Trying to buy...

[ribbert]

The Good options for the FJ are:-
1. RPM (obviously)
2. Penske (similar in price and performance)
3. Hagon (based in UK - cheaper, but I don't know about quality - I have this on my FJ11, I like it)

There may be other option, but I don't know them.

Mark

zx



Quite a few guys over here won't use anything else than Wilbers (me included).

The suspension of my 3YA was modified 2 weeks (~800 miles) after purchasing the bike by progressive fork springs and the mod. 641 Wilbers shock (which offers adjustable height & pre-tension of the spring as well as + & - damping adjustment), raising the rear end by 1,5" at the same time to improve handling. The spring of the shock can be chosen acc. to your weight and riding/gear/baggage preferences.

The difference to OEM is absolutely fantastic.

OK, the whole stuff is at about € 800,- regular retail (roughly 700 the shock and 1oo the fork springs) , that's not cheap at all, but it's worth every single €...

I just checked the RPM and Penske Websites for their offers (and prices); their stuff is looking quite good. Would be interesting to compare.
Hagon might work good for Cruiser style bikes, but as soon as you want to  r i d e  & have fun in my area with a Kind of sportsbike, thanks, but NO thanks. Just MHO...

I owned & rode quite a few bikes in the past 35 years all over Europe, but as soon as a suspension needs to be overhauled (Yeah, sometimes brandnew stock bikes need their suspensions to be overhauled...) Wilbers is the 1st choice. In Germany. When you are willing to pay for the best you can get (IMHO).

Greetz Jo

It's time someone made a high tech, stand alone electronic shocker for bikes. I took the BMW for a spin through the week. Similar weight to the FJ and a magic carpet ride by comparison, better through the twisties and great at high speed.

I'd be first in line.

Noel

[FJ1100mjk]

A discerning co-worker of mine, just bought one of these http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/super-tenere-es ES-equipped bikes, and loves it. Says that you can really tell the differences between the settings. Push-button suspension settings. Great idea.

[TexasDave]

A discerning co-worker of mine, just bought one of these http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/super-tenere-es ES-equipped bikes, and loves it. Says that you can really tell the differences between the settings. Push-button suspension settings. Great idea.

I know two "older gentleman" who own S Tens and take them all over the US both on and off road. With cruise control they use them for touring and enjoy a more upright riding position. If Yamaha would put the FJ09 motor in them I might be interested.  Dave

[fj1289]

I HAD a Wilbers shock for the FJ....never got to ride on it.  Sent it out to be refurbed.  Got it back, and had it in the trailer that was stolen before I got it installed 

Looked like a nice piece though

[ribbert]

A discerning co-worker of mine, just bought one of these http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/super-tenere-es ES-equipped bikes, and loves it. Says that you can really tell the differences between the settings. Push-button suspension settings. Great idea.

I frequently ride a BMW with on the fly electronic suspension. It's no gimmick, it's the way of the future, I love it.

Noel

[bharvey60]

To me it seems the future is a suspension that works effectively in all conditions without intervention from the rider. Smooth turns to rough sometimes without notice. A relaxing pace turns into a panic stop in an instant. For my $, the RPM solution is the better one.

[ribbert]

To me it seems the future is a suspension that works effectively in all conditions without intervention from the rider. Smooth turns to rough sometimes without notice. A relaxing pace turns into a panic stop in an instant. For my $, the RPM solution is the better one.

This would be good in theory but IMO there is a limit to the range of conditions a fixed shocker can accommodate. As you say, the unexpected can appear without notice and you can't be madly twiddling dials everytime you see a bump or a pot hole coming up, that is not the idea. You select an appropriate setting for the general conditions.

As good as many members have found the RPM shocker to be, it is still limited by it's lack of adjustability and even adjustable ones are limited by the fact that this procedure needs to be done manually, in most cases while off the bike, and no one ever pulls over to the side of the road every time conditions change and makes adjustments.

Hammering down a bumpy stretch of road at high speed, no worries, just dial up "magic carpet ride" and the bike will float over a road that knocks the wind out of me on the FJ. Get to the twisties, no worries, dial up sport and feel it tighten. Put a pillion on, same thing etc.

Not knocking the RPM shocker and as far as I know, an aftermarket electronic one is not available at the moment, but the increasing availability of bikes now fitted with this technology suggests there might just be something in it.

I for one love it.

Modern ABS, traction control on big bikes and electronic suspension control are IMO fantastic and do nothing to detract from the experience, just enhance it.



Usual Disclaimer (and I have the RPM hamburger with the lot - shocker, springs, fork valves, brace, oil and even the stickers)

Noel

[jo-sommer]

How far do you want to go letting your ride decide how it "wants" to work? The "final" perspective of this are vehicles driving by themselves...

All those automatic Systems are suspect to me.
You should be able (and responsible) to adjust your ride to the way you plan to drive quick/slow, alone/luggage/passenger, paved roads/dirttracks, straights/twisties, whatever. So those adjustable systems offer an opptortunity to make your bike behave somehow different, giving you the fun or safety you want (or need).
Electronic can make the adjusting more comfortable by just pressing Switches, even without leaving your seat.

Nice.

Convenient.

But...

... at least three times a week someone "tries to shoot me off" my bike just because he/she is adjusting the stereo, enters data into the satnav, has got the cellphone at teh ear, is texting a message, checks f...book or is doing anything els not related to drive to the destination.

How many Switches / Systems do you really need to operate while you are driving? For me - three. Throttle, shift, brakes. Anything else is preparation to be done before starting the trip or during a break (yes, I do smoke  ).

Allt the other "little helpers" are suspect to me, such as traction control, corner brake assistance and even ABS.
18 months ago I was on the way on a KTM Super Duke, exiting a long right Corner at an angle of about 45° an a Speed of app. 90mph. A driver of a motorhome has decided that just this place would be nice to stop and take a Picture. No real chance to stop the ride when I could see this obstacle in my way, the only way to pass it would have been to do what I call "controlled highsider" by blocking the rear wheel while bringing the ride over to the left and re-open the wheels and pass on the throttle. Did that 20-30 times successfully. Stepped on the pedal "just by automatic reaction" - nothing blocked. Hit the back of this motorhome right in the middle and entered it through it's rear window.
14 weeks in Hospital and 7 unneccesary surgeries.

And now we shall go further on letting an automatic system decide how my ride will behave by adjusting e.g. power control, traction control, braking assistance, Suspension by sensor data it collects itself by camera(s), Radar, rain sensors etc.? Thanks, but NO thanks. I am and will stay happy with my old, antique rides as the FJ without ABS, but pre-ride-adjustable suspension.

Greetz, Jo

[bharvey60]

I have to agree that a lot of the new technology is fantastic.  I've had a chance to ride some of the newer BMWs and Ducs and ended up drooling from the experience.  I rode more confidently, faster and with a wider safety margin.  However...

This stuff is expensive
I can't fix it myself
Reliability in some cases (BMW) seems to be suspect
I wouldn't be riding a 30 year old bike that I love and that turns heads.  When was the last time anyone got chased 7 miles so someone could look at their 2015 Bimmer?

In my case, I don't ride well enough to take full advantage of the 1985 technology that exists in my "stock" FJ and probably never will.  However, I can use incremental upgrades to widen that safety margin and maybe improve my riding.  Better brakes and a better suspension go a long way toward achieving this without the need to have that latest technology at my fingertips.  I can accomplish this for about $2 grand and have bike that turns heads, particularly when folks see the antique plate.  Sure doesn't look antique.

Now if my lotto numbers come in this week, I may have to rethink this...

[racerrad8]

All of the shocks were received and back in stock Wednesday before I left for the rallies. Unfortunately, there appears to be some reorganization of the company and there was significant delays and poor communication.

Hopefully that has been resolved, plus I will also try and plan more effectively to ensure I do not run out again.

Randy - RPM