Noob with some questions

[Gerry.GEG]

Those that read my intro know that I have recently made the switch from an '04 Kawasaki Nomad that we bought new and put nearly 40K miles on, to an '07 FJR. Those that didn't read it now know too. Anyway, you may have heard these questions before, and I have tried the search with no real results, so thought I'd through these out there.
No, it's not another oil thread.

First; I knew that coming from a cruiser and that riding position there would be some...adjustments to make with the FJR. The first ride on it was a 300 mile 'test ride' that the end of the day and the following week were no different than any other. The following rides were another 300 miler, a 150 mile one, and this past week-end a 350 mile ride. In these last three rides my back has been killing me! After the second ride and before the third I installed handlebar risers and foot peg relocators and while that made the bike more comfortable, it did nothing to ease the pain later. I'm assuming that it's simply a matter of letting muscles not used before get used to being used, but jeeze... Anyone else go through this?

Second; After installing the peg relocators I'm already having some minor peg dragging issues. Not terrible, and not an issue really, and no I'm not a 'hero' rider. I do enjoy a spirited ride through the mountain twisites but in this case I've still got roughly a 1/4 inch of 'chicken strips' left on the tires so I know I'm not leaning that far over. Unfortunately. I have a lot of experience in off road racing and suspension set up so I'm leaning towards that I probably have to much laden sag or what we used to call 'race sag' in the suspension. But coming from 12" of travel to... whatever the FJR has, I'm not sure what the proper amount should be so that I can check it.

Third; The P/O told me that the only recall he had done was the Yamaha trunk plate replacement, even though it doesn't show up on YDS. According to Yamaha that still needs to be done, as does the ignition switch and ECU replacement. I've got an ignition switch recall kit in stock and it comes with new keys, what about the other locks? I feel that if Yamaha has an issue that is not of any fault of my own, I shouldn't have to run around with two sets of keys. Our Service Manager thinks he can take the switches apart and re-use the top half of my old switch to avoid this, but we haven't tried it yet, so... With the ECU, another local dealer that was cut off by Yamaha (long story) ordered one from me for one of his customers, and it has been on back order for literally months. A phone call (three actually) to Yamaha has gotten me the same answer, "We feel that all the bikes effected by this have been repaired." "More replacement ECU's may be produced, but we don't know when." In a nutshell Yamaha feels (as it was explained to me) that not every '07 needs the replacement and that only bikes ridden at high altitudes consistently are in need of the replacement. To be honest, this past week-end my wife and I were on the BRP near Mt Mitchell and I didn't notice any problems, but searches on this and other forums have shown me that many '07 owners feel that they needed this done period. I'd love to hear comments and thoughts on this.

Thanks!

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

I agree with the re-keying of the ignition, mine was done very simply. I wouldn't take no for an answer.

Second. IMHO the seat on the FJR is not very good. I went with a custom seat and it is now a beautiful bike. There are many brands but you can read about my experience by searching in Parts/accessories under: "Rich's Custom Seats".

Good luck, I think you'll find the FJR is a fine bike that fits the bill for most people.

 

[johnny80s]

Dude I've heard this all before.

 

[Bruce McCrary]

Dude I've heard this all before.

Told ya... :lol:

Bruce

 

[madmike2]

<major snippage>.......Adding a 10mm higher seat and lowering the pegs 5mm via peg rockers made the bike work better for me.
Back to the FJR, I could see myself losing the peg relocators eventually, but more from a perspective of them dragging in some turns than one of a comfort issue. The thing is, I still don't know what the proper suspension sag for the bike is. For all I know the only reason they are touching down is because I'm way to deep into the suspensions stroke so the bikes ride hight is too low. In fact, I'd almost bet on that being the case. If this is true and I can set it up correctly then the peg scraping issue would in all likelihood disappear and it would once again come back to a personal set up/ergonomics issue.

Bruce

Okay, Bruce, there are some limitations built into the FJR that can only be addressed via the aftermarket.

My dimensions: 6'2", 250-260 lbs, 32" inseam, Gen I

1.) Raising the seat is an option I had done when my Russell seat was built. The added 3/4"-1" height helped the amount of bend in my knees when riding.

2.) I use Wild Bill's travel pegs so that I can move my legs to a different position when on long rides. Lately I've found that I do well without them.

IF you are using peg adjusters that rotate to change the peg height there is nothing you can do to solve the ground clearance issue but to raise the bike.

3.) There are only 2 adjustments on the OEM shock: hard and soft. Before I purchased an aftermarket shock I used to ride with my rear pre-load on "hard". Setting proper sag is nearly out of the question with the limits of the OEM unit.

The '03s were known to have spring rate problems so, back in the day, there were spacers sold to shim the shock spring for more pre-load. This was helpful for those who are of "massive girth" or who did much riding 2-up. That might be an option for you , if you can find one or something along those lines. At least until........

....you've saved enough for a Penske or Ohlins shock for your bike.

Until then one supposes you'll be riding about 10% "softer" in the corners. :blink:

 

[Bruce McCrary]

3.) There are only 2 adjustments on the OEM shock: hard and soft. Before I purchased an aftermarket shock I used to ride with my rear pre-load on "hard". Setting proper sag is nearly out of the question with the limits of the OEM unit.

Do you know or have the sag settings?

The '03s were known to have spring rate problems so, back in the day, there were spacers sold to shim the shock spring for more pre-load. This was helpful for those who are of "massive girth" or who did much riding 2-up. That might be an option for you , if you can find one or something along those lines.

I've only scoped out the shock via eyeballing it where it lives, and perusing the service manual. How exactly is the 'preload adjuster' on the rear shock working? It appears to be a cable operated device that works well enough and is dang sure easy to use within it's apparently limited movement range, but can't possibly offer the same amount of adjust-ability as cranking down on adjusters that I assume would be on the Ohlins or Penske unit. The shim spacers might be an idea, and thanks very much for that btw, but can the stock spring be removed without destroying the shock. The shock itself doesn't appear to be rebuildable, but again, I haven't eyeballed it that closely either.

At least until........
....you've saved enough for a Penske or Ohlins shock for your bike.

*sigh* which means fiddling with the forks to get them to match the increased performance of the rear...

Until then one supposes you'll be riding about 10% "softer" in the corners. :blink:

10% huh? I suppose theres worse things...

Besides, the bike rides and handles better than anything else I've ever owned that didn't use knobby tires, so how bad can it be, right? :fan_1:

Thanks for all your help, and thanks to everyone else as well!!!!

Bruce

 

[madmike2]

1.) Nope...I don't have the sag settings. But they'd be determined by your weight sitting on the bike, and as that is the one differing factor, with only one adjustment to fit a rider/passenger combo from 150lbs-350lbs plus, I can't imagine that would be possible with the OEM unit.

2.) Anyone with a spring compressor can squeeze the spring enough to install a shim. It doesn't have to be removed.

I've read that the OEM shock can be rebuilt but I really don't know. Besides, with a replacement aftermarket shock you'd get more adjustability and could order it sprung according to your weight and riding style.

3.) Yebbut....fork springs aren't THAT expensive. I replaced the springs and raised the oil weight one step and I'm satisfied with mine. What an amazing difference. I got a second "WOW" moment when I got my rebuilt Wilbers back from GP Suspension with the proper spring for me. Wow, again!

4.) You might be able to adjust your cornering technique. That could help as much as anything short of replacing hard (and expensive) parts. Just be careful. This isn't a sport bike though it will play the "siren's song" and fool you into thinking it is....then remind you, in the most uncomplimentary way, that it is a 650 lb. sport-TOURING bike.