While I know that this may not appeal to all the FZ8 riders out there, I thought for us that tour it would be nice to have a spot to discuss what we’ve done to our FZ8 to make it a bit more comfortable and packable for touring whether it be for a long day, weekend or extend adventure or for those of you that are thinking about doing more touring and want to know what’s available to set yourself up.
Now I know that others in the riding community would think that the FZ8 is not a touring bike as it’s considered “naked” however, because of the shape of the tank, up right seating position and decent fuel mileage, it’s very easy to economically modify the 8 to tour without stripping stuff away, and most importantly…without having to spend a ton of money and wondering why you didn’t just by the BMW.
I bought my 8 as a 2012 left over with the intent of adding specific accessories to make it a more comfortable tourer and without giving up too much on the “naked” look or spending a ton of money. For me, I was able to repurpose some of the accessories that I had on previous bikes and able to find some other things through friends that were swapping accessories out for new ones or had some left overs themselves from previous bikes.
For me, I was out the door for just under $8k and I think I’ve spent around $1,500 to $1,800 in accessories (not including tires) that make the 8 a very comfortable mid weight touring bike that has just about everything I need and I’m not even close to the $15k that I would have spent on that Beemer!
Right away I knew that I needed to add a windscreen to keep the head from getting bounced around when up on the highway but I also figured out quickly that the shape of the 8’s tank lent itself pretty well to blocking wind down around the waist and upper legs, so wind protection only required the addition of the windscreen.
I also knew right away that I was going to need an area on the handle bars where I could add a bunch of switches, toggles and plug in’s, so I fabricated a dash which mounts directly to the stays that support the windscreen (just happened to work out that the dash I fabricated and mounted allows me to pull the windscreen without having to disassembly everything to service any of the wiring under the dash). The dash now accommodates the switch for the driving lights, waterproof power outlet, amp meter, and air temp. gauge
After riding the bike for I bit I realized that the radiator is pretty open and decided that I really needed to invest in some protection there and purchased one of the Yamaha guards while also investing in a set of frame sliders mounted to the sides of the engine.
After the radiator and sliders came the center stand and I figured that this would be an absolute necessity for any on road maintenance work that may have to be done. I actually wind up using it exclusively in the garage in lieu of the side stand.
I had a set of soft sided panniers that I’ve utilized and use them in combination with the
Shad top case that I mounted on the SW Mototech tail bracket. With the panniers, top
box and tank bag, I’ve got plenty of room for storage.
As I noted above when talking about the dash that I fabricated, I added a set of PIAA
driving lights to the front forks. The lights I got from a friend that had removed them from
another bike along with the complete wiring and fuses for the lights. The mounting
brackets I had to find and purchase.
In order to run the various accessories, I installed a power box under the pillion seat
and run all of the accessories through that except for the lights as they have their own
fusing. To that power box I added a heat troller for the heated jacket liner and gloves as
well as a trickle charger for the battery.
The only physical change that I’ve made to the 8, is to have a custom seat fabricated to
keep me from sliding forward and to sit my butt down a bit lower at the back of the seat.
The padding was completely removed and I had the material they use for people
confined to wheel chairs inserted. This one change has made the biggest impact on the
bikes overall comfort level. While I was at it, I also had the pillion seat reshaped to raise
the front edge so that the passenger wouldn’t slide into my back under braking.
The final addition was a recent switch to Michelin Road 4’s which give a much
smoother ride and hopefully have a more extended tire life.
While I have mentioned a few specific brands of accessories that I’ve purchased and
installed, I’d be happy to share info or photos should anyone care to know something
specific about a particular brand or model. Most everything that I added can be readily
found through a variety of websites including but not limited to: Twisted Throttle,
Competition Accessories, Revilla, Motorcycle Superstore or your local hardware store!
On May 2nd, the 8 is going to get some true distance mileage put on her with
approximately 3,000 to 4,000 miles in 9 days. Several friends and I are doing the Blue
Ridge Highway, Tail of the Dragon, Moonshiners, Claw of the Dragon, and a number of
other rides and I’ll be able to see if everything that I’ve put together works as intended.
Anyways, hope that this inspires some to consider touring modifications/accessories or
at least helps in the start to finding what works and what’s available for those that want
to tour on an FZ8. And to those of us that already tour on our 8’s, congratulations for
making a great choice!
