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Hi from Northern Virginia


rfranzel

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Hi All,

 

From this New Member Introduction forum, I see that members are from all over the world. That's awesome. Northern Virginia is the local term for the suburbs of Washington, DC in Virginia. 😏

 

So, I picked up a brand new 2017 FZ-07 last Thursday, and already this forum has been a great help. I am trying to decide between a center stand and a set of paddock stands (leaning towards the Trackside stands), and also enhancing the headlight output. I've put HID lights on previous bikes, but this board has pushed me to the Cyclops 3800 LEDs. I've got Clearwater Lights Darla's on my other bike, but I'm undecided whether I should add those to the FZ-07. I'm sure I'll add a small windshield someday, but probably won't decide on that for a while, and I'll consider performance enhancements after I've had more time in the saddle. When I first saw the bike I thought the fender was pretty unsightly, and was glad to see all the various options for tidying it up, but it's kind of growing on me. I'm not sure do anything with that. I also wondered if there might be a way to mount the lower tail housing to the tail directly without the hanger brackets. It looks like the 4 bolts at the bottom of the bracket may be spaced the same as the 4 at the top.

 

Demographically, I am probably a typical FZ-07 rider. I'm a retired sixty something. 😃 (If I weren't that old my emojis would be much better.) My other bike is a 2014 BMW R1200RT bought in April, 2014 to replace my 2004 R1150RT. I put about 12-15K miles on my motorcycle each year. The Beemer is a hoot to ride aggressively, but I wanted to supplement that ride with the nimble and lighter FZ in the local Virginia hills and mountains. I'll still ride the RT on long trips, and when I need to carry stuff.

 

Being retired, I've got a good deal of flexibility as to when I ride, so if you're ever in the area and want to ride, let me know.

 

Here are the bikes.

 

 

FZ07.jpg

Robs_R1200RT.jpg

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Welcome, and you are not alone as there a bunch of us on this forum that live in the DC area.

 

My suggestion FWIW, do a lot of research on FZ07.org before buying your updates as there is a wealth of info about what's available and where to get it on this site.

 

Enjoy - you bought a great bike!

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3 hours ago, rfranzel said:

I also wondered if there might be a way to mount the lower tail housing to the tail directly without the hanger brackets. It looks like the 4 bolts at the bottom of the bracket may be spaced the same as the 4 at the top.

 

 

 

Howdy. I'm a VA boy, too. Bedford area. 

 

I noticed the same thing about the fender bracket. I gave it a shot and the holes don't line up. They look very close, but they are a good bit off. After a few rainy rides on my bike I decided to just leave all that stock. Can't see it from the saddle anyway ;)

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Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

 

I've already spent hours trolling these forums for information about the new bike and related stuff. An outstanding resource!

 

I love the Darla lights. On the BMW they are CanBus compatible, and integrate with the wheel control on the handlebar, so the brightness can be easily controlled with separate settings for day and night. The same features seem to be available on the FZ-07, but I don't know how that control works. The quality of the lights and mounts are outstanding, and the customer support from Clearwater Lights is amazing. Two and a half years after buying the Darla lights, I wanted to add the Billie Brake Light, but those needed an updated controller. Clearwater simply exchanged controllers with me. The triangle of lights formed by the headlight and Darlas (arguably) add a great deal of safety as not only are you more visible, but it is easier for people who see you to judge the speed you're travelling. Light output is also excellent - greatly extending the range of my HID headlight.

 

Too bad the bolts don't line up on the tail assembly, but you're right, ShinyRibs, can't see the tail from the saddle anyway. I think I stayed a weekend down in your area a few years back to ride "The Snake," and surrounding lovely mountain roads.

 

Woodbridge! I bought my new bike from Coleman's on Telegraph Road down there!

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Welcome from Fredericksburg!  I commute to fairfax everyday on the fz.  I thought that looked like the left of Colemans front door! lol

 

I got some saddlebags that use the starship enterprise extender to hold it in place, so I kept it.  I though it unsightly at first, then it grew on me, then I put on saddlebags and you cant see it any more.

 

Definitly go for the windshield if youre going to do lots of highway miles.  There are lots of threads here about them.  I just got a Cheapie ($20) off amazon and its fantastic.  Maybe not as good as some of the others but it wasnt near as expensive.

 

 Definitly upgrade the headlight, mine died at 8k miles.  The cyclops puts out quite a bit more as I'm sure you know.

 

Jealous of your BMW, but you will love the nimbleness and the ability to GO at anytime of the fz.

 

Again, Welcome!

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13 minutes ago, Redstang4 said:

 

 

Definitly go for the windshield if youre going to do lots of highway miles.  There are lots of threads here about them.  I just got a Cheapie ($20) off amazon and its fantastic.  Maybe not as good as some of the others but it wasnt near as expensive.

 

I've not fully delved into the topic, but what I've seen in passing has been pretty consistent that the windscreens don't do much and can actually increase buffeting. It could be, too, that build and riding style make a huge difference. For $20, I could be tempted to figure it out for myself though...

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"The Beemer is a hoot to ride aggressively"         

 

That's what she said! Ha! Just kidding! I had to since my nickname is Beemer. 

 

Looks like retirement is being good to you with two nice bikes. That FZ-07 just might make you feel like your 20 something again, it's so spunky and playful. That's what it did for me anyway so I thoroughly enjoy this bike. I just wish I had the hills and twisty roads you have to ride mine on (Flat Florida). Stay frosty, enjoy that pretty blue FZ!

Beemer

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APOLOGIES for the thread jacking! 👾 😇

 

1 hour ago, cyow5 said:

I've not fully delved into the topic, but what I've seen in passing has been pretty consistent that the windscreens don't do much and can actually increase buffeting. It could be, too, that build and riding style make a huge difference. For $20, I could be tempted to figure it out for myself though...

 

Bought one like this from china, other than aesthetics it did nothing benificial. It created a bit of turbulance for my head, but not horrendous. Needless to say I wanted better, gave it away here on the forums.

 

Now have one of these.  Painted it red, couldnt help myself.

 

I am 5'8, 195lbs.  No buffeting until 80+, at which point I'm usually tucked anyway.

 

This is one of those times when being shorter helps ;)

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1 hour ago, Beemer said:

"The Beemer is a hoot to ride aggressively"         

 

That's what she said! Ha!

*facepalm* as i laugh....

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I just got back from my first ride, and now my bike is almost ready for its first service! It was an amazing day. I can't believe it's 61 degrees on Skyline Drive at the end of November!

 

As I said in my first post, Beemer is a hoot! smiley.gif.9d9e55bca95d669988c922f3d660df68.gif One of the things I dislike about living in this area is the traffic, but one of the nice things about living in this area is that I only have to ride 5--10 minutes to get to nice roads without much traffic. If you're ever up in this area, we can ride some very nice roads.

 

The bike is as good as you all say, but I did learn some things today. I was surprised that while light and easy to ride, the FZ-07 wasn't more "flickable." I suspect that can be attributed to the Bridgestone tires. I'll explore the forum for comments on Michelin (the only other tire cited in the owners manual), Metzler, or Dunlap.

 

I did have one major pan: The mirrors don't give any view to the lane behind me. I know there are a lot of discussion-threads on mirrors , but I thought folks were mostly changing them out for aesthetic reasons. I'll read those more carefully.

 

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Howdy! I've had my FZ since September and love it. Hope you enjoy yours. 

 

Regarding the mirrors: I ordered a set of mirror extenders off Amazon for $16ish. I just put them on this afternoon and it made a huge difference. Now I can see around my arms. Give them a shot.

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Those are awesome! Thanks for the lead! I think I'll get them.

 

Do you think the bolt that comes with it is long enough to allow the Ram Mount Motorcycle Base will slip underneath? I'd like to put a gps mount about where the mirror is now. (I will probably need to enlarge the hole in the ram mount to 10mm.

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If you don't want to get sucked into the vortex of suspension then don't come near me. I'm at 395/Edsal. :)

bannerfans_1095431.jpg
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  • 4 months later...

Noticed a few comments about windshields. Just added a National Cycle VStream to our FZ07 having used one for years on my FZ09. They work extremely well as they incorporate lower flares on the edges and a lip at the top. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Welcome to the forum man.  Great choice of an FZ.  I picked up the same color in December in SE VA.  You've got a good 1-2 punch for bikes.  I'm jealous :)

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