FJ and dirt travel? NOT GOOD

[FJTillDeath]

SO i found out today that the FJ is not a very good bike to ride if you want to ride on dirt/ any kind of loose road. Now dont get me wrong, i wasnt trying to ride the bike on dirt but recently after the floods we had in my city they started doing roadworks

Now on the only road i can take home they cut up both lanes! made the surface flat and laid down a very thin layer of that loose gravel/ dry tar. SO yesterday I nearly wiped on the FJ because literally the moment my first tyre started on the devils surface the bike wobbled violently and throughout the time i thought the front tyr would slip out, i couldnt accelerate or brake at all or even lean or turn at all. It was quite a worrying experience as I already saw somebody on the very side of the road also on a bike that had had an accident. Luckily the road surface was only 100meters long but I really dont know what to do for next time i go down this road?? it is a downhill which also has a slight curve to it. anyb ody know how to approach a situation like this? should i just stop the bike and wlak it over the loose surface?

Theres no fun in having to freewheel down a road where you could wipeout at any second alstho i can say if the fj had wheels any smaller than what they do i would have probably wiped instantly

[rktmanfj]

Really?





Randy T
Indy

[RichBaker]

She does OK, definitely not a dirtbike, but relax, keep a loose grip on the bars, and don't make any sudden moves. Weight the pegs, don't just be a lump on the seat....   

I rode dirtbikes the 1st 10 years, or so, of my riding life, started at ~10 years old. It may seem easier to me than to someone that has no experience on dirt....

[andyb]

It's just heavy.  Run a gear tall and be smooth and you'll have no problems.  Need a lot of practice and skill to make it easier, and there will still be pucker moments.  But hell, there's pucker moments on pavement too.

[SlowOldGuy]

Just be careful and don't use too much front brake in the dirt/gravel.  Rear is better under those conditions.

DavidR.

[Dan Filetti]

Just be careful and don't use too much front brake in the dirt/gravel.  Rear is better under those conditions.

DavidR.

David-

Uh, your rear brakes' lawyer called, it's filing a palimony suit....  

I'm curious, are you an 'ass man' or a 'chest man'?  If the former, it sort of explains the following. What did you say, you replace rear brake pads over fronts ~3:1?

This amazed me, when I read it.  The front adds so much more braking power.  I know BOTH are valuable, but I use the rear 1) in a panic stop or 2) when I'm hot through the twisties, and the bike needs to be settled or 3) to hold the bike on a hill when my hands are off the bars or 4) on rain/ snow/ ice/ gravel-to your point above.  

But otherwise, my right foot stays on the peg.  I know others use it more, and I'm really not trying to re-start that debate, but to be replacing backs to fronts 3:1, really surprised me.  For what it's worth, I do both front and back pads at the same time, and the fronts are always more worn than the rears.

Dan

[Klavdy]

The bike did not start to wobble violently.
YOU made it wobble.
Yes, you.
Your inputs into the steering made it wobble.
You are hanging onto the bars with a rigid death grip, your whole body petrified into a frozen lump of misery.
You need to consciously relax your grip and stay loose, the bike wants to stay upright and your panic reactions are fighting against it.
Don't "Freewheel", the bike wants to stay upright as long as power is going to the rear wheel,you need to find the balance point between your clutch and rear brake to do slow manoeuvres and don't tense up,the trick is to NOT transmit these forces to the handlebars.
100 meters of dirt road should not present a barrier to you.

[fb747]

The other day me and a couple of mates were screaming through the twisties when low and behold I found myself on gravel going very fast approaching a near 90 deg dirt corner. I guess the dirt bike instincts just kick in.
You could try strapping some steel onto your feet and just put a foot down and give it heaps, oldschool dirt track style. If you do go down this avenue try and aim your roostertail at the people who put you in this predicament in the fist place.

[NJona86FJ]

FINALLY... some rear brakers....

[andyb]

The bike did not start to wobble violently.
YOU made it wobble.
Yes, you.
Your inputs into the steering made it wobble.

Excepting bigass potholes or washboard sections common to gravel, I totally agree.

As far as front vs rear braking, both have their uses in various conditions and situations, both are valuable, and knowing how to use them independently as well as together is invaluable.  So pad wear depends a bit on the riding you do, ya?

[FJmonkey]

Excepting bigass potholes or washboard sections common to gravel, I totally agree.
Wear Depends.

I fixed it.

[SlowOldGuy]

Dan,
It's basically the way I ride.  I avoid heavy braking.  Going back to The Pace article, I try to not touch my brakes (front or rear) during normal riding.  I don't run up on curves with so much speed that I need to scrub a lot off.  I prefer to sneak up on them and have my entry speed set well before I get there.

I know that probably sounds like a boring way to ride, but when done properly it is a safe and very enjoyable ride.  And it's not necessarily slow (check out some of my UTube vids, Slowoldguy1).  All I'm giving up is excessive straightaway speed, which is usually where you get a ticket.

I also don't downshift very often.  That's what I love the most about the FJ, shifting is optional when you're surfing that big fat torque curve.  Downshifting is just a poor substitute for rear brake.  It also means you're (not you specifically) probably riding too fast.

I will admit that my braking skills are probably not as sharp as they could (should) be just because I don't use them that often.  At least that's the way it is around here.  I do brake more when I'm on twistier roads, such as NC or Ark.  It always takes some time for me to get used to that.  Like I said previously, using the rear brake is probably a holdover from growing up riding on dirt, which also explains that embarassing moment when Jeff saw me put a foot down in a corner on the Dragon many years ago.  :-)

DavidR.

[FJTillDeath]

Okay so I tried again to go down the hill, this time with a little more confidence. Keep in mind there have been heavy rains yet again and the loose gravel is now sort of like clotted mud and slush, it has increased in amount but now approaching at a slightly slower speed knowing what to expect i had a little wheel spin on entry but the clutch and some good balance quickly solved that. I loosened my grip on the bars and although the bars vibrated quite violently the bike felt a lot less like it was going to wipe. the cars infront of me were also a lot further ahead so that relieved the pressure of having to force a break. Unfortunately gravity fulled me down the hill at a higher speed than i would have liked but with the back break slightly pulled the bike was still pushing itself rather than freewheeling like last time. I made a sort of and understatement in that the layer of gravel was quite thin as it is actually quite thick after seeing someone else push their car through it in the morning. Truth be told I have very little experience on dirt other than what i got off my 125 road bike but the dirt was fairly solid and easy to manouver on at speeds not very life threatening. Road works have said the road will be fixed by the end of this week (if the rain decides to hold up) although atleast I know the FJ isnt so bad on non tar-surface surfaces. on a good note, while pulling off from the petrol station earlier (bearing in mind every surface is kak wet i nearly spun out with the FJ while entering the road from the pavement but the bike very easily and effortlessly corrected itself so with that I feel very confident that the bike will keep up straight on most surfaces given the right amount of control.

[Arnie]

Maybe you need to learn that unlike with a 125, the FJ throttle is not to be used as an ON / OFF switch.
Try gently feeding the throttle on instead of just whacking it wide fucking open, especially on less than perfect surfaces.
While the FJ will never be a good enduro or motocross bike (too heavy), it isn't bad on dirt and gravel roads at all.
YOU need to be smooth and progressive in your application of throttle, clutch, brakes, and steering.  The FJ will do just fine.  Also, use engine braking to help slow you down on hills.
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

[DailyDriver]

It's just a matter of input, feedback, and input. 

A good set of knobies and I'd make my own road. 




Average 30-40 mph on this particular stretch. Of course I was on my way back and had a feel for the road by this time.