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Jerseydevil said:
Unfortunately No Ross.. I'm probably the only FJ in the county lol but considering I've put 600 miles on this Shinko Apex. Backwards..gotta admit it kinda shows they're manufacturing quality. Might just buy another one.. the dealer I bought it from wants to make it right. But I live 2 hrs away.. told him it's a damn good thing I trailered this home.. I would've been in the Delaware River off of 295.. Now he wants to replace the tire.. but Id have to rent the trailer again.. Taco gets 16mpg and gas is 3.70 a gal. And it's 150 miles round trip.. it's gonna cost me more then the damn tire.. I'm just gonna order a set an have my local shop install um. Lesson learned.. "we did a full service on that".."the hell u did,the oil is Brown after 600 miles..And the tire is backwards".. To be Continued
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Umm . . . You might consider marking the direction of rotation on the rim (crayon or better), and then just taking the rim and tire back to that dealer; no trailer, no Taco, just get it there in any econobox available. I don't know Shinko, but I LOVES me my Pirelli Angel GTs (Spec A for two-up). Lotsa good tires out there, besides. Ask here and you might get two dozen answers; not advised. Just don't go for the lowest prices.
 
I realize that now..lol .. Had her up to 90 on a back straight..1 hand on the handlebar..not a care in the world. What a difference.. all other items will be checked. Ordered some Bridgestone's. They should be here soon.. don't care about the dealer stuff. It's not about the money.. I just wanna ride her without white knuckling it
 
Check how high or low the fork tubes are mounted in the triple tree. One half inch will make a huge diff in cornering. Previous owners may have adjusted it. I had to Adjust on my gen 1 and made a world of difference. Ask any hare scramble or GP tuner. Dunlop's or quality tire with factory tire pressure works best.
 
Not sure where you live in Jersey but as far as suspension I went to Washington cycle and had then do the adjustment. Best money I have spent on the bike. There are some really nice roads to test the settings as well.
 
Jerseydevil said:
I realize that now..lol .. Had her up to 90 on a back straight..1 hand on the handlebar..not a care in the world. What a difference.. all other items will be checked. Ordered some Bridgestone's. They should be here soon.. don't care about the dealer stuff. It's not about the money.. I just wanna ride her without white knuckling
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90… wait till you try 3rd gear… then it really gets fun.. lol
 
02 yea I'm near the coast by Asbury. Most of the roads here are pretty straight compared to where your at. We usually head to the Pocono's in the spring an summer..
 
Have to admit.. apart from the tire on backwards.. and considering it's a dual front rotor.. I can see where the previous owner could make a mistake.. Once I got the tire pressures right.. she rides amazing now.. I've been told I can just flip the tire around and it should be fine.. I'm ordering the Bridgestone GT's today.. $300 for the pair and I'll know their Fresh.. Soooo stupid of me to not check the most simple thing first.. Christ I've made a living off of doing that very thing. I've printed out All the info you folks have gave me.. gonna start a Log Book.. Me and this Girl (FJR) are gonna have some fun :) BTW.. My wife Rides too. she got her License last summer an already put 4000 miles on her Shadow. Thanks again
 
Jerseydevil said:
Have to admit.. apart from the tire on backwards.. and considering it's a dual front rotor.. I can see where the previous owner could make a mistake.. Once I got the tire pressures right.. she rides amazing now.. I've been told I can just flip the tire around and it should be fine.. I'm ordering the Bridgestone GT's today.. $300 for the pair and I'll know their Fresh. Thanks again
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Here is how you can know if the tires are fresh. Sometimes, even the warehouse can be sending you old rubber that does not sell fast. Click the link, and scroll down.
After a tire has been run backwards, I would not trust it with my life. To me, that is false economy, especially on a front tire.

Tire Age Decoder
 
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Jerseydevil said:
02 yea I'm near the coast by Asbury. Most of the roads here are pretty straight compared to where your at. We usually head to the Pocono's in the spring an summer..
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Was out there Friday, did an night with the wife in Asbury Ocean Club…. Very nice wayyy pricey. I live up the parkway.. about 40 minutes to the good riding in Bedminster.. maybe see you soon.. look for a 2016. (Blue is the faster one) be safe
 
RossKean said:
Two Wheels replied as I was composing...

Don't worry about "screwing" with the suspension settings. There is lots of information here about what to try but start in the middle of the range for each setting and go from there.

To me, your problems sound like more than suspension adjustments! I would look at the following:
1) Tire Pressure - try 40 psi front and 42 psi rear. (some people go as high as 42/44). Pressures below optimum can have a large effect on handling.
2) Check tire condition and if any doubt, replace them. Even if it doesn't look horrible, a broken belt or tire out-of-round can be a problem.
3) Front tire is more likely but rear tire can have a big effect as well.
3) Check steering head torque! Under or over can cause handling issues.
4) You mentioned some road rash. Hopefully, there is no hidden damage to the frame or forks.
5) It is quite possible that forks were "tweaked" and it is worth checking. Bike on centerstand, raise front wheel by placing jack under header pipes, loosen triple clamp and get stuff aligned. Shop manual, if you have one.

Good luck!!
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When you state "get stuff aligned", what do you mean? I just had my bike all apart. I didn't know there was alignment to check going back together.
 
I believe he is referring to the front tire being perpendicular to the bars. If it's off you can loosen up everything below the top clamp and realign it. Of course I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. ;)
 
MajBach said:
When you state "get stuff aligned", what do you mean? I just had my bike all apart. I didn't know there was alignment to check going back together.
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MajBach,
You can do this work with the bike on the center stand. Use two bungee cords at the rim to attach a broomstick tightly to the front tire, up as close as possible to the hub. The bungee cords will be around the front and back of the wheel, on the rim. Do the same with another broomstick, on the rear wheel. The two broomsticks should make a straight line, from one to the other. If the line is not straight, the front wheel need alignment. The rear wheel is much more difficult to adjust, and harder to have out of alignment anyway.
Only if necessary, loosen every bolt holding the front end together - fork clamps, pinch bolts, axle. The fork clamp bolts should not be loose enough to drop the front end down, but almost. Hold the front wheel motionless, and twist the handlebars left and right, then find the "center" where everything is relaxed and straight. The two broomsticks should make a straight line now. Tighten everything, fork clamp bolts first, in two passes. For the first pass, tighten everything just snug. Check the alignment. If good, then tighten everything to factory specs, fork clamps first. Keep us posted, if you hit a snag.
 

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