I have a new to me 07 that I'm enjoying immensely. First proper street bike in 12yrs and I can crush 200 miles in an evening no problem! I live by awesome canyons in the Denver area and have been learning the bike by pushing there within reason. It came wth heli risers that I pushed out to widen which has helped but still am having trouble with tip in feel on tight turns. Would I benefit from putting the bars back to stock? Tires are inflated properly and have good tread. Road pilot 4 gts I believe. My other bike is an aprilia tuareg 660 which handles amazingly well for an adventure bike. Any helpful input appreciated.
Handle bar / handling questions for the veterans.
- Thread starter sudakid
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
You say tires are inflated properly. What pressures are they? It's widely accepted the FJR handles way better with 40F/42R. Stock recommendation of 36 makes for sluggish handling as you describe.
I am a big fan of Michelin PR, just about any tire in their line up. While the latest and greatest PR6 GT gets my vote even the older 2CT is a favorite, especially since I do my own tire changes. Michelins are very easy to mount /dismount and require little (if any) wheel weights.
As previously mentioned, I also recommend adjusting your tire pressure, never had a problem with tip in. I use a Helibar as the reach is just too far for my 29" shirt sleeve arms to reach comfortably and a long day in the saddle will otherwise strain my lower back.
Hope this helps. Stay safe.
As previously mentioned, I also recommend adjusting your tire pressure, never had a problem with tip in. I use a Helibar as the reach is just too far for my 29" shirt sleeve arms to reach comfortably and a long day in the saddle will otherwise strain my lower back.
Hope this helps. Stay safe.
RossKean
Well-known member
Michelin makes a Road 6, they dropped the "Pilot".
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Well, tires are funny. As the owners that ride them. Hated the PR2s. I really like the PR 4 GT. Road 6 is too $$$$. I'll either got with PR4 GT or Dunlop RS4 - whichever is cheaper.
Of course a car tire out back is the dog's danglies!
Pilot Road 4 transitioned to Road 5 (most don't like it - not long life) and Road 6.
And yes, run 40/41 front 42 rear.
Of course a car tire out back is the dog's danglies!
Pilot Road 4 transitioned to Road 5 (most don't like it - not long life) and Road 6.
And yes, run 40/41 front 42 rear.
escapefjrtist
Searching for Dry Roads
Even though the front tire has good tread, how many miles does it have on it? Once PR4s get past 1/3 - 1/2 life the handling changes and most of the time, not for the better. How is the suspension set up? If you're 180 lbs plus and have a stock rear shock, try moving to "hard" setting. The extra ride height might give you the tip-in feeling you're looking for.
Good luck!
~G
Good luck!
~G
I took the wife out for a rip and it felt better wth the pillion weight so I think I need to do faster speeds and lighten up the rear. The fjr is good and I think I'm entering too slow for the lines I'm picking is that makes sense. It is top heavy compared to what I'm used to but once it's in it can handle speeds that are better than I'm used to. Splitting hairs on tires and suspension will probably be in place once I know the bike and push it like it can handle. I'm excited about how good it is for the comfort it provides. Big comfy crouch rocket!
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
What tire pressures are you running?
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
You are usually a fart smeller. And I know you are not alone. But..... this has not been my experience at all. Me love PR4.
mcatrophy
Privileged to ride a 2018 FJR1300AS
That's why I stick to the BT023. Even though it wears to a V, its handling remains good right until it reaches the 1mm indicators, when I have to change it - the law in the UK.
graytaz
Well-known member
Yammie only recommended 36psi for the GenI and if you were on the hefty side or running fast, they recommended 42 for the rear. That got bumped to 39F and 42R with the GenII. Most of us with GenI's found out the fronts wore very poorly and experimentation showed that increasing the front tire pressures helped wear and handling. I run 40/41 in the front and 43/44 rear using non-GT tires as I haven't had a passenger on the back for years. One certainly notices the difference between well worn tires and new ones but I've found that extra couple pounds helps maintain that feel better over the life of the tires. JMHO.
(Didn't want to get dragged into another never ending who makes better tires story.)
(Didn't want to get dragged into another never ending who makes better tires story.)
torch
Well-known member
Back in the day, we added shims to the stock shock spring seat to increase the pre-load. Basically made the "soft" setting more like "hard" and the "hard" setting actually useful.
Needed a spring compressor to install the shim though.
Again, what pressures are your tires set at? Installing a passenger and riding faster is not a solution for poor handling.
Something else nobody has yet to mention... what are your suspension settings? They may be all out of whack from the previous owner and not good for your weight.
Start with a baseline of 8 clicks out from full in on comp and reb and 3 lines showing on top of the forks. Set the rear on hard and go 8 clicks out from fully in on reb.
Start with a baseline of 8 clicks out from full in on comp and reb and 3 lines showing on top of the forks. Set the rear on hard and go 8 clicks out from fully in on reb.
Back in the day that's all we had, improvise to make our bikes better handling. A shim under the stock spring didn't help the preload it just used up whatever crappy spring rate was already there. Not much of an improvement but as @torch said it was OUR solution.
FJR's are not known for factory rear shock spring rates that work for anyone over 170 lbs. If your bike seems to handle better with a pillion you have probably used up all the preload and the the spring coils are stacked. The bike isn't handling better it is just more predictable because the rear shock has been taken out of the equation. You might want to try this: You and your pillion get on the bike, full weight and have an observer look under the bike to see if the rear shock coil spring has any useable spring rate available. My guess is that there is no more preload and the coils are stacked upon each other. A speed bump or road imperfection will cause a jarring effect. I'm not a suspension expert by any means but I have been experimenting with FJR suspension for many years. Gen 2 front suspension is IMO, very good. Robust and enough adjustment to satisfy most.
Good luck and safe riding
FJR's are not known for factory rear shock spring rates that work for anyone over 170 lbs. If your bike seems to handle better with a pillion you have probably used up all the preload and the the spring coils are stacked. The bike isn't handling better it is just more predictable because the rear shock has been taken out of the equation. You might want to try this: You and your pillion get on the bike, full weight and have an observer look under the bike to see if the rear shock coil spring has any useable spring rate available. My guess is that there is no more preload and the coils are stacked upon each other. A speed bump or road imperfection will cause a jarring effect. I'm not a suspension expert by any means but I have been experimenting with FJR suspension for many years. Gen 2 front suspension is IMO, very good. Robust and enough adjustment to satisfy most.
Good luck and safe riding
SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Only for Gen I. Gen II spring rates were a little bit better and Gen III+ are pretty darned good as far as I am concerned.
