After riding the VT tour this weekend, I've discovered just how much I like this GPR Stabilizer! I was able to work through a great deal of the dial adjustments in varying situations.
What this unit does is instill a great deal of confidence in your ability to drop into the corner and roll the throttle at the apex. After a hard roll on the throttle, the front, as we know, gets very light and lifts on its own. When doing this without the GPR installed, I sometimes had some unsettling wobble in the front when you touch down. This is due to a deviation of the front wheel when it contacts the pavement. It is in these situations that an improperly setup suspension and/or the forks raised too far in the triples causes one to have either a wobble or a tank slapper.
While I never felt the FZ1 would develop a tank slapper, it was evident that a few changes in the bike's dynamics would enhance that possibility. I do have the suspension somewhat dialed but the stock springs on the FZ1 are under sprung for a guy of my weight. I did what I could with what I had.
With the GPR installed, and with each successive run, I took the dial from 0 to the full 20 in two-click increments as I did not have time for 20 passes on a group ride. As expected, every two clicks produced a more stable landing and a more confident rider. I found that 20, full stabilization, was uncomfortable in the slower turns or where I did not have enough road before the next turn to run the bike out. Dialing back, the sweet spot for me was on the 14th click. This afforded me a very stable entry and exit for all types of corners and kept the front VERY stable when the front touched down after accelleration.
Zero wobble! Anything above this setting for me was overkill, but it is nice to know that I have more dampening available as my skills increase or should I start track days.
For slow touring or city riding to include stop and go traffic, I also found that 0 wasn't to my liking. At times, the bike felt as if it wanted to turn side to side on its own. After several slow passes around an empty section of a parking lot, I found 5 to be ideal for slow or stop and go traffic. I was able to remain steady and balance the bike at extremely slow crawls without the feeling the bike wanted to wander.
I will post more ride reports as I am able to get out and test this in various situations. I may even get brave enough to bring the front up and make sure the front isn't tracking when it touches, nothing extreme or dangerous, just a few degrees out of straight (or where the bike is headed) and let it touch. With this unit, the front should immediately return to center with no wobble. However, I've ridden for years avoiding just that situation so it will take a very focused and conscious effort to willingly do that. :Rockon:
