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[Cortezdtv]

Great reports on your real-world experience Christian and Ray, thanks!

The 2015 model received upgraded bearings and suspension front and rear, hopefully addressing some of your top concerns.

Other than bearings, have you run into any other problems with extreme mud (loss of cooling ability, cleaning, etc)?

The head bearing is different from 13 on... Its much bigger...
Swingarm bearings are the same, even though the swingarm is different from (13-14)/ (15-16)

Bikes with showa will have different wheel bearings than other years as well because the have different wheel spacers so im assuming they have different bearings than pre 15 bikes as well

[rayivers]

Other than bearings, have you run into any other problems with extreme mud (loss of cooling ability, cleaning, etc)?

No, not at all, although I've only run into "extreme" mud once on this bike (I was glad I didn't have the lower fender on that ride).  The controller heatsink was nearly packed solid with mud, but the motor/electronics run much cooler in a single-battery setup and I didn't even notice.  When I got home I just rinsed everything off with hot water as usual (avoiding the empty front battery-bay area), good to go.

Ray

[acacia1731]

Finally took the 2015 FX 5.7 on serious weekend trip, along with my RM250 motocross bike.  The location was Wayne National Forest (Ohio), which has 70+ miles of hilly clay/gravel trails.  Overall, the bike was really a pleasure to ride off-road - better than I expected.  Here is my report...

The good:

• It was a rainy day and I probably hit 50+ mud puddles with no issues.  I'll admit, I was avoiding the deep puddles more than I normally would on my MX bike.
• The FX did 26 miles of trails with no issues, using both batteries.  I finished the ride with 14% battery remaining.
• The bike climbs hills just as well as any gas bike I've ridden. I launched it up some pretty steep stuff - see picture.
• The layout was comfortable for off-roading.  I did sometimes get the feeling that everything was about 10% smaller or more compact than my RM250, but it was never an issue.  I am 6'0".
• I felt much more relaxed on the FX compared to the RM250, likely due to the noise difference, softer suspension, and lack of clutching/shifting.
• The lack of noise was nice, especially when stopped.  I found myself being much more aware of the riders ahead and behind me, since they were so easy to hear.  However, I quickly found myself taking the noise difference for granted.  I think you just get used to whatever noise level your bike makes, loud or not.
• I found that my favorite settings were 100% torque and 50% regen.  The torque pretty well matched the gas bike I'm used to, and the 50% regen was enough to slow me down on most downhills without needing to brake.  I actually prefer 0% regen on roads, so I can coast, but off-road I find that I'm always either on the gas or on the brake so there was no downside to the regen.
• Front suspension felt great - factory setting were perfect for my 165lbs + gear.
• I dropped the bike a couple times, and saw no noticeable damage.  The handlebar mounts shifted just a bit, but I was able to shift them back by hand without too much effort.
• Washing the bike was easier than I expected, as there really weren't many nooks and crannies filled with mud.
• Every one of my riding buddies was impressed/smiling after a quick test ride, even if there were a lot of jokes about how we could charge it for 8 hours while in the middle of the woods...

The not-so-good:

• I rode "all out" for the first 60%, then started to back off due to some "range anxiety."  Under 20%, I started to notice significant power reduction, and by the time I finished at 14% it felt like the torque was cut in half.
• When I did get into trouble, at the top of a hill, I really noticed the bike's weight.  Lifting and swinging the back end was significantly more difficult than I expected when I was tired and ground was slick.
• I once switched to eco mode to reduce wheel spin when trying to get the bike out of some mud.  However, I forgot to  switch back to high power, and subsequently failed on a hill climb due to lack of power.  That was my fault, but really frustrating and something I'll have to remember for the future.
• Almost everyone who saw the bike asked "can you turn off those lights?"  Answer=nope.
• Rear suspension was a little off for me, and bottomed out a few times.
• The front brake lever is HUGE, and sticks out past the hand guards.  I'm nervous it or the reservoir will break when I drop the bike on it's right side.

For the record - modifications I've made to date include:  Added knobby tires, chain/sprockets kit, mudflap, MX seat, hand guards, removed rear lights and mirrors temporarily.

[odedmaz]

Great report. Thanks.

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[rayivers]

Those look like excellent trails!  I wish there were more steep hills like that around here - my bike loves them too.  An '05 RM250 is pretty stiff competition, it's great the Zero kept up.  I run 30% / 30% regen now - I can barely feel it kick in and braking is mostly from the brakes, which works best for me.

Re the shock - I guess you could just live with the bottoming, but if the spring rate is otherwise OK the best solution might be a new 2-stage bottoming bumper.  I've never felt my 350-450 lb/in spring hard-bottom, but the bumper has definitely made repeated contact with the seal cap.

I had a different experience with Eco mode last week - I engaged it for an initial mud crossing, then forgot about it till I got home.  My tires were shot and spinning a lot in Custom, so maybe w/less spin acceleration seemed about the same.  I've got new Motoz Terrapactor S/T's on there now, can't wait to try 'em out tomorrow.

I pulled my headlight fuse and just use the running lights, but I never ride at night.

I couldn't find a shorty brake lever with an adjustable throw for my OEM MC, so I got an Emgo 30-64881 & shortened it myself (lever cut / ball end drilled out & JB Welded on / ground down).  It worked pretty well.

Ray

[acacia1731]

As always - thanks for the tips and tricks Ray!  You seem to be a year ahead of most of us on the FX learning curve, and you've done some pretty clever mods.  The few I've had time to copy have worked out well.

Enjoy the first ride on that new tire - those days are the best!

[rayivers]

Hey, no problem - glad to know the info is of use.  The new footpeg-relocator adaptors are being done this week, then next up is the swingarm mod (30mm lower rear end w/no loss of travel) which is all worked out but may have to wait for the winter.

The Terrapactors work well !  Normally I tend to dislike new tires and then come to either accept or hate them but these seem pretty good so far.  The edge knobs looked real aggressive like the Michelin S-12 XC mud tires (yuck), but they grabbed well in corners without catching on everything else, and the straight-ahead traction - both accelerating and braking - was excellent.  They're also really lightweight.

Ray

[odedmaz]

Can you elaborate on the footpeg relocator adaptor?

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[rayivers]

Can you elaborate on the footpeg relocator adaptor?

The footpeg relocators move the peg mounts down & back 23mm.  They add 16mm of peg-to-peg width and take away @ 10mm of ground clearance, neither of which will affect me.

My ICE dirt bikes all have lighter-feeling front ends than my Zero, which has its pegs mounted farther forward than any of them. The relocators put the Zero's pegs in about the same relative position as my YZ's pegs.  I also wanted to straighten out my knees a little and make it easier going from sitting to standing (I'm 5' 11").

Ray

[odedmaz]

Exactly what i'm after. I am 190cm, and the fx feels a bit small.
Bought the fastway footpegs for that purpose, but couldn't make them fit.

Any photos? Are they installed already?


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[rayivers]

Any photos? Are they installed already?

No, not yet.  Right now the RH one is being machined, then I'll check the fit & make small changes to the LH diagram if needed, and have that one made.  As soon as they're both finished / tested / working OK, I'll post pics and diagrams.

If you remove the footpeg/pin/spring, put just the pin back into the mount holes, then fit the top of the footpeg's pivot hole onto the end of the pin sticking out the bottom, that's almost exactly where the peg will be.

Ray

[odedmaz]

Will gladly buy a pair from you

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[SuburbanDad]

Finally took the 2015 FX 5.7 on serious weekend trip, along with my RM250 motocross bike.  The location was Wayne National Forest (Ohio), which has 70+ miles of hilly clay/gravel trails.  Overall, the bike was really a pleasure to ride off-road - better than I expected.  Here is my report...

Great ride report.  Fantastic summary.  Pics really help illustrate the conditions - that is the the terrain I ride here in OR.

26 miles can be a long time on single track.  How long time-wise were you able to ride? 

[acacia1731]

Glad the report was helpful.  I know I was wishing for more detailed info like this before buying.

I wasn't keeping track, but would guess it was around 1.5-2 hours of moving time on the trail.

Wayne NF is mostly quad-sized trails (50" max vehicle width).  They've made a lot of trail "improvements" in the last decade to smooth out the rough spots, which helps maintain relatively constant speeds.
http://www.waynenationalforest.com/wayneatv.htm

[Lunch Box]

Great thread with some excellent information.  I'm new here and recently picked up a used 2015 FX.  My first offroad range test yielded a result of 5 miles.  The battery was still fine, but I snapped the chain landing a small jump as I grabbed a fist full of throttle.  That was a long push back to the parking lot.   

I have since done the chain conversion, which was a PITA but worth it.  I bought this bike for the stealth aspects, as I live in California and don't always want to haul the bike to a proper park to ride.  So far, I love the bike.  I'm a big guy, so the first thing I did is have the suspension resprung.  It's not perfect, but it is a lot better than it was.