betoney

Isn't it funny how the roles reverse - cold and damp in New Mexico while up here in the normally "cold and wet" Pacific Northwest we're having a heat wave - mid-Spring and upper 80's.

You shouldn't need an HH pad for the rear, its already too easy to get the ABS activated on the rear. I'm curious how the front pads work for you once bedded in, I have a set of the exact same pads sitting on my work bench, I'm still using the stock pads for now.

I change the washer about every 3-4 oil changes, at my schedule thats about 1 washer per year.

The “Angel GT” is the actual name of the tire, and like @tktplz mentioned, it comes in 2 ratings, the A-spec is for the larger FJR-type bikes. Bridgestone actually calls their heavier duty tire a GT version. They have a Battlax T31 and a BattlaxT31 GT.

I’m not sure if the Zumo interface is the same as the Nuvi, But on the main menu screen in the top left corner there is a signal level indicator, press and hold that for at least five seconds and that should bring you up to the satellite screen that shows you how many satellites your device is connected to. It would be interesting to see what happens if you hold the GPS and walk away from the bike out into the driveway and stand there for a minute to see your satellite connection. When they get full connectivity your GPS accuracy should be around 10 to 12 feet. I would keep it on that screen and slowly walk back towards the bike with the key still on and see if your number of satellites drop or your accuracy range drops.

@tktplz - You can’t go wrong with the Angel GT, it is a fantastic tire and if you can get it on sale it’s even better! When I say that I got 9000 miles out of the rear, that is with the metal bands starting to show through the center. In your case 6000 miles should easily be attainable.

I have used the Garmin Nuvi 50 and 55 as well as the Drive 51 over the past 9 years on different bikes and have never had interference from the display. What bike do you own, FJ, Tracer or GT with the TFT screen? Is your GPS not connecting to a satellite or losing DC power?

'nuff said. I'll be doing the same shortly! - Cheers 🍺

Just like @skipperT mentioned, the fork height is adjustable in the triple trees, you can adjust the steering geometry to suit your preference. A lot of riders choose to raise the fork in the triple clamp slightly (5-10mm) to get a slight forward weight bias, most aftermarket shocks also have a ride height adjuster to accomplish the same thing, I believe my Penske has up to 10 or 12mm adjustability.

@Duke When measuring back from the O2 sensor bung, the instructions recommend cutting 15mm. Try to cut as close to the catalyst chamber as possible and then grind off the excess and clean up the mating surface, their mid-pipe is a work of art with very close tolerances. When removing the factory exhaust and fitting the new slip-on, put the bike on the side stand and work the center stand up and down - I removed the heavy springs from the center stand and everything fit easily. In the OP by @captainscarlet he recommends keeping all fasteners loose during assembly and wiggling the whole thing into position - this advise will make the install SO MUCH easier.

Adrenalin-Pedstop They have 3 different slip-ons or a full system with header. For the titanium slip-on I paid $475 which included shipping and foreign transaction fees from my bank. Shipping was 5 days.

When I ordered mine from the UK, it was considerably cheaper than any place I found in the US.

Since the bike is almost new and you are planning a track day soon, have you done anything to the suspension? Correct spring rate? set sag? adjust the clickers? raise the forks in the clamps? You definitely want to have your suspension stiffened up a bit before doing a track day to avoid this feeling... 😎

For anyone needing to remove and replace springs, a Spring Puller Tool is worth its weight in gold, it makes it a 2 second job. As a life long 2-Stroke dirt bike rider, I have always had one in my tool box for the expansion chamber springs.

😎

Nice! Just enough tank clearance AND more room to reach the key, Win, Win! Like @texscottyd mentioned, a couple photos from different angles would be nice, it could help others.

With a 1 tooth change you should have room to move the axle forward in the swingarm, I changed my gearing the opposite direction to a 15 tooth sprocket, -1T and there was plenty of room to move the wheel backward.

I agree with you about Nicks knowledge and experience, I have followed his writing for many years, met him and attended his training seminars. All I am saying is altering the final drive will no doubt net you the result you achieve on the highway, BUT it will also affect the entire rpm range in the same way, you cant have it affect only highway cruising speed. I have changed the final drive gearing on every bike I have owned for the last 25 years, every single one of them. I can tell you that altering the gearing 2-3 teeth makes a very noticeable difference, altering it 5 teeth is extreme. A cheap option would be to only change the front to a 17T for $25 and see how you like it, then know that also changing the rear to a 43T would almost double that effect. Best of luck.

Boggy isn't a huge downside??? His gearing change is about the same as -5 teeth on the rear sprocket, that would make it feel like taking off in 3rd every time you take off from a start, - HUGE effect on the way the bike rides in day to day traffic. I didn't look at the Driven site, but Sprocket Center has the gearing you are looking for.

One thing you have to remember is that changing you final gearing doesn't just change the rpm's at cruising speed, it affects the entire range. He made a massive change by going +1 on the front AND -2 on the rear (changing 1 tooth on the front is almost the same as changing 3 on the rear, so in effect he went -5 on the rear). While the top gear engine speed was lowered I would think riding in the city or stop and go commuting would have more need to slip the clutch, in his article he even wrote " the bike felt a big boggy off the line with the taller gearing".

I love that white stripe all the way to the tail piece as well. Nice touch.

I had that same feeling a few years ago with the Aprilia Tuono, (rode both the older twin and V4) absolutely STUNNING bikes. However, dealer network, parts ability and potential Italian fickle-ness brought me back to reality.

That sounds like one of those "maybe tomorrow" type goals. 🍺

@deepsix - Looks great, nice job. I have the same Shad bags and LOVE that two-tone look, I might try something similar.

I learned something new today. I never knew there was a plastic cap or a nut on the inside, I have only ever adjusted/tightened the mirrors with 2 crescent wrenches on the outside nuts.