I went riding with the new neighbor kid (26 y.o.) the other night. He was riding his FZ1 and is a brand new rider. We took it easy because we didn't want him to push himself trying to keep up with us old guys. I was on my 87 FJ and another neighbor was on his 83 V45 Sabre.
The kid on the FZ did open his up some on a county blacktop and I was right there behind him and pulling up on him just to let him know he couldn't push us old folks (and bikes) around.
When we got back he said "Damn, your bike is fast!!!". Made me feel pretty good about the old FJ.
Looking at the numbers on the interweb, it looks like I should be able to keep up/outrun him for some time to come, at least until he builds up some confidence/skill and figures out how to handle his FZ1.
Kurt
I had a neat experience Friday. Put the FJ on the 401 (six lane interstate type road) for the first time in my life..the faster traffic was flowing a 140 kph. (40 k over limit) Not sure where to go, I just beat it for the fast lane, and decided better to be faster than sitting in a blind spot. Looked down at the gauges the '91 is doing 160-170 and wanting more. Just feeling the scarred spitless/wow feeling and an R-1 roars up beside me, gives me a "hang-ten" and blows on by....wonder what he was doing...
think I saw the Kookaloo! :good:
Our FJ's are not the latest and greatest but what they are is foundation that a lot of the latest and greatest were built on such as that FZ1 or R1. Remember just because the lion is old does not mean it can't still bite. :good2:
Kurt
I also had a FZ1 rider tell me he was surprised how quick and fast the old FJ is.
Reality is the FJ series is not be squat compared to most of the new bikes, but they can and do hold their own with many of them.
In terms of comfort, the FJ remains near the top IMO.
Quote from: motohorseman on June 28, 2012, 02:18:57 PM
I also had a FZ1 rider tell me he was surprised how quick and fast the old FJ is.
Reality is the FJ series is not be squat compared to most of the new bikes, but they can and do hold their own with many of them.
In terms of comfort, the FJ remains near the top IMO.
Yes motohorseman try and ride an FZ1 or whatever 400-500 miles then go do something like walk. I rode with a group of guys with bikes like fzr's, gsxr's, zx's, whatever, 300 miles and they were done. :flag_of_truce: Many times I took the long way home.
Kurt
Hello everyone,
A true tale...
My introduction to a Hayabusa and a rider in full leathers who looked good and fit the bike well...
Soooo, there I am cruising north on Highway 80 on a recent Saturday morning with soft saddlebags & tank bag, minding my own business [favoring the slow lanes] when a headlight appears in the fast lanes in the distance in my mirror. I pick it up a bit and so does the light... I then increase to the high 80's and so does the light... so at 5,500 rpm I am bopping down the road at 95 mph and the headlight still remains distant... well eventually he catches up, you see the Hwy. 505 cutoff is approaching and that is what he is taking, as am I... so after he catches up I pick it up a notch and am indicating 6,000 rpm (105 mph) and we are rapidly approaching the 505 exit and I am thinking "I don't like this" [it is a two lane sky way with a left hand sweeper followed immediately by a right hand sweeper] because at normal speeds it is dangerous as there are no shoulders and both turns are blind with no where to go if there is a stall in either lane. So as I am preparing to [perhaps] meet my demise and saying to myself "Randy, if those Fork Valves don't work under these conditions I suppose I will see you... in the afterlife!" (I kid you not).
Then as we approach the sky way, he quite dramatically down shifts, shaking his whole bike, and slows down a notch or two, I thought he was getting off at the exit at the approach to the skyway when alas I realized (just a tad late) he is just as scared as am I. Initially, I did not down shift because at 6,000 because if I had to shut down rapidly, without a slipper clutch it would be all I could do keep the rear end from chattering uncontrollably without pulling in the clutch and I did not think I had the courage to do so; so as we enter the skyway I do finally downshift as he begins to accelerate and I am accelerating as hard as I can as well, but although he is [naturally] pulling away, he tops out (by choice) and on the right hander I catch him... I do not know the speed as I am busy riding (okay, hanging on for my life) but it is more than I am comfortable with... as we hit the straight we slow and with a wave he exits the first exit.
I then cruise the remaining three hours home thanking Providence, RPM, Randy, the fork valves and the fork brace that holds the front end all together...
Moral of the story? Despite the vaunted upside down forks and the husky large diameter axle, the old FJ attained, momentarily anyway, parity without bending the skinny old axle & slender fork tubes.
The available to all Fork Valves performed under conditions I had not yet encountered.
And finally, based on the advice offered by the gentleman from RPM who has built perhaps more FJ engines than anyone else on the Forum [and certainly has gained more podium & first place finishes and Championships!], and despite the abuse of the high mileage engine, it never pinged, knocked or ran on three cylinders regardless of ambient temperatures and time of day, and performed well without missing a beat...
So that is my story and I am sticking to it. Actually, writing about it still makes me nervous!
All in good humor & keep smiling.
Mike Ramos.