new owner, sorting things out...

FZ1inNH said:
You don't need to pay a guy $50 to set up your suspension. Look here and with the help of at least one friend, you can set this up yourself.

http://www.998cc.org/forum/fz1-general-discussion/7487-homework-assignment.html
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True, but it was totally worth it to talk to someone face to face. It was like a 45 min session... besides setting up the bike, he explained compression/rebound and showed me how changing the settings affect the bike (which you can see just by mashing the rear seat or front forks), and showed me what a properly setup bike should do. Showed me how to raise/lower the front and rear and how it affects how quickly the bike turns vs how stable it is.

Also, I'm newbie enough to not know what to turn when people say "lower the front by 4mm" or "increase rebound by 4 clicks or so". Now I know exactly what bolts and screws to turn.

:cheers:
 
cjbottaro said:
True, but it was totally worth it to talk to someone face to face. It was like a 45 min session... besides setting up the bike, he explained compression/rebound and showed me how changing the settings affect the bike (which you can see just by mashing the rear seat or front forks), and showed me what a properly setup bike should do. Showed me how to raise/lower the front and rear and how it affects how quickly the bike turns vs how stable it is.

Also, I'm newbie enough to not know what to turn when people say "lower the front by 4mm" or "increase rebound by 4 clicks or so". Now I know exactly what bolts and screws to turn.

:cheers:
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Well as long as you learned something and are happy with the service then it was money well spent! I hope you took notes (or will) because it is easy to forget details if you don't change anything for a long time. Then next time you can fine tune things yourself, with confidence.

A tip; take good clear pictures of your shock and top of forks so that you have that as a refference later.
 
Being new to this, yes, I fully agree with Lee in that it was money well spent! Glad you have it sorted out and got the lessons for the money. :tup:
 
cj,

bit of a coincidence, I also just got on a 2006 FZ and previous bike was sv650 and I'm located in Houston TX :) Also the sv was my first bike so I am also still new and trying to learn many things

Can I ask you who/where did you go for this suspension setup? I assume it was in Austin but maybe I can find someone similar here.

Thanks,

Walt
 
wcwrye said:
cj,

bit of a coincidence, I also just got on a 2006 FZ and previous bike was sv650 and I'm located in Houston TX :) Also the sv was my first bike so I am also still new and trying to learn many things

Can I ask you who/where did you go for this suspension setup? I assume it was in Austin but maybe I can find someone similar here.

Thanks,

Walt
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Hey Walt, congrats on your new bike.

I saw Roger at On Road Off Road Cycles... yeah unfortunately a pretty far drive from Houston.

Like people here are saying, adjusting the suspension is pretty simple, so it was nice that Roger focused on teaching rather than just doing a 15 min setup job.

So what are you thoughts/impressions on the SV vs the FZ?
 
cjbottaro said:
Hey Walt, congrats on your new bike.

I saw Roger at On Road Off Road Cycles... yeah unfortunately a pretty far drive from Houston.

Like people here are saying, adjusting the suspension is pretty simple, so it was nice that Roger focused on teaching rather than just doing a 15 min setup job.

So what are you thoughts/impressions on the SV vs the FZ?
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So far I've only put ~60 mi on it after one ride. I'm loving it so far, but I find that its too easy to find myself above the speed limit :eek5:. The SV had 20k on it when I got it so compared to the FZ with 5k, the FZ is so much smoother and actually an easier ride apart from needing to watch the throttle closer. Stark difference in acceleration and power of course...

I'm still getting used to the friction zone and think I need to bring it in a bit, but I think I see what you mean about clutch engagement, I probably let the lever out 50% before any engagement.

I agree about the "snatchy throttle" and from what I have read it is snatchy because of the fuel cut mechanism thats in there for to environmental regs. SO I'm almost positive the previous owner did not do the FCE, and I'm hoping doing that will make the throttle more responsive.

Also, there seems to be more play in the throttle tube than I'd like so hopefully I can adjust that. I ended up doing the R6 throttle tube mod on the SV for similar reasons.

My sv was actually stolen last year and then recovered in a thrashed state. Maybe there is a silver lining to that happening, it got my on the FZ earlier :)
 
:welcome: Walt and congrats on the FZ1! Sorry about the SV being stolen but the outcome is great! :tup: It is a world of difference between those two rides.
 
wcwrye said:
I'm still getting used to the friction zone and think I need to bring it in a bit, but I think I see what you mean about clutch engagement, I probably let the lever out 50% before any engagement.
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So I just installed some FDB (Fire Dragon Brothers) adjustable levers today. They are Pazzo knockoffs but cost $60 instead of $200. They address this issue.

Funny thing about adjustable levers... it's easy to keep trying different settings and not getting used to any of them, then forget what you like or don't like. I tried having the clutch start to engage very close to the handle bars, didn't like it, went back to closer to the fingertips, then went back to handles bars... now I don't even know what I like or don't like anymore.

Anyway... slowly but surely, I'm tackling all the issues listed in my original post... and turning this bike into my dream bike... :)

Next up... either FCE or 16/47 sprockets. I do want silky smooth throttle, but I'm also shocked at how used to the power I've gotten. When I first got the bike, the power was mind blowing... but 2 weeks later, and now I see why people say it's a different beast over 8k.
 
cjbottaro said:
Next up... either FCE or 16/47 sprockets. I do want silky smooth throttle, but I'm also shocked at how used to the power I've gotten. When I first got the bike, the power was mind blowing... but 2 weeks later, and now I see why people say it's a different beast over 8k.
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Good to hear. If you do the FCE before I do, let me know how it changes things. I think I have maybe hit 8k once in 200 miles over the last few days and that was on the freeway. If a cop had been behind me I'd be out 120 bucks or whatever it is these days :(

This bike is already telling me: "take me to a track!"
 
wcwrye said:
Good to hear. If you do the FCE before I do, let me know how it changes things. I think I have maybe hit 8k once in 200 miles over the last few days and that was on the freeway. If a cop had been behind me I'd be out 120 bucks or whatever it is these days :(

This bike is already telling me: "take me to a track!"
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Walt,

The FCE equipped with a PC III will make a world of difference..
 
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