Rear suspension issues

[Cosmin]

Hello everybody,

Although I've made some search on the previous suspension topics I couldn't find a specific answer for my issues/concerns.

I have a '06 FJR with almost 10.000miles (15.000km) and after I changed the tires with Michelin Pilot Power 2CT (which are light-years ahead compared to OEM Metzeler for twisty roads sport riding) I started driving and leaning harder on twisty roads. Since I always ride with pillion I started touching the ground with the footrests; soon I got used to this issue but last weekend something strange happened: on a left curve leaning I heard an additional noise to the one of scratching footrest and after that I could feel a sensation like the bike could not lean anymore since it was "resting" on something. After I stopped I checked and the end of the side-stand was really scratched; the guy who was riding behind me described the sparks and the dusts left behind. I suppose that was close to something bad which might have happened...

As I know this happens due to the fact that the rear suspension has not enough spring preload possibilites in order to accomodate the additional load of the pillion; this leads to a lower ground clearance and therefore the footrests (and even side-stand) are touching the ground... :angry:

I know at least three solutions for this issue:

1) give up sport riding on twisty roads;

2) change the rear suspension (spring+shock absorber);

3) use a device for increasing the ground clearance.

Option 1) is a solution but it's not actually an option

Option 2) is a valid solution but the costs are quite high; as I know a good suspension (Ohlins, Penske, Wilbur etc) costs around 1000$ or more and that is quite much. Though the advantage is that, unlike the OEM suspension, a good adjusting interval is obtained for covering different loading and riding conditions.

Option 3) is much easier from price and installation point of view. I know that Lucas (Germany) makes such devices (https://www.trwmoto.com/yamaha/heckhoeherlegungen_mit_abe/yamaha-1300ccm-fjr-rp08rp11-03-05-1899.html) but they replied that for 2006 model only at the end of the year will be available such devices.

So I have in the end some questions:

A. Has anyone tried such devices? Are they reliable? Are they dangerous from safety point of view?

B. Does anyone know other providers for similar solutions?

Thank you for your help.

 

[jeremyr62]

I think the OEM shock is pretty good but just undersprung especially for you Americans (no offence). You can get it resprung with a stiffer spring. I think Hyperpro do the spring. You obviously lose your hard/soft setting but as soft is pretty redundant it's no big deal. The spring change is a cheap option for you to consider anyway.

 

[HaulinAshe]

HyperPro markets a good spring kit specifically for the FJR. It works well for 2-up.

Aftermarket suspension packages are a common upgrade for FJRs, especially for those who ride 2-up and aggressively.

You forgot one more option. Learn to get your weight into the turn and don't lean the bike so much.

 

[chrisflock]

Hello everybody,
Although I've made some search on the previous suspension topics I couldn't find a specific answer for my issues/concerns.

I have a '06 FJR with almost 10.000miles (15.000km) and after I changed the tires with Michelin Pilot Power 2CT (which are light-years ahead compared to OEM Metzeler for twisty roads sport riding) I started driving and leaning harder on twisty roads. Since I always ride with pillion I started touching the ground with the footrests; soon I got used to this issue but last weekend something strange happened: on a left curve leaning I heard an additional noise to the one of scratching footrest and after that I could feel a sensation like the bike could not lean anymore since it was "resting" on something. After I stopped I checked and the end of the side-stand was really scratched; the guy who was riding behind me described the sparks and the dusts left behind. I suppose that was close to something bad which might have happened...

As I know this happens due to the fact that the rear suspension has not enough spring preload possibilites in order to accomodate the additional load of the pillion; this leads to a lower ground clearance and therefore the footrests (and even side-stand) are touching the ground... :angry:

I know at least three solutions for this issue:

1) give up sport riding on twisty roads;

2) change the rear suspension (spring+shock absorber);

3) use a device for increasing the ground clearance.

Option 1) is a solution but it's not actually an option

Option 2) is a valid solution but the costs are quite high; as I know a good suspension (Ohlins, Penske, Wilbur etc) costs around 1000$ or more and that is quite much. Though the advantage is that, unlike the OEM suspension, a good adjusting interval is obtained for covering different loading and riding conditions.

Option 3) is much easier from price and installation point of view. I know that Lucas (Germany) makes such devices (https://www.trwmoto.com/yamaha/heckhoeherlegungen_mit_abe/yamaha-1300ccm-fjr-rp08rp11-03-05-1899.html) but they replied that for 2006 model only at the end of the year will be available such devices.

So I have in the end some questions:

A. Has anyone tried such devices? Are they reliable? Are they dangerous from safety point of view?

B. Does anyone know other providers for similar solutions?

Thank you for your help.

I know I've heard of people here on the forum swapping in new dogbones to raise the rear for more ground clearance.

You could also remove the centerstand. Personally, I wouldn't do that, as I find it very useful for maintenance.

I would bet that new dogbones and removal of the centerstand would make a significant difference, though I'm sure not as much as swapping to an aftermarket rear shock.

Or, take haulinashe's advice. Or, do them all!

 

[ionbeam]

Your poor FJR is telling you that the stock rear suspension is over matched. Perhaps the shock is worn out or just plain too weak for the load. My wife and I are pretty much a full load for the FJR and we had problems with the stock suspension not being up to sport riding while two up.

Most of the time I ride with my wife and we wore out the stock shock in 19k miles. Not only were we dragging hard parts but I was dragging my feet too. While I understand Jeff's comment about 'hanging-off' to keep the motorcycle more upright, it hasn't proven to be real practical for two up riding. I'd be interested in hearing how Jeff choreographs that with his girlfriend.

In my opinion (which often isn't worth much) upgrading your suspension is much better than just raising the rear end. I have run with a Wilbers and a Penske shock, we have never bottomed out and don't grind the pegs. Having the damping altered to match the spring rate is a tremendous help as is a large range of adjustability. I know that an aftermarket shock is a big investment but it returns big advantages too. If your stock shock isn't worn out yet, it will be before 30k miles and it can't be rebuilt. When faced with paying approximately $600 (US dollars) for a replacement stock shock you might as well spend a bit more and get a vastly better shock that can be rebuilt.

One thing you need to do is measure the (dynamic) sag of your rear suspenison with the two of you aboard, you will probably need a family member or friend help you. This will tell you if the rear spring is too weak. We have used a 650 pound and a 800 pound spring on the rear shock. The 650# spring is sufficient with a lot of preload but the 800# spring offers more suspension travel with less preload. In both cases when we adjust the preload for proper rear suspension sag the motorcycle sits *much* higher. In addition to much better handling, you will get a much better ride too.

Shortly after getting the Wilbers shock and playing with the settings my wife got real good with dialing in the suspension :yahoo: Depending on the load we are carrying or how hard we are sport riding she will tell me, 'we need two more clicks of spring and one more click of low speed damping' and she always nails it. When we started running the Penske setup, during our first ride she says, 'five more clicks of spring and 8 clicks of damping', and that indeed turned out to be just about perfect.

 

[Cosmin]

@ jeremyr62: we are not americans, we are europeans (from Romania) and we are "under"-weighted (I have 68kgs and the wife 54kgs) so weight is definitely not the root cause ... A new spring is a good option but I wonder how it behaves in combination with the standard shock absorber...

@ HaulinAshe: moving the body weight in the turns with pillion and on this type of bike doesn't seem very easy to me, perhaps it requires some training...

@ chrisflock: it's the side-stand not the center-stand the one which is touching the ground during leaning. I'll perform again a search upon "dog bones exchange" for finding feedback from people who already applied this solution.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Jagermeister]

HyperPro markets a good spring kit specifically for the FJR. It works well for 2-up.Aftermarket suspension packages are a common upgrade for FJRs, especially for those who ride 2-up and aggressively.

You forgot one more option. Learn to get your weight into the turn and don't lean the bike so much.

+1 on HyperPro.

I got their full rear shock, with an extra 1.5" length - the bike handles much better now.

The ONLY issue I have now, is that the rear is mis-matched with Eibach front springs. If you buy a HyperPro rear, go ahead and buy their matched fork springs, as well.

As for turn-ins with the pillon, it just takes practice: try leaning a little earlier, and move your butt a little farther. I'm not nearly as proficient as HaulinAshe at this, but getting a little better.

 

[Cosmin]

Your poor FJR is telling you that the stock rear suspension is over matched. Perhaps the shock is worn out or just plain too weak for the load. My wife and I are pretty much a full load for the FJR and we had problems with the stock suspension not being up to sport riding while two up.
Most of the time I ride with my wife and we wore out the stock shock in 19k miles. Not only were we dragging hard parts but I was dragging my feet too. While I understand Jeff's comment about 'hanging-off' to keep the motorcycle more upright, it hasn't proven to be real practical for two up riding. I'd be interested in hearing how Jeff choreographs that with his girlfriend.

In my opinion (which often isn't worth much) upgrading your suspension is much better than just raising the rear end. I have run with a Wilbers and a Penske shock, we have never bottomed out and don't grind the pegs. Having the damping altered to match the spring rate is a tremendous help as is a large range of adjustability. I know that an aftermarket shock is a big investment but it returns big advantages too. If your stock shock isn't worn out yet, it will be before 30k miles and it can't be rebuilt. When faced with paying approximately $600 (US dollars) for a replacement stock shock you might as well spend a bit more and get a vastly better shock that can be rebuilt.

One thing you need to do is measure the (dynamic) sag of your rear suspenison with the two of you aboard, you will probably need a family member or friend help you. This will tell you if the rear spring is too weak. We have used a 650 pound and a 800 pound spring on the rear shock. The 650# spring is sufficient with a lot of preload but the 800# spring offers more suspension travel with less preload. In both cases when we adjust the preload for proper rear suspension sag the motorcycle sits *much* higher. In addition to much better handling, you will get a much better ride too.

Shortly after getting the Wilbers shock and playing with the settings my wife got real good with dialing in the suspension :yahoo: Depending on the load we are carrying or how hard we are sport riding she will tell me, 'we need two more clicks of spring and one more click of low speed damping' and she always nails it. When we started running the Penske setup, during our first ride she says, 'five more clicks of spring and 8 clicks of damping', and that indeed turned out to be just about perfect.

Thanks for the advice.

It's strange that I saw several guys saying that the life of the rear suspension (absorber) is 15.000 to 20.000 miles - that is quite low for such a component :angry: My previous bike (Honda CBR600) had 25.000 miles when I bought it and had the original absorber; I put almost another 35.000 miles on it with pillion and luggage and note that several of the trips were on damaged roads. When I sold it with 60.000 miles the rear suspension was in great condition. Perhaps the weight difference between the bikes has also a role in this.

Anyway in my case it might be also the "beginning of the end" for the rear shock absorber - it seemed to me that during turns, if the road has small bumps, the rear suspension starts "pumping" a little although the settings are on HARD; on the same roads this didn't use to happen like 3-4000 miles ago. It's sad if I have to replace the rear suspension already at only 10.000miles; at least the bike is still under warranty...

My plan is the following: I'll make a detailed diagnosis on the rear shock absorber. In case it's ok perhaps I'll go, in the first phase, for changing the dog bones for obtaining additional ground clearance and when the time comes for changing the shock I'll evaluate the possibility to go for an after market rear suspension. If the currently used absorber is damaged perhaps I'll replace it under warranty, I'm not prepared yet (financially speaking) for an after market one.

 

[rogdeb]

I have the Hyperpro rear shock installed -- wonderful !!

Also, check these out -- https://www.soupysperformance.com/homepage.html -- fully adjustable links - did the job for me in raising the ride height.

 

[Geezer]

Keep in mind that if you raise the back end of the bike by changing the dog bones or some other mechanical device, you will alter the geometry of the bike and it will behave differently. Changing the spring is a better idea because will leave your geometry about the same and keep the rear end from compressing as much as it does now.

 

[rogdeb]

Keep in mind that if you raise the back end of the bike by changing the dog bones or some other mechanical device, you will alter the geometry of the bike and it will behave differently. Changing the spring is a better idea because will leave your geometry about the same and keep the rear end from compressing as much as it does now.

All true .............. in my case though, the geometry change was a good thing as the bike handles more to my liking. Which also equates to Deb's liking -- that's a good thing

 

[Rinosaure]

Here in The Netherlands it is quite common for FJR owners to install shorter (or longer) dogbones to increase (or reduce) ground clearance. This is best combined with installing a longer (or shorter) sidestand. These parts are - at least here in Europe - readily available as aftermarket products from e.g. a compant named Meissner. They have partners in the USA, see for instance at: https://www.whaccessories.com/YamahaFJR1300accessories.htm

Regards, Rinosaure.

 

[wfooshee]

Cosmin, I bought my bike from a guy who RIDES!!!! The peg feelers and the sidestand both bear the scars of his skill. He did this riding solo.

Me, I can't turn that hard. Lack of skill, lack of confidence, lack of desire, I dunno. Only times I've scraped a peg were on the way down during my 2 low-side accidents. :blink:

I'm thinking about that Hyperpro spring, at least, myself. I absolutly cannot afford a Penske or Ohlins shock, but the existing unit is not up to 2-up riding with us.

 

[Foxhuntr]

I scraped my pegs a few times until I learned to get my upper body hung out a bit more and now no longer scrape. My suspension has 43k on it and seems fine.

 

[HaulinAshe]

(...) While I understand Jeff's comment about 'hanging-off' to keep the motorcycle more upright, it hasn't proven to be real practical for two up riding. I'd be interested in hearing how Jeff choreographs that with his girlfriend.

Most of the time her motto is, "I go where you go." In this particular case my motto for her is, "You go where the bike goes."

She does a superb job of staying with the bike and becoming nothing more than added weight. It's hard work for me. She's fairly tall, so it's like adding roughly 65-80 lbs. inside a top box. But predictability is what I'm after, and she's a great back seat.

BTW, that's NOT her in my avatar. That's my oldest daughter. GF is a full 12" taller and 1.5x the weight.

+1 on Jager's comment about matching front/rear. Doing one without doing the other almost always leads to an imbalanced suspension setup. As mis-matched to the rider/s as the stock suspension can be, it is superbly matched front/rear. If you're changing the rear at least do a matching spring change on the front.

 

[ahchiu]

I put the HyperPro Combo spring kit on and 5/8 shorter dogbones, I do not scrapt any parts and I have no chicken strip on the rear, the combo kit was $225.00 +$30.00 to install the rear spring, for the money it works great.

 

[madmike2]

There are a couple of able and aggressive riders who have used shorter dogbones to raise the rear of their bikes. I know one who has an aftermarket rear shock AND changed the dogbones. Yes, he is very quick through corners and can ride exceptionally well.

My vote is to try the dogbones first.

 

[RsvlFeej]

Option 3) is much easier from price and installation point of view. I know that Lucas (Germany) makes such devices (https://www.trwmoto.com/yamaha/heckhoeherlegungen_mit_abe/yamaha-1300ccm-fjr-rp08rp11-03-05-1899.html) but they replied that for 2006 model only at the end of the year will be available such devices.
So I have in the end some questions:

A. Has anyone tried such devices? Are they reliable? Are they dangerous from safety point of view?

B. Does anyone know other providers for similar solutions?

A. Yes, I changed dogbones to the 26-28 mm on my '05 and also shoved the front forks down in the triple trees as far as I felt was safe. These changes were enough to keep me from breaking off any more footpegs and I rode that way for more than two years until I could afford the "deluxe" solution of new front and rear suspension components sized to my weight. I had no reliability or safety issues.

B. I bought from wild hair accessories https://www.whaccessories.com/YamahaFJR1300accessories.htm

I have heard koubalinks mentioned many times but have no personal experience https://koubalink.com/FJR1300%2006-up.html

There are a BUNCH of links on ebay. Search "Motorcycle Parts" then "FJR". I have no personal knowledge of their functionality.