gdcpony
Well-Known Member
So my heels were cooled on Sunday as my newly acquired 2002 FZ1 was sitting on a trailer waiting to head to OH. I so wanted to get on her and give her a good run. Monday I trailered her up here to OH and the weather said no riding on Tuesday. YA RIGHT! At 30* I climbed on her to get some miles in before the snow. I took and got her registered and legal. Then I took her for a spin through the local state highways that I know pretty well.
First, I was taking her easy. ODOT had brined the roads and the pavement was cold. I am also new to the bike and feel working up to it is better than going down with it. So the pace was moderate and I eased into most of the turns as if they held ice on their exits. That probably saved me more than once, but the front did come loose on me when I was braking into a tight right and went through some loose crap drug unto the road by a farmer, logging truck, or other dirty type vehicle. Once I eased out the brake she grabbed and all was well again.
Observations:
I am ever impressed by this bike's dual personality.
If the engine is kept under around 4-5k, she is a docile damsel who lulls you into acceptance of her lofty weight through grace. Once you break that, twisting the throttle awakens a beast that wishes to rip through the speed limit and leaves you with a grin as you fly towards the next corner. Mine seemed to have come with some tuning issues that I will discuss later and ask your advice on that held her back from being just too perfect to believe.
The brakes were somewhat similar. You squeeze them in and there is a point where it transitions from slowing down to "DEER!" mode. It was a subtle difference, but during one phase of the squeeze you are gradually increasing the stopping power, and the next you are exponentially slowing the bike. I hope that makes sense. I liked it, but I could see it confusing someone.
The handling also seemed two faced. Ease into a corner or maneuvering in a parking lot you got a push back that let you know the bike was ready to come back up without help. Break a certain angle and speed (which I did a few times, but not as much as I liked due to the road conditions) and it was either neutral or ready to dive deeper over. Transitioning between the turns required you to decide which you liked and push the right amount to get you there. I will say that I will see more on this as I play with her settings some. It could simply be the tires here. The weight of the bike is evident in everything you do, but so is the bike's ability to overcome it once I learn that it is not my cruiser or 250.
The settings in the suspension are not set for me yet so I will leave the firm/soft opinion until I get them as close to my liking as I can. I will say the bike rides well as is, it just feels like I need to play with them a little.
Riding in the cold gave me a good bit of opinion on the protection it gives you there. Even on my full faired CBR250 the wind would numb my hands in moments and if I didn't tuck down my face would share the same fate. On this bike I thought I was dressed to warm. An hour into the ride and my hands felt chilled, which I remedied by warming them on the engine case. My legs could feel the engine heat when I squeezed them in just a bit. That last may not be the best for a summer ride, but right now, I felt as comfortable as I usually do riding at 50* on the Sportster. The windshield may seem goofy- actually it's starting to grow on me- but it does its job.
I consider this bike to be the "CB750" modernized (love the 1979-1982 CB750F and had the pleasure of helping a Marine get one back on the road from near scrap). Cool looks, excellent handling, and the power to back it all up. All the while not giving up comfort and ergonomics for the road. Fun, fast, and comfy! What more could you ask? It will be my touring and rip it up bike.
Issues:
Now, the windshield has already cost me something here. I was a fool not to think about it on the way up watching it flap behind me. My truck has a cap on the bed. The resulting airflow flapped on both sides of the shield of the bike and there are now small cracks in the fairing right at the bottom bolts! Dang it!! So I will be hunting a new fairing. The cracks are small and the lesson here is to take off that shield before I tow her 700 miles next time.
The throttle seemed to hesitate. I think it might be an impression of mine caused by the slack in the cables, so I will adjust that first, but I am pretty sure I will be adding some "Ivan" to this bike soon. It just seems to need tuned, maybe a jet kit? The exhaust pops on decel too, but not like you hear a poorly tuned cruiser do. Could someone point me towards a good explanation of what "Ivan" parts are, and what I would get from them? That name is often thrown out there (making a search hard), but it's always assumed the reader already knows what they will do for him. I get they're for the fuel and emissions systems. that is about all I can tell. Does he have a part that will connect all the intake boots with the synch ports? I do that with most of the multi-carb bikes I see and it works on most to smooth them out a bit. I assume a jet kit is one of them, as well? Just wondering as that seems to be what this bike needs (actually, it "wants" I "need" lol).
Backing it up is an on going lesson. I am tip toeing the bike unless I slide to a side, and then I give up the leverage I need if I am on an incline. I actually got off once, pushed her back and got back on to go forward. This is a "me" issue, not the bike, but maybe some one has a hint for me?
Other than that I love her! I didn't want to get off and park her yesterday, but the snow was coming down. Tomorrow, I want to take her to Cleveland where I will be meeting with a SgtMaj about getting orders back to OH (anyone here willing to put a good word in for me with RS Cleveland?). That would be about 200 miles round trip starting in 24* weather and ending in 50* with rain possible. It would involve Highway, back roads, and city miles too. Definitely a good test. I just have to figure out the uniform thing (pressed USMC "chucks" in a motorcycle bag?) so I can dress for it.
First, I was taking her easy. ODOT had brined the roads and the pavement was cold. I am also new to the bike and feel working up to it is better than going down with it. So the pace was moderate and I eased into most of the turns as if they held ice on their exits. That probably saved me more than once, but the front did come loose on me when I was braking into a tight right and went through some loose crap drug unto the road by a farmer, logging truck, or other dirty type vehicle. Once I eased out the brake she grabbed and all was well again.
Observations:
I am ever impressed by this bike's dual personality.
If the engine is kept under around 4-5k, she is a docile damsel who lulls you into acceptance of her lofty weight through grace. Once you break that, twisting the throttle awakens a beast that wishes to rip through the speed limit and leaves you with a grin as you fly towards the next corner. Mine seemed to have come with some tuning issues that I will discuss later and ask your advice on that held her back from being just too perfect to believe.
The brakes were somewhat similar. You squeeze them in and there is a point where it transitions from slowing down to "DEER!" mode. It was a subtle difference, but during one phase of the squeeze you are gradually increasing the stopping power, and the next you are exponentially slowing the bike. I hope that makes sense. I liked it, but I could see it confusing someone.
The handling also seemed two faced. Ease into a corner or maneuvering in a parking lot you got a push back that let you know the bike was ready to come back up without help. Break a certain angle and speed (which I did a few times, but not as much as I liked due to the road conditions) and it was either neutral or ready to dive deeper over. Transitioning between the turns required you to decide which you liked and push the right amount to get you there. I will say that I will see more on this as I play with her settings some. It could simply be the tires here. The weight of the bike is evident in everything you do, but so is the bike's ability to overcome it once I learn that it is not my cruiser or 250.
The settings in the suspension are not set for me yet so I will leave the firm/soft opinion until I get them as close to my liking as I can. I will say the bike rides well as is, it just feels like I need to play with them a little.
Riding in the cold gave me a good bit of opinion on the protection it gives you there. Even on my full faired CBR250 the wind would numb my hands in moments and if I didn't tuck down my face would share the same fate. On this bike I thought I was dressed to warm. An hour into the ride and my hands felt chilled, which I remedied by warming them on the engine case. My legs could feel the engine heat when I squeezed them in just a bit. That last may not be the best for a summer ride, but right now, I felt as comfortable as I usually do riding at 50* on the Sportster. The windshield may seem goofy- actually it's starting to grow on me- but it does its job.
I consider this bike to be the "CB750" modernized (love the 1979-1982 CB750F and had the pleasure of helping a Marine get one back on the road from near scrap). Cool looks, excellent handling, and the power to back it all up. All the while not giving up comfort and ergonomics for the road. Fun, fast, and comfy! What more could you ask? It will be my touring and rip it up bike.
Issues:
Now, the windshield has already cost me something here. I was a fool not to think about it on the way up watching it flap behind me. My truck has a cap on the bed. The resulting airflow flapped on both sides of the shield of the bike and there are now small cracks in the fairing right at the bottom bolts! Dang it!! So I will be hunting a new fairing. The cracks are small and the lesson here is to take off that shield before I tow her 700 miles next time.
The throttle seemed to hesitate. I think it might be an impression of mine caused by the slack in the cables, so I will adjust that first, but I am pretty sure I will be adding some "Ivan" to this bike soon. It just seems to need tuned, maybe a jet kit? The exhaust pops on decel too, but not like you hear a poorly tuned cruiser do. Could someone point me towards a good explanation of what "Ivan" parts are, and what I would get from them? That name is often thrown out there (making a search hard), but it's always assumed the reader already knows what they will do for him. I get they're for the fuel and emissions systems. that is about all I can tell. Does he have a part that will connect all the intake boots with the synch ports? I do that with most of the multi-carb bikes I see and it works on most to smooth them out a bit. I assume a jet kit is one of them, as well? Just wondering as that seems to be what this bike needs (actually, it "wants" I "need" lol).
Backing it up is an on going lesson. I am tip toeing the bike unless I slide to a side, and then I give up the leverage I need if I am on an incline. I actually got off once, pushed her back and got back on to go forward. This is a "me" issue, not the bike, but maybe some one has a hint for me?
Other than that I love her! I didn't want to get off and park her yesterday, but the snow was coming down. Tomorrow, I want to take her to Cleveland where I will be meeting with a SgtMaj about getting orders back to OH (anyone here willing to put a good word in for me with RS Cleveland?). That would be about 200 miles round trip starting in 24* weather and ending in 50* with rain possible. It would involve Highway, back roads, and city miles too. Definitely a good test. I just have to figure out the uniform thing (pressed USMC "chucks" in a motorcycle bag?) so I can dress for it.
Are you on your tip toes all the time?If so, I would suggest a lowering link or a lowered seat.
