What did you do to your Yamaha FZ-07 today?

[Old Man]

On 9/4/2018 at 1:01 PM, emperor_Wurm said:

NICE turn signal mod. Did you have to use resistors?  I wonder if I could do the same mod on my 2018.

[emperor_Wurm]

2 minutes ago, Old Man said:

NICE turn signal mod. Did you have to use resistors?  I wonder if I could do the same mod on my 2018.

There is a single adjustable Flasher relay that TST sells. you only need one for the whole bike. Super easy to install. I believe the turn signals on the 2018 fz are a bit different. There are options for you though, but I have not looked into them....

[Old Man]

On 9/2/2018 at 10:11 AM, Beemer said:

They look nice but I can't help but wonder why you mounted your GoPro where you did. It's tilted and isn't the video shaky?

 

 

They say those bars are wider than stock by an inch or so each side? If I mod I'd go with the Woodcraft clip-ons.  Being lower, do your bars hit the tank at all? 

[Old Man]

On 9/1/2018 at 3:26 PM, mints said:

Just got my new Renthal Ultra-lows on and man oh man what a difference. Went for a quick ride but already love em. Anything lower I think wouldve been too low for me I think. They provide a good amount of lean, a little more over the tank, giving me a much more secure feeling. Now to finally make a decision on some rear sets. 

Sorry, repost... 

 

They say those bars are about an inch wider on each side than stock. I hear some people cut them, but being lower, how's your tank clearance?

[vroomvroom]

On 8/19/2018 at 2:31 PM, Yamaoldster said:

Installed Yoshimura exhaust, center stand and voltmeter. Already installed 10w driving lights, Yamaha windshield with deflector, mirror extenders, accessory socket and tail bag.

Mind if i ask, how tall are you, and how does this setup handle the wind? Lastly, how is it in a crosswind? Does it get yanked in a crosswind causing the steering to jitter? 

[Yamaoldster]

Vroom, I'm a 70 year old shrinking rider and stand around 5'8".  For lack of better description this setup feels like any smallish windshield, pretty much keeps wind blast off my chest and some off the face/helmet. Crosswinds its not a factor...……...I have not been in crosswinds of more than about 10mph. I'm still breaking it in and haven't gone more than 70mph so my comments are limited to this speed...….so far been very stable.

[Yamaoldster]

Installed Blaster-X Integrated LED Tail Light. Found on eBay. Easy install with great lighting.

[mick97702]

2 hours ago, Yamaoldster said:

Installed Blaster-X Integrated LED Tail Light. Found on eBay. Easy install with great lighting.

I feel it's an excellent tail light. Congrats!

[shinyribs]

On 9/3/2018 at 11:26 PM, Bigturbomax said:

Im very interested to see your solution here. I have the same bags and have always hated the look of the velcro top piece. Ive had some thoughts about addressing it but havent had any good ones yet haha, so ive yet to make any changes. Cant wait to see what you come up with!

Welp, here it is. But I doubt you'll like it!

 

Have to enlarge these 6mm holes to 10mm. These are what holds the tag bracket assembly, but it also holds the SW Motech Alu Rack, too. I didn't mind four 6mm bolts for just the luggage rack, but all the weight of the bags are going on this setup, so I wanted beefy hardware. 

 

Those holes are for this crossmember. 1" ally bar With ends cored to 5/8" I.D.  With powdercoating it was 10oz, so not too bad. 

 

Would like it sticking out less, but need room to easily reach for putting these pins in. I guess you -could- make a frame slider that pinned in place while the bags were off to prevent damage to the tail if you go down, but I think you might run a risk of twisting the rear section of the frame. I'll take body damage over a twisted arse.

 

 

The pins are for the stobs that stick out of the bags now. That reinforcing plate is 1/8" ally swisscheesed for weight with a little shoulder welded on. There's a 5/8" steel bolt that slips through there. That bolt is ultimately what holds the weight now.  Yep. I just drilled right through the bag.  Need some proper hardware: acorn nuts for the 6mm bolts and rubber washers for everything to hopefully seal up the holes. I only need rain proof, not submersible. 

 

 

Bolt heads are slimmed down to not snag knuckles or contents. Used bolts vs round stock just to save time. I'm riding a couple States away in 2 days! Didn't have a lot of time to get super fancy with this. 

 

Original velcro ears are zippered now. So they can be used as originally intended, or used universally on other bikes. Locking pull tabs zippers won't unzip while you ride. You have to have pulling pressure on the tabs to unlock them. My sewing machine would handle this, so the local upholstery shop tackled it for me. The zippers alone were $24 (beefy metal teeth), the whole bill was $74.  Ouch.  He did an outstanding job, though. It doesn't look like an afterthought and he hand-tied the ends to ensure they'd never unravel. And he rushed the job for me. I dropped them off this morning and picked them up after work. Really can't complain. 

 

No more smushing my signals and no more straps scratching against the body panels. And I have full access to the rear seat now. That was most important to me since all my papers,  four Rok Straps, a tire plug kit, a tool kit and a CO2 inflator with 6 cartridges  are under the rear seat. With loaded bags you just can't get to your stuff.! Oh yeah...and no more shifting when one bag is full and the other is empty!!

 

 

Pretty invasive and crude, but it's solid and clips on and off easily. Also holds the bags a little higher than "stock", which is needed with the Arrow exhaust.  I mean, I could cinch them up high before, but they ended up dragging on the body pretty bad. Once  little gravel dust gets behind there it turns in to sandpaper real quick. 

 

I knew I wasn't gonna be happy with this aspect of these bags when I bought them, but I needed something quick to get me riding. They did that job well, but I'm happy now. Still running the lower support rods that comes with the kit. Keeps the bags from twisting around too much. The crossmember/stobs I did wouldn't be enough by themselves IMO. 

 

 

 

 

 

[sorkyah]

On 9/4/2018 at 11:06 AM, i28 said:

careful what you wish for... next thing you know you'll get a bunch of selfies from a dude who likes to work on his bike naked. There's some weird people out there...

hey now, why you talking about me ?

[Beemer]

14 hours ago, Old Man said:

They say those bars are wider than stock by an inch or so each side? If I mod I'd go with the Woodcraft clip-ons.  Being lower, do your bars hit the tank at all? 

If you make a mistake with a post you can delete it by clicking "options" (lower left) and then delete. Ciao!

[fzar]

15 hours ago, shinyribs said:

Need some proper hardware: acorn nuts for the 6mm bolts and rubber washers for everything to hopefully seal up the holes. I only need rain proof, not submersible. 

 

I know it's off topic but what cage/engine guard is that? Hepco and Becker?

[mints]

23 hours ago, Old Man said:

Sorry, repost... 

 

They say those bars are about an inch wider on each side than stock. I hear some people cut them, but being lower, how's your tank clearance?

 

Its close but it clears. no issues while cornering at all. 

[shinyribs]

1 hour ago, fzar said:

I know it's off topic but what cage/engine guard is that? Hepco and Becker?

A seller from Thailand sells those on eBay. I asked the seller a question and the way he talked I'm pretty sure he's the guy who builds them. I can't remember the sellers name, but I can get you a link. 

 

I'm VERY happy with the fit and the finish is super nice and durable. You can tell it's hand welded, but the welds are tidy. I ride with my boots on them like higway bars and have yet to see the slightest bit of marring. I always build all my own stuff, so I'm unfairly picky about anything I buy prefabbed, but I have zero complaints about these bars. Love em. 

 

 

Edit: linky linky... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F182745911193

Edited September 6, 2018 by shinyribs

[mints]

On 9/5/2018 at 7:54 AM, persydonkers said:

Can you post a pic from the Side. Ive been in the same debate clip ons or the Renthal ultra lows.

Here you go man sorry for the delay

 

[persydonkers]

7 minutes ago, mints said:

Here you go man sorry for the delay

 

Man Good LookN bike. Appreciate it, they look pretty stream lined. Inwas curious on how the clip ons would affect the Back on long ride. This would probably be a happy medium.

[mints]

5 minutes ago, persydonkers said:

Man Good LookN bike. Appreciate it, they look pretty stream lined. Inwas curious on how the clip ons would affect the Back on long ride. This would probably be a happy medium.

I can tell you, that these bars made a huge difference, at least for me, on the highway. The wind didnt punch me right in the chest like it normally does. Since these give a bit more lean the wind just kinda flows right into the top of my helmet and over...bike and you feel more stable at 80mph.  After about a 2.5-3 hour ride I started feeling it a tiny bit in my lower back but nothing that would stop me for going another 2 hours. Best thing Ive done to the bike thus far. 

[rushdewalt]

On 9/3/2018 at 3:31 AM, shinyribs said:

Decided to pop on a 17T front sprocket for an upcoming trip and found this. 

 

Only chewed on that one side. Outer face looks new. 

 

 

Looks like the chain has been running tight against the inner edge all along, but why? Notice the offset indentions where the plates left witness marks. Outer face is on the left. 

 

 

Regardless, the chain is fine and the rear sprocket still looks new ( stock- 9k miles). But I'm very surprised how much better the bike performs with nothing but +1t up front. Wheelies come up MUCH smoother, easier and controllably. Bike still power wheelies in 1st and 2nd, and still pops the front up when you bang in to 3rd and 4th just right. But most importantly, the infamous decel cut snatchiness is nearly gone with this bit higher gearing. I was intentionally jerky on the throttle and couldn't really make the bike act up. These bikes are just geared too low from the factory. 

 

According to the GPS on my phone, with the 17T front, the speedo is still within 1mph up to around 40mph. From 40-60 mph it' reads 2mph slow. From 60-80 it reads 3-4mph slow. 

 

 

 

Also made up a little folding phone mount. Been wanting something like this for a while. The case is something I picked up from the local bicycle shop. The rest is just scraps of aluminum and a little powdercoating. Folds away nicely when not in use, but can also fold down against the gauges to help keep the phone from getting a sunburn. Not exactly svelte, but at least it goes invisible when not in use. 

 

The case is a BiKase Handy Andy: http://bikase.com/product/handy-andy-6/

 

Waiting for the oven to heat up. 

Folded away. 

 

Sunburn mode

 

Simple o-ring retains the case to the mount for easy on/off. Just stretches over the two prongs that slip in to the pockets sewed in to the case. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been going back in forth with myself  trying to decide between getting the ECU flashed or doing as you did  and +1 larger front sprocket.  I would like to smooth out the snatchiness some in 1st and 2nd gear and this might be a more cost effective solution for me.  Where did you get your 17t sprocket from?  Was it a straight swap ( any need for extra shims)  and will it work with the stock chain? 

Edited September 7, 2018 by rushdewalt

[shinyribs]

2 hours ago, rushdewalt said:

I have been going back in forth with myself  trying to decide between getting the ECU flashed or doing as you did  and +1 larger front sprocket.  I would like to smooth out the snatchiness some in 1st and 2nd gear and this might be a more cost effective solution for me.  Where did you get your 17t sprocket from?  Was it a straight swap ( any need for extra shims)  and will it work with the stock chain? 

Hey man, here's the link where I bought it:. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F192506723634

 

Direct bolt on with no shims, just have to adjust the chain slack a touch. The case guard that's in behind the sprocket cover is tight going back in, but it fits and doesn't rub. No issues here. 

 

I'm not familiar with the brand, so I can't vouch for it's durability. 

[shinyribs]

Left home at 7:00 am Friday and met up with some guys. Rode up to PA to watch the flat track race at Mechanicsburg. Motley crew of guys riding a little bit of everything.

 

Fuel stop, fuel stop, brick oven pizza joint then hotel. I love this bike more with every mile. Gonna ride and see some local sights before the race starts at 2:30 tomorrow. Gonna be a great weekend.

 

p.s.- The VFR can't shake me off like he expected. I surprised him with a nice 1-2 wheelie on a moderate launch and now he's acting a bit gun shy. Really trying to run this bike for my own curiosity. It sounds so wicked. 

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by shinyribs

[DewMan]

46 minutes ago, shinyribs said:

Rode up to PA to watch the flat track race at Mechanicsburg.

unrelated Triva: There's also a Mechanicsburg in Ohio but it only has a population of 1600 residence unlike the vibrant metropolis of 9,000 people in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Sound like a fun way to spend the day.  I'm jealous.

 

[Beemer]

@shinyribs

 

Nice story and pics! VFR … VF schmaR, lol! Hope you're having fun, wish I were there!

[thedriver1]

Went on for a nice little group ride and got some interesting pictures from the other riders.

 

I'm running the smoked TST taillight and I've always been a little worried about its visibility. Here's two pictures from following bikes where my taillight (with brake lights on) are the brightest thing in the group. I wanted to share for anyone on the fence about the smoked light.

[Yamaoldster]

Installed Yamaha side bag brackets which lined up nicely with Givi bags bottom eyelet. Had these bags for years installed on other bikes, forgot which model they are.

[208MT07]

Got my TST integrated tail and Proton 500's on yesterday.