Author Topic: Advice please (Read 4723 times)

Kenvis Repesco · « **on:** 16 November 2015, 01:53:24 pm »

I have a 2005 Fazer 1000. The question query I have is, my right leg is goosed meaning I cant bend it as much as my left...this down to an accident I had when I was eighteen many, many years ago. I love the seat on my Fazer the looks and comfort. I have thought of having my seat modified so I am sitting slightly higher thus not having to bend my knee as much but I really don't want to do this as said I like the seat as it is. I have been using lowered foot rests which do give me more leg room and actually work but...I loose so much ground clearance its a real problem on tighter bends and roundabouts. Is there any way I could get more ground clearance, would changing the suspension arms for shorter ones maybe achieve this. I am going to purchase a Nitron shock next season which I have been told are adjustable for ground clearance. I absolutely love my Fazer...it fits, but the pain is quite intolerable on longer runs, any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again David.

mickvp · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 November 2015, 02:11:10 pm »

Changing the seat sounds like the best answer to me. Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear.

If you put shorter dog bones the rear of the bike will raise up, yes, but IMO most people do it to improve turn in and raise the seat height relative to the ground I.e if the bike is too low for them.

It won't change the angle of your legs either, it will only give a bit more ground clearance (and how much is anyone's guess as you are only raising one end of the bike, the front will still be the same so if you raise the back 1" it may only equate to 0.5" at the pegs)

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 November 2015, 02:27:57 pm »

Thanks Mick...yes your probably right, what about the shorter suspension arms in conjunction with the adjustable Nitron shock. Thanks David.

clanadam · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 November 2015, 06:51:39 pm »

I'm in the same boat as you but opposite legs - left leg is knacked. I bought a blade and had to get the seat raised but Caulfield Leathers did a cracking job and 6 years on it's still very well padded and stitching is all perfect. I'm not affiliated to them - just a happy customer. I went from it being sore after 10 miles to being able to do 3000-4000 miles round Europe with no issues.

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 November 2015, 07:33:15 pm »

I think having my seat modified is what I will do, it needs to be about an inch and a half though...hope it doesn't hurt the handling to much thanks for the advice.

clanadam · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 November 2015, 08:03:59 pm »

Same as I had it raised by. Check out the pic of the repsol blade at http://www.caulfieldleather.co.uk/gallery3.html for an idea.

nickodemon · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 November 2015, 10:25:05 pm »

You could use these guys.. Gel insert and fitting service.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-seat-gel-pads-/201417589137?hash=item2ee56c8191:g:-YgAAOxyLiJR2Urp

PaulSmith · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 November 2015, 10:27:14 am »

Have you considered looking at a taller bike? Something like the Versys will give you the flexibility of the Fazer but with a longer seat to peg distance and most of the power and handling abilities.

limax2 · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 November 2015, 05:49:54 pm »

I am similarly inflicted and moved my footrest forward on a FZS600. You might want to consider something similar on your 1000.
It did involve making a mounting plate for the footrest and a bell crank plus connecting rod to the brake master cylinder. And a new brake pedal. See the photo.
You may not need to move as far forward as I did. The main thing is finding suitable mounting points on the bike to support a plate to carry the footrest.
For me the clutch cover on the 1000 Fazer sticks out too much but if your knee bend is more that might not be a problem.
Just something to consider.

Details

unfazed · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 November 2015, 07:30:47 pm »

I put a footrest on the engine bar to allow me get back on the bike sooner after an accident 13 years ago while I was trying to get the bend back in my knee.

I also met a fellow in on an XJ900 when on the way back from France about 8 years ago who also had the footrest mounted on the front down tube but he used a thumb rear brake set up.

Moving the foot rest and using a thumb brake set up might be worth investigating if a system like Limax2s set up does not work.

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 November 2015, 05:35:37 pm »

Sorry for the late reply been away. I couldn't change my Fazer I love it to much its everything I want and more...I sold my last one and hated being without it but I know what you mean. I did consider a KTM990SM using that for longer runs as they look quite tall, the relationship between the seat and pegs looks quite big...in fact if push came to shove that's probably the only bike I would consider. My leg mustn't be as bad as yours Limax if you need to move your footrests so far forward...if the distance between my seat and footrests was one and a half to two inches more that would do. I have been trying to contact Caulfield all week, he always seems to be busy...he's only fifteen minutes from me. I will keep my eye open for another seat, as I don't want to bastardize my own seat. Thanks for all the great replies...this really is a fantastic community, kind regards David.

Mick-H · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 November 2015, 06:24:57 pm »

How about just adding another foot rest were you can rest your leg. I've seen some done in the states, everything else is as normal but they add footrest to give a feet first approach when they're on the longer rides.

PieEater · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 November 2015, 08:23:57 pm »

Tony Archer is well regarded when it comes to motorcycle seats and his prices are very reasonable - http://www.tonyarcher.co.uk/

He refoamed and recovered mine for £85 including return postage and I'm more than happy with the result.

Ideally you'd want to try to find a cheap torn seat that you could send to him then sell on your old seat to recoup your costs when you got the refurbished one back.

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 November 2015, 05:12:51 pm »

When I got my Fazer it had crash bungs on it which I removed...thinking about it now they may have been handy for resting my leg on. I think the only real sensible option is raising the seat...would this affect the handling a lot sitting higher up. Thanks David.

clanadam · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 November 2015, 09:12:32 pm »

I found it wasn't really practical to rest my leg on the crash bung. Raising the seat height shouldn't significantly affect handling at all. I'm sure several will testify that I'm not "hampered" on the blade at all - only downside is it makes it harder to get the knee down (that's my excuse anyway!)

nickodemon · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 November 2015, 09:23:37 pm »

You could buy adjustable pegs that rotate to suit your needs. Here is a link....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CNC-Adjustable-25mm-Riser-Rider-Foot-Pegs-for-Yamaha-FZS-1000-Fazer-00-05-/201300330425?hash=item2ede6f47b9:g:XHMAAOSwBLlU9udv

Cellarman · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 November 2015, 09:29:01 pm »

+1 for Tony Archer, he did a Corbin rep for my Vfr with a gel insert, much more comfortable than the original.
Tony is a very nice bloke & I am sure he would be able & willing to help you out
I will be visiting him very soon (next to Huddersfield football ground) to do his magic on my Fazer seat
No connection other than a happy customer

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 November 2015, 09:38:29 pm »

Yeah got some of those Nikodemon...they work great, its just the ground clearance issue that make them a bit of a problem. I am looking for another seat so I can have it modified to suit...hope its not stupid expensive though.

mr self destruct · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 November 2015, 07:10:56 am »

Just to add my two-penneth, limax2's idea of moving the pegs forward might be the best solution.
I have similar problems with my knees, and my gut instinct was to raise the seat height, but the actual point is to increase the angle your knee sits at.
This can be done in a few ways, all with their downsides.
You can raise the seat height, but this puts more weight on your arms as you lean forward more (which can be sorted by raising the bars) and puts you more into the wind (which can be sorted with a taller screen). It also makes it harder to put your feet on the road at a standstill. I went with this option (experimenting with different heights using carpet underlay and duct tape before splashing out on a custom seat!) as I'm quite tall anyway, but haven't got a bigger screen or higher bars, and my wrists ache after a while.
You can move the pegs down, but as you already know, it produces clearance problems. This can be cured by raising the back end of the bike, but this will also make it harder to reach the road when stationary.
Moving the pegs forward will open your knees out without affecting the geometry of the bike. You're still out of the wind, can still easily reach the ground, have no peg clearance problems and have minimum weight on your arms. The only downside I can think of is the expense of making the brackets and rods, but that's ok as you'll still have the original parts when you come to sell.

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 November 2015, 05:55:55 pm »

Thanks for that Mr Self Destruct. Maybe...a bit of everything may work, lower foot rests (I already have those) shorter dog bones, a shock that can be adjusted for height and making the seat about one inch taller. As said I absolutely love my Fazer but after about sixty smiles the rot sets in, which spoils the ride. But everything is fixable until the chap in the White coat tells you otherwise.

PaulSmith · « **Reply #20 on:** 23 November 2015, 10:07:43 am »

Have you guys had a look here: http://cycle-ergo.com/ ?

fazerphil · « **Reply #21 on:** 23 November 2015, 10:59:13 am »

Sounds like your only problem is ground clearance because of your lowered pegs, so shorter links say 136 mm would raise the back end.
The bike would be easier to pull onto centre stand but on side stand will lean over more but as long has you can throw right leg over I can't see a down side... Well only if you've got short legs

Kenvis Repesco · « **Reply #22 on:** 24 November 2015, 02:40:33 pm »

That's what I was thinking Fazerphil, I have just got a Maxton shock for it that has height adjustment, with shorter dog bones and the shock that should help quite a lot. Ground clearance is the main issue, as for short legs I am 5'9 on my right leg and 5'11 stood on the left

mr self destruct · « **Reply #23 on:** 07 December 2015, 09:07:34 pm »

Quote from: mr self destruct on 22 November 2015, 07:10:56 am

Just to add my two-penneth, limax2's idea of moving the pegs forward might be the best solution.
I have similar problems with my knees, and my gut instinct was to raise the seat height, but the actual point is to increase the angle your knee sits at.
This can be done in a few ways, all with their downsides.
You can raise the seat height, but this puts more weight on your arms as you lean forward more (which can be sorted by raising the bars) and puts you more into the wind (which can be sorted with a taller screen). It also makes it harder to put your feet on the road at a standstill. I went with this option (experimenting with different heights using carpet underlay and duct tape before splashing out on a custom seat!) as I'm quite tall anyway, but haven't got a bigger screen or higher bars, and my wrists ache after a while.
You can move the pegs down, but as you already know, it produces clearance problems. This can be cured by raising the back end of the bike, but this will also make it harder to reach the road when stationary.
Moving the pegs forward will open your knees out without affecting the geometry of the bike. You're still out of the wind, can still easily reach the ground, have no peg clearance problems and have minimum weight on your arms. The only downside I can think of is the expense of making the brackets and rods, but that's ok as you'll still have the original parts when you come to sell.

An update to this:
I splashed out on a cheap (£18) pair of cruiser footpegs from Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SDDOHLE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
They bolted easily to my engine cage like so:

Very comfy on the motorway, it doesn't make changing gear less painful but I spend most of my winter riding in top gear anyway.

The downside is they look fucking ridiculous, but if it's the choice between riding my Fazer looking like a tit or not riding my Fazer, I'll look like a tit thanks!

And yes I did refit the top bolt to the engine cage after taking the photo.