05-12-15, 06:35 PM
(05-12-15, 06:22 PM)Falcon 269 link Wrote: There's a saying which applies well to bike suspension ... "the best you've had is the best you know".
With stock Fazer 1000 suspension - in good working order - the bike handles fine unless really overloaded, in which case it gets light and and imprecise at the front. However, ride quality is another matter. I found the stock forks were very harsh and choppy over uneven surfaces, a result of poor high speeding damping. Revalving by K-tech resolved that and gave a really compliant and controlled ride. Not cheap, though.
The shock gets tired after 10 - 15k miles and a rebuild - perhaps with a stronger spring, if required - reaps dividends. Again, better quality aftermarket shocks offer better ride and more adjustability.
The benefits of an R1 front end mod vary according to what year R1 forks you fit and whether or not you fit them with extensions (or custom yokes) to retain the stock Fazer geometry. If you fit shorter forks with no compensation for length, the lower front makes for much quicker steering - certainly quicker than dropping the OE forks through the yokes by 10 - 15mm. Later model R1 forks had better internals than the early ones and are much better than standard Fazer units.
Best handling bikes I've had are a Buell XB9 and funny enough a 95 CBR600, The Buell was a real pleasure, bought new by myself and one that I wished I'd have never sold, the CBR was a surprise, fast and stable......more than enough for road work, which begs the question how fast do you want to go on our over crowded roads??. My Fazer does not have the issues that alot of guys on here seem to have, I might go for a new rear shock next year due to taking my lad on the back, probably end up buying a Nitron or similar.