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Some new owner questions

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Da Pink

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Joined
Oct 7, 2011
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9
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Blackburn
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Hi all, just introduced meself in the newbie bit, but have a few questions after a week of buying an 07 FZ1 (the naked, cooler one) as I'm thinking i've bought the wrong bike (i know i know, but a 30 min test ride don't tell you anything) I've bought it as my day to day commuter as my commute allows me to take some 1/2 decent twisties and back roads.(i've got another bike for playing on on sunny weekends,)

1) I've pushed the bars as far forward as the cables will allow, but still find it a bit cramped to really get behind them. Is there a quick fix? Or indeed any?

2) Suspension?! The roads round here (northern England) are full of holes and bumps etc. I've managed to find a setting that makes them tolerable (From standard settings - pre-load 6 rings, compression and rebound on forks 3 clicks to soft, shock preload standard, shock rebound 2 clicks to soft), but when i'm pushing on it makes the handling feel a bit "funny." She feels a tiny little bit unwilling to turn in, then seems to drop in very quickly, with the back following a millisecond later. Any thoughts?

3) I like to piss around with wheelies, but don't like using the clutch (i ain't good enough :innocent: ) I presume chainging the sprockets will have her popping up nicely on the power alone?


Sorry for the:blahblah: , i'm just a bit disapointed in the bike at the moment, but do feel there's a great bike in their somewhere
 
Ha consider yourself lucky to be able to get a 30 min test ride before purchasing. No test ride allowed when I bought this new last year, nor my first bike 07 Cruiser. However, unlike you, my 40 minute test ride on a 2011 BMW S1000RR lead me out of the store without purchasing it.

Good luck with yours, they're lots of folks who will chime in and can assist you with your goals except, liking your bike.
 
Assuming the bike is "stock" you could probably drop a tooth on the front sprocket to a 16T to give you a little more wheelie power. As for suspension, the rear shock is worthless on the GenII. You should have your "sag" measurement taken and adjusted first so the bike is set up for your weight within reason. Out back, the rear shocking is lacking to say the least, so if your looking for performance from it, you can forget about it. Aftermarket is the only solution for you. Don't feel like you got stuck with a "bad" bike. You only need a little tweaking and a little money to have yourself a powerhouse of a ride with decent handling.
 
Your handling issue sounds like it may be related to tire profile. I'm assuming you bought the bike used. Are the tires new or worn (You did check the pressure right?)? Is the rear squared off in the middle? If they are then some new buns should sort you out short term. Another check is to see if the previous owner raised the forks in the triples. The stock setting is just where the caps clear the upper triple. Some guys raise them 5-10mm for quicker turn in...

The bars and risers selection is endless. I'm sure you can find the right set up for your liking. I hear a lot about Rizoma and may try some myself in the future...

Good luck getting her sorted...

Now...
:needpics:
 
FZ1riderNY said:
Assuming the bike is "stock" you could probably drop a tooth on the front sprocket to a 16T to give you a little more wheelie power. As for suspension, the rear shock is worthless on the GenII. You should have your "sag" measurement taken and adjusted first so the bike is set up for your weight within reason. Out back, the rear shocking is lacking to say the least, so if your looking for performance from it, you can forget about it. Aftermarket is the only solution for you. Don't feel like you got stuck with a "bad" bike. You only need a little tweaking and a little money to have yourself a powerhouse of a ride with decent handling.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's stock bar an aftermarket can, was gonna go -1 +2 or summat, I likes me grunt!

Yeah, I gotta get round to setting the sag, my adjustments were just done on the move, a tweak here and there seeing what happened. As far as the shock....money prohibits any changes there, i'm not expecting supersports handling, most likely I just need more seat hours to get the confidence (my workhorse was a battered Bandit 12 I could chuck around like a BMX...the FZ's gotta be miles better, shit shock or not
 
Jboat said:
Your handling issue sounds like it may be related to tire profile. I'm assuming you bought the bike used. Are the tires new or worn (You did check the pressure right?)? Is the rear squared off in the middle? If they are then some new buns should sort you out short term. Another check is to see if the previous owner raised the forks in the triples. The stock setting is just where the caps clear the upper triple. Some guys raise them 5-10mm for quicker turn in...

The bars and risers selection is endless. I'm sure you can find the right set up for your liking. I hear a lot about Rizoma and may try some myself in the future...

Good luck getting her sorted...

Now...
:needpics:
Click to expand...

Yeah I bought it used, and looking at his reciepts the tyres had just done 80 miles! And yeah, I checked the pressure (for once :embarrased: )

I'll have a look at the forks, tho generally I like a fast turn in. . .

I'll look into risers, tough after a wedding and a new bike money'stight, I was hoping (against hope )someone would have a free solution :)

Pic as requested, (thats not me by the way, it's my lad)

tayefz1.jpg
 
Welcome Da Pink. Your bike looks sweet as.

Like JBoat, I thought your handling issue was tyre related but if they have only done 80 miles then it won't be that.

To get a faster turn in I would drop the front forks in the triple clamps at least 5mm.

My own bike has 15mm shorter 2007 R1 forks and I have also raised the rear 5mm to get better tyre hook up out of turns.

Even with my settings, the bike is very stable at high speeds. The long wheel base on the FZ1 allows for a fair bit of lee way with geometry changes.

Needless to say the bike turns pretty quickly now and is more like I am used to as this is my first bike after years of riding (uncomfortable) Sportsbikes.
 
Da Pink said:
2) Suspension?! The roads round here (northern England) are full of holes and bumps etc. I've managed to find a setting that makes them tolerable (From standard settings - pre-load 6 rings, compression and rebound on forks 3 clicks to soft, shock preload standard, shock rebound 2 clicks to soft), but when i'm pushing on it makes the handling feel a bit "funny." She feels a tiny little bit unwilling to turn in, then seems to drop in very quickly, with the back following a millisecond later. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Your description suggests that you may be shifting your body C of G in the direction of an anticipated change of direction rather then making a positive direction change through an applied steering correction input by a counter-steer applied at the handlebars.

Unless your bike has a hinge in the middle, your bike won't "drop in very quickly, with the back following a millisecond later".
 
sup Stuuk? Hope you're getting better weather down there than up here, damn am I sick of rain! I'll look into rear sets, could be the answer. Not cheap tho. . . . .

Recon - is that a complicated way of saying i just need to get used to riding the bike? Cos I agree, as in my earlier post...i do need more seat time. Dry roads would help. God I miss dry roads. . .

And I said it seemed that that was how the bike was turning in, it's kinda hard to describe the sensation of handling.
 
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