Riding the FXR150

[Pathos]

Has anyone got their knee down on this? I chicken out of corners at twice the posted limit, my brain tells me I'm going the right speed and then the bike goes round as if it could be going twice as fast.

i need a race track.

I've noticed though that the rear likes to bounce/slip out, there is hardly any weight on the back of the bike as the engine,seat position are very forward positioned and the tyres a light. It seemed to handle a lot better on my trip where I strapped my bag on the pillon seat, the added weight just seemed to make the rear bite into the tarmac better.

[bobsmith]

Hmmm I leaned it over a fair bit once, nowhere near enough to get my knee down though, but my shitty tyres started to let go so I had to straighten up. (I entered the corner faster than I probably wanted to and the only choice I had was to lean it more... luckly it started to let go right at the end of the corner)

I'm sure with better tyres you would do a lot better though. My front is the stock shitty tyre which is down to minimum thread depth and my rear tyre isn't too flash either. In this case my back let go (it's pure luck that I didn't fall off the bike) and I didn't feel very secure about my front at all either (I dont know how to explain it but I was so sure it was about to let go... then my attention got diverted by the rear actually letting go...) maybe I should try the bag on the back seat like you mentioned?

Now does anyone wanna tell me where to get better tyres?

[Pathos]

Hmmm I leaned it over a fair bit once, nowhere near enough to get my knee down though, but my shitty tyres started to let go so I had to straighten up. (I entered the corner faster than I probably wanted to and the only choice I had was to lean it more... luckly it started to let go right at the end of the corner)

I'm sure with better tyres you would do a lot better though. My front is the stock shitty tyre which is down to minimum thread depth and my rear tyre isn't too flash either. In this case my back let go (it's pure luck that I didn't fall off the bike) and I didn't feel very secure about my front at all either (I dont know how to explain it but I was so sure it was about to let go... then my attention got diverted by the rear actually letting go...) maybe I should try the bag on the back seat like you mentioned?

Now does anyone wanna tell me where to get better tyres?

I've got pirelli MT75's on both with plenty of tread. I've only once had the rear slip in the dry when I put the power on in a roundabout.

[bobsmith]

Oooooo me wants MT75. (I've heard great things about them)

Cant find any suppliers though... Where did you get them? I'm thinking I might order them from wherever has them and get them shipped to Palmy,

[Sketchy_Racer]

Hehehe I have got my knee down on mine.....


But i must also tell you that mine has slicks fitted and i was racing.

I doubt that ANYONE will get there knee down on road tyres on a FXR150. the way the foot pegs are set out just doesnt work.

But good luck trying..

PS where did you get your MT75s from??

[Pathos]

They were sitting in stock at my small local motorcycle mechanic's Bits and Bikes in hamilton (now called supercross cycles or something....).

32 Commerce st
Ph (07) 847 3143

I got them early last year for a bit over $300. are they rare or something ?

and whats wrong with the foot peg layout ?

what speed were you going ?

[Sketchy_Racer]

and whats wrong with the foot peg layout ?

what speed were you going ?

The Gap between the seat and foot peg is quite big. It means that you knee is not bent much. I normally scrap the pegs before knee downing.

I dont have a clue what speed i was doing, but i would assume any where from 50-100kph

[Indiana_Jones]

Shit, I've noticed the back on my FXR is light too. It's kinda annoying. Need a 250 :p

-Indy

[bobsmith]

what speed were you going ?

All the shops around here for tyres for the fxr, they only had IRC tyres and I definately haven't seen any mt75s, infact no one around palmy that I've talked to was even interested in getting some in for me (though I've only asked about "getting some in" for me to a couple of shops when I realised that I'm not finding anything here). Thanks Pathos. I might give them a ring if I fail to find anyone in Wellington area.

[Bert]

All the shops around here for tyres for the fxr, they only had IRC tyres and I definately haven't seen any mt75s, infact no one around palmy that I've talked to was even interested in getting some in for me (though I've only asked about "getting some in" for me to a couple of shops when I realised that I'm not finding anything here). Thanks Pathos. I might give them a ring if I fail to find anyone in Wellington area.

Hi bobsmith
try going to see paul at manawatu motorcycles and have a talk to him. he abit quite but a blood good bugger.
you could try the Skankos (whatever), they are just yokohama's with a different name; and they come in some quite sticky compound for your size rims.

Bert

[Jamezo]

also look at Bridgestone BT39s, or if you're looking for serious knee-down action, a set of TT900s. If you can get it cranked over enough, those'll do the trick nicely.

[Str8 Jacket]

or if you're looking for serious knee-down action, a set of TT900s. If you can get it cranked over enough, those'll do the trick nicely.

Yeah I put them on my bike and noticed the difference straight away. Ive foud that theyve deifenstely helped with my confidence and am leaning the bike over furthur all the time. Dont know about me getting my knee down (pretty unlikely) but I got my peg down at Manfeild :yes:

[N4CR]

On NIckstas fxr with plastic shitty tyres... you can feel the front tyre tread blocks move when you throw it around a bit. Ya can't lean much more than 30-35degrees before it wants to go walkies underneath you. Yeap had arse trying to slide out, it's quite 'springy' on that bike because of the weight... fun as hell though. Just need some decent rubber and i'd have a ball.

It is quite a high pegged highish sitting bike so if you were a contortionist you might be able to get your knee down, otherwise i'd say it's bloody hard. Good luck... and try in a carpark without fairings... 30-40kmh

[Pathos]

I wish I could find enough concrete, all the hamilton carparks I can think of have bits of curbing here and there which puts me off :/

[carver]

i found a cycle track in hillcrest, we did laps one late night, its great, smooth tarmac.
i hereby challange you on your fxr to race me on a nxr 125 (drums all round)
maybe sunday day...if its dry, and the track is empty..il pm ya my cell
anyways, i can scrape my feet on the fxr but that direct link rear shock is oversprung and underdampened, thats what causes the bounce.
i used to feel mine start to let go when thrashed real hard.
but lets have a "trackday"
hahahahahah
carver (oh yea, i got no lisence.):bye:

[Pathos]

i found a cycle track in hillcrest, we did laps one late night, its great, smooth tarmac.
i hereby challange you on your fxr to race me on a nxr 125 (drums all round)
maybe sunday day...if its dry, and the track is empty..il pm ya my cell
anyways, i can scrape my feet on the fxr but that direct link rear shock is oversprung and underdampened, thats what causes the bounce.
i used to feel mine start to let go when thrashed real hard.
but lets have a "trackday"
hahahahahah
carver (oh yea, i got no lisence.):bye:

alrighty ...

[Korea]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=18611

FXR150 knee-down? Pfft... easy.

[Sketchy_Racer]

dunno why every one says the rear shock on the FXRs are shit. They are perfectly fine. I race mine and it is very nice. It is a little soft for my liking even at full preload but i find the dampning fine. I got a second place on it with me riding so it must be fine. The Tires are the biggie. The stockers are shit and the continetal replacements are shit to.

If you think the shock is shit, come race me ...... Im a shit rider but itll hold up.

Oh and Check your frecking tire pressures!!

[bobsmith]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=18611

FXR150 knee-down? Pfft... easy.

That's some pretty impressive stuff...

Funny, in my 13 years in korea (mind you that was 9 years ago) I've never heard of Hyosung, wonder why the other motor giants like hundai never made bikes besides the taboo motorbikes hold with most koreans.

[speights_bud]

Personally i think that trying to get your knee down on the road is just asking for trouble. I'm not one to be hanging my arse way off the seat, and can still manage to keep up with larger capacity riders on general sorts of rides.

Ask MSTRS about our last bucket racing meet. after spending one race battling it out with two other bikes he just managed a win. Then i jumped on his bike, and no fancy bullshit i beat the other 2 guys by a good distance. He described me as: 'Typical paddy just plonk your arse on the seat and ride the damn thing' (Hey works for me:woohoo: ). Please note that i am not saying it's a bad idea to be moving your weight around while riding, but most often its not necessary for everyday riding.

But as others have already said and i strongly agree with them get some decent rubber on the bike and regularly CHECK YOUR TYRE PRESSURES.
I borrowed a scooter during the week to do some filming of a school running event and wondered why the bloody thing handled like shit (other than the fact it was a scooter). The tyres were soft enough to push in easily with my thumb! they were supposed to be at 36 psi cold! So i shot down to the closest servo and fixed things up, made a world of difference.
Believe me guys get those pressures right, and inside a good set of tyres riding will be alot more pleasant.

[Pathos]

I reckon the biggest thing stopping me from getting my knee down is my own riding ability.

I'm not trying to go fast, the fxr will probably go much slower around a corner with your knee down be cause of the counter steering involved. I just want to push my own limits and be a better rider from it.

[N4CR]

I reckon the biggest thing stopping me from getting my knee down is my own riding ability.

I'm not trying to go fast, the fxr will probably go much slower around a corner with your knee down be cause of the counter steering involved. I just want to push my own limits and be a better rider from it.

Yep, when I hit the carparks a few times and did kneedowning it slowed me down, made bike more stable though. It's good for your confidence but for me made me slower. As sazlex said: it's because I was trying to get my knee down. I didn't really need to.. bit of a wank wank thing really. Hence the avatar :lol:

[Pathos]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=18611

FXR150 knee-down? Pfft... easy.

man I'm definitely the one holding the bike up, I didn't realize how much my opposite hand was fighting until I read your tips. you do it without realizing.

[bobsmith]

For anyone still reading this thread, and any future readers wondering about tyres for fxr150, I thought I might mention that I called cyclethreads in Auckland for tyres for fxr150, and they said they can send down a set of BT39s in 100/80 and 90/80 for $269 including shipping, never rang them up before, very friendly chaps that wanted to "make it happen" rather than the, "why the f*&k do you want a better tyre for fxr150" attitude I've been getting just about everywhere else...

Can anyone tell me if that's a reasonable price?

[ZeroIndex]

not on a FXR150, but I want better tires (and a better bike to go with those tires)..

Here is my pity story..
Was just looking at my tires: Dunlop - MADE IN INDIA!!
Rear - Max Speed: 150km/h / Front - Max Speed: 120km/h

..bit random, but if my bike could for some deluded purpose get to 150, that means at 115km/h, i'd be getting ready to do a wheelie, as to not put too much stress on the front tire? :D