18-07-14, 11:47 AM
here is where i am up to :rolleyes
Following advice of this forum i have come to a few conclusions. Without a doubt it is clear the standard Fzs 1000 suspension is not the best for me, changing / upgrading the suspension is the best chance of making the bike as tip top as you can get it, whether its with an R6 shock, ktech springs or defaulkner. This is something i am going to do but i feel as a novice who is not capable of using the bike to even 30% of its potential then for now until i gain my miles and confidence i will put it on my wish list.
When i say i am not technical i mean i am not Bike technical as their something new to me, but i do hold qualifications in engineering and have a good mechanical mind, understanding the concepts of two wheels and how they make provision for the stresses of weight, braking, accelerating and general riding does take some understanding. With the advice of here it was apparent the suspension for my weight was not right. So with the trusty bike manual, key and screw driver i adjusted spring preload, rebound damping force and compression damping force to one click before max on front and back. Instantly the bike feels more solid when i sit on it and far less spongy. It now lowers equally where as before the back went down more than the front. This is supposed to be a good thing from what i have read.
The problem that i had the week before had shattered my confidence, and i was aware that my imagination could be playing havock with my mind and in reality there was not any problems. The bike felt all week slippy, even the tarmac seal they use when they put the road back together after roadworks seemed to feel slippy. To rid my mind gremlins i decided to check the tyre air pressure again which is something i only did 9 days ago. Back was 40 (i know should be 39 but i am heavy) and front was 25! To lose 11 bar in 9 days is a problem and the tyre is not even going to be looked at as i have ordered a new one. i had read and seen on youtube fazer owners state that even 1 bar down on the front can make the bike feel unstable and mine was 11 bar down.
The keen to ride side of me kicked in though and i wanted to find out what the bike was like on its new settings so it was air in tyre and off out. The bike did not feel slippery once and totally different more in control of the road and far more stable, breaking feels good and so does the acceleration (well that always feels good lol) meaning its not see sawing like it was as much. On acceleration the bike used to sit down and i felt like i was sitting up hill, i spent alot of time on roundabouts as my confidence is shot and wanted to relax with leaning a little more, up and down a few winding country roads and even on the motorway for quite a few miles and i hesitate to say this i think it was the best ride i have had since getting the bike. Yes i am still a novice no i cant ride like an experienced biker, yes i am slower than an experienced biker. All of this is fine with me, i want to enjoy learning the bike and eventually one day when i need more there is always ivanising lol. At the moment and it may sound sad i just like to be out there. On the motorway i am happy at 70, 6 weeks ago it was happy at 50 its all time and experience i suppose. What i found out last night on the motorway was the acceleration of the thing is staggering and i know i am only tickling the throttle not opening it up fully and only going between 0 and 70 ish (not as much as 80 lol) i think something is broken with me as i want to come of at each junction and rejoin the motorway again just to feel the acceleration lol
Thanks for all your help
F
Following advice of this forum i have come to a few conclusions. Without a doubt it is clear the standard Fzs 1000 suspension is not the best for me, changing / upgrading the suspension is the best chance of making the bike as tip top as you can get it, whether its with an R6 shock, ktech springs or defaulkner. This is something i am going to do but i feel as a novice who is not capable of using the bike to even 30% of its potential then for now until i gain my miles and confidence i will put it on my wish list.
When i say i am not technical i mean i am not Bike technical as their something new to me, but i do hold qualifications in engineering and have a good mechanical mind, understanding the concepts of two wheels and how they make provision for the stresses of weight, braking, accelerating and general riding does take some understanding. With the advice of here it was apparent the suspension for my weight was not right. So with the trusty bike manual, key and screw driver i adjusted spring preload, rebound damping force and compression damping force to one click before max on front and back. Instantly the bike feels more solid when i sit on it and far less spongy. It now lowers equally where as before the back went down more than the front. This is supposed to be a good thing from what i have read.
The problem that i had the week before had shattered my confidence, and i was aware that my imagination could be playing havock with my mind and in reality there was not any problems. The bike felt all week slippy, even the tarmac seal they use when they put the road back together after roadworks seemed to feel slippy. To rid my mind gremlins i decided to check the tyre air pressure again which is something i only did 9 days ago. Back was 40 (i know should be 39 but i am heavy) and front was 25! To lose 11 bar in 9 days is a problem and the tyre is not even going to be looked at as i have ordered a new one. i had read and seen on youtube fazer owners state that even 1 bar down on the front can make the bike feel unstable and mine was 11 bar down.
The keen to ride side of me kicked in though and i wanted to find out what the bike was like on its new settings so it was air in tyre and off out. The bike did not feel slippery once and totally different more in control of the road and far more stable, breaking feels good and so does the acceleration (well that always feels good lol) meaning its not see sawing like it was as much. On acceleration the bike used to sit down and i felt like i was sitting up hill, i spent alot of time on roundabouts as my confidence is shot and wanted to relax with leaning a little more, up and down a few winding country roads and even on the motorway for quite a few miles and i hesitate to say this i think it was the best ride i have had since getting the bike. Yes i am still a novice no i cant ride like an experienced biker, yes i am slower than an experienced biker. All of this is fine with me, i want to enjoy learning the bike and eventually one day when i need more there is always ivanising lol. At the moment and it may sound sad i just like to be out there. On the motorway i am happy at 70, 6 weeks ago it was happy at 50 its all time and experience i suppose. What i found out last night on the motorway was the acceleration of the thing is staggering and i know i am only tickling the throttle not opening it up fully and only going between 0 and 70 ish (not as much as 80 lol) i think something is broken with me as i want to come of at each junction and rejoin the motorway again just to feel the acceleration lol
Thanks for all your help
F