After taking a perfectly good FJ1200 and carving it to bits, I've turned my attention to my Thunderace. The Ace was bought not as a replacement for the FJ, but as a 'stablemate'. The two bikes serve different functions, but I was aware that nearly everything I had done to the FJ, had pushed it nearer to being what the Ace already was.
This time, however, my intentions are not to make a 'sports-tourer' more 'sporty', rather the other way round. The Ace has superb handling, though not say the uncompromising edge of an R1. So it has inherited the 'sports-tourer' position, that Yamaha currently have vacant since the demise of both the FJ and the ill fated GTS1000 ( Ill fated though it might have been, that's not stopped me adding one to the stable, see GTS Page )
I want to make her tour in comfort and personalise her for my own brand of riding. She'll never be top bike at the track as she carries about 50lb more than an R1. However with superior power and weight to say, an ST4, she's got the making of a superb high speed tourer.
It seems that I'm not alone in selecting the Thunderace as a potential 'next step' to the FJ. Pablo Crofts has made some very tasteful and practical modifications to his Thunderace, to prepare it for some serious touring duties. Joining Pablo is Roger Gillespie. Roger too has been gently 'tweaking' his Ace and a superb job he has done too.
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Meantime.... here's my humble offering !
HELI BARS - My first attentions were to the very low bars. Some riders would be happy with the low riding position of these clip-ons. However, coming from an FJ they seemed a long way down for a guy with little arms. So first stop were a set of Heli Bars.
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The height gained can be seen by the shots above. They're are still low in comparison with the FJ, but I found that I've adapted to the new position and now find it pretty comfortable. Whether I'll still be up for 600 miles days remains to be seen though !
CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER- One item that bothered me more than any was the clutch. I had read in several road tests that the clutch was 'grabby'. This I found to be the case with the clutch taking up on the very last part of the lever's travel. Though assured it was something one gets used to, it wasn't right in my eyes.
I asked my local dealer. He said he had already enquired with Yamaha (UK) on behalf of another Ace owner. They had told him that it was 'normal' and 'they're all like that'. Not satisfied I reasoned something must be able to be done.
Since most of the levers travel was after the clutch had disengaged, I reasoned that this was parting the clutch plates too far. If this was the case then a clutch master cylinder of smaller bore would do the trick. The Ace clutch master is 5/8", however thre are plenty of 14mm units out there. They shift only about 75% of the fluid that the Ace one does. The Suzuki GSXR750 master is ideal and can be seen in the photo below. APOLOGIES EVERYONE, TURNS OUT THAT IT'S FROM A KAWASAKI ZX-7R.
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It comes with a remote reservoir, so a small bracket has to be made. This can be mounted off of the clip-on pinch bolt, once a slightly longer one is installed. I removed a lug adjacent to the fluid outlet to allow the hydraulic hose to be correctly aligned. Strangely enough, I'd guess that Suzuki and Yamaha use the same suppliers for these masters. They are very similar. The levers are totally interchangable and the clutch micro switch is identical.
The new Suzuki unit feels like a clutch should...NICE AND PROGRESSIVE. That said, the mod has yet to stand the test of time, since I've only completed around 150 miles so far (albeit in heavy traffic).
AIRFLOW SCREEN - To get a little more wind protection I also installed this Airflow screen by Powerbronze.
BRAIDED HOSES- Though the Ace has superb brakes, I'm used to the more solid feel of stainless braided hoses. If you haven't already tried them, I'd certainly give 'em a go.
FUTURE MODS - I've nothing radical planned for my Ace, so far. I'll add a hugger, a race can and possibly a front fender extender. Then I just plan to ride and enjoy. For a change !!
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Added an Ixil race can, which I am so far very pleased with. They are not a particularly popular make here in the UK, though more popular on mainland Europe I'm told. It did, however, come at an irresistable price. Lets just say the jury's still out !
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