Premium Member so1102 Posted January 24, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted January 24, 2016 Well done, kid! Although for the zombie apocalypse you probably should have left the stabby excess wires on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Actually you could have used the lower 2 screen mounting bolts to secure the top if you extended it up a bit and secured the bottom with the ( brilliant) velcro. It might help protect the screen from front stone damage as well. Very neat work and especially "zompie Apo" appropiate. If you had painted it red it would get less discoloured when you run into zombies though. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Just saw the comment on the minimotard and gokart tracks. Used to race a very modified CR85 motor-ed Honda RS125 motogp chassis on a go kart track. Small two strokes and go kart tracks equals far more fun than is probably legal. Picture of my toy ( appropiate as it vibrated unbelievably) Offtopic... so back to the fizzer. Have you decided which tyres you are going to use yet? And have you got a good bash plate yet. I am hanging out to see this develop? Are you fitting bigger adventure pegs? Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Well done, kid! Although for the zombie apocalypse you probably should have left the stabby excess wires on it Hahaha, One of my buddies said the same thing. I had already drawn blood- it was only a matter of time before I poked my eyes out on those things Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Actually you could have used the lower 2 screen mounting bolts to secure the top if you extended it up a bit and secured the bottom with the ( brilliant) velcro. It might help protect the screen from front stone damage as well. Very neat work and especially "zompie Apo" appropiate. If you had painted it red it would get less discoloured when you run into zombies though.[\\quote] Just saw the comment on the minimotard and gokart tracks. Used to race a very modified CR85 motor-ed Honda RS125 motogp chassis on a go kart track. Small two strokes and go kart tracks equals far more fun than is probably legal. Picture of my toy ( appropiate as it vibrated unbelievably) Offtopic... so back to the fizzer. Have you decided which tyres you are going to use yet? And have you got a good bash plate yet. I am hanging out to see this develop? Are you fitting bigger adventure pegs? I considered finding a way to hook them to the wind screen bolts, but once I determined the velcro would probably work, drilling and opening my tool box sounded like so much effort, haha. Also, the velcro gave me a lot of freedom for the positioning, since I needed to make sure my mounts were long enough to hover it a few millimeters in front of the lens so it wouldn't scratch it. This way it's a really quick on and off. I have a bunch of red powder coat left over from when I did the levers on my race bike, too! Missed opportunities Awesome! I seriously can't get enough of the minis. The KX65 is my first two stroke (Aside from having briefly ridden a friend's NSR50 in the past, which I actually HATED because it was so cramped and uncomfortable), so it's been a whole different experience, and probably the most fun I've had on a motorcycle in a while. And I think the gains in skills are really going to pay off, as I'm a lot more comfortable with trying things and taking risks on this thing than I am on my race bike (Or god forbid, the FZ). I'm actually doing a 3 hour solo endurance race on the KX next weekend. Mini love fist bump! As for the FZ, I'm not totally sure yet. I'm starting my cross country trip to florida and back in mid march, so I have about a month and a half before I need it to just be distance worthy, but I'm hoping to also string in an Alaska trip, probably starting mid summer, so I've got a bit of time before it needs to be more dual sport worthy, too. I have a friend who just went on a long trip on his Fj-09 that ultimately got cut short when he hit a bad bump and had his engine punctured though, so I'll definitely need to figure out something in terms of skid plates and such. TBD pending some more research! Sorry, this is all a bit slow going! Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Can I suggest Pirelli MT60's if I haven't already for the trip. Sounds like an awesome trip. Have fun ( I am guessing you will). "I have a bunch of red powder coat left over from when I did the levers on my race bike, too! Missed opportunities " If it was an Australian trip you would only have to wait until you hit you first cow or roo and it would be appropiatly tinted. If you get a chance to ride an Honda RS125 or NSR150 on the short track grab it. You won't stop grinning for days. It is a lot easier to see how the MotoGP guys go so fast when you get on a bike that requires steer by thought. Dicing with others and being able to change line several times in a corner...heaven! Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheeladdict Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-skidplate-for-honda-nc700-nc750-17354 The link says Honda, but the photos and wording show a FZ-07 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 25, 2016 Author Share Posted January 25, 2016 http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-skidplate-for-honda-nc700-nc750-17354 The link says Honda, but the photos and wording show a FZ-07 I've been strongly considering this for a little while, but my only concern is that I don't know if it'll work with my akrapovic exhaust :/ I'll hit up sw motech and see if they have any idea. If not, maybe it wouldn't be that bad to get something like that fabricated also. Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 I can tell you right now that design of pan will collect stones and mud from the front wheel . It needs to come slope backwards to the top and fit closer to the pipes and engine. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 I can tell you right now that design of pan will collect stones and mud from the front wheel . It needs to come slope backwards to the top and fit closer to the pipes and engine.Interesting. I honestly don't know a ton about skid plates for something like this and what goes into the design, but from what I'm reading, I'm fairly certian the SW Motech one won't, indeed, work with the akrapovic anyways. I might be looking at attempting to fab one. So, you want close to the pipes. a somewhat backward slope, but I assume it also needs some sort of venting, from what I've seen. I'm gonna see what I can figure out and if I have any friends with a welder. Also, looking at the MT60s, but I'm not seeing any sizes that will work on the rear :/ Not sure about fitting a 160, but I love my pirellis on my other bikes. Maybe these http://www.bikebandit.com/tires-tubes/motorcycle-tires/shinko-705-motorcycle-tire or these http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/77620/i/pirelli-scorpion-trail-ii-dual-sport-rear-tire Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymorr Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Skid plate.... http://fz07.org/thread/4260/hey 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 2016 BMW R1200RS 2014 Honda CTX700 2014 Honda Grom Black 2014 Honda Grom Red 2013 Husqvarna TR650 Terra 2011 Husaberg FE390 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Sorry zombie I meant MT60R and RS. It should have the sizes you want. That MT09 one looks it it would protect OK but a bit cumbersome to make. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Skid plate.... http://fz07.org/thread/4260/hey This is actually pretty cool, but unfortunately they use the same mounting point as my hepco becker engine guards, so I don't think I could use it. Give's me some ideas though Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Sorry zombie I meant MT60R and RS. It should have the sizes you want. That MT09 one looks it it would protect OK but a bit cumbersome to make. Yeeep, found 'em. What kind of mileage have you gotten out of those? Right now I'm strongly considering the shinko 705s, which people seem to get around 5-8000 miles out of on big heavy adventure bikes, but the performance on those pirellis sounds pretty compelling Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymorr Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Skid plate.... http://fz07.org/thread/4260/hey This is actually pretty cool, but unfortunately they use the same mounting point as my hepco becker engine guards, so I don't think I could use it. Give's me some ideas thoughI ordered a set. I figured it would protect them underbelly as well as the engine. T 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 2016 BMW R1200RS 2014 Honda CTX700 2014 Honda Grom Black 2014 Honda Grom Red 2013 Husqvarna TR650 Terra 2011 Husaberg FE390 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 I'd love to see it mounted up when you get it! My guards are partially floating, so I might be able to hunt down some longer bolts and make it work depending on where exactly it falls and if it seems worth it Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Lets us know how they go Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Alrighty- not a huge update, but this caps off almost all of my must-haves for my cross country trip next month so I'm almost at a stopping point for a little while. ALMOST. Today we have hand stuff and contingency stuff! I finally settled on a set of handguards with the Zetas, as I wanted the wind protection, but I also really, really wanted a full dual mounted backbone for the impact/lever protection. Most handguards for the FZ only mounted on one side, which I couldn't see the benefit of, other than ease of fitment. The Zetas aren't made to work with this bike though (Despite the fact that they come in blurple), so to fit them, you have to drill and tap the bar end weights (Both because it needs the extra clearance, and because yamaha thought threaded bars made sense). After much ado with a shitty Harbor Freight drill press, I ended up giving up and giving my weights to a friend who had some real equipment to work with and actually knew what he was doing, haha. Some drilling and tapping later, we have success: or a head on and less scenic view: The bike is now almost officially Tiff-proof! Which is noteworthy, because I am an over achiever of awkwardly failing at life, haha A few small notes though- the bolts are a just a little bit too long still (Although they still hold them on quite securely, so I'll likely have to cut the bolts down or buy some new ones. Additionally, the reason why none of the handguards made for the FZ have both a bar clamp and a bar end mount normally is because there really isn't much clearance on the bars. I had to slightly rotate both the clutch and brake lever mounts, which I'm currently not super happy with after yesterday's ride, so I'm still working on tweaking the control positions. All minor quips though, because the added wind protection was instantly noticeable the moment I hopped on the freeway yesterday. And for one of the most minor updates so far (But one that I do to every bike I buy), while I was pulling off bar ends, I also opted to swap out the grips, for the progrip 719 gel grips (Also in blurple, cause, well, color coordination adds horsepower and all that): Huge fan of these grips. Always have been. Great traction and definitely improve the vibration ever so slightly (Not that I've ever found the FZ to be all that vibratey compared to, say, my old SV <_<). But above all, I think they look pretty awesome. And that's what counts, haha And lastly, we have a contingency plan- As everyone knows, one of the biggest limiting factors of the FZ as a long distance touring bike is the size of the gas tank (Size does matter sometimes, sorry gents). I have a bad habit of playing gas light chicken just because I hate gas stations, so, to save me from myself, I also added hepco & becker's universal carrier+canister for in case I find myself out of gas in BFE down the line. This will let me carry an extra 2 liters: I did have to drill some holes in my hard case to mount it, and it did cover up some of my favorite stickers, all of which I was pretty sad about, but the ultimate benefit should be well worth it. All I need now is some Accessory plugs, a gps (I also just bought a RAM mount which I've not yet mounted), and some tires and I think I should be ready to ride this bitch to Florida and back! :D Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Looking good. There wasn't enough room to mount the flat gas pack on the inside of the pannier frames? That's what I intended to do, but haven't properly sussed it out yet. I have a thing about putting weight too far back. I did make my own pannier carrier bracket so I may have a bit more room. Are you going with Michie PR4's for the trip. My personal favourite on tarmac, but a bit squirrelly ( though controllable) on gravel, and no control in mud I found. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan4130 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Looks like the ultimate touring machine, minus a new seat '15 FZ-09 Cadmium Yellow '15 White Fz-07 - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Looks like the ultimate touring machine, minus a new seat The seat LOOKS stock, but the internals are completely redone (I used a company called ASTech in Indiana). It's surprisingly comfy so far for the short 4 hour rides I've done thus far, which is a huge improvement over stock that used to cause me pain in maybe an hour and a half of riding. I'll see how it really works on the long haul soon though. Fingers crossed it stays tolerable! Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Looking good. There wasn't enough room to mount the flat gas pack on the inside of the pannier frames? That's what I intended to do, but haven't properly sussed it out yet. I have a thing about putting weight too far back. I did make my own pannier carrier bracket so I may have a bit more room. Are you going with Michie PR4's for the trip. My personal favourite on tarmac, but a bit squirrelly ( though controllable) on gravel, and no control in mud I found. Nope, the gas can is a good 2 inches thick and fairly wide (And the spout also makes it fairly tall), and there's not much room on the inside. the mount was made to attach to the front or rear of the case. I have a 70 liter nelson riggs dry bag that will be mounted on top of the seat also, so I can't have anything sticking out of the middle section. Forgot to mention that one. This is an older picture, but it mounts on the tie down points on the cases like so: Not really a mod, but it should keep my camping equipment dry on my journey. I haven't noticed any handling issues with it thus far after riding all over malibu yesterday, but we'll see how it goes. I plan to be pretty careful about load balancing when it comes to loading the bags though, so I'm not too worried. And yeah, still undecided on tires. I'm running these for now obviously, but once I'm closer to leaving, I might swap out. These definitely haven't been very confidence inspiring on even just the dirt turn outs on mountain roads, so I'd like something at least in the 90/10 street/dirt leaning range, but I'm still tossing between a couple options. I need long tire life, since the trip is currently around 4500 miles each way, and I want something that will at least last half the trip, but I also need something that can navigate whatever roads I encounter at campgrounds and potentially heavy rain, so I'm exploring my options still. Been reading up on what the big touring bmw and ktm guys use, and am right now mostly tossing between the shinko 705s (Not sure how i feel about dropping down to a 170 rear, or I'd have already bought these. Shouldn't be a HUGE difference, but I don't really want to lose stability), the latest metzler tourrances, or the pirelli scorpion trail IIs, but I'm definitely still shopping around. I was looking at those MT60rs, but it sounds like the tire life might be too limited for this trip at least. I don't know. I don't get laid off til March 4th, so I've still got a few weeks. I'll figure sooooomething out. Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 The AST seats seem to be getting a good wrap ( oops, small pun). Pity it is too awkward to get it done from Aus ( plus our dollar is now a touch sick) Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I personally think this bike SHOULD have a 160 or 170 on it. I think it would improve the handling. Yamaha has been putting ridiculously oversize heeavy expensive tyres opn a lot of it bikes lately and entirely for looks. As a racer I am sure appreciate that matching tyre size to weight and HP is a imperative. A bike that weighs 170kg and has 70HP doesn't need a tyre this big and heavy. The MT60rs's are made for much bigger, heavier and more powerful bikes, but for you purposes that should translate to longer life I would suspect. Even fully loaded you won't come close to a 1200 BMW weight. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiphone Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 But with a 180 rear, I can mooch off the take-offs from all my friends who race 600s! .... Which will be amazing if I ever actually take the FZ on track, but for current purposes, I definitely 100% agree, haha. My only experience with dropping down a tire size from stock was when I tried running moto3 slicks on my Ninja, and while they perform brilliantly, that tip in is ridiculous and the stability is non-existant. But that's dropping down to a 90/120 combo from 110/140, so that was a bit more extreme. My SV managed to handle like a fucking boat even with the 160 though, so the more I think about it, I guess a 170 would probably be fine, and those seem to be kind of a favorite among a lot of people. I'll see if I can find some more info on people's tire life on the MT60rs before I pull the trigger on the shinkos just in case. Everything I've read about performance seems to be amazing, but that's my only concern on those. It's funny- having been so deep in road racing land for my entire riding career, this whole project has really made me feel like such a newb again. It's amazing how completely different the needs and equipment of each facet of this sport really is Published 'Chronicles of a Motorcycle Gypsy' a book about my travels on the FZ, and a writer for Motorcyclist Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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