Category: FZ-09

Time for another update. In between taking care of other business, I finally got around to installing the front Spiegler kit I’ve had since before the group buy. Something about the carpenter’s house is the last to get fixed. Or the cobbler’s shoes.  Or something like that.

These are the stock replacement translucent smoke w/ titanium fittings and banjo bolts. As an added perk, they match the matte gray fender very nicely. But more importantly, the lever feel is ever so slightly firmer than the stock lines. Of course, the difference is more pronounced on older, more worn out rubber lines. All in all – they meet my expectations (as they’ve done in the past) and work like every other bike with SS lines.

Also made some progress on another little project: removing the passenger pegs and relocating the rear brake reservoir. After a few hours of trial and error, bending and rebending, fitting and unfitting, these are the fruits of my labor…

Of course, some context would probably help:

Don’t mind the hose that is shown in these pictures. Only there for fit-up purposes and had plenty of scrap fuel line laying around that served the purpose well. For the life of me, I’m not sure why Yamaha didn’t put the reservoir here to begin with.

Spent a lot of time swinging the swingarm to ensure adequate clearance. Same goes for tucking in far enough to clear the rider’s leg while hanging off to the left. Happy to report both efforts were successful and it’s been road tested for the past week (200 miles or so).

The factory cap protector is left in-tact…or it can be removed.

From the back (don’t mind the fuzzy photo – both I and the camera were burned out):

I’m pretty pleased with the final result. Next up will be swapping out the rear brake line and making some block off plates to hide that center hole on the passenger peg mounts. It’s a shame they included that hole (for fixturing, I’m sure), because it would be a whole lot cleaner looking without it. Oh well – consider it taken care of.

I’ve been working with Eric Wood, ala Woodcraft, on some frame sliders for the bike. The first prototype showed up today and I had enough time to install. Both sides are symmetrical, despite the asymmetric frame. We’ll be shortening up the RH side to provide the same clearance from side to side.

The Woodcraft pucks are unique in that they bolt on from the side. If the bike goes sliding down the pavement, end-bolted pucks could grind off the bolt head, making removal difficult. This goes a long way in preventing that situation. Still working with Eric to button these up and figure out pricing/schedule, so keep an eye on the forum for updates.

It fits!

Even better, it works! Well, there was never a question that it wouldn’t work. But seriously…DAMN! You know, you think it would get old and the allure of improved suspension would fade with all the ones I’ve done. All of my personal bikes are fully prepped, but the ‘new bike smell’ is utterly intoxicating. I always knew that this bike would be absolutely amazing with a proper suspension, but I have to say – I’m blown away with this bike. Every modification made to date are culminating to raise this bike’s bar. The Tech Specs help lock the body position, the fork springs and heavier oil calmed the front end while limiting dive, and the ECU tweaks have really freshened the power delivery. But the shock, it does wonders…

There are only a couple miles on the shock at this point (~20 maybe?), but I have a good 90% baseline. Sag is good and damping is really getting there. The triple clicker is an awesome piece of kit. First few adjustments entailed getting rebound in order to work with the front while maintaining composure over these roads, loosening high speed compression a tick to absorb our frost heaves and bumps, and increasing low speed compression to limit squatting. On a bike with acceleration this fierce, the rear end always squatted under power, so quelling that behavior does wonders for stability. The bike will still wheelie with authority, but your wrist is now hard wired to the ground. Twist and go. All business.

There really isn’t anything else I can say about the shock. It’s done.

I have a special bench flashing setup coming my way next week to handle this ECU and the MIA pins. Not production representative, but it will get the job done on this end. Will allow me to make some more changes…more quickly (though ECU needs to come off the bike, which means tank removal each time)…

Back onto suspension, look what showed up about an hour ago:

Triple clicker – game time! Fingers crossed the hose length estimates and fitting orientations were accurate…

I know you guys have been drooling for some ECU updates and I’ve been dragging my feet. Well, finally sat down and decomposed my notes into something useful (I hope).

Ignition Timing

From the factory, there are two ignition maps per drive mode. One map covers gears 1-2 and another covers gears 3-6. Although there are different maps for each drive mode, the ignition values are presently the same between across the drive modes. In other words, ignition timing is constant from mode to mode; it only varies by gear.

In gears 1-2 the factory map pulls timing between 1-2 degrees in a few places. Generally though, the bulk of timing retard is <15% throttle. Yamaha focused the timing retard in the 800-1400 RPM range and 3000-5500 range. There are a few other sporadic areas, but these are the concentrations. Yamaha employs similar tactics on many of their bikes, so this isn’t surprising. Given the affected regions, it appears they were trying to soften the initial throttle tip-in (despite what many riders have commented on).

For the purpose of this first exercise, the timing in the higher gears was used for gears 1 and 2 in an effort to increase throttle response in A mode only (STD and B timing modes were unaltered). The only exception were a few areas at about third throttle in the higher rev range that were smoothed out. The factory maps had some spiky inconsistencies (current thought is possibly for emissions).

Fueling

Typical FI layout on the fueling – fueling varies by cylinder and separate maps for TPS vs RPM, MAP vs RPM, Delta TPS vs RPM (by gear). Fueling maps are not customizable per ride mode. No changes were made to fueling at this time since we’re still running the stock exhaust and the A/F on the dyno was pretty flat. There are no obvious lean spots on this particular bike, so no effort was focused on fueling, yet. For those doing custom mapping on engine/exhaust work, this is the real deal. You’ll have full adjustment in more ways than you can shake a stick at.

Throttle Maps

It’s a pretty simple concept, but this is an area that I really enjoy. YCCT requires a throttle map to effectively communicate your wrist’s actions to the throttle butterflies. Yamaha has separate throttle maps for each ride mode, but they also have separate maps by gear. This is, in effect, how the bike’s speed limiter works. In fifth gear (STD and A), the ECU won’t allow full throttle over 10k RPM; in sixth gear, it’s 8500 RPM. These restrictions have been removed, so if you have the balls and real estate, you can try and best 132 mph. B mode does something similar, but it never allows full throttle. Full wrist rotation delivers 70% throttle. Naturally, less throttle = less power (10 hp per dyno)

As we’ve all surmised by riding these bikes, STD mode is essentially a linear throttle (50% throttle turn opens butterflies 50% – though still ramps up progressively), B mode is a slow turn throttle (50% turn opens butterflies 1/3), and A is a quick turn throttle (50% turn opens 61%). A delivers nearly full throttle at around 85% throttle.

The throttle maps for STD and B were left alone, but A was converted to a purely linear map (1:1). This has an interesting effect in the sense that the factory map (all modes) has a slower take up at small throttle openings and then ramps up very suddenly to the quick turn throttle. Basically, you get a little less opening than you command, but as speed builds, that relationship inverts and you quickly get more than you bargain for. So the new map comes on a little stronger under ¼ throttle and then goes completely linear through WOT. If you found A mode a little jumpy, this is a major contributer.

Other cool modifications

Eliminate fuel cut on decal (reduces engine braking) and default to a specified ride mode (as opposed to STD).

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve been yammering along long enough…how does the bike FEEL?”

In short – SWEET! I’ve been riding around on the new map for about a week trying to document the changes and summarize my thoughts. But immediately after pulling out, the reduced engine braking was instantly recognizable (and appreciated). This feature certainly won’t replace a slipper clutch, but it does a decent job of emulating it. Case in point, I’ve ‘accidentally’ downshifted effortlessly into first gear. The smooth transmission certainly helps, but quickly blipped downshifts are second nature. The difference is night and day. This certainly helps smooth out the on-off-on throttle transitions through the twisties.

The combination of eliminating the timing retard and advancing the throttle in the <25% range (literally, just a couple percent, nothing huge) really livens up the bottom end. This bike is a MONSTER (not like it wasn’t before). If you’re into wheelies, be prepared. But most importantly, smoothing out the timing inconsistencies and linearizing the throttle really make this engine smooth and easy to modulate. “Buttery smooth”, “Electric”, “Telepathic”…pick your cliché. This engine really allows you to outride the stock suspension…

So looking forward, there are a couple areas I’d like to refine before taking this mainstream. First, I’d like to soften the initial throttle response (in A). Contemplating pulling timing in low throttle (<6%) and/or reverting to the old <25% throttle map (leaving the new linear map >25%). This should please just about anyone who didn’t like the ‘urgent’ power delivery in A mode.

The pins are still the pacing item in getting this project moving along. Because the ECU is completely new, the required pins aren’t readily available, yet. So, although I’d love to be able to tweak some things on the fly, that just isn’t in the cards at this time. I’m planning to send the ECU back in a week or so once I make some more progress on the shock development.

All in all, I’m very excited by the results and am looking forward to tinkering. I’m envisioning a true quick turn map (ditch B – who needs it?), a good all-around A map, and maybe something silly like a launch control map. Who knows?

Closing comments: the smoother power delivery and better control really meld nicely with the fork upgrades and the new rear shock. The bike is more composed in every single way. No more bucking and seesawing as you whack the throttle, bury it into a turn, and rinse/repeat. As fun as that was, this is better. Much better. As usual, stay tuned for developments.

In between playing around on the suspension, I set about fixing something that has irked me from day 1: that blasted horn. To my eyes, the placement is terrible and the gaudy silver ring doesn’t do the front of the bike any favors. I was originally planning to design/fabricate/sell a simple kit to relocate this horn, and then I figured out an easier solution…

Now you see me:

Now you don’t:

While the tank was off (and then on and off and on and off and on again), the left scoop stuck out to me as a great place to put something…if only we had something. I started focusing on the forks and noticed that damn eyesore of a horn had to come off just to use the triple tree lift. Hmmm…horn in one hand, empty LH scoop. I wonder.

Bingo!

Sure as shitfire, it fit! Even better? The factory horn bracket required NO modifications. Make up a short jumper lead, remove the factory horn mount on the lower triple tree and voila! If you’re so inclined, I’ve detailed it here: http://www.yamahafz09.com/forum/32-yamaha-fz-09-guides-how-s/738-free-mod-horn-relocation.html#post10502

Spent a bit more time on the bike today testing out the forks springs and heavier oil. The roads were wet, so I really wasn’t able to wring it out. Despite the wet roads, I pointed the bike to some very bumpy, twisty roads to see how she handled.

Surprisingly, the forks handle little bumps decently. They don’t disappear like a well-revalved fork, but it’s manageable. It’s now squarely in how the bike should have come from the factory. Rebound is now working pretty well with the heavier oil. Low speed compression is a little soft, but it’s workable at a reduced pace. High speed compression, though, is a little on the ‘firm’ side. It feels more like a track bike than a road bike, but as mentioned, it’s manageable. For those who live outside of PA and have smoother roads, 10 wt oil should be a great starting point. I will likely give 7.5 wt oil a shot before jumping into the shim stacks.

That said, the rate feels wonderful. Diminished brake dive, more feel, much more composed. This is the result from a few hard ‘panic’ stops (60-70 mph with the rear wheel grazing the ground):

Have about 22 mm remaining. Since I’m running 2-3 mm too much oil (thanks Doug!), correcting will add a bit more travel. All told, the 0.90 kg/mm springs will be great for riders in the 195-210 fully geared range (maybe a bit more/less depending on riding style). At this point, I plan to stick with this rate and leave them in – even for the track.

After nearly a month of the FZ being down and apart, opportunity came knocking today: 60 degree weather, sunshine, and a fully-functional bike. Didn’t even need to don the heated gear (sweet!).

First order of business…the forks. As mentioned earlier, I weigh about 178 lbs in the buff. Fully geared up (with street clothes underneath), I weigh in at about 204.5 lbs. I have three sets of springs earmarked for ‘spring rate development’ (0.85, 0.875, and 0.90 kg/mm). Based on what was learned about the stock springs and the valving, I decided to jump right to the 0.90 kg/mm. Rider sag is currently 40 mm with 1.5 bars of preload. Oil weight was increased to a 10 wt Motul to add additional damping. Due to the lack of a service manual, I took a stab at the oil height (currently set for 150 mm). Still have plenty of travel left, but admittedly, I only got about 30 miles in on smooth tarmac.

Long story short: the spring rate feels great, there is still remaining rebound adjustment (unlike the stock setup), and the high speed compression damping is finally here. It does feel a bit soft on low speed compression, but it’s better than stock. Brake dive is now very manageable and the bike is much more composed. Increased feel through the front, which was expected. The thicker oil really quelled the pogo stick activity and provides good feedback. Is this ready to set lap records? No. But, for the money, the improvement is substantial.

Tomorrow will be the day to dig a bit deeper. So, in summation: sag ‘works’, 10 wt oil is a definite improvement, and the oil height is in the ballpark. After tomorrow’s note taking, revalving the stock internals is hot on the agenda.

On a separate topic…

Tech Specs. The results are really good on this bike. Some bikes don’t have enough coverage to really get the grip you need out of a set of tank pads. NOT a problem on this bike. Braking is effortless now (certainly combined with the firmer fork springs). Legs and knees feel velcro’d to the tank and really improve transitions and hard braking. As to be expected, of course. So for those on the fence, take advantage of the group buy. These will be in stock after the group buy, but now is a good opportunity to save a few bucks. Anyway, enough salesmanship in the build thread. They work. Me = happy.

Yeah, it’s been a busy week. It’s always amazing how time consuming it is to run a group buy…and then do two simultaneously! On top of a fistful of little FZ development products (hush hush) and regular/recurring business activities. My head is spinning.

That said, the forks are back together at the moment with a set of 0.90 kg/mm springs and 10 wt oil. It’s going to be a few days before they’ll be road testing (still waiting for ECU), so I regretfully need to continue the tagline “stay tuned”. But, once we can identify a good initial preload setting, we can take the new length and get some custom springs wound (2-3 week lead time for the first article pieces). The 10 wt oil is a shot to get more damping out of the stock internals, but that’s just that – a starting point. Once we get the oil weight, oil height, and spring rates figured out, we’ll have them available for sale. Then on to revalving the stock cartridge…and then, a fully adjustable fork.

On the shock side of things, there is some progress to report. For those who haven’t seen it, see here: http://www.yamahafz09.com/forum/31-stoltec-moto/569-first-aftermarket-fz-09-shock-penske-spy-shots.html#post9191. Headed to Penske tomorrow to work out some of the kinks and move toward finalizing the design. To say the packaging is tricky on this bike is an understatement! But have faith…it will get worked out.

On another front (pun intended, again…don’t forget to tip your waitress on the way out!), here is a glimpse into something we’ll look at a little later on (after the suspension is baselined):  

The stock tank, triples, and headlight assembly are going to make clip-on use challenging, so I believe these will be a decent solution at putting more weight over the front end. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good source of supply for these. 1-1/8″ clubman bars are like unicorns; this particular bar was OE on the Buell 1125CR. More details to follow on this.