Bruce McCrary
RDY2GO!
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2007
- Messages
- 138
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Cotton Grove, NC
Bryan and I (as well as a few others) are members of the Motorcycle Tourers Forum (MTF). Recently I posted there about our desire to attempt an Iron Butt ride sometime later this year. I received many great responses and lots of great suggestions. Someone posted the following earlier today and I thought you guys might like to read it.
Bruce
************************************
Hi there,
I rode my FZ6 on a SS1000 last August (you'll find it easily enough on the master certified list - I think there have only been 6 or 7 done on this bike).
The only issue I had was vibes in the footpegs. I've since upgraded my riding boots, added crashbars with highway pegs on them; switched windshields, and an contemplating swapping the front sprocket from 16t to 17t to reduce rpms at interstate speeds.
Here's a copy of my ride report with some updates in ( ).
COPY OF REPORT.
The bike:
2007 Yamaha FZ6 (red) – it had just under 1200 miles on it when I started. I’d owned it for a month.
Stock seat!
SW-Motech risers/bar backs
Vista Cruise (I've since abandoned this thing)
Throttle rocker (LOVE IT!)
Shogun frame sliders (replaced these with crashbars since this ride)
Cortech super mini tank bag (I've added top and side cases since the ride)
The gear:
Nolan flip-up helmet
Earplugs (Walmart)
Firstgear HT overpants (minus liner)
Firstgear Mestex 3.0 jacket (with liner)
Harley Davidson boots (!) - not tall enough for this bike. (I've since replaced these with a paid of SIDI On Road boots)
I didn't take any pics during the ride (not much space for the camera, few stops, time pressure, and I hate taking pics – I already regret this though and will forever).
My route:
From Albion, Michigan on I-94 West to I-96
I-69 South to Indiannapolis
I-465 South around Indiannapolis to I-65 South
I-65 all the way to Nashville (through Louisville KY, Bowling Green KY - the entire state of Kentucky!)
I-24E/40W around Nashville and the I-65 again to Brentwood TN
Then the exact same route in reverse!
I left the house at 3:25 am and returned at 10:59 pm. The first 3 hours and the last 2 hours or so were in the dark. I had hoped to be back by 9 pm, but it just didn’t work out that way.
The fuel warning count-up came on at about 180 miles each time. I’ll post exact gas mileage at some point, but I was getting about 45 mpg consistently. That means I could have done the trip on 6 tanks of gas, although I stopped for gas 7 times (not including the initial fill-up, but counting a fill-up at the end of the trip).
The ride:I slept only about 3 hours Thursday night. It was a last-minute decision to go yesterday (Friday) rather than next week so I was up until 10 pm prepping the bike. The forecast for cooler weather and no rain made the decision easy for me. By the time I got to bed (after 11pm) I was too jazzed to sleep anyway.
I woke up at 2:45 am and grabbed a shower. I left the house at 3:25 am and got gas down the street. Then I hit the road.
The first few hours of riding were in the dark. It was FREEZING (temps in the low 50s I think). I had on my mesh jacket with liner and a t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over top. Once it got hot (below), I threw away the long-sleeved shirt (no place to store it!) My legs got cold too – I wore only biker shorts with my heavier Firstgear HT overpants (minus liner) over top. There was also a lot of construction around Ft. Wayne Indiana which also made the riding tougher, but I was fresh and focused. I only stopped when F-trip came on, although I was VERY happy to stop. After getting gas I rode across the street to McDonald’s and grabbed a quick bite. I knew the extra stop would hurt my time, but I was starving (I was also too nervous to eat dinner the night before!) I also phoned my wife (which I did at every gas stop during the trip).
The second leg down through Indiannapolis and to just south of Louisville KY was non-eventful. I hit some morning traffic into Indiannapolis, but there were no major problems. The sun was up and the riding was much easier. I was getting a bit spaced out by the time I got gas (far side of Louisville) and my hands were pretty numb. I made a longer stop at a gas station than planned (30 minutes) and waited 20 minutes in a line-up to buy water. The gas receipt also didn’t have a time stamp, so I waited again to get a cashier to sign it and write the time on it.
The third leg started out great. I crossed into Kentucky (my first time there) and the road actually had some turns! I had my ipod going and it was awesome. Kentucky even has signs warning motorcyclists of unusual road conditions (uneven lanes, etc.)……and then I got tingly…..mostly in my feet (felt like they were asleep). Instead of pushing on straight to Nashville, I stopped in Bowling Green (or somewhere near there). When I got off the bike I almost fell over – my legs were both asleep! At this point, I was starting to wonder why in the hell I was doing this, but I had gone too far to turn back. After a few minutes of walking around and shedding some clothing (throwing away the long-sleeved shirt, cramming the liner of the jacket into my tank bag and switching to vented gloves) I felt better. I put the ipod away and went back to ear plugs.
Because I had stopped early in Bowling Green (before needing gas), the ride into Nashville wasn’t as long (Tennessee – another new state for me!) I got around the city with no problems (I was most worried about this part since I had to switch quickly to I-24 and then I-40 before re-joining I-65 South). I kept going to Brentwood TN as planned. Mapquest said I could stop just before Nashville and make 500 miles each way, but I wanted to be safe and get a few more miles than needed so I opted to go around the city to the other side just in case.
As I pulled off at my turn-around point, I was feeling pretty beat. Only half-way there!! This stop really hurt my time as I spend over an hour in Brentwood TN. First, I had lunch at Wendy’s (if you read the Iron Butt Association’s website you’ll notice that they recommend NOT stopping at Wendy’s – but it was the easiest to reach). I must have looked and smelled pretty bad at this point because people kept their kids away from me. I could see the bike from inside the restaurant and I remember thinking that it looked VERY small to have come this far. After lunch I looked for level ground to do some maintenance. The Wendy’s was on a hill, as was the entire area so I rode next door and found a great level spot in the shade at the Hampton Inn. Thanks to the Hampton Inn for not kicking me out of your parking lot (I did the work right in front of the main entrance since the rest of the parking lot was on a slope - thanks Yamaha for putting a centerstand on this bike). The chain looked fine, but I cleaned and lubed it anyway. I then repacked, got gas, and spent 15 minutes trying to get back onto I-65 North. Brentwood is suburban hell.
Once I was back around Nashville I hit my first major traffic jam. The source was actually in the south-bound lanes , but the northbound direction (where I was) was slow due to gawkers. As I passed the accident scene (and gawked myself) I couldn’t tell what happened except that a truck was badly damaged and there was red plastic everywhere. I sure hope it wasn’t a bike! Both southbound lanes were closed and the line-up coming that way was at least 10 miles long! I saw a guy on a red ’07 FZ6 trying to cross the grassy median ( he was wearing a helmet with some kind of fake Mohawk sticking up from it – anyone know him?)
After about 40-50 more miles of riding, my feet were really hurting (asleep again from the buzzing). I was also getting spaced out. I pulled over at a rest stop, found a big shade tree and gave myself 10 minutes to close my eyes. It was awesome!! I felt refreshed and rode on through Louisville and into Indiana without any problems (using the ipod again).
After refueling just inside Indiana, I continued North towards Indianapolis. Just as before, I got about 50-60 miles before hitting the wall again. Numbness and fatigue were really setting in at this point. Once again I found a rest-area and stretched out on the ground for 10 minutes. Just as before, it worked wonderfully and I was able to ride another 120 miles without any problems. I passed another major traffic accident (again, it was in the Southbound lanes – truck flipped over) and several minor accidents before rounding Indianapolis and turning off on I-69 North. I rode for a while before stopping in Gas City Indiana (about 50 miles from Ft. Wayne and still almost 3 hours from home).
I got gas in Gas City IN (fitting) at 8pm and noticed that the timestamp on my receipt was waaay off [hours behind the actual time] – meaning I had to go in, wait in another line, and get another confused clerk to fix the time and sign the receipt (I asked if he could print a receipt with the correct time and he just laughed nervously and said that they had no idea how to set the time). Since I was already inside I made it a full stop at the adjoining Subway and had a quick dinner. I put the liner back in the jacket, switched to warmer gloves, and put away the sunglasses. I tried to eat fast as the light was fading, but a friendly guy sat down at my table (!) and start reminiscing about the bike he used to have (a Triumph). It was sometime closer to 9 before I finally hit the road.
At this point I had enough gas to get home, but I figured I’d need to stop at least once to take a rest break (I hadn’t gone a full tank without stopping since the second tank of the trip). I didn’t stop though – there was enough truck traffic to keep me alert and by the time it was really dark I was only 90 minutes from home. I just kept telling myself to ‘suck it up and ride’ and it seemed to work. At Angola, Indiana I passed the 1000-mile mark (!) and I just kept riding until I reached a gas station less than a mile from home (same one I stopped at back at the start of the trip). It was tough to ride through town since I was a complete zombie at that point and had no feeling in my lower legs. The last 20 miles took FOREVER.
Soooo how did the FZ6 do? (and what did it do to me?)
Engine: It’s a champ. No problems with the bike at all. It did seem to be idling a bit rough during the last few stops (I heard some unsettling rattling at one stop), but no problems at speed. Temps ran from the 160s to the 180s. (after the ride I discovered a loose bolt on the airbox, which likely explained the rattling)
Stock seat: Not bad! Actually pretty damn good. I had some minor pain while riding (crushing certain parts of the anatomy), but nothing a little shifting of position once in a while didn’t cure. I am slightly numb-butted today, but no pain and no soreness. Looks like I’m keeping this seat!
Lighting: It sucks. Much worse than I had hoped. I’d STRONGLY recommend doing the low-beam mod (which I haven’t done yet) or HID conversion. I think my beams might be aimed too low as well as the high-beam didn’t do anything except light a bit of the right side of the bike.
Handling: As is often reported, this bike handles well, although it’s not designed as a slab-burner. I have the better OEM tires (Bridgestones) which were holding up well until this trip. It looks like they’re starting to cup and shed rubber and it’s pretty obvious that they’re starting to wear badly in the middle. They do grip pretty good, but I’m looking forward to trying something new. The light weight of the bike made things a bit interesting in heavy truck traffic and I was blown around a lot. Before this trip, I tried to avoid interstates and I plan to go back to that strategy for a while.
Pegs: Biggest disappointment was here. I’ve NEVER had problems with my feet/legs going numb before, but after 300 miles the back half of each foot (from the arch back to the heel) went numb regularly. Could be the crappy HD boots I have, although they are supposed to minimize this issue. I’ve never ridden more than about 200 miles/day on the FZ6 before, so I doubt it’s a problem unless you ride a long time. My heels are still very, very numb (13 hours after the trip).
Grips/Bars: The bar-backs certainly help with the riding position. I rarely used the vista cruise (just doesn’t hold speed consistently), but the cheap throttle rocker was AWESOME. This is definitely the best (and cheapest!) mod I’ve done. I’ll never go on another trip without one. I think I’ll get some grip puppies before my next trip. I’m also beginning to understand why Iron Butt Rally riders put brush guards on their FJRs and such – less wind on the hands would mean less fatigue. I would have traded my left hand for a set of brush guards or heated grips during the first few hours of the ride!
Incidentally, I’m ALWAYS in minor pain while riding (my wrists/hands are weak) and I thought this might keep me from completing the ride. I found that the pain I felt at the start never got worse though and after only 10 minutes at each stop the shaking in my hands calmed down. No problems with the wrists or hands today either. As others have said, the key is finding a way to minimize the pressure on your hands. Whenever I felt my hands tensing up, I could tighten my leg-grip on the tank and loosen my hands and arms.
Shield: I have the CalSci 9.5” windshield. It rocks. Still lots of wind noise, but ear plugs helped with that. Cost aside, this is the best mod I've done. [I've since purchased the new Cee Bailey windshield and I'm waiting until Spring to try it out.....I'm hoping to cut down on the wind noise a bit more]
Conclusions: (1) The FZ6 is no Goldwing or RT, but it’s a capable tourer. I think I could do 300-500 days in the saddle without any problems. (2) Short breaks work wonders, (3) On a long trip I should wear my leather jacket (better protection and better in a range of temps).
[I'm in final prep for a Great Lakes ride this Spring]
dmccurdy5
Bruce
************************************
Hi there,
I rode my FZ6 on a SS1000 last August (you'll find it easily enough on the master certified list - I think there have only been 6 or 7 done on this bike).
The only issue I had was vibes in the footpegs. I've since upgraded my riding boots, added crashbars with highway pegs on them; switched windshields, and an contemplating swapping the front sprocket from 16t to 17t to reduce rpms at interstate speeds.
Here's a copy of my ride report with some updates in ( ).
COPY OF REPORT.
The bike:
2007 Yamaha FZ6 (red) – it had just under 1200 miles on it when I started. I’d owned it for a month.
Stock seat!
SW-Motech risers/bar backs
Vista Cruise (I've since abandoned this thing)
Throttle rocker (LOVE IT!)
Shogun frame sliders (replaced these with crashbars since this ride)
Cortech super mini tank bag (I've added top and side cases since the ride)
The gear:
Nolan flip-up helmet
Earplugs (Walmart)
Firstgear HT overpants (minus liner)
Firstgear Mestex 3.0 jacket (with liner)
Harley Davidson boots (!) - not tall enough for this bike. (I've since replaced these with a paid of SIDI On Road boots)
I didn't take any pics during the ride (not much space for the camera, few stops, time pressure, and I hate taking pics – I already regret this though and will forever).
My route:
From Albion, Michigan on I-94 West to I-96
I-69 South to Indiannapolis
I-465 South around Indiannapolis to I-65 South
I-65 all the way to Nashville (through Louisville KY, Bowling Green KY - the entire state of Kentucky!)
I-24E/40W around Nashville and the I-65 again to Brentwood TN
Then the exact same route in reverse!
I left the house at 3:25 am and returned at 10:59 pm. The first 3 hours and the last 2 hours or so were in the dark. I had hoped to be back by 9 pm, but it just didn’t work out that way.
The fuel warning count-up came on at about 180 miles each time. I’ll post exact gas mileage at some point, but I was getting about 45 mpg consistently. That means I could have done the trip on 6 tanks of gas, although I stopped for gas 7 times (not including the initial fill-up, but counting a fill-up at the end of the trip).
The ride:I slept only about 3 hours Thursday night. It was a last-minute decision to go yesterday (Friday) rather than next week so I was up until 10 pm prepping the bike. The forecast for cooler weather and no rain made the decision easy for me. By the time I got to bed (after 11pm) I was too jazzed to sleep anyway.
I woke up at 2:45 am and grabbed a shower. I left the house at 3:25 am and got gas down the street. Then I hit the road.
The first few hours of riding were in the dark. It was FREEZING (temps in the low 50s I think). I had on my mesh jacket with liner and a t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over top. Once it got hot (below), I threw away the long-sleeved shirt (no place to store it!) My legs got cold too – I wore only biker shorts with my heavier Firstgear HT overpants (minus liner) over top. There was also a lot of construction around Ft. Wayne Indiana which also made the riding tougher, but I was fresh and focused. I only stopped when F-trip came on, although I was VERY happy to stop. After getting gas I rode across the street to McDonald’s and grabbed a quick bite. I knew the extra stop would hurt my time, but I was starving (I was also too nervous to eat dinner the night before!) I also phoned my wife (which I did at every gas stop during the trip).
The second leg down through Indiannapolis and to just south of Louisville KY was non-eventful. I hit some morning traffic into Indiannapolis, but there were no major problems. The sun was up and the riding was much easier. I was getting a bit spaced out by the time I got gas (far side of Louisville) and my hands were pretty numb. I made a longer stop at a gas station than planned (30 minutes) and waited 20 minutes in a line-up to buy water. The gas receipt also didn’t have a time stamp, so I waited again to get a cashier to sign it and write the time on it.
The third leg started out great. I crossed into Kentucky (my first time there) and the road actually had some turns! I had my ipod going and it was awesome. Kentucky even has signs warning motorcyclists of unusual road conditions (uneven lanes, etc.)……and then I got tingly…..mostly in my feet (felt like they were asleep). Instead of pushing on straight to Nashville, I stopped in Bowling Green (or somewhere near there). When I got off the bike I almost fell over – my legs were both asleep! At this point, I was starting to wonder why in the hell I was doing this, but I had gone too far to turn back. After a few minutes of walking around and shedding some clothing (throwing away the long-sleeved shirt, cramming the liner of the jacket into my tank bag and switching to vented gloves) I felt better. I put the ipod away and went back to ear plugs.
Because I had stopped early in Bowling Green (before needing gas), the ride into Nashville wasn’t as long (Tennessee – another new state for me!) I got around the city with no problems (I was most worried about this part since I had to switch quickly to I-24 and then I-40 before re-joining I-65 South). I kept going to Brentwood TN as planned. Mapquest said I could stop just before Nashville and make 500 miles each way, but I wanted to be safe and get a few more miles than needed so I opted to go around the city to the other side just in case.
As I pulled off at my turn-around point, I was feeling pretty beat. Only half-way there!! This stop really hurt my time as I spend over an hour in Brentwood TN. First, I had lunch at Wendy’s (if you read the Iron Butt Association’s website you’ll notice that they recommend NOT stopping at Wendy’s – but it was the easiest to reach). I must have looked and smelled pretty bad at this point because people kept their kids away from me. I could see the bike from inside the restaurant and I remember thinking that it looked VERY small to have come this far. After lunch I looked for level ground to do some maintenance. The Wendy’s was on a hill, as was the entire area so I rode next door and found a great level spot in the shade at the Hampton Inn. Thanks to the Hampton Inn for not kicking me out of your parking lot (I did the work right in front of the main entrance since the rest of the parking lot was on a slope - thanks Yamaha for putting a centerstand on this bike). The chain looked fine, but I cleaned and lubed it anyway. I then repacked, got gas, and spent 15 minutes trying to get back onto I-65 North. Brentwood is suburban hell.
Once I was back around Nashville I hit my first major traffic jam. The source was actually in the south-bound lanes , but the northbound direction (where I was) was slow due to gawkers. As I passed the accident scene (and gawked myself) I couldn’t tell what happened except that a truck was badly damaged and there was red plastic everywhere. I sure hope it wasn’t a bike! Both southbound lanes were closed and the line-up coming that way was at least 10 miles long! I saw a guy on a red ’07 FZ6 trying to cross the grassy median ( he was wearing a helmet with some kind of fake Mohawk sticking up from it – anyone know him?)
After about 40-50 more miles of riding, my feet were really hurting (asleep again from the buzzing). I was also getting spaced out. I pulled over at a rest stop, found a big shade tree and gave myself 10 minutes to close my eyes. It was awesome!! I felt refreshed and rode on through Louisville and into Indiana without any problems (using the ipod again).
After refueling just inside Indiana, I continued North towards Indianapolis. Just as before, I got about 50-60 miles before hitting the wall again. Numbness and fatigue were really setting in at this point. Once again I found a rest-area and stretched out on the ground for 10 minutes. Just as before, it worked wonderfully and I was able to ride another 120 miles without any problems. I passed another major traffic accident (again, it was in the Southbound lanes – truck flipped over) and several minor accidents before rounding Indianapolis and turning off on I-69 North. I rode for a while before stopping in Gas City Indiana (about 50 miles from Ft. Wayne and still almost 3 hours from home).
I got gas in Gas City IN (fitting) at 8pm and noticed that the timestamp on my receipt was waaay off [hours behind the actual time] – meaning I had to go in, wait in another line, and get another confused clerk to fix the time and sign the receipt (I asked if he could print a receipt with the correct time and he just laughed nervously and said that they had no idea how to set the time). Since I was already inside I made it a full stop at the adjoining Subway and had a quick dinner. I put the liner back in the jacket, switched to warmer gloves, and put away the sunglasses. I tried to eat fast as the light was fading, but a friendly guy sat down at my table (!) and start reminiscing about the bike he used to have (a Triumph). It was sometime closer to 9 before I finally hit the road.
At this point I had enough gas to get home, but I figured I’d need to stop at least once to take a rest break (I hadn’t gone a full tank without stopping since the second tank of the trip). I didn’t stop though – there was enough truck traffic to keep me alert and by the time it was really dark I was only 90 minutes from home. I just kept telling myself to ‘suck it up and ride’ and it seemed to work. At Angola, Indiana I passed the 1000-mile mark (!) and I just kept riding until I reached a gas station less than a mile from home (same one I stopped at back at the start of the trip). It was tough to ride through town since I was a complete zombie at that point and had no feeling in my lower legs. The last 20 miles took FOREVER.
Soooo how did the FZ6 do? (and what did it do to me?)
Engine: It’s a champ. No problems with the bike at all. It did seem to be idling a bit rough during the last few stops (I heard some unsettling rattling at one stop), but no problems at speed. Temps ran from the 160s to the 180s. (after the ride I discovered a loose bolt on the airbox, which likely explained the rattling)
Stock seat: Not bad! Actually pretty damn good. I had some minor pain while riding (crushing certain parts of the anatomy), but nothing a little shifting of position once in a while didn’t cure. I am slightly numb-butted today, but no pain and no soreness. Looks like I’m keeping this seat!
Lighting: It sucks. Much worse than I had hoped. I’d STRONGLY recommend doing the low-beam mod (which I haven’t done yet) or HID conversion. I think my beams might be aimed too low as well as the high-beam didn’t do anything except light a bit of the right side of the bike.
Handling: As is often reported, this bike handles well, although it’s not designed as a slab-burner. I have the better OEM tires (Bridgestones) which were holding up well until this trip. It looks like they’re starting to cup and shed rubber and it’s pretty obvious that they’re starting to wear badly in the middle. They do grip pretty good, but I’m looking forward to trying something new. The light weight of the bike made things a bit interesting in heavy truck traffic and I was blown around a lot. Before this trip, I tried to avoid interstates and I plan to go back to that strategy for a while.
Pegs: Biggest disappointment was here. I’ve NEVER had problems with my feet/legs going numb before, but after 300 miles the back half of each foot (from the arch back to the heel) went numb regularly. Could be the crappy HD boots I have, although they are supposed to minimize this issue. I’ve never ridden more than about 200 miles/day on the FZ6 before, so I doubt it’s a problem unless you ride a long time. My heels are still very, very numb (13 hours after the trip).
Grips/Bars: The bar-backs certainly help with the riding position. I rarely used the vista cruise (just doesn’t hold speed consistently), but the cheap throttle rocker was AWESOME. This is definitely the best (and cheapest!) mod I’ve done. I’ll never go on another trip without one. I think I’ll get some grip puppies before my next trip. I’m also beginning to understand why Iron Butt Rally riders put brush guards on their FJRs and such – less wind on the hands would mean less fatigue. I would have traded my left hand for a set of brush guards or heated grips during the first few hours of the ride!
Incidentally, I’m ALWAYS in minor pain while riding (my wrists/hands are weak) and I thought this might keep me from completing the ride. I found that the pain I felt at the start never got worse though and after only 10 minutes at each stop the shaking in my hands calmed down. No problems with the wrists or hands today either. As others have said, the key is finding a way to minimize the pressure on your hands. Whenever I felt my hands tensing up, I could tighten my leg-grip on the tank and loosen my hands and arms.
Shield: I have the CalSci 9.5” windshield. It rocks. Still lots of wind noise, but ear plugs helped with that. Cost aside, this is the best mod I've done. [I've since purchased the new Cee Bailey windshield and I'm waiting until Spring to try it out.....I'm hoping to cut down on the wind noise a bit more]
Conclusions: (1) The FZ6 is no Goldwing or RT, but it’s a capable tourer. I think I could do 300-500 days in the saddle without any problems. (2) Short breaks work wonders, (3) On a long trip I should wear my leather jacket (better protection and better in a range of temps).
[I'm in final prep for a Great Lakes ride this Spring]
dmccurdy5
