HaulinAshe
Well-known member
With Yamaha race bikes I usually find Yamaha "catching up" to my changes in two to three year models. That's how I can best describe my initial and overall impression of the 2007 thus far. There are some improvements on the 2007 that I probably could not have accomplished with the 05, no matter how much money and time I threw at it.
1. Number one, numero uno, HAS to be suspension. I spent a couple months tweaking the stock 05 suspension to make it handle for me. Since I'm average height, average weight, average average average, I don't expect to need so much suspension work on a street bike. The 07 in total stock configuration and settings, rides and handles almost exactly like my "tuned" 05, BUT BETTER.
The 07 feels much firmer, with a crisp feel that gives solid, yet comfortable feedback about surface conditions. Ride height and cornering height all settle extremely well and the bike has a definite balanced feel in the corners. I do feel the rear may be running a bit high in the hard sweepers, but adding a top bag and/or some pounds of stuff in the side bags will likely correct that attitude. If not, I plan to adjust the front preload one line tighter than stock.
So you know, my rider stats are: 5'10", 185 lbs., 30" inseam. (Average American Male)
Tight Twisties are yet to come. But I did manage some 80 mph entries into 35 mph turns along with a couple hard-braking 35 mph entry into 15 mph 90 degree corners today. That "washy" or "bouncy" feeling that the 05 was so famous for was completely gone on the 07. Surface transitions, even severe ones, did not affect the steering angle or how the bike tracked through turns at any speed.
Example: Toward the end of today's ride I had warmed-up tires, Z6 Metzlers no less!!! There's this one 35 mph turn a few miles from home that I use to test my skills. No traffic and clear viewing distance so I was able to push a bit. The turn is a transitioning downhill that has a sharp right-hand break with two moderate-heavy surface transitions at, and just after the apex. It's one of those turns that if you hit it just right on the 05 you can manage to stay in your lane at 80 mph entry speed.
Today on the 07 I checked the speedo and was running 83 when I tapped the fronts and setup the turn. I was wearing a full Kevlar suit with liner and could only shift inside a couple inches. The 07 RAILED the turn and I managed a dead-center of my lane, exit on the far side! That simply was not possible on the 05.
Summary of #1: 2007 Suspension in bone stock configuration and settings, feels and handles better than my tweaked 05.
2. Riser blocks - don't feel any need for them on the 07. Stock bar height and rear position is just as comfortable as my 05 with 1.5" risers. They are for sale so check the Classifieds.
3. Back pressure and turbulence - Many of you have seen my custom cutouts on the 05 CB +4 +4 with flip. You heard me brag about no back pressure and the quiet ride. The stock 07 Yami shield is more noisy than my old CB, so I do plan to switch. But the ducted air mods on the 07, channel the air up the backside of the windscreen just like my cutouts did. Buffeting and backpressure are greatly reduced over a stock 05. This time I plan on a CB +2 with flip. No extra cutouts should be needed.
4. Power curve and throttle response - Gone is the 3k-5k dead zone. It was the first 100 miles on my 07, so I was being careful to not rev above 6k if at all possible. That would have caused spastic fits and a possibly damaged liver on the 05. But the 07 FI mapping is obviously improved over the 05. At this point I see no reason to do anything similar to a Barbarian mod.
Running 70 in 5th, I repeatedly WFOd with the 07 showing no hesitation and a very predictable and respectable torque curve and acceleration. Slamming WFO from 90 in 5th was exactly the same. Throttle response was super-linear and sweet!
Off the bottom she was a bit snappy. I adjusted the 3.5 miles of slack out of the throttle cable first thing. The three throttle return springs do feel stiff and I found (as expected) the small stock grips to be difficult in heavy winter gloves. But at this point I plan to start with Grip Puppies, move onto the spring-3 if needed, and finally to the G2 tube mod if necessary.
5. Clutch and brakes - Yes, the clutch is "catchy" and a bit quicker than the 05. I found it not at all unmanageable with levers in position-5. Although today I never managed to Vooooom, Vooooom, Vooooom. I spent a lot of time going Vooooooom, duh, Vooooom, duh, Voooooom. So there's probably no hope for that back tire lasting. It got "barked" way too often today. I think that some time adjusting to the feel and some time for the clutch plates to settle may smooth things out.
Front brakes were very soft at first. Rear brakes took way too much travel and neither front nor rear brakes had any feel of the typical FJR stopping power until near the end of the ride. So I would strongly caution anyone jumping from a broken-in older year to a new 07, to be very cautious about your braking expectations until the bike has a few hundred on her.
6. Triple digits - The stock wind screen is something I have very little experience with. In fact, I had not ridden my 05 with the stock screen in months until this past week when I rode it to the dealer for the trade. But that did give me a chance to directly and freshly compare the stock 05 screen to the stock 07 screen. Literally switching from one to the other in less than two hours.
The 07 with stock screen requires me to raise the screen 2/3 or higher and tuck my head down at triple digit speeds. I'm not comfortable with that much wind force and that speed combined. At my age it's just not practical to run above 130 for long. But I did pick a couple good stretches of flatland straights and peaked to 130. Everything was smooth with a noticeable absence of the front end lift my 05 exhibited. But much of that may have been the difference in wind screens. This I can definitely say. The 07 suspension handled some pretty severe pavement defects at above 100 speeds with ease and a firm feel. I felt much more confident with the 07 since the typical washing and wandering of the 05 was completely gone.
7. Noise - The 07 is significantly quieter than the 05, especially at triple digits. You can tell that the new style fairing and other aerodynamic changes have eliminated a lot of dirty air. Sorry, but there's no whistles any more.
8. Lights and visibility - Comments were made by those familiar with my 05 and who have frequently ridden behind me, that the 07's new tail shape and color make it WAY more visible. I don't feel any immediate need for HyperLites or auxiliary lighting of any kind on the rear.
Misc. BS
* I don't like the compartment release button as well as the 05. It's much harder to depress with gloves on.
* I like the peg position and frame piece changes. I no longer feel the need for heat shields on the header pipes.
* The tool kit is virtually impossible to re-latch in place. I must be rubber strap challenged.
* Who the F decided to put the 12v socket inside the compartment? Oh yeah, the same guy who engineered New Coke.
Final confession - It came with Metzeler Roadtec Z6 tires. I have given those tires a rash of sh!t a mile long in the past. I have to suck it up and admit that with the 07's much-improved suspension, the demand is lessened on the tires and the Metzelers performed amazingly well today. This thread self-destructs after posting, right???
Jeff Ashe
Day-2 follow-up report:
Another 120 miles today. Only thing that has changed is that I like it more than I did yesterday.
Decided to change the color on the 05 top box and use it on the 07. Silver looks good.
Throttle return springs are stiffer than the 05 was. Must empty a tank and flip off that spring.
No improvement in the clutch. It's still quick and a bit harsh.
07 continues to hold lines and rail turns that were impossible with the 05.
1. Number one, numero uno, HAS to be suspension. I spent a couple months tweaking the stock 05 suspension to make it handle for me. Since I'm average height, average weight, average average average, I don't expect to need so much suspension work on a street bike. The 07 in total stock configuration and settings, rides and handles almost exactly like my "tuned" 05, BUT BETTER.
The 07 feels much firmer, with a crisp feel that gives solid, yet comfortable feedback about surface conditions. Ride height and cornering height all settle extremely well and the bike has a definite balanced feel in the corners. I do feel the rear may be running a bit high in the hard sweepers, but adding a top bag and/or some pounds of stuff in the side bags will likely correct that attitude. If not, I plan to adjust the front preload one line tighter than stock.
So you know, my rider stats are: 5'10", 185 lbs., 30" inseam. (Average American Male)
Tight Twisties are yet to come. But I did manage some 80 mph entries into 35 mph turns along with a couple hard-braking 35 mph entry into 15 mph 90 degree corners today. That "washy" or "bouncy" feeling that the 05 was so famous for was completely gone on the 07. Surface transitions, even severe ones, did not affect the steering angle or how the bike tracked through turns at any speed.
Example: Toward the end of today's ride I had warmed-up tires, Z6 Metzlers no less!!! There's this one 35 mph turn a few miles from home that I use to test my skills. No traffic and clear viewing distance so I was able to push a bit. The turn is a transitioning downhill that has a sharp right-hand break with two moderate-heavy surface transitions at, and just after the apex. It's one of those turns that if you hit it just right on the 05 you can manage to stay in your lane at 80 mph entry speed.
Today on the 07 I checked the speedo and was running 83 when I tapped the fronts and setup the turn. I was wearing a full Kevlar suit with liner and could only shift inside a couple inches. The 07 RAILED the turn and I managed a dead-center of my lane, exit on the far side! That simply was not possible on the 05.
Summary of #1: 2007 Suspension in bone stock configuration and settings, feels and handles better than my tweaked 05.
2. Riser blocks - don't feel any need for them on the 07. Stock bar height and rear position is just as comfortable as my 05 with 1.5" risers. They are for sale so check the Classifieds.
3. Back pressure and turbulence - Many of you have seen my custom cutouts on the 05 CB +4 +4 with flip. You heard me brag about no back pressure and the quiet ride. The stock 07 Yami shield is more noisy than my old CB, so I do plan to switch. But the ducted air mods on the 07, channel the air up the backside of the windscreen just like my cutouts did. Buffeting and backpressure are greatly reduced over a stock 05. This time I plan on a CB +2 with flip. No extra cutouts should be needed.
4. Power curve and throttle response - Gone is the 3k-5k dead zone. It was the first 100 miles on my 07, so I was being careful to not rev above 6k if at all possible. That would have caused spastic fits and a possibly damaged liver on the 05. But the 07 FI mapping is obviously improved over the 05. At this point I see no reason to do anything similar to a Barbarian mod.
Running 70 in 5th, I repeatedly WFOd with the 07 showing no hesitation and a very predictable and respectable torque curve and acceleration. Slamming WFO from 90 in 5th was exactly the same. Throttle response was super-linear and sweet!
Off the bottom she was a bit snappy. I adjusted the 3.5 miles of slack out of the throttle cable first thing. The three throttle return springs do feel stiff and I found (as expected) the small stock grips to be difficult in heavy winter gloves. But at this point I plan to start with Grip Puppies, move onto the spring-3 if needed, and finally to the G2 tube mod if necessary.
5. Clutch and brakes - Yes, the clutch is "catchy" and a bit quicker than the 05. I found it not at all unmanageable with levers in position-5. Although today I never managed to Vooooom, Vooooom, Vooooom. I spent a lot of time going Vooooooom, duh, Vooooom, duh, Voooooom. So there's probably no hope for that back tire lasting. It got "barked" way too often today. I think that some time adjusting to the feel and some time for the clutch plates to settle may smooth things out.
Front brakes were very soft at first. Rear brakes took way too much travel and neither front nor rear brakes had any feel of the typical FJR stopping power until near the end of the ride. So I would strongly caution anyone jumping from a broken-in older year to a new 07, to be very cautious about your braking expectations until the bike has a few hundred on her.
6. Triple digits - The stock wind screen is something I have very little experience with. In fact, I had not ridden my 05 with the stock screen in months until this past week when I rode it to the dealer for the trade. But that did give me a chance to directly and freshly compare the stock 05 screen to the stock 07 screen. Literally switching from one to the other in less than two hours.
The 07 with stock screen requires me to raise the screen 2/3 or higher and tuck my head down at triple digit speeds. I'm not comfortable with that much wind force and that speed combined. At my age it's just not practical to run above 130 for long. But I did pick a couple good stretches of flatland straights and peaked to 130. Everything was smooth with a noticeable absence of the front end lift my 05 exhibited. But much of that may have been the difference in wind screens. This I can definitely say. The 07 suspension handled some pretty severe pavement defects at above 100 speeds with ease and a firm feel. I felt much more confident with the 07 since the typical washing and wandering of the 05 was completely gone.
7. Noise - The 07 is significantly quieter than the 05, especially at triple digits. You can tell that the new style fairing and other aerodynamic changes have eliminated a lot of dirty air. Sorry, but there's no whistles any more.
8. Lights and visibility - Comments were made by those familiar with my 05 and who have frequently ridden behind me, that the 07's new tail shape and color make it WAY more visible. I don't feel any immediate need for HyperLites or auxiliary lighting of any kind on the rear.
Misc. BS
* I don't like the compartment release button as well as the 05. It's much harder to depress with gloves on.
* I like the peg position and frame piece changes. I no longer feel the need for heat shields on the header pipes.
* The tool kit is virtually impossible to re-latch in place. I must be rubber strap challenged.
* Who the F decided to put the 12v socket inside the compartment? Oh yeah, the same guy who engineered New Coke.
Final confession - It came with Metzeler Roadtec Z6 tires. I have given those tires a rash of sh!t a mile long in the past. I have to suck it up and admit that with the 07's much-improved suspension, the demand is lessened on the tires and the Metzelers performed amazingly well today. This thread self-destructs after posting, right???
Jeff Ashe
Day-2 follow-up report:
Another 120 miles today. Only thing that has changed is that I like it more than I did yesterday.
Decided to change the color on the 05 top box and use it on the 07. Silver looks good.
Throttle return springs are stiffer than the 05 was. Must empty a tank and flip off that spring.
No improvement in the clutch. It's still quick and a bit harsh.
07 continues to hold lines and rail turns that were impossible with the 05.
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