betoney

In my experience they should be good for at least double that. I have always changed mine at the valve service, - about 24-26k because everything is already torn apart.

Agree with this, Ive even done this out on the trail on my dirt bike, lean it up against a tree, loosen a few bolts, twist up or twist down, tighten and you are done.

@nhchris - On the FJ (and Versys as well) you are limited to preload and rebound adjustment. You don't NEED to drop big dollars into suspension but at a minimum, correct springs for your weight (about $200) make a huge difference in getting your suspension feeling correct. I am not at all surprised with your experience under heavy acceleration, think about the physics, the rear end is squating and the front end is lifting, with a stiffer shock spring that effect is lessened.

When you remove the 4 bolts holding the tank, all you do is lift the tank and rotate it 180 degrees backward and place it down where the seat would be, the fuel and vent lines DO NOT need to be removed. At that point, the airbox and ECU are fully exposed. When you replace the tank do it in the opposite orientation of when it was removed so the hoses don't turn 360 degrees and get kinked. I always remove it standing on the left side and turn the tank clock-wise 180 degrees.

Very good points. It has been said here before but to reiterate- ride with a screw driver and wrench to adjust your suspension, you can make changes on the fly and immediately feel the results. My buddy and I both have '15 FJ's, both with Penske shocks and fork modifications. On a recent road trip we swapped bikes and he was in awe at how my bike handled, we made a few changes to his, then rode for a bit and made a few more changes and finally he was ecstatic with the results.

@nhchris - Its not an urban legend, road racers have been doing it for decades to get more precise steering and front weight bias for tire grip but you can overdo it. Thats why everyone mentions increasing the fork height incrementally in millimeters, usually 5-10mm with several people reporting that 15mm is too much on this bike, personally I try mine between 5 and 8mm. Additionally, almost every aftermarket shock has ride height adjustment to achieve the same thing. Same thing applies to dirt bikes, I have been altering steering geometry on mine for years. Its especially critical when switching different tire manufacturers, not all sidewall and tread height is the same and some will really mess up your steering/handling. I used to switch from a 19" rear rim with a knobby to an 18" rear rim with a trials tire and the steering geometry is completely different.

No concerns at all.

I did the exact same with my Scorpion, the baffle went right back in.

@jdavis - Those look really nice, they did a great job! From a purely graphic/balance standpoint, my brain is looking for something silver back there, either a silver pin stripe to separate the black and red or something silver in the rectangle cut out, the tuning fork badges might be perfect. I like what you did with the clutch cover to add a little contrast.

Those rear-sets look nice. Do they not have the rear brake light switch?

Like @StealthAu suggested, if the current fork action works for you, don't change from what you are using. Most fork oils come in various viscosities - 2.5w, 5w, 7.5, 10w etc. with the thought that you can "fine tune" your fork action with thicker or thinner oil.

GREAT suggestion, that is exactly where I got mine setup. They set sag, ride height/geometry and a baseline for compression and rebound as well as answering a million questions that I had. "Good suspension isn't just for the track" - Thank you!! I wish everyone could ride two identical bikes, one stock, one with great suspension, to really feel the difference. My buddy, also an FJ owner completely dismissed aftermarket suspension for the longest time, until we were on a road trip and swapped bikes... I couldn't get him to give my bike back. He ordered new suspension the day we returned from the trip! 😎

@wordsmith - Very nice write-up comparing the two models. I really like the smoother body angles, especially the front end/headlights. Since the shock doesn't have compression adjustment like the forks, it might be a little harder to dial out the harshness. On the FJ, my experience was that the shock was in much more need of an upgrade than the forks. If you need advise on your suspension, just ask.

@captainscarlet - I wonder if you could fit a piece of flexible vinyl tubing over the cross bar? Tubing with same inner diameter as the outer diameter as the bar, cut lengthwise and stretched over the bar.

@countersteer - That's where the 1/4 turn plastic fastener attaches.

You're going to LOVE it! I use mine almost every time I ride my bike.

Thanks for the well-wishes. Its funny, since I was a kid busting myself up on dirt bikes, my motivation for healing has always been the thought of getting back in the saddle. I've got more rides planned this Summer. 😎

Scott, in all seriousness, we can have some miserable weather here at time so when it gets nice its "game on" until about Mid- October. I like to get in as many longer trips as I can May through September, when the weather gets not so nice, I can do a day ride or over nighter.

I actually had to cancel a 3 day ride on the North Cascades Highway this coming week, I hurt my arm at work and am on short term disability/ physical therapy for 2 weeks... ☹️

After my 2nd road trip this year, it was time for new chain and sprockets. I also flushed the coolant and changed the oil and filter. New tires were installed 4 weeks ago so I'm good through the end of August at which time it will be due for another oil change and fresh tires for a 10-day 3,800 mile trip through Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho.

How is that even possible? while riding, the spring is in its "relaxed" position. I have the exact same foot pegs, I saw them on the 2019 Tenere at the dealer yesterday, not sure if the older models have the same pegs.

I recently did a 7 day ride with a buddy who just got a new Shoei Neotec, he didn't stop raving about the helmet the entire 7 days.

Agreed, the way it is designed you would have to be practically under water to get any water in there.

An entire Exhaust Sub-Section on this forum. Happy reading, there is A LOT of info available.

Sounds interesting. Let us know how it works for you. 👍