Help me spend $1000 this winter!

[Triple Jim]

3 hours ago, Weeksy said:

I generally go for SBS Street excel.

It's good to know another good source.

[FZ not MT]

On 11/16/2021 at 9:27 AM, joegeis said:

You are the first person that I've seen say they were underwhelmed with the tune!  And thanks for the tip on just removing the snorkel.

Yeah, I'm one of those ones who can't say enough goods things about that flash. I was not a block from my house when I realized that I had a totally different motor, and it was great. I now have about 10K miles on that flash, and literally everytime I ride my bike, I get amazed at how good that thing runs - You will really like it, as does 99% of the people on this forum who got their flash!

About the air filter, I sent off a MWR filter to Nels at 2WDW, and they had a FZ-07 there which they did some testing on with the MWR filter. Their conclusion was that it did not make any difference as in it didn't help or hurt the performance. I am currently running the MWR filter, and have for about 7K miles on it. I absolutely recommend it, and will keep using it as long as I have my bike. I bought a second one so there is no down time for cleaning and drying.

So if I'm not getting any performance bump, why would I endorse this filter. Well.... that a bit of a story. I had 2WDW flash my bike for stock exhaust with the snorkel removed. While I loved what the flash did, I hated what removing the snorkel did. What I discovered was that when you remove the snorkel, you get a change in the suck sound from the intake, and with the stock filter, that sound sucked (pun intended ). I wanted to try something different for a potential performance bump, so I got the MWR filter from Bellissimoto. I had no clue that this filter would change the suck sound as I was focused on better performance.  To my surprise, that suck sound was great to the point of being badass sounding. Plus after 7K miles on it, the MWR filter has proven itself as far as reliability and at least base performance, not to mention cleanable.

When you think about it, most folks change their exhaust mostly for the sound. The MWR really sounds great. Bellissimoto was selling them for $80 with no need for anything other than the filter. MWR now does have a cover for it, but they didn't when I bought mine. It works fine with the stock cover, and don't let anyone talk you into their $80 cover as it is not worth it IMHO. FYI, if you buy from Bellissimoto, tell them you are with this forum, and they typically give you a discount..

Lastly, get yourself a R6 throttle tube, and install at the same time you do the flash, for the ultimate experience. I did mine separately, and now really wish I did them at the same time. Both make a very noticable difference.

https://www.amazon.com/YAMAHA-2C0262400000-Yamaha-Grip-Assembly/dp/B005C59NO2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Yamaha+2C0262400000+Grip+Assembly&qid=1637155407&sr=8-2

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by FZ not MT

[shinyribs]

I'll echo the first two answers: Luggage and suspension.

 

Luggage makes a toy useful. You can use the bike for more things, so you end up riding more. There's removable options with discreet mounts that won't trash the looks of your bike. 

Proper suspension just makes every aspect of the bike more enjoyable. Like you, I mainly ride rough bumpy backroads. Good suspension adds a lot of comfort. Good suspension isn't just for racers. Groomed, smooth race tracks are way easier to manage than a twisty, bumpy backroad. Some folks say, " I don't need suspension, I'm not doing track days", but that's not really the case. 

[DewMan]

If I bought another stock 07 the first thing I would do is 2WDW flash and suspension upgrades. Those two items made the most difference in the bike performance. The suspension is even more important if you're heavier than the stock suspension is designed for, which most even healthy Americans are. 

Way down the list after those two would be a more comfortable seat, R6 throttle tube and brighter headlight bulb.

Even further down the list would be a Horde power intake  and the exhaust of your choice with the free upgraded 2WDW reflash.

Everything else is all just personal preference items.

 

Of course this is only my personal opinion and you're more than welcome to have a different opinion.  

 

[Weeksy]

Depends if you bought a 21. My ECU can't be done apparently

[FZ not MT]

10 hours ago, DewMan said:

would be a more comfortable seat

Seriously Dew Man, why would you want to change those great seats on the early FZ's???

Remember I'm the one who rides 500+ in a day with no problems at all

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by FZ not MT

[shinyribs]

21 hours ago, Weeksy said:

Depends if you bought a 21. My ECU can't be done apparently

There's a guy who goes by the name vcyclenut ( Google search will bring up his shop/business) that dynos and tunes ECU's. He's currently working on the 09 ECU's with Woolich racing to crack in to them. They're making progress pretty quickly. Perhaps what they crack through will apply to all of the Yamaha ECU's with the Euro 5 stuff going on.

Fwiw, I never had the ECU flashed on my '16 07 and I still think the bike is great. If they crack the ECU and you can get it done, great. If not, I wouldn't worry that you're missing out on a lot. The bikes still perform great in stock trim. The throttle on my stock '16 07 is smoother than my flashed 09.

Edited November 19, 2021 by shinyribs

[joegeis]

@bellissimoto hooked me up with the K-Tech Shock and MWR filter and box  I still need to make contact with 2WDW regarding the details of the flash (I also heard they sometimes run deals this time of year). Then I need to check my sag numbers on the stock forks to determine if my stock springs are fine to keep, then I'll be ordering the emulators and potentially springs and adjustable caps.  Starting to come together! I'll post updates and photos once I start working on the bike.

Had a 55 degree day here is Chicagoland yesterday, so got one last ride in, then gave her a good wash, cleaned and lubed the chain, and circulated Sta-bil with a full tank. 

[joegeis]

Today I put the flashed ECU back in as well as installed the K Tech Razor R Lite shock.  I left rebound at stock (16/32) but still need to set my sag when I have a helper around.

While I was in there, I took the front sprocket cover off and cleaned behind it really well.  It had clearly never been done before!

Next up is to clean the brake calipers and replace the brake fluid.  I'm sticking with the original pads for now. Then, once I get the MWR air filter I'll throw that in and the winter work will be done for now.

I'm still on the fence about the gold valve emulators and preload adjusters for the forks.  I kind of want to wait until I can get some time with the new K Tech shock to see if I still feel the suspension is lacking or if its good enough.  Also, installing the emulators seems a bit more challenging.  I don't have a drill press in the garage or a pipe cutter for shortening the spacers.  I am even considering paying a local Yamaha shop to install the emulator kit if I go that route.  Still to be decided.

All in all, feels good to get my hands on the bike, even if I can't ride right now!

[joegeis]

Just a quick update. I've got about 1,500 miles on the K Tech shock and its been great. The whole bike feels so much more balanced on uneven roads, while breaking and while cornering. Front end dive is minimal. I don't feel the need to do anything to the stock forks at this point.  I've even taken a pillion a few times. After adjusting for preload, it was very manageable and I didn't have near the front end dive I experienced in the fall.

I'm considering taking it to a track day in a couple of months (my first one!), to continue to grow my skills and learn the bike better.  Otherwise, I've added a Puig windscreen, which has helped a decent amount, and I have the SW Motech Blaze saddlebags on order. Shinyribs was right; I'm hoping that with some luggage, I'll be able to use the bike more. I find myself taking the car for all my errands and commuting and only riding the bike for fun. I want to get more miles in, so hopefully the bags enable that. I like the Blaze because its completely removeable when not in use and you don't have to cut any of the OEM parts to fit.

edit - Almost forgot! I replaced the cheap ebay shorty levers the prior owner had put in with the full length CRG levers. While I'm not sure they are worth $100 each, it does feel significantly better than the cheap ones. I think the fact that I greased everything up putting it back together made a big difference too. To CRG's credit there is SIGNIFICANTLY less play in the levers now, which was exactly what I wanted.

Edited July 31, 2022 by joegeis