Hubbard on Cycles

I have been commuting on the FTR 1200 every day that I don't need a lot of tools for the job. Luckily, that has been about 80% of the days since I bought it. I use a Miltec backpack to carry my laptop, AC adapter, wireless mouse and a few other essentials and it works great, but I still needed someplace for a lunch bag, some water bottles, and other miscellaneous items. I have had a Nelson-Rigg tank bag on the Ducati for years and it still looks like new so I bought a CL-2016 bag for the FTR 1200. It's the largest bag Nelson-Rigg makes and fits the FTR perfectly. I can turn the bars lock to lock without hitting the bag and it stops right at the end of the "gas tank". Installation The bag comes with two straps. One has a loop sewn in with two quick-release buckles. This is used at the rear of the bag. The second strap is straight with a quick release buckle on each end and is used at the front. The instructions said to slip the straight strap through the fram...

Scott from Progressive Suspension in Hesperia, CA contacted me and asked if they could borrow the FTR 1200 for a couple days. They wanted to take measurements and figure out what improvements could be made. I said sure and dropped it off right before going on vacation. Scott was great to work with and kept me updated on their progress. When I picked it up, he went over what they discovered. The manual called out for 8mm of preload on the shock for my weight and I had it set at about 8.5. Scott said 17mm would be much better for a 200lb rider. I was a little skeptical but I have found that anytime a professional suspension tech sets my bike up it works well. Scott also backed the compression damping all the way out. The rebound was set to 5 clicks out. Here is a photo of the shock preload collar set at 17mm. You can see a big difference from the stock setting. Scott also set the fork preload to the maximum. The preload adjuster has 10 turns of preload. I had set it to 5 tur...