FJ and dirt travel? NOT GOOD

[ddlewis]

...
One last hint for you -- Keep your feet on the pegs, and maybe even raise your bum off the seat slightly so all your weight is on the pegs.  This LOWERS the bike/rider CoG and will make it more stable.

Cheers,
Arnie

This is a biggie.. your inclination may be to sit on the seat so you can put your feet down in a hurry, but much better to lower COG by weighting pegs.

Something else that helps a lot is lower your tire pressure.  May not be worth it if you're only doing a mile or so, but if its really freaking you out - dropping your tire pressure to around 20-ish makes a world of difference.  I carry a little pump that plugs into my elec vest harness just for this reason - so I can tighten back up when back to the hard road.

[FJTillDeath]

Okay i missed the part about the applying more pressure on the foot pegs but made it fine yesterday apart from the pothole that was covered with water luckily it didnt destabalise me too much but with the road being wet  it is quite annoying having to adjust and perdict all the time. I have also heard that part about lessening the tyre pressure but for such a short distance in a temp situation I would rather bear it
heres a picture of one of the roads that have been blocked thatnks to the rains and hail



For shits I will take a picture of the road I am talking about when I go home tonight. It is quite funny though everytime I have passed it for the past few days I have seen some sort of accident on it. As a random piece of information the road/highway is actuallt notoriously known for accidents, I have seen many happen infront of me, get there a few minutes after it has happened and I myself had quite a big one on it..

Anybody else got roads/ streets/ highways like that?

[Klavdy]

Yes, most of the worlds roads are unpaved.

[FJTillDeath]

NA this is a normal tar road with very few potholes or damage etc (well until the rains came down) the people who ride it are just very negligent

[FJTillDeath]

So they (the municipality) have finally dome some work to the road only to make it worse. now the surface is rocket with a little loose debri here and there, but what they have done is they have cultivated the road much like putting furrows in a field so the road is now groovy and smooth (grooves are wide enough roll a marble down) but when i saw a car sliding down even with its breaks over the VERY smooth surface i decided stuff that I will wlak thye bike down the pavement with the pidestrians. oh and good news is they say they will be finished within a week. the FJ may very well be able to handle the road with an experienced rider but I personally do not feel I am ready as a rider to try on the new surface. So it looks like more car park practising for me

[Yamifj1200]

"the FJ may very well be able to handle the road with an experienced rider but I personally do not feel I am ready as a rider to try on the new surface. So it looks like more car park practising for me "


Thats good thinking, take good care of your FJ and in time it will take great care of you.

Eric M

[SkyFive]

Really?

ama hillclimb Wisconsin rapids 2010 Mike Bronk yamaha

Custom Yamaha Hillclimb Bike

[FJTillDeath]

After seeing a new friend of mine taking his FJ on some really crappy roads I do infact believe the FJ is capable, although its big bulk just means it has some extra attention to detail required. So I decided to try the FJ on a rather earthly road using some of the tips I have been given and must say I actually appreciated the ride (comparing to my 125 commuter when I went bush bashing through fields) the FJ is more comfortable but very heavy and not as easy to lug around on soft surfaces as it is on nice asphelt

[tmkaos]

Here in NZ most secondary highways contain streches of gravel, one of the most fun was this one http://www.newzealand.com/int/article/forgotten-world-highway/  it's paradise for 2 wheels.. 150km of corners.. with about 15km oif gravel smack in the middle.. 

Here's a few of the best bits..


FJ1200 keeping up with SV1000


Forgotten Highway 2

[FJTillDeath]

Wow! That road looks like a bunch of admittedly  fun, though I think my syspension plays apart in why I havent taken on those kinds of roads...

It kinda reminds me of the nurburgring(on a racing game) although a slightly more relaxed version of it, still seems like a great place to spen a sunday afternoon.

As for the vid posted by Skyfive, is that a scrambler with an FJ engine it

[RichBaker]

That is a "hillclimber",  An MX frame with extended swingarm and an FJ engine.  They go uphill very fast......  There are several race series, the Eastern US version and the Western US version.  The western version is more difficult, they actually have turns they have to negotiate, The easterners just go straight.....

Take a look.....  http://www.nahahillclimb.org/

[Dazza57]

tmkaos, awesome vids, lived in Nelson through the 70s, Whangamoas, Rai Saddle, Spooners Range, Hope Saddle and the only Takaka Hill, all within an hour of home. Grew up on bikes on those roads as well as the forest tracks on dirt bikes. Once did Nelson town centre to Ria Valley and back in 53 minutes, 72 miles over the Whangamoa and Rai Saddles! (with de-icing gravel on some corners) Hitting 100 mph on straights and having everything locked up into 30 mph corners and pegs scrapping, awesome. Thanks, you have brought back some wonderful memories.

Cheers, Dazza