:good2:
So I finally got my first motorcycle and It is a dream come true with a 92 FJ1200, stock... except for a aftermarket corbin seat which is sweat. :yahoo:
Now I love it and all but STOCK! come on!
So where do I start? exaust, head, pistons, I want power before beauty.
And where is the best place for parts? :dash2:
I need ideas, I have resources and time until my next deployment so some advice, please?
Thank You FJowners :bye2:
Try starting with brakes and suspension. Make it stop and handle. This will keep out of trouble. After that, then worry about more power.
Kurt
Quote from: yamaha fj rider on September 24, 2012, 10:44:29 PM
Try starting with brakes and suspension. Make it stop and handle. This will keep out of trouble. After that, then worry about more power.
Kurt
+1 Once you get the brakes and handling up to snuff adding more power is easy (and safer)
congrats on the new ride!
KOokaloo! :good2:
Congrats Mr Lucky, '92's are good bikes. I enjoy mine. Ditto to what has been said....
Brakes and suspension first. There's plenty of poop in the motor to get you into trouble.
1) If you still have the 20 year old rubber brake lines, start with those, they are long over due for replacement.
2) R1 blue spot calipers will bolt right up to your '92 fork legs, easy peesey.
3) Get a 14mm front brake master cylinder for the best feel.
4) New Fork springs and RPM fork valves are the best bang for the buck for the front.
5) That oem rear shock was weak sauce, the day it rolled off the Yamaha assembly line so a RPM shock would be a major enhancement along with some slightly shorter dogbones (shock links) to get more weight on the front tire.
Finally...
6) A 17" rear rim conversion will allow you to remove that outdated 150/80-16 rear donut and allow a wide selection of modern radial tires.
7) Meantime...Keep a eye out for A 1987 or '88 FZR front rim which is 3.5" wide (vs. your oem 3.0" rim) for better sidewall support of a modern 120/70-17 front tire, and is a direct replacement....like plug and play.
Leave the motor alone, it's a great engine as it is....
Cheers! Pat
The FJ 1100/1200 is a lot of bike, especially as your first one.
The posters above have been messing about with them for decades.
Their advice is tried and true,those are well tested mods that will bring your bike into 2012.
Best mod you may find however is rider training.
Quote from: Klavdy on September 25, 2012, 01:58:10 AM
Best mod you may find however is rider training.
+1 One day of training will do more for you than all the engine mods. If you go around a corner faster you will be faster down the strait away. Also buy some gear if you don't have it already. Good helmet one that fits, gloves, jacket, boots and pants.
Kurt
Let's not forget the engine mounts. ;-D
Andrew
Hi Mrlucky & welcome.
Ditto to all the above.I wouldn't worry about pistons/head etc unless the engine was tired and in need of a rebuild.Once you have brakes/suspension/wheels sorted you might think about a four into one exhaust or free flowing slip ons and a set of rpm uni pod air filters with some minor carb tweaking for sweeter top end power (might lose a little bottom end).Throw an ignition advancer in for even more kick!
WARNING-moditis is a contagious and compulsive addiction that afflicts many forum members but usually results in superior fjs and fj owners with silly grins!
Obviously ebay is a good source of parts but an awsome source of parts and excellent advice is Randy from rpm ( racerrad8 here on the forum)
http://www.rpmracingca.com/products.asp?cat=39 (http://www.rpmracingca.com/products.asp?cat=39)
Cheers :drinks:
Jeff P
P.S for ideas/inspiration...you have already found the best place....this site :good:
here's a couple more...
Alfs site...
http://www.fj1200.info/Home.htm (http://www.fj1200.info/Home.htm)
From the UK....
http://www.fjmods.co.uk/ (http://www.fjmods.co.uk/)
Welcome Mrlucky, I guess I don't need to tell you how helpful this group is. The mods I have enjoyed on 86' are upgrading the wheels, GSXR rear 17" 180 x 55 and the front FZR1000 17" 120 x 70. Now I have way too many choices of really good rubber to run on. I also put on 89" FJ forks with the RPM valves, a fantastic improvement in front end feel and handling. Blue dots with HH pads and steel braided lines, with the stock 5/8" master it is still a much improved feel in braking. I will never need more that two fingers to stop from any speed. With the front end sorted I am waiting for RPM to release the rear shock. Then on to some slip-on pipes and UNI pods. It just keeps getting better...
Quote from: Pat Conlon on September 25, 2012, 01:32:25 AM
Congrats Mr Lucky, '92's are good bikes. I enjoy mine. Ditto to what has been said....
Brakes and suspension first. There's plenty of poop in the motor to get you into trouble.
1) If you still have the 20 year old rubber brake lines, start with those, they are long over due for replacement.
2) R1 blue spot calipers will bolt right up to your '92 fork legs, easy peesey.
3) Get a 14mm front brake master cylinder for the best feel.
4) New Fork springs and RPM fork valves are the best bang for the buck for the front.
5) That oem rear shock was weak sauce, the day it rolled off the Yamaha assembly line so a RPM shock would be a major enhancement along with some slightly shorter dogbones (shock links) to get more weight on the front tire.
Finally...
6) A 17" rear rim conversion will allow you to remove that outdated 150/80-16 rear donut and allow a wide selection of modern radial tires.
7) Meantime...Keep a eye out for A 1987 or '88 FZR front rim which is 3.5" wide (vs. your oem 3.0" rim) for better sidewall support of a modern 120/70-17 front tire, and is a direct replacement....like plug and play.
Leave the motor alone, it's a great engine as it is....
Cheers! Pat
This list is pretty much what i did but not necesarily in that order. Before i did any of this i would +1 on the rider training but even before that i would get down the gym and bulk up as the FJ is one heavy cruise liner and just moving it about by hand can be a struggle!!
Have just done the 3.5" front mod (will update post ASAP), but next on the list without excuse is the RPM front valves (i have even gone to the length of getting the correct fork oil ready!!)
Have fun!
:hi: Welcome to the group.
Kurt
If this really is your first bike, the first things you should do is replace the brake pads, drain and bleed the brakes and clutch, drain the oil and replace it and the filter, replace the fuel and air filters, check the battery and charging system, and take the bike for a long run..at least 200 miles, a lot more if you can..
I wouldn't try to improve the speed until you know the bike is not going to let you down.
John.
Screw the bike.
Improved rider comfort, from a properly-fitted helmet and good gear, will prevent mistakes from fatigue.
Improved rider comfort, from familiarity and knowledge in what to do in a given situation, will prevent problems, and getting as much training as possible is the ideal answer.
Best part? Both of those will be things you carry with you to your next bike.
Past that, the only real question is how much do you want to spend (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=1887.0)? There's at least one >400hp FJ on the streets, breathing through a turbo, but as you'd guess it isn't an inexpensive route to go.
400hp Fj, sounds like fun, but also a good way to get in trouble , must chew through rear tyres quick even with a light right hand
I hate to say it, but this is really a kind of poor choice for a first bike; too heavy and powerful for a beginner. I hope you had lots of experience on other people's smaller bikes before hand or grew up on dirtbikes.
I'm not telling you what to do, but that's exactly what I'd tell any of my friends just now getting into motorcycling--get something 500cc or smaller. You've made your choice, and it's a great bikes by all accounts, so I doubt you'll go take it back. But please be properly afraid and cautious.
I'd say go read the HURT report, and definitely do the upgrades on the brakes. Then DEFINITELY go do a rider course if you don't have prior dirtbike experience--if you do, it's still not a bad idea if your dirtbike experience isn't extensive.
In any case, go really easy these first 6 months... That's when a huge percentage of motorcycle accidents happen, a rider's first 6 months.
Best of luck, and thanks for serving our country.
Oh, ffs. You can get just as killed on some horrible underpowered lightweight thing.
Upgraded brakes are nice and all, but until you've trained your reflexes to not grab a big fistfull all at once in an emergency, it's not something I'd particularly want.
Abso-frickin-lutely! You give race grade brakes to a newbie and the first panic stop will throw them on their face.
And the "notion" that the stock FJ brakes are crap is bullshit!
Can they be made better? Hell yes!
Do they need to be made better? IT DEPENDS! If you do a lot of threshold lockup braking, then by all means upgrade the brakes. But, if you're riding that way on the street, then you probably won't be doing it very long..
Properly maintained and cared for, the stock FJ brakes are very good. Spend money on the suspension until you get quick enough to NEED batter brakes.
DavidR.
David may be right unless he has ABS model (AWFUL BREAKING SYSTEM). Then he needs brake upgrade.
Kurt
Sorry Kurt, but I disagree.
I have a '93 FJ with ABS. The ABS does not work (never has as far as I know), but the brakes are still good. Are they as good as my FZ1? Probably not. But, they are still good enough to lock up the tires if over-applied. They are not racer-grade brakes, but they are far from being considered crap.
I have monoblock calipers waiting to go on, eventually, but I'm in no hurry to install them as I have another new set of pads to use up before I consider "upgrading." And, since the current set of pad has been in there for almost 10 years, I don't think that's going to be anytime soon. Again, upgrading the suspension, emulators (or better yet Randy's fork valves) and a Penske shock are FAR better upgrades than "better" brakes.
That being said, if you need to rebuild the stock calipers, it's far more economical to buy a set of monoblocs off of eBay than to buy stock caliper rebuild kits from the dealer. In that case, go ahead and "upgrade" to the newer monobloc calipers instead of wasting money rebuilding the stock calipers.
DavidR.
David my front brakes (93 ABS) SUCKED. Glad yours work well. I could not get these to lock or even close. Stopping distance way to long. Huge improvement switching to gold pots and stainless lines (stock pads) EBC HH pads waiting to be installed. We just disagree but we have great taste in motorcycles.
Kurt
Guys, it's a >20 year old bike. There's going to be some variation in the condition between the machines that are out there, y`think?
Personally, if you're going to go for modifications for a first bike, I'd say that getting everything working as well as it can for stock is the starting point. A few decades worth of maintenance and wear items fixed up, and by then you'll have a handle on what it does and doesn't do well for your style of riding. What's better, is then you'll have gotten familiar with some of the bike for when it does come time to start upgrading, and you'll have a good idea of how things are actually supposed to work.
Someone who lives five minutes from twisty mountain roads is going to have very different priorities than someone who frequents interstates to do thousand-mile trips--and that's if they're the same person! If they have different expectations from the bike, then their desires will be different even if they're neighbors. Either way, it's hard to find an FJ that can't benefit from a solid going-over, getting things back up to stock condition. If it's an expensive item to restore, that's when you start looking for alternatives that may be cheaper and yet upgrade at the same time.
(As a note, the stock 90 brakes in good order with original lines, calipers, master, etc... provides enough force to pull the rear wheel off the ground. Upgrading it won't improve the power in any way, but hopefully would improve the feel and linearity of the response.)
I got to agree with SlowOldGuy all that is wrong with the standard FJ brakes is that maintenance is a very high priority with them, because of the krud that builds up behind the seals. If you change the master and fit steel brake lines without changing the callipers you would find little difference between the two types of calliper. Having said that I do have blue spots on my own mount 'cause they really do look nice.
Quote from: SlowOldGuy on September 29, 2012, 10:56:57 PM
Do they need to be made better? IT DEPENDS! If you do a lot of threshold lockup braking, then by all means upgrade the brakes. But, if you're riding that way on the street, then you probably won't be doing it very long..
Properly maintained and cared for, the stock FJ brakes are very good. Spend money on the suspension until you get quick enough to NEED batter brakes.
DavidR.
Yes and no. Let me explain
Yes, properly cared for the FJ brakes are not too bad. Change the brakes when you feel that you need it
An no about the suspension: learn to feel the suspension and use the possibilities of the stock settings. With an STD FJ you can stay with much modern tackle on the road the 80% of the time. That fantastic engine, the supple suspension and the high handlebars let you surprise to the fast guys when the road start to get tight, curvy and with potholes.
I will spend my money in a complete maintenance (carb sync, valves, greasing suspension arms & headstock bearings, change fluids & hoses...) and in a set of AVON radial tyres for the OE rims. With the time and experience you will learn that you really need
Quote from: yamaha fj rider on September 30, 2012, 12:21:44 AM
David may be right unless he has ABS model (AWFUL BREAKING SYSTEM). Then he needs brake upgrade.
Kurt
How do I tell if I have the ABS model... There are no tells on my model.
Quote from: mrluckey on October 01, 2012, 07:40:10 PM
How do I tell if I have the ABS model... There are no tells on my model.
ABS light on the dash.
ABS lettering on the side panels.
ABS pump in the tail and a heap of extra brake hoses.
Harvy
Quote from: Harvy on October 01, 2012, 07:53:44 PM
Quote from: mrluckey on October 01, 2012, 07:40:10 PM
How do I tell if I have the ABS model... There are no tells on my model.
ABS light on the dash.
ABS lettering on the side panels.
ABS pump in the tail and a heap of extra brake hoses.
Harvy
Front hub is a dead give-away, as well!
Leon
Quote from: Harvy on October 01, 2012, 07:53:44 PM
Quote from: mrluckey on October 01, 2012, 07:40:10 PM
How do I tell if I have the ABS model... There are no tells on my model.
ABS light on the dash.
ABS lettering on the side panels.
ABS pump in the tail and a heap of extra brake hoses.
OK. No ABS system for me... I was looking for a picture of a 92' model with ABS on it to confirm but thanks, now I know I don't have that system :biggrin:
Harvy
Quote from: fintip on September 29, 2012, 09:15:43 PM
I hate to say it, but this is really a kind of poor choice for a first bike; too heavy and powerful for a beginner. I hope you had lots of experience on other people's smaller bikes before hand or grew up on dirtbikes.
I'm not telling you what to do, but that's exactly what I'd tell any of my friends just now getting into motorcycling--get something 500cc or smaller. You've made your choice, and it's a great bikes by all accounts, so I doubt you'll go take it back. But please be properly afraid and cautious.
I'd say go read the HURT report, and definitely do the upgrades on the brakes. Then DEFINITELY go do a rider course if you don't have prior dirtbike experience--if you do, it's still not a bad idea if your dirtbike experience isn't extensive.
In any case, go really easy these first 6 months... That's when a huge percentage of motorcycle accidents happen, a rider's first 6 months.
Best of luck, and thanks for serving our country.
Don't worry my friend I am a large, former defensive lineman. And when it comes to muscle I have enough to control the caos. The first month I thought I put the kickstand down but I guess I didn't... anyways I muscled the bike back up on my own and no it never touched the ground... I found out later that the bike is lbs. :dance2: