betoney

I can’t think of a better endorsement for a suspension upgrade. Thank you! A plush, comfortable ride is only half of the possible improvement, if you were a more aggressive rider, you would immediately notice the ability to attack corners with much more control, speed and confidence. Custom tailored suspension will absolutely help you to be a faster and smoother rider. Enjoy your personalized ride, along with your new seat, you will be set!

The bars look great, much better than stock, ... but those handguards...😳

As are most of the bike parts you buy from China on EBay, exact duplicates, they don’t even try to hide it. Unfortunately the same Chinese parts that you buy on EBay are now sold on Amazon. I don’t know if the Chinese parts are priced extremely low or the original parts are grossly overpriced, but I often see a price difference of over 10x.

Does it really matter what state they are from? I'm confused by that statement.

Anything goes with heavy duty springs... 😎

I recently had a discussion with a rider who owns a Goldwing with DCT and he absolutely loved everything about it. I would love to take one out for a test ride.

When you order your shock, the suspension vendor will have that calculated for you. Anytime you talk to a suspension shop, one of the first questions they will ask is your weight and type of riding, they will set it up with the correct spring.

I would look closely at those tires before buying them, Maxxis doesn't make DOT legal tires.

Doesn't Sargent usually build their own seat pans? How could they start with a seat pan from a different model, modify it so it fits and then sell it to the public as a finished product? I have nothing against Sargent Seats and don't want to bad-mouth them but as a company who exclusively builds motorcycle seats, I find the above mentioned action inexcusable.

Very true. I love to tinker and can never leave well enough alone, I am always looking for something to work on over the winter. My bike gets taken care of better than I do.

@dazzler24 - Very clever use of the laser tool, I hadnt heard of that method before. The red looks awesome on the charcoal gray bike!! 👍

^^^Exactly This^^^ if you are going to go through the effort of replacing the shock, spend money on something (anything) else that's going to give you your moneys worth. You don't need a top of the line triple-clicker Ohlins or Penske but even a basic emulsion shock will give you better performance.

I just got my coffee mug in the mail.

I got a custom seat made 2 years ago at Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston, WA, I have since put 34,000 miles on it. I decided to get a slight alteration to lessen the angle/slope going into the tank. They make free alterations and even though they are 2 hours away, it is worth the trip (even though it was a frosty 34 degrees when I left the house this morning). Since getting the seat made, this is the 3rd trip back to make minor tweaks to suit my picky needs, never a fee and never a question, they keep making alterations until I'm happy.

@duhg - I HATE reading stories of deer strikes. I am forever wary after hitting one 3 years ago and totaling my bike. I was fortunate to be able to walk away. Glad you are ok.

Glad to hear that he has more work than he can keep up with, good for him. 😎

The right tool for the job - love it, 👍🏻

@keithu - I don't have an answer for you but thanks for the reminder on the pinlock insert. I have one for my Shoei GT-Air but have never used it, yet I curse my shield when it fogs up...go figure. On cold mornings I just crack my shield open to the first detent to clear the fog. I just went out and found my pinlock insert in my work bench, now to get it installed...

Glad to hear that you got the issue resolved. I cant believe a shop would ever mount a tire and not balance it, that's just common sense.

See the post right above yours for a how-to video. Its not an FJ/Tracer, but the procedure is 99% the same.

Who is this question directed to? I have the older MA005 bars (no longer made) that have been replaced by the MA009 bars. I am 6'-1" with 33-34" inseam. FWIW, I don't like wide bars, the original FJ bars were very wide in my opinion. Even thought the Rizoma bars were narrower than stock, I still cut an additional 3/4" off each side before tapping the ends for bar end weights.

^^Very True^^ When ridden correctly, its amazing how capable a smaller bike like a CBR or Ninja 650 is in the twisties.

I love riding country highways through forests and farmland. Happy 50th! 👍

Welcome to the forum. Glad you are enjoying the new bike.

Very nice write-up, it sounds like an amazing motorcycle. I would love to take one for a test ride. Enjoy!!