Hello all from NW Ohio! I have been restoring and riding early 80's Yamaha XJ bikes (and others) for quite awhile and finally got the chance to own a low mileage 1986 FJ1200. After finally stopping the gas from getting in the oil, a complete racetech fork rebuild, valve adjustment and a carb tune and sync this bike really blows me away! I have a couple factory turbo XJ650's and a XJ900 and prefer the FJ over all of them. I' am 32 years old and can remember being around 5-6 years old, and seeing the new FJ's hitting the street....I was in love at an early age. The FJ is pretty much the XJ design reworked with double the valves and no YICS, and a torque curve that I can't get enough of!! I'm officially addicted!
-Nick
Welcome Nick, great intro.
Except the part about you being 5 or 6 years old when the new FJs came out.
(I could have done without that)
It wasn't really that long ago when the FJ's first came out...A couple of years maybe...ok, ok, three or four years at the max.
You see Nick....Einstein was right....Time is relative.
The prodigious amount of effortless power you feel with the FJ causes it to actually travel backwards in time. Leave Saturday on a trip, roll the throttle into the kookaloo zone, things get blurry, and all of a sudden it's Friday, swear to God.
It's happened to all of us and it will happen to you....you'll see...The longer you ride the FJ, the younger you get.
Don't believe me? Come to a FJ Rally and check out all the teenagers...... :sarcastic:
OK me buckos.....tell me THAT's not true.
gday nick and welcome, I've got an xj650 and an fj and theres no comparason as far as performance goes but the xj's still a top little bike, ken
Hey Nick!
I'm an XJ to FJ convert myself! My first bike was a 1982 Seca 550 (bought brand new in 1986 as a leftover).
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/5/697_12_09_13_9_16_52.jpeg)
I rode that in New York and all over California...54,000 miles total. That bike got me through college...many first dates (and a few second dates :yes:) and bonded me to Yamaha. When I spotted my first FJ in a dealer's window (a black and gold '89) I was hooked. I told my girlfriend at the time what I saw...she said, "You are NOT buying another motorcycle!!" I eventually dropped the girlfriend and bought a 1992 FJ1200. In the end, it turned out to be more reliable anyway. :biggrin:
Cap'n Ron. . .
Welcome to the group Nick :yahoo: :yahoo: She is a mighty fine ride. The power is addictive. Sounds like you will fit right in. Think about going to a rally sometime. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the first FJ's.. :drinks:
George
Hi Nick
Great choice of bike you will luv the FJ
I have a 86 xj900 that I have owned for 23 years .
Did a big tour on New Zealand with a friend fom England last year 8500 kms and neither bike missed a beat , both wore out tyres though.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/5/518_13_09_13_3_26_39.jpeg)
Welcome Nick, excellent intro, I noticed that you have not been warned about Moditus. It is more addictive than crack, will empty your wallet faster that a new girlfriend, but as already stated, much more reliable. As a fellow ambulance rider I have upgraded my 86' and love my FJ even more. The RPM spin-on oil filter adapter is the gateway drug to Moditus. With 17" wheels I can run a plethora of modern rubber for less $$ than what I can get in 16". The Blue dot calipers, braided lines and HH pads gives me two finger stopping power at any speed. Good thing I have modern rubber mounted. RPM valves, RPM fork brace make the front end stable and well behaved under any road condition. So consider yourself warned about this easy to contract condition. The other addicting thing is rallies, once you attend one you are hooked, you will need to attend every year. Kookaloo....
Nick welcome, glad you upgraded to the FJ. Good introduction. Sounds like you already have caught the moditus bug with your fork upgrades. FJs just keep getting better with modifications. Think about going to a rally as suggested.
Kurt
Quote from: XJturbo on September 12, 2013, 09:43:26 PM
I have a couple factory turbo XJ650's and prefer the FJ over all of them. I' am 32 years old and can remember being around 5-6 years old, and seeing the new FJ's hitting the street....I was in love at an early age. The FJ is pretty much the XJ design reworked with double the valves and no YICS, and a torque curve that I can't get enough of!! I'm officially addicted!
-Nick
Greetings my fellow Seca Turbo/FJ brother......my first ever bike was in fact the 82 Seca 650 Turbo.........stopped riding her back in 89......and got back into the game with the big brother a few yrs ago......with the mighty FJ......a perfect transition. I am actually using the seca seat on my FJ......... my original vision for my FJ is to one day turbo her.......maybe this winter...or the next....this is a great site...and most of the old members in here don't like young guys.....it's nothing personal........it's just penis envy.....of a different kind (one working/the other not :lol:) :mocking:........if anyone tries to bully you or pick on you....just remind of the age difference and they'll simmer....a little....* sorry...remind them of your age.....not there's !!!! :sarcastic:
....but seriously Nick...welcome to the group...nice to see an infusion of youthful verve !!! I am off to the Australia rally in March.....if you should join the posse heading over....would be a perfect cherry popping experience..... :shok:..the fellas DOWN UNDER........do it different... :rofl2:
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/secaturbo_zps40ec70ba.jpg)
check out my corbin seca seat......
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/mywheels096.jpg)
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/mywheels100.jpg)
CanDman
Quote from: CanDman on September 13, 2013, 09:46:33 AM
Quote from: XJturbo on September 12, 2013, 09:43:26 PM
Greetings my fellow Seca Turbo/FJ brother........the fellas DOWN UNDER........do it different... :rofl2:
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/secaturbo_zps40ec70ba.jpg)
check out my corbin seca seat......
CanDman
:scratch_one-s_head: mmmmm....Might have ta Canadise FJ1 before March....shit, might even have ta wash her! :unknown:
Quote from: The General on September 13, 2013, 05:29:38 PM
Quote from: CanDman on September 13, 2013, 09:46:33 AM
Quote from: XJturbo on September 12, 2013, 09:43:26 PM
Greetings my fellow Seca Turbo/FJ brother........the fellas DOWN UNDER........do it different... :rofl2:
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/secaturbo_zps40ec70ba.jpg)
check out my corbin seca seat......
CanDman
:scratch_one-s_head: mmmmm....Might have ta Canadise FJ1 before March....shit, might even have ta wash her! :unknown:
Why do I get the feeling that the second I use the CanDised FJ1 horn it's not going to go "beep beep".....but rather...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHHA BAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAA......then I'll be in for some OUTBACK BUSH ETTIQUETTE SNOWY MOUNTAIN THUNDER.......man...I better get crackin and start cramin b4 I board that plane.......or I may never make it back home... :flag_of_truce: ....were did I put that oil skin coat of mine....damn....it's around here somewhere......and my Greg Norman hat......... :dash1:
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/britishopenweekend_zps62981089.jpg)
some of these are pretty good......
Goats Yelling Like Humans - Super Cut Compilation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpccpglnNf0#ws)
Although..I am a bit partial to the one at 1:15...... :crazy:
Thanks guys for the warm welcome, I would have never guessed there would be that many other converts. Yes it does seem that I am from a younger generation, I have been in the garage with a wrench in my hand since the age of 5. I feel the FJ's ability to time travel, because I don't hardly see any around here....and most guys my age are riding a modern sportbike or Harley. I have a thing for older bikes....my father built/restored a 1947 Knucklehead from collected NOS parts in the early 70's and rode the crap out of it, and my mother rode a 1966 Honda 305 Dream that I still have. I guess I have an addiction to 2 wheeled machines :yes:
I have read about this moditus, and realized I have been affected for many years. I have modified my 83 Turbo quite a bit, and had some stuff laying around that fit the FJ from an R1 conversion I did on the Turbo. Any older bike greatly benefits from a modern brake upgrade I've realized. The Turbo got a rear disc setup off an XJ900 along with the wheels, 10x better than the factory drum. My XJ900 is stock. The FJ1200 received the R1 front brakes, and a rear caliper/rotor off a VMAX.
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/IMG_20130622_152312_545.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/IMG_20130622_152312_545.jpg.html)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/IMG_20130426_163136_840.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/IMG_20130426_163136_840.jpg.html)
Now I just need to find one of those corbin seats with the backrest so my wife will want to ride it longer than 10 miles at a time. That is a nice looking seat candman.
Quote from: XJturbo on September 14, 2013, 11:43:57 AM
Now I just need to find one of those corbin seats with the backrest so my wife will want to ride it longer than 10 miles at a time. That is a nice looking seat candman.
This is the Corbin Lady & Gunfighter seat. Very comfortable, almost as good as the Corbin solo gunfighter seat.
(http://www.corbin.com/yamaha/yfj11_2.jpg)
Hey Nick......great to see the Turbo ......brings back some great memories.....I actually did a crazy paint job on mine when I had her.......it was an Orion silver with an Oriental Blue clear coating.....turtle shell scheme.....looked a lot like a Seca Turbo version of R2 D2 ....man did it ever draw a crowd... I loved when the dash lit up....thought it was a space ship...lol......have you found the 70 mile an hour wind wobble in a medium bank turn......?
Forgive the playful jesting on your thread here Nick.......Doug (the General) is one of my closest friends in here........ and while I will be in Australia...Doug is kindly letting me drive one of his FJ's to the Rally and is working very hard with some other Aussie members to make my visit there as memorable as possible ( I have been blown away by the kindness and friendly jesting.....it's going to be awesome !!!! :yahoo:. He and I share the same appreciation for comedy and laughter....and take every opportunity to make the other one laugh or smile... (can't wait to meet you Doug......and share your 75th birthday :mocking:....and I have a great gift I will be bringing.....and no...it won't be a goat horn....or a Rhino horn :rofl2:)
The one thing about this site that I love ....is that there are so many great people in here from every corner of your imagination......and amazingly it is the diversity of characters that binds us into such a tight community....and of course the unequalled passion for the mighty FJ.
As for the seat.....I actually made it myself........took the seca turbo seat....(which is metal) and took my sawsal.....and cut the rear off.....I used a grinder to shape the metal to fit on to the OEM FJ (plastic) seat......used a few pilot screws and attached one to the other. then I took a turkey cutting knife and cut the 2 foam seats until they fit together on the new shape.....then I cut off the front section of foam off the Seca seat....turned it around and used toothpicks to skewer the foam to form the ridge behind the rider....when I finished..I sent it out to a professional upholstery to cover it. There was a cavity between the 2 seat frames which was filled in with expansion foam.......so in a nut shell....I basically fused the back of the Seca seat unto the FJ stock seat.....worked out really nicely...I was very happy with the way it turned out...and I think it looks cool....hehehehe
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/mywheels090.jpg)
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/mywheels079.jpg)
Kev
Welcome to the group. Very nice looking FJ. :hi:
Fred
Hmmm must be a yamaha owners thing,, I had an xj 750 seca , the one with the factory fog light fitted, awesome race ummm road bike, I should of kept it :cray: ,,,, oh and kev I like your custom seat , was that made for the polar bear :biggrin:,, you should bring it down, koala,s would love it
I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a Lady & Gunfighter seat, very nice looking. Must be a Yamaha thing, 1 of the first bikes I ever legally rode was a 82 XJ750 Seca....that's when the XJ bug got me, then came the turbo's and eventually the 900 then the FJ!
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/yama750.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/yama750.jpg.html)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/465453-R1-15-9.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/465453-R1-15-9.jpg.html)
I also have upgraded to FJ from XJ...................
My first street bike (of my own) was an XZ550 Vision.
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/firehawk068/misc/Yamaha-1.jpg) (http://s859.photobucket.com/user/firehawk068/media/misc/Yamaha-1.jpg.html)
My XJ was a Seca II model..................
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/firehawk068/XJ600%20Seca%20II/4235627233_a53803d288_b.jpg) (http://s859.photobucket.com/user/firehawk068/media/XJ600%20Seca%20II/4235627233_a53803d288_b.jpg.html)
Now I ride this lovely girl..................
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/firehawk068/Motorcycle%20rides/6%20Passes%2008-25-13/highres_276013192_zps0b2e46ff.jpg) (http://s859.photobucket.com/user/firehawk068/media/Motorcycle%20rides/6%20Passes%2008-25-13/highres_276013192_zps0b2e46ff.jpg.html)
Welcome to the FJ clan! :hi:
Quote from: XJturbo on September 15, 2013, 01:05:49 PM
I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a Lady & Gunfighter seat, very nice looking. Must be a Yamaha thing, 1 of the first bikes I ever legally rode was a 82 XJ750 Seca....that's when the XJ bug got me, then came the turbo's and eventually the 900 then the FJ!
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/yama750.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/yama750.jpg.html)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/fastclassicr/465453-R1-15-9.jpg) (http://s134.photobucket.com/user/fastclassicr/media/465453-R1-15-9.jpg.html)
. Yep, one those, mine was also red, but re,sprayed her gun metal gray,, don't think I ever took pictures though ,,
Quote from: fj11.5 on September 14, 2013, 07:24:22 PM
Hmmm must be a yamaha owners thing,, I had an xj 750 seca , the one with the factory fog light fitted, awesome race ummm road bike, I should of kept it :cray: ,,,, oh and kev I like your custom seat , was that made for the polar bear :biggrin:,, you should bring him down, shela's would love him !!!
Sadly I will be leaving Snowball behind to mind the igloo while'st I am o'er thar. But if Bundy's around....would certainly love to ride with him and any other indigenous furry friends :drinks: !!!
(http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/photocandman/SNN2820D-682_1335262a.jpg)
Bundaberg Rum (Australian ad) 1994 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1JsgUme4Pw#)
....do you know who the two old guys are ? :lol:
Quote from: Firehawk068 on September 15, 2013, 03:08:32 PM
I also have upgraded to FJ from XJ...................
My first street bike (of my own) was an XZ550 Vision.
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/firehawk068/misc/Yamaha-1.jpg) (http://s859.photobucket.com/user/firehawk068/media/misc/Yamaha-1.jpg.html)
Hey Firehawk, I thought it was Roy Orbison for a moment sitting there on that bike.
my 81 xj650 special (maxim) to our USA friends, took it out for a quick blast on the week end, a nice bike to ride, they seem so light compared to the fj. I cant bring myself to part with it,
this is at scarborough near the boat ramp .
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/005-3.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/005-3.jpg.html)
Quote from: ken65 on September 16, 2013, 06:26:55 PM
my 81 xj650 special (maxim)
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/005-3.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/005-3.jpg.html)
Looks just like an '82 Maxim 550 I had... The ubiquitous UJM's of the time were amazingly reliable and in a state of poor tune could bring a woman to an orgasm without the rider ever knowing. I know of what I speak...
Dan
Quote from: Bones on September 16, 2013, 03:45:33 PM
Hey Firehawk, I thought it was Roy Orbison for a moment sitting there on that bike.
Nope, that was me back when I still had hair.............. :sarcastic:
Quote from: Dan Filetti on September 16, 2013, 07:19:33 PM
Quote from: ken65 on September 16, 2013, 06:26:55 PM
my 81 xj650 special (maxim)
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/005-3.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/005-3.jpg.html)
Looks just like an '82 Maxim 550 I had... The ubiquitous UJM's of the time were amazingly reliable and in a state of poor tune could bring a woman to an orgasm without the rider ever knowing. I know of what I speak...
Dan
Be careful what you wish for,,,
Born to be Wild (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHSM3hhmH7A#)
Quote from: ken65 on September 16, 2013, 06:26:55 PM
my 81 xj650 special (maxim) to our USA friends, took it out for a quick blast on the week end......
Just how many bikes are there in the "Kenslea Motorcycle Museum"?
Noel
lol, there are 6 noel, xj,fj,rd,cb750,c72 and the bonneville, not allowed another 1 unless i sell 1, what child do you sell. ken