Max' FTRankenstein...

Max Kool

Max Kool

Well-known member
Oh yes, and if I do I might ask them to add a link pipe so you can use the stock Akra slipons.
 
EagleEye78

EagleEye78

Member
I agree with the FTR feeling very similar to how a Superduke rides, but a bit more supermoto-ish. Excellent comparison! (y)
 
FTR London

FTR London

Well-known member
Max Kool said:
I have no problem with it tbh, I just want it to start back up in Track mode if that's what I used the last time....
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Agree.

I have no problem with it either in terms of functionality - I just despise the sight of a huge obtrusive monitor mounted on the front of a trad flat track motorcycle. Looks ridiculous.
 
R. Warshawsky

R. Warshawsky

Active member
Max Kool said:
So, the final touches. In the past few months new blinkers were added from motoism.

View attachment 6597View attachment 6593

View attachment 6594

And last week I replaced the stock bars with Protaper Carmichael bars. These are roughly 2" lower, and a little straighter. To get a bit more weight over the bars. Yes they are further away now. Gone is the somewhat lazy stock rider position. This made a bigger difference in how the bike feels than I had expected. Where it used to feel like the front wheel was "way down there doing it's thing" (a feel very typical for adventure bikes, and often blamed on the 19" front wheel), it suddenly feels a lot more direct. Especially in sharp switchbacks pushing the bike under you, and hanging off in fast sweepers. Highly recommended for those "sport riders".

View attachment 6595

View attachment 6596

While riding today on Angeles Crest ( 60 miles of large fast sweepers, some blind, some open, others tightening halfway, average cruising speed around 75mph) with a buddy of mine on his Super Duke 1290, we switched bikes. Went for about 25 miles. From the get go the SDR1290 felt nearly similar to my FTR. The steering, the throttle response. The suspension is a bit more comfy, the front wags a tiny bit in long blind turns, where my FTR is rock solid yet turns in just as easily. No adjustment needed, within a mile or so we were riding as if we knew the bike for months. The adjustment from my stock bars to the low ones was bigger for me, than from my bike to his.

View attachment 6599

We stopped at some point, and he said:"Damm, that chassis is so tight, but other than that, these bikes feel so similar!" I felt the same. The FTR engine feels a bit more raw, alive, while the SDR feels a bit more refined. Throttle response was very similar. The SDR felt a bit more "sport bike ish", while the FTR felt more like a big supermoto due to the lack of a tank hump. Shades of grey...

I'm super happy how my bike turned out.
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Good job, Holmes...
 
mark.lb

mark.lb

Well-known member
Max Kool said:
Ha! For two reasons.

1. I like my bike a bit louder than stock, but love to keep it within limits (as Performance Bikes once wrote: if you plan on breaking the law by riding too fast, don’t draw too much attention)

2. Ryan from Lloydz insisted on keeping the cat, that’s the best setup for the FTR unless you’re installing the full Toce low. The cat doesn’t rob power and the resonator is actually good for midrange. I hate the looks though…
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I was told the same by Pitt/Cycles - Lloyd’z. They encouraged me to leave the CAT.
 
M

Mausl73

New member
Max Kool said:
So, the final touches. In the past few months new blinkers were added from motoism.

View attachment 6597View attachment 6593

View attachment 6594

And last week I replaced the stock bars with Protaper Carmichael bars. These are roughly 2" lower, and a little straighter. To get a bit more weight over the bars. Yes they are further away now. Gone is the somewhat lazy stock rider position. This made a bigger difference in how the bike feels than I had expected. Where it used to feel like the front wheel was "way down there doing it's thing" (a feel very typical for adventure bikes, and often blamed on the 19" front wheel), it suddenly feels a lot more direct. Especially in sharp switchbacks pushing the bike under you, and hanging off in fast sweepers. Highly recommended for those "sport riders".

View attachment 6595

View attachment 6596

While riding today on Angeles Crest ( 60 miles of large fast sweepers, some blind, some open, others tightening halfway, average cruising speed around 75mph) with a buddy of mine on his Super Duke 1290, we switched bikes. Went for about 25 miles. From the get go the SDR1290 felt nearly similar to my FTR. The steering, the throttle response. The suspension is a bit more comfy, the front wags a tiny bit in long blind turns, where my FTR is rock solid yet turns in just as easily. No adjustment needed, within a mile or so we were riding as if we knew the bike for months. The adjustment from my stock bars to the low ones was bigger for me, than from my bike to his.

View attachment 6599

We stopped at some point, and he said:"Damm, that chassis is so tight, but other than that, these bikes feel so similar!" I felt the same. The FTR engine feels a bit more raw, alive, while the SDR feels a bit more refined. Throttle response was very similar. The SDR felt a bit more "sport bike ish", while the FTR felt more like a big supermoto due to the lack of a tank hump. Shades of grey...

I'm super happy how my bike turned out.
Click to expand...
Hi there,


I'm interested in the lower Protaper Carmichael bars.. I have the protaper high bars now. One question; do they have a predrilled hole for the electronic gashandle? Or is it easy to drill a hole yourself?
 
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