreroad Posted October 4, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2019 I just looked quickly at your link and those are real dirt bike tires. While anything is possible with enough time and money, I don't think these would be a good solution for our bikes. Look in the build project sub forum. A couple of people have made the FJs more adventure worthy. Start here: Get the Higdonion cage off this site or another one. Maybe the newer oil pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) I'd get a bomb-proof skid plate before taking an FJ off road. Theres not much ground clearance and low slung oil pan takes the first hit. Folks on this forum have hit the pan on speed bumps!! Edited October 4, 2019 by nhchris 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted October 4, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, ndivalte said: My buddies and I are planning to go a motorcycle adventure next month and it might involve off-road trails. Just have to make sure that my 2015 Yamaha Fj09 Tracer is on tiptop shape once I pick it up. Do I have to replace the regular tires with dirt bike tires? What brand should I consider checking out? The owner said that he has a set of hardly used Maxxis Dirt Bike Tires in his garage and he is selling it to me for a cheap price. I would look closely at those tires before buying them, Maxxis doesn't make DOT legal tires. Edited October 4, 2019 by betoney 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitown Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 8 hours ago, ndivalte said: Do I have to replace the regular tires with dirt bike tires? This is really about your experience and just how challenging those trails are. I routinely take all my street bikes down gravel and dirt trails with no special prep, tires, etc. But I am not a smart man. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted October 6, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 6, 2019 On 10/4/2019 at 7:21 AM, chitown said: This is really about your experience and just how challenging those trails are. I routinely take all my street bikes down gravel and dirt trails with no special prep, tires, etc. But I am not a smart man. Well I've never been called smart before in my life, and I do sometimes ride my 2015 FJ09 on light gravel and dirt roads. It's almost a necessity in the area where I live. If the road / trail is pretty flat, without big rocks everywhere, you are probably ok. But I for one, would be very uncomfortable riding a 2015 off road on anything technical due to the oil pan issue. I put the Volkswagen oil pan screw on my bike to ensure the pan isn't the low point on the bike. The Higdonion cage is a good idea, especially if you are going to ride off-road frequently. Bottom Line - Off road is not a specialty for this bike, tread carefully (no pun intended.....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, DavidS said: Well I've never been called smart before in my life, and I do sometimes ride my 2015 FJ09 on light gravel and dirt roads. It's almost a necessity in the area where I live. If the road / trail is pretty flat, without big rocks everywhere, you are probably ok. But I for one, would be very uncomfortable riding a 2015 off road on anything technical due to the oil pan issue. I put the Volkswagen oil pan screw on my bike to ensure the pan isn't the low point on the bike. The Higdonion cage is a good idea, especially if you are going to ride off-road frequently. Bottom Line - Off road is not a specialty for this bike, tread carefully (no pun intended.....) That Higdonion part looks kinda cool but they have no address for their company on the website. Whether it's an oversite or intentionally left off, I refuse to do business with a company that won't reveal where they are located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted October 7, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted October 7, 2019 (edited) 37 minutes ago, chesterburnet said: That Higdonion part looks kinda cool but they have no address for their company on the website. Whether it's an oversite or intentionally left off, I refuse to do business with a company that won't reveal where they are located. Does it really matter what state they are from? I'm confused by that statement. Edited October 7, 2019 by betoney ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I'm not giving my credit card info to a company with no address. They sure make sure they get all of your info when they are selling you something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal616 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, chesterburnet said: That Higdonion part looks kinda cool but they have no address for their company on the website. Whether it's an oversite or intentionally left off, I refuse to do business with a company that won't reveal where they are located. He's located in Las Vegas USA... Legit company... I also think he relocated within Las Vegas recently to a better shop... 2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group 2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp 2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmark101 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 My thoughts are if you are going somewhere that requires off road or knobby tires, the FJ or Tracer is not the right bike. The oil pan or even header could get damaged. A smooth gravel or dirt road is as far as I would go without some major mods, and for that an ST tire would probably be fine for short, off the asphalt excursions. There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 1moreroad Posted October 7, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 7, 2019 11 hours ago, chesterburnet said: I'm not giving my credit card info to a company with no address. They sure make sure they get all of your info when they are selling you something. Completely understand your hesitation, but the owner posts on this site, and there are many satisfied cage owners on this site. (This from a guy who uses the same guideline but just sold a 'stitch suit to someone 3000 miles away through Craigslist) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v1nn1e Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I took an F800ST BMW over the Khulo pass in Georgia (European country) and it has an equally exposed oil filter. It was mostly a gravel trail with one place where I was on grass with a few ruts. It's doo-able - I went very slowly! The tyres I used were Continental TKC70, which is a notch less off-road than the TKC80. If you need the TKC80, then you are probably outside the bike's envelope! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted October 8, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 8, 2019 20 hours ago, norcal616 said: He's located in Las Vegas USA... Legit company... I also think he relocated within Las Vegas recently to a better shop... They are a good company, and been around a long while. Many members have bought his products, and I've never heard a bad word about him or the quality of the products. Low, low risk, but it's your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoti Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 (edited) TKC70 , very good and gives you that SAFE feeling on dirt . I travel a lot of gravel and rough back roads ,the road up hill to my farm house needed a bit more grip and certainty . Conti TKC70 did just that, as they had done on a 1200 Super Tenere and 650 Tenere I had. Good tyres ,a bit expensive , but quality is needed for that added confidence on gravel . I've fitted a Nissan sump plug , half the height of original , but wasn't necessary on the 2019 models ? Edited May 13, 2021 by Scoti spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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