mobyjohnson
Junior Member
Aight, so - I just got a 2008 FZ6 (my 3rd bike) this past weekend and am just loving the thing so far. My last bike was a HD Sportster that I did all the maintenance on myself (insanely easy on those machines) but I am much less confident about doing anything on this bike until I really get to know it.
I haven't gotten the chance to punish her on the streets yet because she desperately needs a new front tire but hope to get that done this next couple of weeks. I've got a couple of questions for you guys though:
1) I will be taking the bike to the shop for the new tire next week and will have them take a look at everything (so far it all looks and sounds right) – anything I should have them look at specifically? The bike is a stock 2008 with a bit over 20k on it.
2) The front tire definitely needs replacement and the rear is maybe only a 1000 miles away from the low zone - should I just go ahead and replace both? I have been led to believe Road Pilot 2s are the way to go - to me it seems like I should just take on the cost now and do em both...does that sound about right?
3) It may be just the difference in bikes: mainly the move down from a large spoked front wheel to a smaller cast wheel or the shear difference in horsepower & torque but the front end feels a tiny bit shaky/wobbly. It seems like some turns make me a bit more uneasy and accelerating over bumps/potholes brings a lot more feedback up to the bars than I've felt on a bike before. Are the forks misaligned? Is the suspension just shotty or in need of a good draining? Is this just this bike and me not being used to it?
4) Just a quick question on where you guys normally keep your rear preload set? On the I changed the preload on the Harley and still do on my girlfriends SYM anytime I go from solo to two up (maybe a bit too anal) but in the past I've really found that there is always a sweet spot in the compromise between confidence inspiring stiffness through the turns (solo) and soft and comfy riding (two up) - too soft, and I feel a bit more uneasy about pushing the bike, too hard and I feel like my bike isn't the excellent machine it is. Anyways, just wanted to get your two cents on where to place it and how often you guys change it? Currently, I've got it set on 4 and hoping that will be enough to stay in place for the 150lb load of me and the 250lb load of me and the gf.
5) I've got framesliders and grip puppies (for my heated grips) in the mail already, what other major mods should I consider for kitting this thing out to 2 up touring? The corbin gunfighter and lady is already on my radar - but I'll wait until our butts are crying until I shell out that much cash, and I'll probably need to look into some hard/soft luggage for camping pretty soon.
I know this is practically a short novel but I really appreciate the input on any one of these questions. Thanks!
I haven't gotten the chance to punish her on the streets yet because she desperately needs a new front tire but hope to get that done this next couple of weeks. I've got a couple of questions for you guys though:
1) I will be taking the bike to the shop for the new tire next week and will have them take a look at everything (so far it all looks and sounds right) – anything I should have them look at specifically? The bike is a stock 2008 with a bit over 20k on it.
2) The front tire definitely needs replacement and the rear is maybe only a 1000 miles away from the low zone - should I just go ahead and replace both? I have been led to believe Road Pilot 2s are the way to go - to me it seems like I should just take on the cost now and do em both...does that sound about right?
3) It may be just the difference in bikes: mainly the move down from a large spoked front wheel to a smaller cast wheel or the shear difference in horsepower & torque but the front end feels a tiny bit shaky/wobbly. It seems like some turns make me a bit more uneasy and accelerating over bumps/potholes brings a lot more feedback up to the bars than I've felt on a bike before. Are the forks misaligned? Is the suspension just shotty or in need of a good draining? Is this just this bike and me not being used to it?
4) Just a quick question on where you guys normally keep your rear preload set? On the I changed the preload on the Harley and still do on my girlfriends SYM anytime I go from solo to two up (maybe a bit too anal) but in the past I've really found that there is always a sweet spot in the compromise between confidence inspiring stiffness through the turns (solo) and soft and comfy riding (two up) - too soft, and I feel a bit more uneasy about pushing the bike, too hard and I feel like my bike isn't the excellent machine it is. Anyways, just wanted to get your two cents on where to place it and how often you guys change it? Currently, I've got it set on 4 and hoping that will be enough to stay in place for the 150lb load of me and the 250lb load of me and the gf.
5) I've got framesliders and grip puppies (for my heated grips) in the mail already, what other major mods should I consider for kitting this thing out to 2 up touring? The corbin gunfighter and lady is already on my radar - but I'll wait until our butts are crying until I shell out that much cash, and I'll probably need to look into some hard/soft luggage for camping pretty soon.
I know this is practically a short novel but I really appreciate the input on any one of these questions. Thanks!
