The FJR's Stock Suspension SUCKS!

[PhilJet09]

I'm enjoying this discussion, with the exception of a few unpleasantries. I owned a Suzuki cruiser prior to buying the FJR and scraped those pegs on a daily basis, so bad that I got into the highway bars a few times. I have a pair of riding boots with the heels worn off at an angle from that. I always felt that I was pushing that bike to its absolute limits, but I was confident while I was doing it. The FJR is different. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough or experienced enough to know what to change. I'm not confident at all leaning that thing over and have never scraped a peg on it, not that that's the end-all, be-all. I'm 140 pounds, probably between 150-160 with all my gear on. I'm considering an upgrade in the suspension, but honestly don't know enough to be sure that I'll appreciate a change. I've read a few books and attempted to adjust the stock suspension, but never noticed much difference. Anyway...carry on.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Thanks goodness in two days it gets a brand new Ohlins shock and Racetech upgraded forks. I just can't wait.

I was always a bit skeptical of some's claims that the stock suspension will wear out so easily. And I don't know if mine is 'worn out', just 'not new' anymore, or is just fine, but IT AIN'T CUTTING IT.

Thanks for letting me vent. Tuesday will NOT come soon enough.

Thanks Greg.......for starting this turd of a thread which invited everyone to rag on the FJR's soft, plush suspension but Tuesday has come and gone and we haven't heard a peep from you.............give us your new words of wisdom........Racetech vs Traxxion.......Wilber's vs Ohlins........04 vs 09........inquiring minds need to know!

 

[SkooterG]

Thanks goodness in two days it gets a brand new Ohlins shock and Racetech upgraded forks. I just can't wait.

I was always a bit skeptical of some's claims that the stock suspension will wear out so easily. And I don't know if mine is 'worn out', just 'not new' anymore, or is just fine, but IT AIN'T CUTTING IT.

Thanks for letting me vent. Tuesday will NOT come soon enough.

Thanks Greg.......for starting this turd of a thread which invited everyone to rag on the FJR's soft, plush suspension but Tuesday has come and gone and we haven't heard a peep from you.............give us your new words of wisdom........Racetech vs Traxxion.......Wilber's vs Ohlins........04 vs 09........inquiring minds need to know!

Fuuuuuuuck me. Didn't mean for it to be a turd of a thread..............

It's been a LONG day. Left the house at 7:30am and just returned at 11:45pm. Baby's got new suspenders. Not sure what to make of them yet. Definitely 'different' and stiffer. Need to get it all dialed in a bit better. And after doing one of my favorite set of twisties in Arizona on the way to the suspension guy with the stock suspension I will agree with one of your earlier posts that the stock doesn't 'suck', it is just soft.

More later. I am tired.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

It is NOT a turd of a thread. Some threads just bring out the turds! After you get some Beauty Sleep (You really need it!) do give us your best technical evaluation. Or at least make up some convincing sounding B.S. I for one probably will not be able to tell the difference.

 

[Bounce]

I owned a Suzuki cruiser prior to buying the FJR and scraped those pegs on a daily basis, so bad that I got into the highway bars a few times. I have a pair of riding boots with the heels worn off at an angle from that. I always felt that I was pushing that bike to its absolute limits, but I was confident while I was doing it. The FJR is different. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough or experienced enough to know what to change. I'm not confident at all leaning that thing over and have never scraped a peg on it, not that that's the end-all, be-all. I'm 140 pounds, probably between 150-160 with all my gear on. I'm considering an upgrade in the suspension, but honestly don't know enough to be sure that I'll appreciate a change. I've read a few books and attempted to adjust the stock suspension, but never noticed much difference. Anyway...carry on.

Here's a video based on a S-T.net discussion along these lines.

https://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13457353/lean-angle

 

[JT Pedersen]

Atleast those Beemers never need an aftermarket suspension!

Of course you need to pay $7k more to get that killa suspension....and it comes with a free final drive.

Hmm. Plenty of my friends with BMWs, across the range, seem to like their suspension upgrades. The K1200LTs were incredibly improved with aftermarket options.

 

[JT Pedersen]

Not designed for a 130lb man, sprung for one. And I'm pretty sure there is a passenger riding with the dude on the cover of the FJR1300 brochure, which is almost laughable.

What is really more laughable? That some people would ride the bike two up with the stock suspension and enjoy themselves, or that other people would throw a giant wad of cash into the suspension of a bike bike still weighs almost 700 lbs when all is said and done?

To each his own.

Or, that someone might spend $10-15K on a bike, but not be willing to spend the final $2K to perfect it?

 

[JT Pedersen]

FJR’s with stock suspension are vulnerable to the malady eventually afflicting all bikes without compression dampening adjustment available on the rear shock. As the shock ages, things get bouncy in the rear. In an attempt to settle things down, the rider cranks down on the only thing available to him: rebound dampening. Since the compression dampening is now weak, every pavement imperfection causes the rear wheel to hop up into the chassis. But the tight rebound dampening won’t let the spring re-extend. And so with every bounce the rear wheel ratchets further and further up into the chassis; destroying ground clearance. Some folks call this “ratcheting”. Others call it “stacking”. This is exactly what you DON’T get with proper aftermarket shock goodness.
And Extreme Marine makes a fine point I desperately wish everybody would pay more attention to. Body position matters. A lot. A whole lot. Even very moderate “hanging off” can dramatically improve corner speed without using up your available safety cushion. Don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself. No need to do some sort of Casey Stoner thing where the seat is in one zip code and your ass in another. Just one half of one butt cheek is plenty. And make sure your head is off the bike centerline to the inside of the turn. Heads are real heavy. Find a nice long turn you’re familiar with and roll through it at a steady speed. Hang off for a moment, then pop yourself back straight on the chassis. And back and forth a few times. You’ll find the difference in chassis lean angle needed to maintain a fixed speed is pretty dramatic.

You’re welcome.

There is one lesson learned I felt worth sharing as regards technique. A lot of riders let their machines roll into their turns, taking long to effect the turn, and ultimately requiring more lean angle.

In the first California Superbike School class, I took my ST1100. One of the lessons taught was, the quicker you execute your lean, the quicker the turn, the less distance required, and the less lean angle as well. The next session, Keith told us to try it. He said, "...you can't dump the bike, just yank on the bars, and see what happens."

I thought, Ok, I'll try it. At Elkhart Lake, going downhill into tight left-hand turn, about middle of the track (width) I seriously...quickly..leaned her into the turn. Closest thing to a 'flick' you'll get on such a large machine<g>. The immediate result was so abrupt it surprised me. I, very literally, almost ran off the -inside- of the track.

So, while agree technique is not a cure-all, personal experimenting (and experience since) has clearly demonstrated to me that quickly executing my turns is far more effective than doing so casually.

 

[FJR Bill]

I'm enjoying this discussion, with the exception of a few unpleasantries. I owned a Suzuki cruiser prior to buying the FJR and scraped those pegs on a daily basis, so bad that I got into the highway bars a few times. I have a pair of riding boots with the heels worn off at an angle from that. I always felt that I was pushing that bike to its absolute limits, but I was confident while I was doing it. The FJR is different. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough or experienced enough to know what to change. I'm not confident at all leaning that thing over and have never scraped a peg on it, not that that's the end-all, be-all. I'm 140 pounds, probably between 150-160 with all my gear on. I'm considering an upgrade in the suspension, but honestly don't know enough to be sure that I'll appreciate a change. I've read a few books and attempted to adjust the stock suspension, but never noticed much difference. Anyway...carry on.
Has nothing to do with suspension. The FJR is a heavy bike and it takes some time for some people like me to adjust to it. It's a fine performer but a bit heavy in steering. Until you're used to it, it feels a bit ponderous cornering. I suspect that it being taller than your cruiser is causing you some issues. I came to the FJR with about 50 years of riding expereince. Took me about 10,000 miles to adjust to it. Now I love it like no other. Just took me some time to understand it. Not everybody has to go thru this, but I did. Love the bike and have no complaints.

Bill

 

[PhilJet09]

I owned a Suzuki cruiser prior to buying the FJR and scraped those pegs on a daily basis, so bad that I got into the highway bars a few times. I have a pair of riding boots with the heels worn off at an angle from that. I always felt that I was pushing that bike to its absolute limits, but I was confident while I was doing it. The FJR is different. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough or experienced enough to know what to change. I'm not confident at all leaning that thing over and have never scraped a peg on it, not that that's the end-all, be-all. I'm 140 pounds, probably between 150-160 with all my gear on. I'm considering an upgrade in the suspension, but honestly don't know enough to be sure that I'll appreciate a change. I've read a few books and attempted to adjust the stock suspension, but never noticed much difference. Anyway...carry on.

Here's a video based on a S-T.net discussion along these lines.

https://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13457353/lean-angle

I'm not good, but I like to go fast.

 

[Fred W]

I owned a Suzuki cruiser prior to buying the FJR and scraped those pegs on a daily basis, so bad that I got into the highway bars a few times. I have a pair of riding boots with the heels worn off at an angle from that. I always felt that I was pushing that bike to its absolute limits, but I was confident while I was doing it. The FJR is different. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough or experienced enough to know what to change. I'm not confident at all leaning that thing over and have never scraped a peg on it, not that that's the end-all, be-all. I'm 140 pounds, probably between 150-160 with all my gear on. I'm considering an upgrade in the suspension, but honestly don't know enough to be sure that I'll appreciate a change. I've read a few books and attempted to adjust the stock suspension, but never noticed much difference. Anyway...carry on.

Here's a video based on a S-T.net discussion along these lines.

https://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13457353/lean-angle

I'm not good, but I like to go fast.

:lol: Don't we all?

(that is a good line)

 

[Auron]

I did the voice acting for the guy on the left, just so you know.

 

[LAF]

After re reading Ride Like a Pro for like the 5th time the biggest take away was to not upset the suspension in a corner. That means front or rear or both brakes or changing lines by leaning harder.

I do not know that I ever realized that by braking in a corner I lower the suspension drastically. I tried it to illustrate to my girl and she could really see it, probably better than we do riding.

Any time under speed we use the brakes the bike is going to squat and loose ground clearance. And it becomes more so leaned over in a corner. Choosing a line through a corner is the art we need to learn and will keep the bike lifted up along with power through the throttle. The minuet we chop throttle the bike is going to loose clearance, period.

 

[HPD]

This thread is a surprise to me. I have a 2008 FJR that is just short of 45,000 miles, of which I have put on 42,000. Riding 1 up and 2 up, with gear and without, with a lot of time in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Arkansas, I have never touched a peg. The hardest I ever rode the bike was last year when I got the bright idea of trying to catch a Gixxer 600 running through Spearfish Canyon. My left bootheel did hit the ground, but no peg and the FJR was trying hard as it might to catch that GIxxer. Suspension is a little soft riding 2 up with gear but otherwise, no complaints at all.

 

[Auron]

I wouldn't have touched a stock peg down either, but that darn Larry and his pegs are so comfortable I just had to figure out a way to keep 'em and still not drag em. Glad I did.

 

[Auron]

After re reading Ride Like a Pro for like the 5th time the biggest take away was to not upset the suspension in a corner. That means front or rear or both brakes or changing lines by leaning harder.
I do not know that I ever realized that by braking in a corner I lower the suspension drastically. I tried it to illustrate to my girl and she could really see it, probably better than we do riding.

Any time under speed we use the brakes the bike is going to squat and loose ground clearance. And it becomes more so leaned over in a corner. Choosing a line through a corner is the art we need to learn and will keep the bike lifted up along with power through the throttle. The minuet we chop throttle the bike is going to loose clearance, period.

There's a lot to be said about "braking in the corners". Even with proper technique, if your bike is undersprung and you need to trail it in a little bit, those soft springs can be dangerous, especially with a passenger. No matter how good a rider you are, if you are a spirited rider, a corner will unexpectedly catch you out eventually. The same principal applies to adding ride height with an aftermarket shock. It's astonishing how much ground clearence you can add with a stiffer spring and 5mm of + ride height.

Or you could just let others blame your poor technique, keep your adequate at best stock suspension, and convince yourself your FJR handles anywhere close to it's potential.

 

[Fred W]

Or you could quit braking in the middle of corners.

Set your entry speed coming in and roll on the throttle through the corner to increase the available lean angle and stability through the turn.

Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist II

Try it. It actually works, even with a soft suspension.

 

[SkooterG]

Or you could quit braking in the middle of corners.
Set your entry speed coming in and roll on the throttle through the corner to increase the available lean angle and stability through the turn.

Advanced technique is to trailbrake. There are several advantages to trailbraking.

 

[Auron]

I didn't say I like to brake in the corners. I was inferring it's nice to know you can in case of an emergency.

And Keith Code can blow me. Rolling on through the turn on the gas takes ALL THE FUN OUT OF ENTERING THE CORNER. Sporty motorcycles love to enter corners with more than 50/50 weight on the front tire until you reach the apex. Getting on the gas before you even enter turn negates the benefit of sharpening the rake and getting in the sweet sport of corner entry.

 

[Fred W]

Wow.