Hi everyone :morning1:
So i recently had an accident on my Suzuki en125 (TBoned a golf) and unfortunately the bike was written off. I suffered minor damages luckily apart from a broken thumb which has stopped me from riding my new (well much older than me) bike. Now the wire has been taken off and im ready to ride it. None other than the mystical FJ1100. i was actually quite lucky in that although it is an '85 model i picked it up with only 45000km (which was 47000 less than my 125 suzuki). Now im kinda worried as i have never driven a bike this big and im not actually sure what to expect> can anybody please tell me what to e careful of and what to expect from the bike other than it going from 0 to 200 (km/h) in 10 seconds? PS the biggest bike ive driven is a 200cc
Other than that I have seen that all the models come stock with a half belly pan fairring, but i have seen ones with full fairings. Can anybody tell me where i can get such fairin gs or what fairings would easily fit the '85 model with little or no modification?
I also am a little concerned i know the bike is very old and also i am in the middle of winter but when i switch my bike on i normally have to leave it on for quite a while before i am able to let go of the accelerator and let the bike idle by itself
Otherwise im very excited to get back on the road and hopefully not encounter anybody else who decides to uturn infront of me. Wish me luck. :good:
A leap from a 125 to a 1200 is dramatic. While the riding principals are similar, there is a great deal more mass you'll need to account for, and the gyroscopic forces are greater on a bigger bike. Obviously the single biggest difference between your previous bike and the FJ will be the power. It's just going to be much easier to get yourself in trouble with a bike this strong. My advice, spent a lot of time in a parking lot, before you head out on the street.
I recently wrote this to another in a similar situation -note that it does not all apply to you/ your situation:
"There's a lot of power you just bought there, without a bit of [big bike] training or experience on motorcycles, you're susceptible to hurting yourself and/or the bike. It is possible to train yourself, but statistically speaking; you stand a decent shot at wrecking that bike and/or hurt yourself. Respect for the machine and its potential, an honest understanding of your skills, and life expectancy are directly related to one another.
As above, I would highly recommend you take an MSF class or similar, get some structured training of some sort. At very least, take it much more easily, and for much longer than you think you should. Spend hours in a parking lot practicing throttle control (critical) and braking control (front and back -also critical), including emergency braking, braking while leaned over, (squeeze progressively, -never 'grab') and practice last minute-object avoidance. Practice tighter and tighter figure 8's/ circles, both directions within a defined space -do this until you can do it at full steering lock. None of this will be wasted on the street."
The idling/ running problem you mentioned sounds like gummed up idle jet circuit(s), you may have to go into the carbs to get that sorted.
Again, welcome.
Be safe.
Dan
Thanks Dan your advice is very useful and it is definitely been taken to heart. I know the dangers of a bigger bike and already know what kind of damage small to minor accidents can do to both the body and the bike and after my last one i would hate the FJ to end up like it. I plan to practice quite a bit despite having 4 years riding experience. I have attended various classes already, but not on a bike as big. I have no problem with steering or control of the bike, but advice on how to lean through a curve and learning how to break in a curve would be much appreciated. On a more positive note i have practised "dumping" the bike and then lifting up by myself which is quite a mission, but gets easy using a push technique.
Again if anybody knows about good fairings info would be greatly appreciated.
The 'full fairings' you may have seen on other FJ's are not necessarily a great idea. While they may look cool, they do restrict airflow to an air cooled motor -not the best idea. I had a set, which I gave away/ sold? for my '85 for this reason. FYI.
BTW, good to know you have more experience than the knucklehead that post was originally written for. As far as leaning in a corner, it similar to you 125, just heavier, and it will take more counter-steering force on the bars to get the bike to tip over (more gyroscopic forces at play).
Be careful, respect the machine and you should be fine.
HTH,
Dan
the fj likes nice gentle imputs of brake or power . as for braking in corners ,that is how you will wreck . Brake before the corner to scrub off speed then turn thru the corner and power out.
the early fj's will stand up in a corner with brakes applied and throw you off the bike.
i guess what your trying to say dan is that familiarity breeds contempt, contempt gets you injured or killed.... agree on the step from a small bike to big bore... its different.... went from a srx 250 to a GPz 750.... rode it like a grand ma for easy 4 months... never went above 5 grand, just "felt" the bike out if you wil... 4 months later got used to 6 grand and above....( got to love the kwaka howl !!!) and then had about 3 accidents, all my own fault no damage but skin and broken levers...( try riding with no gear lever, had just a stub couldnt get foot under it at all.... was riding, pull the clutch in lean over with right hand and change up.... stupid and dangerous, ended up slipping the clutch in 3rd all the way home... but thats another story...) it can be done , going from small to big bore... just take it easy, cause when it bites it bites hard.
Thanks for all the information esprcially about the full fairings, i didnt quite think of the fact that the bike is ofcourse air cooled. As to the problem with the bike not idling i found out that it is because i left the bike outside without a cover (a true sin i know) but also bbecause i havent had a true chance to actually switch on the engine actually ride the bike which has resulted in the bike just standing now whenever i try turn it on during the mornings and particularly on a very cold mornin the b ike wont start at all and the battery even starts to die. So id like to know if it would be a wise idea to charge it or just when its warm again like in the afternoons switsh the bike on take it for a good few miles at a parking lot and let the baterry then charge itself? I have already purchased a bike cover and it will be delivered in a few days so atleast the beauty can stay undercovers. Again thanks for all the info especially about not breaking in a curve.
Definitely charge it, otherwise it'll kill the battery..... A Battery Tender, or similar maintenance charger is a good idea.
Okay cool I shall definitely charge it. I was just wondering because when the same situation happened a few mornings back where the bike wouldnt start in the morning I just tried again in the afternoon after I got back home from work and it starte up fine with no battery problems. But i defin itely need to get it running asap and with the news i got from the doctor today, I will be able to on friday :yahoo:
So now that I have given up on trying to get a full fairing, where will i Be able to get the original fairings? as you can see from my profile pic i dont have the bottom part of the original fairings.
FJt!llD3@th said,
"i dont have the bottom part of the original fairings"
Neither do most FJ's.
These do occasionally come up for sale on Ebay and there are some aftermarket fibreglass ones that are available.
Make sure you check the cost of shipping to SA before you commit, it could be a deal breaker.
Arnie
Quote from: FJt!llD3@th on July 13, 2011, 06:55:07 AM
i dont have the bottom part of the original fairings.
Welcome here! That's quite an accomplishment getting a bike nine times the displacement of your previous one. By your avatar pic it looks like you're missing the bottom part of the upper fairing and the side scoop, not the lower fairing/belly pan/chin scoop that is so often damaged. No new or reproduction parts available, but the used ones are out there, fairly cheap if you don't want perfect. Maybe go through a trial period with the bike BEFORE you replace expensive plastic!
Doug
The side scoops are kind of important, they direct cooling air to the top of the head......
Okay well I charged the battery and started the bike up this morning in 5 degree C weather (41 F) so that definitely helped, and I am looking for the side scoops, but most are only available in the US or China and shipping isnt really cheap but I will definitely keep looking. Luckily temperatures barely ever reach more than 30 C (86 F) and I only really ride the bike mornings and late afternoons so the heat factor wont play too much of a problem luckily. On a brighter side there are some fj 1200 ferrings available but also missing the side scoop so I think while I wait for some good replacement ones I will keep practising on the bike to avoid having to repair expensive plastic :good2: