disappointment at the Dragon

[snap1945]

Having ridden the Dragon about eight times on my 93 GSX1100G shaftie (radial tires), I was super anxious to get my new 06 Feejer there and did so last Sunday the 27th of August. Now to cut to the chase ( side bags still on) the lag in the drive line and my inability to smoothly roll on the throttle severly hampered my fun and gave me some pretty hairy unwanted thrills. Yes, I did the spring unwind thing that has been thoroughly covered in other threads here at the Forum. In an attempt to get the revs up I even tried staying in first gear but still getting a smooth roll on response was difficult when you are in the high pony range; not to mention the added adventure of running into the rev limiter. However: at the higher revs the throttle was admittedly more controlable but the driveline lash made things herky jerky anyway. I would think I should be able to have good speeds just by using second gear with only an occassional drop down to first for most of the tight twisties. Well gang there it is. Is it me or is it a Feejer reality? I am 60 yo and not a racer but I do like to drag a peg now and then. And just for the record I am 5'7" and flicking that beast was an experience. I do love the bike and treasure its' torque and horsepower.

 

[Bounce]

I'll admit to having fun doing the tail of the dragon on a GL1500. Each bike has it's performance envelope.

 

[Mogambo]

I had done the Dragon a couple of years ago on my 04 FJR and it was fine. Although due to shitty weather, I haven't put many miles on the 06 yet, but so far the only place it's really a little funky, is shifting from 1st the second...but not all of the time. Just sometimes it's kind of abrupt. We'll see as it breaks in more. I think if this continues, I will do the Barbarian Jumper thing at the 600 mile service.

 

[mdisher]

Hrms... I have yet to do either the barbarian mod, or anything special with the throttle cable other than take up the slack and adjust it to my liking (mostly at the throttle end BTW)

That by itself made a huge difference to me.

I can't say yet, that I've had too many pucker moments because of this, really more than say (2) and those were before taking the slack out of the throttle cable, and less than 1000 miles and things were still stretching.

Driveline slack/slop is what it is, there's no changing it that I'm aware of so I've adjusted to that.

IMHO, it's managable... and I look forward to whippin the Dragons ass soon, perhaps on my way home from EOM.

 

[dfpextraordinaire]

i totally agree, the lash is what it is, but it is up to us as the operators to make the machine do what we want and need it to do rather than the other way around. I've got 4200 on my 06 and this beauty continues to "wow" me everytime I climb on-board. She is going to Coos Bay tomorrow and I can't wait, it makes the 40,000 miles i drive for work every year "fun and pleasurable" rather than boring and mundane. Just ride her and get to know her a bit and I guarantee you that you will be in love, just like me...

Ride safe and watch out for the crazy cages!!! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

 

[odot]

Coos bay? I was a best man at a wedding out there some years ago....they wed on the beach....was a very nice place.

 

[Geezer]

Rode the dragon on my '05 early this year with full camping gear. I don't remember shifting out of second all the way. The only problems I had was getting my butt back and forth across the seat fast enough to make the next turn and bending my neck far enough up to see into the next turn. Both of those are definately a problem with the rider being out of shape and not the bike.

There is some drive line slack but I must have learned to deal with it because I can't say it was a problem on the dragon. I probably had between 10 and 15 k miles on the bike at that point. This was before I removed one of the throttle springs. I'm not sure the lighter throttle makes it easier to ride the twisties, though it does help with fatigue on long rides.

 

[daviddowns2000]

Is it me or is it a Feejer reality? I am 60 yo and not a racer but I do like to drag a peg now and then.

I'm pretty sure it takes most people some practice to get the best out of any new bike, the FJR included. I haven't ridden the Dragon, but I have done GA60, Wolf Pen Gap, etc. and some local tracks several times, and it took a time or two to get used to the bike's handling in tight turns. I was overreaching at first, expecting this 600+ lb missile to handle like a sportbike, going too fast before I really had the feel of it, and I was VERY lucky to have not crashed a few times the first day out in any real twisties. The last time I rode Wolf Pen Gap I was passing sportbikes (saw some surprised looks!) and feeling quite comfortable. If you go balls to the wall the first time out on any new bike on a road like that you can probably expect to get some nasty surprises if not dead. IMHO, no sane excuse to be hitting the rev limiter in a situation like that. Do the usual mods (or not) and you will get used to the throttle response and the gearing and be able to ride smoothly. Get your suspension settings optimized for you. Excessive lash is not a problem on this bike. You will have no problem dragging pegs, but maybe you should just take it easy on technical roads until you get the feel of the bike. And remember, it is what it is, not a supersport. I have just as much fun on the FJR in twisties as I do on my SV650, I just go a little slower.

 

[Knifemaker]

I was at the Dragon last month, and although riding two up, has no issues with jumpy throttle or gear lash, and was also passing little sportbikes.

The FJR makes alot of power, and torque...so one really does not need to wind it out in 1st to get through a turn quickly. I would guess I have just learned to be smoother on the throttle and have not had any problems with what many hear call "twitchyness".

As others have posted, it just seems like you need some more pilot hours on the bike to learn its subtle diffrences.

KM

 

[drew231506]

I remember that being the most difficult part of the dragon for me...managing that jumpy throttle. I had to be realllll smooth but it was okay once I got the hang of it. I also thought I remembered it being posted somewhere here that the 06 Fuel Inj was worse...or that it made the throttle a little more jumpy? Not sure...

 

[RonBB]

Generally agree with Geezer, although I probably did go up & down a few gears in the spirit of adventure. Not sure how much good it does to hang off either side of a 600 # bike in the curves, not moving the cg a whole lot. My last two bikes have had drive shafts so I guess I didn't notice (or am used to) the driveline slack, or throttle slack. Might tighten up the throttle cable a bit. Strive for smooth riding & a big grin. You'll get used to the bike & come to really appreciate it. Ride safe. Ron PS strongly suggest a TBS every service on the FJR.

 

[scooter cruzer]

Having ridden the Dragon about eight times on my 93 GSX1100G shaftie (radial tires), I was super anxious to get my new 06 Feejer there and did so last Sunday the 27th of August. Now to cut to the chase ( side bags still on) the lag in the drive line and my inability to smoothly roll on the throttle severly hampered my fun and gave me some pretty hairy unwanted thrills. Yes, I did the spring unwind thing that has been thoroughly covered in other threads here at the Forum. In an attempt to get the revs up I even tried staying in first gear but still getting a smooth roll on response was difficult when you are in the high pony range; not to mention the added adventure of running into the rev limiter. However: at the higher revs the throttle was admittedly more controlable but the driveline lash made things herky jerky anyway. I would think I should be able to have good speeds just by using second gear with only an occassional drop down to first for most of the tight twisties. Well gang there it is. Is it me or is it a Feejer reality? I am 60 yo and not a racer but I do like to drag a peg now and then. And just for the record I am 5'7" and flicking that beast was an experience. I do love the bike and treasure its' torque and horsepower.

Yikes, first gear? That might explain the jerkiness. I usually am puttin' around in second with the occasional hit to third.

Don't know about the driveline lash...... very little in mine.

Well I hope you had fun anyway....... Cherohala is more my speed for that bike.

 

[Mogambo]

I remember that being the most difficult part of the dragon for me...managing that jumpy throttle. I had to be realllll smooth but it was okay once I got the hang of it. I also thought I remembered it being posted somewhere here that the 06 Fuel Inj was worse...or that it made the throttle a little more jumpy? Not sure...

Damn, that "I need more cow bell" bit was funny. I laughed my butt off. O.K., now back to topic.

 

[Skippy]

When I went through the Dragon last year at EOM, I stayed in 3rd and 4th and just rolled through the corners, not shutting the throttle off completely and at the same time not accelerating until after the apex, just using that gorgeous torque.

Seemed very smooth to me and of course there is no abruptness of the throttle or drive line lash when done this way.

Skippy

 

[FJRPierre]

Not Dragon but in similar repeated runs on 421/Shady Valley, I was initially frustrated by my jerkyness in the throttle control until I adjusted a lot of the play out of the throttle cable. Much smoother after but admit I don't use first gear much in twisties. As for shifting my (big) butt over, I find it makes a world of difference as to how well the bike will track, as well as giving me more lots more peg clearance.

 

[Wolfhound]

Driveline slop is not much different from chain setup - put both on centerstand and check especially when chain is loose a little. I fouind that less spring pressure on throttle (as mentioned), TBS & NO slack in throttle cable was major help. Take as much slop out of throttle cable as you can. With any slop in cable it tends to slam open tb...

 

[MotorSWATCop]

I've made 2 trips to Deal's since i picked up my 06 FJR in July. My first trip was a disaster. I was early apexing and riding very ugly. Purely my fault. I was used to my Goldwing and was trying to ride the feej like that. I was not taking into account the added acceleration that the feej offers and was going into every corner hot as hell. On my second trip, I concentrated on smoothness. Picked good lines and made sure I was on maintenance throttle as I entered the turns. My roll on at apex was significantly smoother and my runs were faster. The throttle is a little jerky but, nothing that can't be managed with good riding habits. i have done no mods to the bike yet.

 

[FJRZON]

Yikes, first gear? That might explain the jerkiness. I usually am puttin' around in second with the occasional hit to third.
Don't know about the driveline lash...... very little in mine.

Well I hope you had fun anyway....... Cherohala is more my speed for that bike.

+1 Scoot regarding your assessment running the FJR on the Dragon.

 

[MotorSWATCop]

+2 on the first gear runs. I find that my RPM's are just right in second w/ lots of third hits. There are 2 spots on Deal's that I can get good runs into fourth. First is usually saved for passing a chopper or cage.