Getting a grip, part deus. Tank pads for the XJR.

Another break in posting, but this one took a while to get the pieces together. While I haven't been posting as frequently, I have been getting some good riding time in. I am starting to know the roads and routes on the small peninsula that the city of Yokosuka is part of. Just today I was able to show my wife a couple of shortcuts to the restaurant we were headed to. Not a bad accomplishment for someone that has the reading level of a 2nd grader in Japanese! I still need to get out on the freeway for some high speed runs, but the bike and I are bonding well. This post is a little project to help that along some.

A profile shot of the XJR showing the starting point for this post and one of the most annoying things about the bike. The ergonomic triangle from the pegs to the tank to the seat is pretty tight for my almost 6'1" (183cm) frame. To be honest I could use a bit more legroom. The peg height from the ground is fine. There are no issues hitting the pegs, but I haven't been out trying to drag a knee. I'm pretty sure I have enough ground clearance if I were to try and lower the pegs using something like the pegs I got for the FZ1. I could also use a bit taller of a seat to open up my knee angle some. I have mentioned in previous posts that my butt hits the hump from rider to pillion. If my seat was flat from front to back at the height of the pillion it'd be perfect. Until I can modify my seat I need to do something about the tank.

Using the front stand I found on a morning walk one day made this next part of the project super simple. I was able to climb on the bike and get my legs on the pegs to show you the second picture. This is where my knees interface with the tank. It is perfect for lining up my lower body and using the cutouts to grip the tank. The only issue I have is that the tank is so smooth that I slip and slide all over the place, especially during hard braking. I had the same issue on my little Ninja 250 track bike. On that bike I really needed to add some grip pads for the heavy braking I was learning to do. When I encountered my slippery situation with the XJR, those same tank pads came to mind.

The brand I used then is the same I used now. Tech Spec tank pads worked great for the Ninja. I even used a set on the FZ1. They have several grip levels. I chose the Snakeskin grip, the same as the Ninja, since it worked so well back then. Unlike my experience with the Ninja, Tech Spec didn't have a pattern for the XJR400 in their stock or as a custom file. This time around I had to settle for the 12" x 13" sheet. It would be a bit more work, but not bad. The last time it only took me 20 minutes to install the Ninja grip pads. The time shouldn't take that much longer. The pads come with instructions and an alcohol wipe pad so that the tank will be clean for the adhesive backing.

Since this was the uncut sheet, it came with 10 different generic patterns top play with. I wasn't expecting this and thought that this was a nice touch. I took some measurements of the different areas of the tank and where my knees came in contact with it during various common maneuvers and body positions. None of them lined up exactly with the curves of the tank. I played around with combining several patterns for that extra custom touch. This tank has some very awesome cafe racer style indents. They really are perfectly lined up for your knees. While I couldn't get a perfect match to the indents, several patterns were promising. The final choice came down to how confident I could cut curves versus cutting a straight line.

In the end I chose this rounded corner, triangular shaped pattern. The front angle and top line matched the closest to the tank. Orienting the pattern so that the widest part of the triangle was at the front lining up my knee hit the biggest part of the pad. As the pattern tapers toward the rear of the bike my inner thighs would make less and less contact with the pad. When I press my knee into the tank, it will have great grip. When I want to move around a bit I just have to release some pressure from my knee and adjust my position. In theory it should be a great idea. We'll see how it works in real life riding, but I have high confidence.

And here's how they look when all said and done. Aside from being a little off from left to right, I made one other error. Can you spot it? Despite that little goof, they work great. Between the first few paragraphs and this one I got out for a quick morning ride. The tank pads worked exactly as I remember them. They grip my riding jeans very well. I only did about 40 kms (25 miles) and I was happy with the ultimate result. I will need to readjust my riding style. Since I have been having so many issues holding onto the tank until now, I have been using my arms to hold my body position. Now that I was able to hold on with my knees and thighs, I don't need to push so much with my arms. I do need to work on using my abs more to hold my torso better, but that will come with more seat time. I am happy with the project. I just need to get some uninterrupted twisty roads to really put them to the test.

Well, the weather has been all over the place. From 33° F (1.5° C) to today's blustery 58° F (14° C). The roads have been dry, but I've had tons of work and no relief from the grind to get out and enjoy them. I shouldn't complain as I know of many people have been snowed in. There is a cool motorcycle show coming up in a month and I am on the hunt for something special. You'll have to stick around to see all the fun up ahead. If you can, get out and ride. Stay safe friends.

Old Blue