Yamaha FZ-07 / MT-07 Fatal Flaw and How To Fix It

The engineering of the Yamaha MT-07 / FZ-07 forks is seriously flawed resulting in no static sag. Dave explains the how & why of it. Luckily the fix is easy, which Dave also explains.

[christinapage]

For the tiny riders out there, I did 15, 15, 15 and my bike feels like a whole new ride. I'm 5'2" 120 lbs. The shop trimmed my spacers 15mm. Added 15 W oil. And lowered the front 15mm. I can finally stand on the balls of my feet. And finally turn without the tail end of my bike bouncing and sliding all over the place. I paid just under 300 bucks to have it done at my local spot. Totally worth it. They threw in my asv shorties as well. Finally a setup for itty bitty riders! Yay!

[ShakespearesBruv]

I don’t even own a Yamaha and I watched this.

Man’s a god.

[fivespeed]

I like how you don’t make your customers feel stupid even though they made adjustments that are detrimental to the ride.

[justdoitwithchase]

I put 15w in the forks and cut the spacers down 10mm. It made a huge difference. I’m not riding a pogo stick anymore. This guy is a suspension god. 👍

[PrideSage]

I love how calm, kind, and informative he is. It's nice to see someone with his level of knowledge not talking down to people, and instead providing them with the information they need. This is the kind of man that wants everyone to be able to enjoy a fun, safe ride. Mad props to this guy, I wish I could ride with him some day.

[sheldonnicholl]

She's probably at the stiffest setting because someone said "stiffer is better" or "soft suspension doesn't let you feel the road" or something similar. Suspension is there to maximize tire contact, but is dependent on rider weight since the rider becomes part of the machine. . . . I just discovered this channel today. I'm loving it!!!

[boramesutpalas]

random dude: my wife left me and the house is on fire
dave: just cut the spacer 7 to 10 milimeters and u good

[parengmike]

Dave: Did you understand everything I just said?

Guy in an oversized suit: OK.

[rockyp]

Dave Moss seems like an Aeronautical engineer who just tinkers bikes for fun. What an articulate and intelligent guy

[Twisted]

Shared to the MT-07 Uk owners club. Everyone should know how to safely set up their suspension so thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[taoismishity]

The way Dave explains not having any static slack as being "The second kid on the trampoline" is so perfect!

[deltalight]

Dave & the team, thank you sincerely for sharing this insight.
To verify & reiterate in writing for everyone:

1. Cut the Front Fork Spacer's length depending on the rider's weight:
- 15mm if the rider weighs less than ~140 lbs
- 10mm if the rider weights higher than ~140 lbs

2. Replace the Front Fork Oil with a heavier weight fork oil
(i.e. Bel-ray fork oil recommended, according to another video by Dave Moss)
- 15W oil if the rider weights less than ~140 lbs
- 20W oil if the rider weighs higher than ~140 lbs

3. Adjust the Rear Shock Preload depending on the height difference between any two fixed points between the suspension & the seat
- Increase (stiffen) if the difference is higher than 40mm
- Decrease (soften) if the difference is lower than 30mm

Is there anything else that you would recommend done to refine FZ-07?

[ethooculien]

Hi Dave!
I have a MT-07LA ( Australia ) and I've moved up my forks ~15mm how I saw at ( 10:34 ) - it's made such a HUGE difference!!! corner entry feels like carving butter!

I have yet to do my fork oil and shorten the spacer, but I am ASTONISHED at the difference just a few milimeters could make!

[tv-cxgv]

I personally had a very close call when braking into a corner and hitting a bump. While I lost initial control I managed to save a crash and didn't ride the bike again until after I fixed the factory fork problem. Thanks Dave.

[pete]

Thanks for sharing this dave, cut 10mm off the spacer and put in 20w oil in the forks. It has to be the best mod I've done

[Manuel-zkyy]

This is the kind of information a seller should give you when you buy a new bike. I got sold an fz6 and no one asked my weight or how tall i am to adjust it. Years later i learned about these things on a forum. Small adjustments that dont take long, will make so much difference! I wish we would learn about this in driving schools. Thats part of a safer riding!

[ghettodexter]

"It's smoking and there's a chattering sound..."
"Shhhh... ahh I see the problem... cut 15mm from the fork..."

[andyheels]

I met Dave at a auckland bike show a few years ago, he adjusted my suspension on my mv agusta brutale . Omg the ride home was amazing, a totally different bike, thanks Dave, true professional

[RTK]

Blown away how many people ride bikes and have no idea about set up .. Thank god for the two Daves.
Safe travels in NZ Mr Moss

[Maeddn]

How is it even possible to dislike this video? This guy does his job and knows what to do. He gives back his knowledge in such a pleasent manner, so the customers get it and don't feel dumb. Cheers for this.