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Went out for an hour on the Falco today - It's definately a different riding experience!
Hated it until I got out on the open road, as it gave me neckache because I had to lift my head back so far to see forwards.
Once you hit sixty though, the windblast sorts everything out & it's pretty comfortable :yessir
The lowdown power hits you when you twist the throttle, & I thought the engine braking would be much more pronounced than it is.
Brakes aren't as good as I'm used to, but this may be down to new fluids & pads required, as it's 4 years old now & I think it's previous owner did nothing apart from 300 miles in the year he owned it :roll
The rear BT014 is nearly down to the wear bar & has worn a bit square, so the handling could be better. There are a few other issues I think I can get sorted
I think that this is a bike you have to work at a fair bit to get proper rewards from it, but I'm going to take it steady & try to get the basics sorted before I commit to any expensive mods, as it's currently no.5 on the list ;)

What are the best tyre choices BTW ? - not looking for trackday performance, but I don't need 10,000 miles out of 'em either - just a nice fairly sticky tyre that will match the bike's performance & give me around 4-5,000 miles to a rear.[/u]

Got Michelin Pilot Road 2's on mine. Absolutely love em, even better than the Bridgestone 020's I had on my last bike, and have been very well reviewed by just about every magazine out there.

You want Continental Road Attack then. :D

I had similar impressions when I started with mine, ended up re-configuring (disfiguring) her completely. Google for Falco Fighter. That helped my back/neck/wrists. Plus 15 teeth front sprocket. And airbox mod. And PC3. These helped low speed lumpiness. And power. :D I left the frame intact. For now. ;)

You may be more flexible though, besides I had so called "an opportunity" when I downsided. So I decided to turn my luck around.

I'll second the Conti recommendation. I love them and they seem to wear pretty well too.

As for engine braking - I guess it depends on what you're used to. Not as much as my Rotax 650 single but loads more than my Bandit 1200.

I recall with mild terror when I had both the Falco and Bandit. I hadn't ridden the Suzuki for a while and took it out for a spin. Approaching a junction at speed and just shut off at the normal Falco spot and nothing happened . I stopped ok once I decided to apply the brakes but for that fleeting moment.....

Pirelli Diablo Stradas are good - got 5k out of my last rear. Put the front on 6,700 miles ago and it still has some way to go.

Ta for the help folks - that Falco Fighter kit sounds interesting - do Aprilia still market it ?

I'll give the Contis & the Stradas a coat of looking at - I've never used either
Used Metzeler Sportec's & Z6's on me BM, & have BT020's on me Fazer & TDM, but I fancy trying out something new.

fausto and myself were commenting on the contis the other day - excellent wear and we both have over 5k out of the rears....

also - ensure that which ever tyre you get, inflate it to the manufacturers specs, not the ones in the falco manual....

D-Rider wrote:Pirelli Diablo Stradas are good - got 5k out of my last rear. Put the front on 6,700 miles ago and it still has some way to go.

You should get the best part of 4k out of a standard Diablo rear; you must be working hard to use up a Strada in 5. (The canvas doesn't start to show until about 8500... don't ask how I know that )

Nowt wrong with the Bridgestones IMO

THe only other tyres I've had on the Falco are MEZ3's and we all know a story about them don't we boys and girls?

Falcoholic wrote:
THe only other tyres I've had on the Falco are MEZ3's

Language!

We don't want that kind of talk on this forum

Z6's are good, after having them on my Fazer I thought I try them on the Falco. I used them for a year and was pleased with their performance. Very good in the wet, not so good on the track, but a very good road tyre.

The only reason I took them off was because Pirelli were doing a £40 cashback deal on the CorsaIII. Outstanding tyres, they coped with blistering heat across the South of France, freezing Alps in Italy and hammering down rain and snow in Austria. For a supposed sports tyre they were every bit as good as the BT020.

I got bad neck ache from the original riding possition as well, but changed my bars for some Gilles adjustable ones. Not cheap, but if you spend a lot of time on the bike it's worth the money (you'll need new brake and clutch lines to fit as well.)

The lumpyness and slow speed stuff was ironed out by a 15 tooth front sprocket (best mod for the money) and a PCIII. It's as smooth as you like now, no lurching or complaining or clutch hand cramp in town.

The engine braking is there, getting back onto a 600cc IL4 will highlight that! if you're used to the blue dot Yamaha calipers the Falco brakes can feel a little soft. It's a heavy bike though, so they're doing a lot of work! They are perfectly good at stopping the bike, but may lack a bit of bite compared to what you're used to.

The thing with the Falco is, there are so many bits you can change to make the bike exactly what you need it to be ergonomically. And it is worth spending the money on as the quality of the basic bike is there up with the best of them. It is a comitment and you'll need to work at it, but once you get it right it'll pay you back by the bucket load.

Pirelli strada here too, now on my second set. Suits my riding style (steady, but not slow). Comfort is great for me, having twice done 700 mile round trips, once 2-up. Dunno if taller riders suffer more, but I am a towering 5'8" Gonna attempt Monza this year, did it on the plane a few years ago so now I will take the Falco home.

Another vote here for the Contis

Got the BT021,s on mine, seem an improvement over the 020`s.
not tried the conti,s but heard they are good and cheaper as well.

I fitted Pirelli Corsa's on my sons (when it was my bike), great in the dry, not so good in the wet (or maybe its the SMA on the roads)

Don't forget all tyres are crap on diesel and there's more of it about now

Oh and the rear might last 3k