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If the shock increases the ride height significantly, I would actually consider it.

And, if someone wants to do it, seriously, why not? Every cent counts to a few people. And just a small improvement could be a big deal. Constantly berating other people's choices and thoughts to push one's own views and justify their own choices by any means of argument is simply petty. There's a fine line between that and giving good advice- too many people here seem to cross it. I am just glad that there are still those who actually give good advice and help everyone out without being condescending.

I haven't had the need to change the suspension- and unlike most folks spending the $$$ here, I ride in almost every weather/road/traffic conditions possible - and I haven't found the OEM components lacking, even two-up. To me, riding is more important than going blah blah blah and beating my own drums on forums. What others do with their money, it's none of my business. If it makes them happy, I am happy for them. If 240 is all they can spend and it is an improvement for them, I will applaud them. If they want to spend 2000, good on them too. Not my money, not my bike.

YMMV.
 
Modifying bikes, cars, boats etc., is something I have been doing all my life.

I would have to say that all stock shocks, are not pretty much junk. Maybe on the low end bikes, sure. FZ09 included....sub par for sure.
Most late model sport bikes, have suspension better than the majority of riders need.
Trust me, I have spent many dollars over the years, purchasing aftermarket suspension, for a variety of bikes. Some for street bikes, but mostly for street bikes, that I raced in various classes.
In recent years, bikes have improved wildly, and track days are readily available......a much better situation than in the past, when it was either ride like a lunatic full bore on the street, or actually go out and *road race...........*which required quality suspension fully sorted.
The purchasing of aftermarkets parts, to improve bikes has been going on for decades. Often the enthusiastic riders, buy a wrong combination of "good" parts to
make improvements, and go backwards. Typically, the ignorant, purchase high end hardware, and set it up incorrectly.

Many late model bikes with stock suspension, do just fine on sporty rides with a competent rider.....we have all seen the young lions, out there tossing there bikes in the weeds, even with all the latest best hardware money can buy.

The FJ09 shock on a well ridden FZ09, would be a ok, and most likely, not be a bad experience.
 
Modifying bikes, cars, boats etc., is something I have been doing all my life.

I would have to say that all stock shocks, are not pretty much junk. Maybe on the low end bikes, sure. FZ09 included....sub par for sure.
Most late model sport bikes, have suspension better than the majority of riders need.
Trust me, I have spent many dollars over the years, purchasing aftermarket suspension, for a variety of bikes. Some for street bikes, but mostly for street bikes, that I raced in various classes.
In recent years, bikes have improved wildly, and track days are readily available......a much better situation than in the past, when it was either ride like a lunatic full bore on the street, or actually go out and *road race...........*which required quality suspension fully sorted.
The purchasing of aftermarkets parts, to improve bikes has been going on for decades. Often the enthusiastic riders, buy a wrong combination of "good" parts to
make improvements, and go backwards. Typically, the ignorant, purchase high end hardware, and set it up incorrectly.

Many late model bikes with stock suspension, do just fine on sporty rides with a competent rider.....we have all seen the young lions, out there tossing there bikes in the weeds, even with all the latest best hardware money can buy.

The FJ09 shock on a well ridden FZ09, would be a ok, and most likely, not be a bad experience.
Completely agree. This has been my experience also. Hell I raced on the 05 R6 stock suspension for a while when I first got started, and was fine with it for the most part. Got better lap times with an Ohlins setup, but there was certainly no need for nearly $3000 worth of suspension upgrades for the street. There were some good demo videos of the FZ being ridden by some pro riders who rode the crap out of a stock FZ. A vlogger (Dodge rider) said it too, a skilled rider will have no trouble handling the stock suspension and throttle.
 
Modifying bikes, cars, boats etc., is something I have been doing all my life.

I would have to say that all stock shocks, are not pretty much junk. Maybe on the low end bikes, sure. FZ09 included....sub par for sure.
Most late model sport bikes, have suspension better than the majority of riders need.
Trust me, I have spent many dollars over the years, purchasing aftermarket suspension, for a variety of bikes. Some for street bikes, but mostly for street bikes, that I raced in various classes.
In recent years, bikes have improved wildly, and track days are readily available......a much better situation than in the past, when it was either ride like a lunatic full bore on the street, or actually go out and *road race...........*which required quality suspension fully sorted.
The purchasing of aftermarkets parts, to improve bikes has been going on for decades. Often the enthusiastic riders, buy a wrong combination of "good" parts to
make improvements, and go backwards. Typically, the ignorant, purchase high end hardware, and set it up incorrectly.

Many late model bikes with stock suspension, do just fine on sporty rides with a competent rider.....we have all seen the young lions, out there tossing there bikes in the weeds, even with all the latest best hardware money can buy.

The FJ09 shock on a well ridden FZ09, would be a ok, and most likely, not be a bad experience.
I would have to agree with most of what you said...but a few statements threw me off a little. One...the FZ09 is certainly not a "sportbike". An FZ09 or an FZ07 are universal Japanese motorcycles. Call them naked bikes...or entry level....or cheap...yes....but not a sportbike by any stretch of the imagination. Any bike that comes with high mileage tires....non radial brakes...non radial master cylinder....small diameter front discs...and really cheap suspension on both ends...is not a sportbike. Any of us can try and ride an entry level cheap motorcycle like a sportbike .....but that endeavor completely depends on the skill level of the rider and nothing else. If you are good on a bike...you can ride anything fast.....but you didn't get "good" without first getting confidence.

The big mistake I always make,..... is that I assume everyone wants to get "good" on a bike. I define getting "good" on a motorcycle is "pushing the bike to it's limits". The faster we go..the more we push the bike to the limits of it's brakes...suspension...power...and that can only be accomplished by fast riding on public curvy roads....or at the track.
However....not everyone wants to get "good" on a motorcycle. Or maybe they want to be better or "good" but lack the confidence to do so. So, no matter whether a rider wants to be good....or wants to be the slowest most conservative...law abiding...commuter the world has ever known....he still needs a certain level of confidence while riding to achieve that goal.

Knowing that the rear shock is not absorbing bumps.. and allowing wallow or pogoing when cornering... or acting up while even riding normally on the way to work......means that the rider has arrived at a point of no confidence in the bike. He won't ride the bike any faster until it's fixed. Now the OP finds out the FJ09 rear shock is better than the FZ09 rear shock. He installs the shock and it's better than what he had so his confidence returns. Cheap fix he thinks....until his confidence level exceeds the capability of his new shock....and then he loses confidence in the bike all over again.

So it's just my opinion to always have suspension that is better than the skill level we possess....so that confidence in riding is always gained...instead of remaining stagnant or lost completely. I understand that my opinion is not for everyone.....but I've learned that when confidence is lost....it's not fun anymore...and that is the reason why we bought motorcycles in the first place.
 
Fork on the FJ-09 are better too than the FZ-09 ;-)
 
An OEM shock with 250% more compression damping and 200% more rebound damping for only $227 is going to be a hell of an improvement and probably fine for 95% of owners, if not more (once you ditch parts snobs and internet forum heroes). I've had bikes with everything from full Ohlins to those just with heavier springs and a change of oil weight. My favorite experiment was a CBR954RR with Ohlins Forks, Shock and Steering Damper setup by a reputable Ohlin's tuner. same bike, same day, with rebuilt stock components done by a very reputable shop down in Georgia and the CBR with rebuilt components was no harder to ride on the track (Mid Ohio) than the Ohlins setup. Lap times within tenths either way, effectively a wash just based on my concentration levels, traffic encountered and tire wear. On the street, with both setup for that purpose, no more or less compliance in real world conditions.

Longer lasting, not really. By the book, Ohlins want their shocks and forks torn down and fluid changed so frequently it's often more than 1x per year depending on how much mileage you accumulate on the street. Keep up that frequency of maintenance on OEM pieces which have been revalved and properly sprung, same reliability.
 
The Fj is brand new this year, if you wait it out a bit those owners may start upgrading their suspension and the stock fj shocks should be selling for $100 or less like new - nobody else is going to be buying them. It is a shame the 2010 zx10r shocks are hard to find for a decent price, if you can get one for $100 it really is a great upgrade. The bike really seems to like having the rear lifted a bit too, it makes it a bit more agile when riding through heavy traffic which is almost a necessity here in Southern California.

It's a shame there is no way to put heavier oil in the fz-09 shock, it seems like that would help quite a bit.
 
A few days back, I test rode both the FZ and FJ back/back on the same approx 15 mile back road route. I was really surprised with the improved ride quality of the FJ. After I pick up my FZ, I may try to find a cheap FJ take off shock before I spend the $ on a single clicker, which is all I really need for my riding style. Already perusing FJ classifieds.
 
ok, honestly do all of you race your FZ-09 daily, weekly or one track days? the stock rear shock is perfectly fine for daily commuting for thousands of miles. did Showa build the shock for Yamaha?
for example relating to someones opinion on mileage on a Showa stock rear shock...not on an FZ-09, but on my old '03 Buell Lightning which came stock with a Showa unit with all the standard adjustments and put 70,170 miles with absolutely no issues. was adjusted per the service and owners manual for my weight, same info.
Suspension part Shock absorber Suspension Auto part Coil spring
 
No, it's not.
The damping inside the shock is terrible. The damping inside the forks is terrible.
Change the internals so it works better.


My Vfr has a 929 rear shock in it because it's better than the Vfr shock. Both Showa units, but the CBR is better.
It also has gsxr forks to replace the standard Vfr forks. Again, both made by Showa, but the gsxr forks are much better.
But I will still get them revalved to make them perfect for me.

My MT is a supercommutard, just as important to have good handling when moving through traffic as it is for doing trackday, in my opinion.
 
A few days back, I test rode both the FZ and FJ back/back on the same approx 15 mile back road route. I was really surprised with the improved ride quality of the FJ. After I pick up my FZ, I may try to find a cheap FJ take off shock before I spend the $ on a single clicker, which is all I really need for my riding style. Already perusing FJ classifieds.
I've also thought of the same. Wife's cousin purchased an fj and had good things to say about the rear suspension as far as moderate to aggressive street riding. Coming from someone that hits the track on a Duc regularly I would trust his opinion.

If I could get a used FJ shock for under 125 I'd likely roll the dice. It did snow in Ohio today so... maybe I'll just wait until late spring. So depressing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
 
Thank you for these links! I use the search but never saw these. I had Traxxion Dynamics re-valve ny Indian Scout KYB shocks and they were wonderful. I'll inquire with Norwest for more info...
 
I've also thought of the same. Wife's cousin purchased an fj and had good things to say about the rear suspension as far as moderate to aggressive street riding. Coming from someone that hits the track on a Duc regularly I would trust his opinion.

If I could get a used FJ shock for under 125 I'd likely roll the dice. It did snow in Ohio today so... maybe I'll just wait until late spring. So depressing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG

Let's bring this back from the dead.......has anyone purchased an FJ 09 shock, installed it, but never discussed the results here, due to a lot of the negative / mixed reaction, to the OP?

I was ready to off, the stock FZ shock.
Having recently ridden, several FZ 09's with shock and fork upgrades, ranging from $800 to $2,500 worth of suspension hardware, the time was ripe
to make changes to my own FZ.


I purchased a new FJ 09 shock for $265 delivered.

At the risk of reading, what I expect to see, from the internet experts....here goes.

The FJ 09 shock swap, to the FZ results, are very acceptable...the rear shock, works better than it does, on the heavier FJ 09.
With Sonic 95kg fork springs ,10wt PJ-1 fork oil, with an additional 5mm height in oil volume...the bike feels very stable over a variety for surfaces.
The fork tubes are slid up, 10mm into the triple clamps.
I weigh 215# in riding gear, no longer ride 9-10ths on the street, but often enjoy a more than "spirited pace".
After playing around with rear spring preload, and the dampening adjustment, I left the preload at the midway spot, and the dampening is still being dialed in, it is set more on the firm side.

My guess is, that if the FZ had come from the factory with this set-up, most riders would not be in a panic to upgrade stock suspension.
On the other hand, some riders never leave anything stock, no matter what hardware was installed at the factory.

Anyone else, do this swap?

I was going to do the ZX6 / 10 shock swap, but wanted to try this out instead.

As several have suspected, this shock may work out well for them.

Initially, I had a lot more detail about my riding style, area, and background, but thought, none of that would matter to most.
 
I have been riding since 1983. Mono shocks are large improvement over twin springs. Some folks have posted " all stock shocks are crap and will wear out". Whereas I don't take motorcycle magazine's as gospel they have all raved about the FZ1's and the Street Triple's shocks as stellar.
Not sure where I'm going with this other than some bikes get it right out of the box. So start with a cheap bike, pour the equivalent cash into it and you have a FASTER Street Triple.
 
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