Traxxion Suspension Upgrade...what I learned.

[ULEWZ]

I am 180 pounds, and find the 1.0 springs are fine, if not a bit too tightly sprung. Bought my Penske 8983 from GP suspension (cheaper price, and still custom valved from Penske) and am very happy. I also bought Gold valves and put them in myself. A great fork mod IMO. A friend of mine bought the Penske, but didn't have the coin yet for gold valves. He rode my bike and said he needed to do the same. It is a good mod, and not easy to do yourself, but very gratifying when you do.

 

[Wlfman]

Yep, I've had AK20s and a Penske on my FZ1 for about 7 years now. LOVE it. Will be getting a Penske for the FJR soon as well as transplanting the AKs from the FZ to the FJR.

Lee is also the Guru for the FZ1 suspension.

 

[Burnspot]

Thanks for that report...exactly the sort of information I wanted to see! I've been thinking about doing the same thing myself.

I'm assuming that's the Penske Sport Shock you got?

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Very good write up. My 08 @ 49k is diving quite a bit, even with fresh fork oil.

Rear never been serviced.

Thanks

 

[yamafitter]

Yep, I've had AK20s and a Penske on my FZ1 for about 7 years now. LOVE it. Will be getting a Penske for the FJR soon as well as transplanting the AKs from the FZ to the FJR.
Lee is also the Guru for the FZ1 suspension.

Check with Lee as to whether the shim stack is the same between the FZ1 and the FJR. I'm thinking there is enough weight difference between the bikes that there may be some differences in the valving. Just to add a thought to what Skooter was saying about suspension tuning being an art, there is what the suspension is actually doing and then there is what the rider perceives what the suspension is doing. If the rider is not confident with what the suspension is doing then the rider will not take the bike to the edge. It is pretty common for a race team with identical bikes have different suspension settings for each rider's preferences on how the rider wants the bike to feel.

Also suspension settings that work for the nice smooth twisties in North Carolina work poorly in New England where a softer or more compliant suspension does a better job of keeping the bike on track amongst the frost heaves in the corners.

 

[Wlfman]

Yep, I've had AK20s and a Penske on my FZ1 for about 7 years now. LOVE it. Will be getting a Penske for the FJR soon as well as transplanting the AKs from the FZ to the FJR.
Lee is also the Guru for the FZ1 suspension.

Check with Lee as to whether the shim stack is the same between the FZ1 and the FJR. I'm thinking there is enough weight difference between the bikes that there may be some differences in the valving. Just to add a thought to what Skooter was saying about suspension tuning being an art, there is what the suspension is actually doing and then there is what the rider perceives what the suspension is doing. If the rider is not confident with what the suspension is doing then the rider will not take the bike to the edge. It is pretty common for a race team with identical bikes have different suspension settings for each rider's preferences on how the rider wants the bike to feel.

Also suspension settings that work for the nice smooth twisties in North Carolina work poorly in New England where a softer or more compliant suspension does a better job of keeping the bike on track amongst the frost heaves in the corners.

I've already talked to Lee, know him well from the FZ1OA Forum and in person. He's the one the did the setup on my FZ and will be doing my FJR as well.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Well after 2 days in the mountain twisties and another 860 miles on the bike I have a good feel for the bikes new suspension now.

2-Day RR

Two things stand out to me about this suspension in the mountains.

1. Much higher ground clearance & lean angle now.

2. No more front end dive on hard braking or hard accel in/out of the corners.

My footpegs never touched down once on the entire 450 mountain miles of the trip which was awesome to me. Usually it happens a hand full of times on my old worn out suspension on rides like this. The bike just stays much more vertical and tight and handles more firmly in the curves.

 

[moike]

I just got a new Penske 8983 on my FJR & I love how the bike feels now. Can't wait to do the forks next month!

 

[900gc]

Yep, I've had AK20s and a Penske on my FZ1 for about 7 years now. LOVE it. Will be getting a Penske for the FJR soon as well as transplanting the AKs from the FZ to the FJR.
Lee is also the Guru for the FZ1 suspension.

Check with Lee as to whether the shim stack is the same between the FZ1 and the FJR. I'm thinking there is enough weight difference between the bikes that there may be some differences in the valving. Just to add a thought to what Skooter was saying about suspension tuning being an art, there is what the suspension is actually doing and then there is what the rider perceives what the suspension is doing. If the rider is not confident with what the suspension is doing then the rider will not take the bike to the edge. It is pretty common for a race team with identical bikes have different suspension settings for each rider's preferences on how the rider wants the bike to feel.

Also suspension settings that work for the nice smooth twisties in North Carolina work poorly in New England where a softer or more compliant suspension does a better job of keeping the bike on track amongst the frost heaves in the corners.

Exactly. The beauty of adjustable suspension. Though the key is getting it tuned to each rider for the best results. Something that the factories can't do when making the bike for everyone.

I remember a few years back when the great MC scribe Sir Alan Cathcart rode Nori Haga's bike and Troy Corser's bike at the end of the WSBK season and said that Haga's bike was almost un-rideable (jacked up rear and very stiff), while Corser's bike felt great. And yet Haga came close several times to winning the WSBK title.

 

[AKjitsu]

Absolutely true. Riding somebody else's suspension setup is like running a track meet in somebody else's shoes.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Suspension set up is as much art as it is science....Suspension is not black and white, but rather gray!

Very true!

People that are looking for one simple across the board answer to their particular suspension needs based on their climate, riding style, total riding weight...etc prob are going to be disappointed. Suspension is not a one size fits all proposition and depending on the philosophy/experience of the particular suspension shop you go to you might get a different answer.

What is a simple across the board answer is that the stock FJR suspension both front/rear is not the greatest. Furthermore said stock FJR suspension with many years and 25,000 miles (some even less) on it needs to be serviced/upgraded to maintain & improve your riding experience especially if you tend to ride more sporty.

Whether it's Penske, Ohlins, Progressive...etc rear shocks I'm not really sure it matters much. They're all superior to the OEM shock. Same goes true with stiffer front straight rate springs (or drop in cartridges) with new fork oil. The feeling in the saddle is similar from going from old worn out, squared off, cupped tires to a brand new set of tires. The riding impression and handling of the bike feels dramatically improved & much more responsive.

There are lots of upgrade choices out there. Do your own research and purchase what's best for you folks.