Suspension, Suspension, Suspension

Ssky0078 said:
To be honest with you I'm a little jealous of the shorter riders, I think 5'10", maybe 6'0" would be the perfect height to ride motorcycles.
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I'm 5'8" and 170lbs with a stocky build so perfect for my FZ1.

Not bragging but I've never been on a diet and pretty much eat anything I see. My weight has never fluctuated more than 5lbs after the age of 20 and I'm now 50. I've heard weight loss can be a real challenge but hang in there. Keep your metabolism high, stay active and don't starve yourself
 
The back end just gets really loose and
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I understand that you had someone setup your suspension. But, playing the Devils Advocate, I gotta ask if youve tried adjusting it from there? Its not gonna hurt if you try coming off those settings as you can always go back. And just because your tuner is good, doesnt mean that hes got things perfect for you.

I dont belive that you mentioned your tire situation. Model/press/age/state of wear? Looks like your in AZ, too many heat cycles can harden a tire to the point that it slides easier too.

What are you running on your front end for fork hieght above the clamps?

Your situation suggests to me that the rear end slide indicates settings that are to hard. Im 215 in shorts and flops, so Im not that far off from you. Whens the last time you had the bikes sag checked? Check it again anyhow. Check out DAVE MOSS on Youtube.

I too have the R1 setup and found it to be a great improvement.

Good luck.
 
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terdog said:
I understand that you had someone setup your suspension. But, playing the Devils Advocate, I gotta ask if youve tried adjusting it from there? Its not gonna hurt if you try coming off those settings as you can always go back. And just because your tuner is good, doesnt mean that hes got things perfect for you.

I dont belive that you mentioned your tire situation. Model/press/age/state of wear? Looks like your in AZ, too many heat cycles can harden a tire to the point that it slides easier too.

What are you running on your front end for fork hieght above the clamps?

Your situation suggests to me that the rear end slide indicates settings that are to hard. Im 215 in shorts and flops, so Im not that far off from you. Whens the last time you had the bikes sag checked? Check it again anyhow. Check out DAVE MOSS on Youtube.

I too have the R1 setup and found it to be a great improvement.

Good luck.
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Very good points.

The suspension tune I had before was great, it allowed me to get more and more comfortable that I'm to the point that I'm pushing my skills. I'm noticing that I'm getting through corners with better speed, and less effort physically by myself and from the bike as well.

The tires are about 3500 miles into a brand new set (I think born on date was early 2013, I'd have to go look, but that's what I remember) of Pilot Power 3's the rear looks like about a little past 50% wore down and the front only looks like maybe 25% worn. I was wondering about the heat as well, because once it started getting over 110 in the last 2 weeks, is when I began to notice it. I guess when it's 110 in the air the ground is something like 150-160. I got the new tires a couple months ago and basically ride every day commute, 30-50 mile round trips.

I have never checked the front end fork height and don't know what I would be looking for when doing it.

The sag was set up pretty firm and I have not rechecked since the time it was set up. With my weight the spring preload is maxed out. Also both shops I've talked to, my local shop and the race shop that set up my suspension, have said that it sounds like the factory rear shock with it's emulsion set up is probably getting hot and getting bubbles. The wiggle in the rear does seem to get worse as the temp goes up and I've been riding a little bit. I'm guessing the Arizona heat exceeds the capacity for the oil to maintain it's thickness/density/viscosity to maintain rebound.

I talked to Dan at Traxxion Dynamics and he pretty much has me sold on the Penske 8975 rear shock. He said that when he was at the demo day for Penske, the riders were comparing the 8975 to the 8983 and most of them could not tell a different. It would only save me $130 bucks but, I dunno, I think I'm leaning that way.

I am thinking if I'm going to hold on to the bike for at least another year, maybe two, maybe forever, the money put into the suspension will be well worth it for not only the enjoyment factor but safety as well. The only thing that I believe could get me off my Fz1 would be a Tuono V4R that I could afford and that isn't happening any time soon.

Thank you for all the comments everybody, it really is helping me narrow down my next move.
 
I've done the R1 fork conversion and love it. It's hard to give a side-by-side comparison and describe exactly what's different. I also did the R6 rear shock 2 years ago, and it's been working great.

But, on my last twisty ride I was going 15 - 20 mph faster than I had gone before on the same roads. And not trying any harder. To me that means working better.

FZ1_2013_06_12-03.jpg
 
I have never checked the front end fork height and don't know what I would be looking for when doing it.
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Im refering to the forks sticking up above the top clamp. This will change the "attitude" of the chassis, putting more or less weight/bias on the front end. Generally people will raise the forks above the top clamp to gain a more aggressive turning nature.
 
Barring any major, unseen money pits, I think I will have enough saved up soon to get my Penske rear shock and fork springs this year. :woot: I'll have to contact Lee at Traxxion Dynamics to get some advise. I wish I could do the AK fork cartridge, but I think the new springs will be enough for now (and within a reasonable price).

The suspension upgrades, a fresh set of PP3's (or another sport tire, Q3, S20, etc) and a trip to the Dragon is just what I need. I hope all that can happen for spring 2014 or 2015. :dontknow:
 
If you're looking to upgrade your suspension, I came across this on my Ebay searches today. That is a good price if all the parts are in good shape. This is pretty much what I have done to my bike & I can tell you that it makes a HUGE difference to handling.

06 R1 Le Ohlins Forks Rear Shock Marchesini Wheels Brakes Rotors | eBay

disclaimer: I don't know the seller or have any knowledge of the condition of the parts.

I paid nearly that for the forks alone brand new.
 
I'm sure that's a great deal (if everything is in good condition), but that's out of my price range. I'll be lucky to come up with $1,500-$1800 to do the rear Penske shock and the fork springs. Thanks for the info, though. Maybe someone else can jump on it.
 
I turns the compression dampening down 2 clicks because I'm riding on rougher roads. I liked the firmness in the corners and the dive resistance on braking, but it needed softened a touch. I may even lighten the front preload a touch for touring.

Now I'm torn on whether to do the rear shock and fork springs first or do the Ivan flash and PCV first. Not that I wouldn't like a bit more power, but I'm still on stock airbox and exhaust. I just HATE the throttle snatch and fuel cut off. Argh! Too many mods and too little money. :(
 
Ssky0078 said:
I talked to Dan at Traxxion Dynamics and he pretty much has me sold on the Penske 8975 rear shock. He said that when he was at the demo day for Penske, the riders were comparing the 8975 to the 8983 and most of them could not tell a different. It would only save me $130 bucks but, I dunno, I think I'm leaning that way.
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I worked with Lee over at Traxxion. Luckily they are literally 4 miles from house and I love their service. My current Gen II is the second FZ1 I've had them work on....the first being my old Gen 1.

I have the 8975 and got the same impression after conversations with Lee. On the front they revalved my forks and I have .95 kg springs. The combination works great and I've done 3 track days on this suspension (Little Tally, Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park) and is pretty much perfect for my 245 lbs.

 
Gamecock said:
I worked with Lee over at Traxxion. Luckily they are literally 4 miles from house and I love their service. My current Gen II is the second FZ1 I've had them work on....the first being my old Gen 1.

I have the 8975 and got the same impression after conversations with Lee. On the front they revalved my forks and I have .95 kg springs. The combination works great and I've done 3 track days on this suspension (Little Tally, Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park) and is pretty much perfect for my 245 lbs.
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I found the same thing with my old Nitron shock when compared to my Penske 8983. Once set up they both felt similar. The Penske has a little extra fine tuning ability with the extra clicker.

Sent from my GT-I9300
 
ballmead said:
I found the same thing with my old Nitron shock when compared to my Penske 8983. Once set up they both felt similar. The Penske has a little extra fine tuning ability with the extra clicker.

Sent from my GT-I9300
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I had the double clicker on my Gen I and loved it. I was nice to be able to go stiffer and softer but from what I've heard on the Gen II with its different geometry and lighter tail you really don't "improve" anything with the step up shock.
 
I wish I was closer to Traxxion and/or Ivan so I could just ride in and talk in person and get the work done there. Sadly, my dealings will have to be via phone and Internet. Then I have to wait on Eric (FZ1inNH/Cobalt) to come visit and make my wrenches work.

As bad as the throttle snatch had been bothering me, I still feel the suspension will be the best improvement for the bike. I hate to sink too much money into an '07, but I plan to keep it for a long time. I will just have to add to the stable. I'm going to
 
My interactions with Traxxion via email have been absolutely fantastic. I have a slough of long emails from Lee & Mike there and they were very helpful with getting me educated & sorted out when I was figuring out a rear shock for the 919.

I ended up going with a CBR600 F3 shock which I had purchased on eBay for $20 and had delivered direct to them from a seller only a few miles away. They re-built/valved/sprung it based on my specs and information I gave them and sent it back to me in less than a week. Total cost was under $450, I believe. The shock is fantastic and it was well worth tie money.

I'd definitely have more work done there in the future
 
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Troy, I'd love to transform your bike for you. Start gathering the parts and I'll see about a road trip!

I have the 8983 with a reservoir from Lee. Did not talk to them at all, just filled in their required info on the web site and ordered. They called with one more question and it arrived spot-on perfect. I've yet to change anything on it.

@Gamecock - what was the cost for the fork re-valve if you don't mind sharing? I do have Racetech 1.0 kg springs in them but we all know the compression leg is shite. I have a thread here where Lee discussed the Gen II forks specifically. He said they can reverse a rebound valve with their special-sauce shim stack and make it 80% better. I'd like to ship both forks and just have them set them up correctly with my Racetech springs and new valve(s).

Back at Troy... I totally agree that suspension should be first. I spent a lot of money on the bike before suspension and after finally buying it, realized what a mistake I'd made. Plus, you'll *absolutely NEED* good suspension when you Ivanize the ECU. With all of that locked up stuff that Ivan uncorks, you'll need the handling under complete control. ;)
 
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