bike handles much better now

I have has this '06 for 2 seasons now and never been really happy with the way it feels in corners.

Did the full length of hwy 219 from Virginia up to Buffalo last summer and, in the twisties, it felt unpredictable.

I'm not a peg scraping type of rider but I do like to have some fun in the corners but this was making me uncomfortable.

Replaced the tires with Michelin Road 4, used the higher tire pressure recommended by others and set the rear shock to hard.

Checked the front rebound as well.

What a difference!

Nice and smooth on the turn in and stable as can be in the corner.

Just completed a run up 119 and 219 and very happy now

Dude...Didn't you already know? WE KNOW EVERYTHING! Glad things improved!

I don't normally run the rear set to hard unless I'm carrying the wife or a lot of gear. But dialing it up a bit does help, as does a pound or two up front. Despite ensuring everything was tightened to spec and pressures were good, mine required pressure on the inside bar in turns that was roughly akin to that required for a pushup. Just amazing...ly bad. Replaced factory tires with PR2's, and it's a neutral steering bike for the first time since it left the showroom. I forgot to switch the rear back to soft after riding with the wife this weekend, and it's not bad. I just need to go back to the manual to see which way I turn the rear knob to increase damping.

Nanahanman said:

I have has this '06 for 2 seasons now and never been really happy with the way it feels in corners.Did the full length of hwy 219 from Virginia up to Buffalo last summer and, in the twisties, it felt unpredictable.

I'm not a peg scraping type of rider but I do like to have some fun in the corners but this was making me uncomfortable.

Replaced the tires with Michelin Road 4, used the higher tire pressure recommended by others and set the rear shock to hard.

Checked the front rebound as well.

What a difference!

Nice and smooth on the turn in and stable as can be in the corner.

Just completed a run up 119 and 219 and very happy now

Click to expand...

Buy a 13 or 14 rear shock, Much higher spring rate than your shock. The soft on the 13 rear shock is higher than the hard setting on your 06 shock.

Good tires and the "proper" pressures make a huge difference with these bikes. We all have our preferences about tires but the Michelins make our FJRs perform the way we want them to. As always YMMV...

I will second the comment about the Gen3 rear shock. The bike will ride smoother while still handling better. I thought the difference was mostly new shock vs. old shock when we replaced the shock on Dad's '07 with a Gen3 shock. Then I rode hppants' brand new 2014 A and realized they really did ride smoother than the older bikes.

I have looked into a 3rd gen shock but as I am in Canada, the cost is high, even shipped from US.

So far, I don't "need" to spend that kind of $$$

Nanahanman said:

I have looked into a 3rd gen shock but as I am in Canada, the cost is high, even shipped from US.So far, I don't "need" to spend that kind of $$$

Click to expand...

Since you are in Canada, you might check out Hagon shocks. They are a UK product so cost might be better for you.

I just ordered one here and price is comparable to gen III in USA if you skip the external preload adjuster. + they are rebuildable.

Others have reported positively on them here on the forum.