Hey guys,
Thought I would throw up a bit of a report on my FXR. For those that care anyways. Ive done about 1000 kays since I finished her so I thought I would share my experiences.
Its a bit long-winded. Apologies for that.
Just to say, I fuckin dig this bike. Its exactly how an FXR should be. Light, nimble and attitude galore. I LOVE it. Its pretty easy to speed on her though....
First things first: it took me a good while to get the suspension dialed in. Essentially, I was trying to work out the different bike vs. rider-related inputs and how they affected the package as a whole. I also had a front end shimmy when cornering above 90 ish kays and it bugged the shit outta me given the coin I've just spent on this thing.
Felt like the forks and shocks weren't balanced. I initially thought the shocks were too firm and dicked around with them for a few rides. What I eventually discovered, was the rear was too soft. This caused the wallow to start from the back end and I realised the front would wobble because I was deathgripping. Minor inputs have a big result on this bike.. Cracked up the preload a tad in the rear and relaxed the grip and its made a world of difference. Front preload adjusters really helped with the dialling-in process too. Just small adjustments at a time and I was able to set them pretty sweet for my riding style..
The bike feels very, very responsive to rider input. I didnt realise just how much. Its taking some miles to get used to and it initially made me very uneasy. Taller shocks have obviously put the front end angles back where they should be. I also figured that the spherical bearing and billet pivot kit in the swingarm was not allowing any flex whatsoever. No rubbery-ness and no twisting. This is awesome, but it translates to super-sensitive handling and a big increase in road feel. Some may not like the road feel (feels somewhat like a rear tyre at 60psi). I do. It allows me to feel exactly what the rear end is doing and when the rear shocks were finally dialled in, I was amazed at what I could feel. It really is a great mod. I reckon I could reach out and touch my fingers on the road mid-corner. Its extremely stable.
Speaking of road feel, the bars are solid mounted too. Again, this increased the transfer of bumps/divots etc to the rider. Partly what was causing the subconcious deathgripping I reckon. Does take some time to get used to and Ive discovered little vibrations that I never knew existed. Very sensitive to wheel balance as I can feel everything now. Its also hilighted the fact that getting tyre pressures spot-on is important toward establishing good feedback without sacrificing numb hands or grip. I love the ISO grips btw. They are tits.
Whilst on handlebars, the dimensions ( 14" x 26" ) are about perfect. I'm 187cm and these are just right. I have found that the t-sport screen cold be about 2" taller though. Wind hits me right in the eyes once I pick up some speed. Tucking in behind helps a lot but I cramp after a while hunched over the tank. Conleys make screens in different heights and they ship to Oz no problem so I'll probably order a 16 incher and cut it little amounts at a time until Im happy with it.
Drag Specialties make a comfy seat at a decent price. I dont like the fact that the seat is not hinged but it still comes off pretty easily. Its very narrow-feeling but also feels very plush. Initially felt I was propped too far forward to be comfortable with the mid controls but Im getting used to it now and its a very positive seating position. The seat position actually kind-of forces me to tuck my knees into the tank. Feels weird at first on a Harley but it really helps with maintaining a solid bike/rider combination. I can steer this bike with my hips..
Hands down one of the best mods was the install of the Tokico 4 piston caliper up front. Shit its good. First few rides it caught me off guard at times. Coming to a stop at the lights or whatever, the old brakes would require a final squeeze to pull up completely. Tried that with the Tokico and nearly dropped the bike. It stopped dead right on the spot. With the shmick wavy rotor, there is no sign of fade or warping. The pads bite hard every time and to me, thats a great thing. I can finally rely on my front brakes. Rears are next and I'll probably use the same caliper on a custom bracket.
Shinko 777 tyres? Fuck yeah I rate these. Cost me $320 for both and they stick like shit on a shovel. As for wear, still too early but I noticed yesterday that I've been riding them right on the edge and they dont feel unstable at all. Wet grip is very positive too but still early days yet.
The funny thing is, all of this road feel and stiffness has resulted in me having to Loctite the shit out of her. Didn't even consider it until several bits started working their way loose.
So in summary, I am wrapped with this bike. Its funny how function over form leads to a much better package overall. Ego and wank-factor aside, build a bike for function and you'll be way happier with the end result, plus it won't look like every other bike on the road. For a 24 year old bike, it doesnt get much better although I'm now seriously considering a 113" motor...
For those that have never owned/ridden an FXR - unlucky...
Thanks for reading.
P.S. My 9 year old has now told me that its his bike when he's older....cheeky shit.
Thanks for the write up Camikaze. Nice bike. Good on the little fella for taking an interest so early.
Very nice ride mate, I'm slowly chipping away at my FXR and trying different things here and there.
I want to throw a nice big S&S in it but upgraded my sportbike instead.
Here's my rig with low shocks on it for around town.
