Greetings everyone,
I have not posted here in a long time due to life getting in the way. Well life has changed, a recent divorce and relocating to coastal Maine means it is time to get back in the saddle. So my 93 has almost 80k miles on it, but is near perfect. I bought it with 6k, it has never been down and always garaged. It has some tasteful mods like blue dots, GSXR 17x5.5 rear, FZR1000 17x3.5 front, tail raised 30mm and a Vance and Hines SS2R exhaust. It is however due for some service work. Tires, carb cleaning (already has the hardware kit and Hank Scott jets), battery, fork service etc.
My problem is I really want hard bags, and preferably factory ones. I have a 20 min commute and work second shift. I want to be able to carry my dinner as well as all of the other crap I use daily. It looks like the only setup that would clear my exhaust would be the Hepco and Becker, which is out of stock in the USA. I actually have a set of Yamaha branded Krauser bags and the brackets, they would require an exhaust change as well as new seals (want to be water tight).
I can very easily sell it and buy a K1200s or the like and not look back. The old girl has been rock solid to me, but has a flaw. When I did the rear wheel swap 15 years ago I forgot to torque the rear axle. I hit 2nd full throttle and the $h!t hit the fan. Yanked the wheel sideways and caused the chain to skip hammering the gear. I replaced the broken chain adjuster and reassembled. It now is 50/50 if it will pop out of 2nd gear at full throttle at high rpm. The labor to fix it does not bother me (25 yr Porsche/Audi master tech), its getting the gears repaired and undercut. Finances after the divorce are tight. Add this to the service work and I ask "Is this the right move?"
I look forward to any and all input
Thanks,
Dan
Quote from: captaudi on April 04, 2021, 06:16:28 PM
I can very easily sell it and buy a K1200s or the like and not look back.
I look forward to any and all input
Thanks,
Dan
Keep the FJ... you can get by until bags appear. Tank bag, bag strapped to seat, backpack even... not ideal, but sounds like this bike is a favorite and you know it well. Fix the issues and you're back to a bike you can maintain without the potential financial strain of the BMW destroying it's driveshaft in a few thousand miles, it's sophisticated suspension crapping out and requiring complete replacement, or the plastic QD fitting on the fuel pump discharge splitting and spraying fuel onto the hot engine and dripping down onto the exhaust... very typical issues with a K1200S/R.
If you do go BMW, get a K13s... it's very similar looking, but much more refined all around with better suspension and fueling. They also fixed most of the catastrophic stuff that the K1200S/R could do to itself along with some 80+ other minor changes to almost everything. I've had a K12S and 2 K13S. The K13S are nice, brutally fast bikes that handle great... however they are all gone now an my 2 FJs ('84 and '92) remain.
Frank
Frank,
Thanks for the input. I admit some of the K12s stuff does bother me, right now a K13s is outside what I would like to spend. Then again, pay up front or pay later. I guess the two main issues that I would like feedback on are: Is there a good pannier setup that works with the SS2R exhaust, and what are my options to have the gears welded/undercut. Who is the goto and how much?
Thanks again,
Dan
p.s. Do I remember right is your 92 the old Klavdy bike with all of the trick suspension?
Please give me a call concerning the Hepco & Becker luggage. 316-409-3335
Fred
The ESA alone costs about $2K to replace with non-OEM... BMW's not a good way to spend a little money.
You remember right... Wizard (the '92) is Klavdy's old bike with a few more bits I bought from Marc Rittner directly and with an RPM built 1350cc/FCR carb'd/Factory Pro tuned monster motor... It has the USD YZF750 front and Thunderace rear Klavdy had bought from Marc and installed just before "the incident".
Frank
PS - RPM on the go-to guy question...
I'm surprised your Krauser panniers leak - mine are still good after over 30 years of use.
Any set of panniers and frames is going to cost big enough $ to be out of reach if you're short of cash - why not just put your stuff in a plastic carrier bag if you have a slight leak - unless you're going to be riding through hours of torrential rain, I can't see there being a problem.
Exhaust-wise, since fitting my Krausers's I've run my FJ with V & H, Eagle/Cobra, Motad, Kerker and Remus exhausts and never had an issue with any silencer getting in the way, or making contact with the bags. The Krauser mounting brackets give the flexibility to mount the bags high enough to avoid silencers, but still not interfere with passenger comfort :good2:
Here's the Remus with my Krauser bags on.
Or you could do what as done to RevDeal's exhaust and have an extended silencer hanger bracket with 2 holes to pretty quickly/easily raise/lower the silencer slightly to give clearance for the pannier bags - much cheaper than new luggage, or a BMW !!!!
I'm a fan of bagging whatever I want to keep dry. I've always had soft bags. I have a small cooler that fits in my soft bags and that is how I used to carry my lunch to the glider field. That is a lot cheaper than your other options.
RPM sells an assembled undercut transmission for a reasonable price. I just put one in mine last fall. It looks like they are out of stock at the moment. I guess I should send my old core back.
Easy.
I never took much mark from things my Dad said, but one or two classics did stick, so here's one for you that might help solidify your thoughts - 'go with what you know.'
The World is in constant flux, and often a different choice suggests solutions to perceived problems only to be revealed as a false hope.
You've lived with a dubious 2nd gear for 15 years so by now its a non issue.
Hard luggage is certainly a great addition. Givi for a big budget, Krauser for the modest pocket. I've had a good experience with both. Only opted for hard luggage for security on longer trips, but if your not bothered about that aspect, Revzilla have loads of universal soft bag options that would carry your sandwiches.
If money is tight, its the wrong time to be looking at anything made by BMW.
Its widely believed that the Fj offers one of the best all round bang for the buck.
It certainly comes with the best on line forum
Quote from: Flynt on April 04, 2021, 07:52:51 PM
BMW's not a good way to spend a little money.
Haha, I've said many times, the perfect bike would be a BMW made by Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki or Kawasaki.
Not having to ever factor in labour costs and having access to parts at the best prices has enabled me to own many vehicles that otherwise would not have been practical, but BMW motorbikes blow that idea right out of the water. There are no after market parts so everything has to be OEM and man, are they expensive, a LH switch block for example - $1100!
I knocked one over in the garage a couple of years ago, $9500!!!! from a stationary fall, the automatic garage door clipped the windscreen and rolled it forward off the centre stand, it literally just fell on it's side. Admittedly it was an insurance claim and repaired at the dealers but even so, even if you halve it, it's still a silly amount of money under the circumstances.
Footnote, I know we have a lot of BMW owners here and they might be relieved to know you can have the ESA electronics grafted on to a new Wilburs shocker for under a $1000. It not only lasts forever, it's a better shocker. (My FJ shocker cost about $1750 with exchange rate and freight)
Noel
Quote from: captaudi on April 04, 2021, 06:16:28 PM
.....and buy a K1200s or the like and not look back.
Haha, in your dreams. As Frank said, they are brutally fast, handle well and have brakes to match, they're the whole package, but.....they are money pits, the very thing you wish to avoid and unless you are riding the wheels off it on a regular basis, you are paying for a performance edge you'll never get near. They also have a particularly long wheelbase which makes them pigs at low speed and in the twisties, they are Autobahn bikes.
I have a number of different configurations of luggage for my FJ, all soft, all hard and several mixed options plus 3 different size Givi Tanklock bags.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3692/33088993980_2466bb3c9d_b.jpg)
I rode hundreds of thousands of km's with expandable, water proof, soft bags. Single medium size for daily use and two expandable large bags for trips....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/368/19469111236_2980410420_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7909/40230689043_6a3c8c8c49_b.jpg)
For general round town use I now use the biggest top box I could find, it's lockable, weather proof, very cheap to buy and reasonably vandal/thief proof in both lid and locking to bike.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7819/40230726793_5132d2bf04_b.jpg)
....I can fit a 4XL helmet in there.
The biggest downside to hard panniers is clearance, they make it virtually impossible to filter, and for me around town, that is an absolute deal breaker. When I'm heading out of town for a trip and have the panniers on, I find it an absolute pain in the arse having to que as I would in my car because my bike is too wide to ride between the lanes. Even navigating my own driveway and carparks is a PIA.
What is surprisingly difficult, contrary to first thoughts, is how difficult it is to replace an FJ, despite it's age and disparity in value. The sort of use mine is put to makes finding a bike with similar attributes harder than you would think. In a nutshell, I do a lot of "Sports Touring" in the literal sense and have averaged since I bought it in '08, 22,500 recreational km per year, the mileage being split equally between big day rides and 4 or 5 trips.
Four years ago, armed with a budget that would buy most bikes a couple of years old, I set out to find a stable mate for the FJ that would fulfill the same duties, I was salivating at the thought of choice that lay before me, that was, until I got down to it. Turns out, the obvious successors, such as FJR's, GTR's etc just don't cut it like an FJ, particularly a tweaked one.
I feel like I almost had my hand forced as the bike that nearest fitted the bill was not what I had in mind at the outset but undeniably does the job. 50k and 4 years later I describe it as "brilliant but bland" It doesn't put a smile on my face like the FJ does.
Dan, get the FJ fixed. I know of two people here who have in the last 12 months split their cases and been back on the road within 24hrs, neither one of them a mechanic like yourself, neither of them having done the job before.
Buy the gear set and continue your love affair with the FJ, truly one of the best bikes ever built. Oh yeah, and fit a big top box to it, unlike pannier systems, they're dirt cheap and do the job.
As Andy said, FJ's remain one of the best bang for buck bikes out there to this very day. Because of my former life I still get to ride a ton of new bikes and I agree.
You'd be surprised just how many folks on here are returning owners who spent who spent years, if not decades regretting selling the last one.
Noel
Everyone,
The feedback has been awesome, had a great conversation with Aviationfred. Looks like I am going to tweak the exhaust and mount the Krauser K2 bags that I have. I need to retrieve the bike as well as the rest of my belongings from my ex-wife in the next couple weeks. I have the mounting kit from Krauser, but I will be honest I don't know if I am missing anything. I know I will need different turn signals. I would love to figure out what else I would need to put a K2 top case on, for commuting and tight parking at work it might be the best day to day. Add the side cases and I am off for the weekend.
Milietant, if you would be willing to get some more detailed pictures of all of the mountings I would be eternally grateful.
As far as the transmission goes, I will address that this winter, I have lived with it for 65k miles. I can make one more year. I would like to get in touch with Bob Weymouth and talk options, he may have a core I can swap him for as well as a brain to pick. (he is 15 min from me). Also a riding partner would be awesome!
That being said, if I am going to keep the bike I am going to follow the build of my dreams. aka the Marc Rittner formula. So time to start scouring eBay for parts. May take a couple years, but I will get there.
Thanks again,
Dan
That's the spirit
Quote from: captaudi on April 05, 2021, 01:04:20 PM
Milietant, if you would be willing to get some more detailed pictures of all of the mountings I would be eternally grateful.
Of course Dan, I'll try to get some proper detail pictures/photo's over the next couple of days. I have a few, but the detail is probably not enough for what you need, so I'll take some more and probably put a couple of sketches in :good2:
Here you go Dan, here a few photo's - I can get more if you need them
Thanks Dean,
Looks like I only have the mounting hardware. I do not have the "hockey sticks", so off to eBay I will go. I would like to include the option of a K2 top box, do you remember if this was a separate bike specific kit? Or is it Krauser generic once the side case brackets are installed? Unfortunately K2 stuff is rare in the US. The funny thing is, if if I type in eBay.co.uk to look what might be available, it re-directs me to eBay.com. I don't know if this is a change, I used to buy 80's Audi parts from the UK all the time.
Are you willing when you have time to get a shot of the top case mounting? As always this is hugely appreciated. When I bring the bike and all of my other belongings to my new residence in a couple weeks it will be full steam ahead.
Thanks again,
Dan
To be honest Dan, I'm not sure if the top box mounting hardware is FJ specific, but from the look of it, I'd say it's not, it's just a generic one-size-fits-all arrangement.
The underside of the rack has slots which mount to the arm link plates, so it's very adjustable for width. Perhaps for some bikes, the arm link plates may be taller, but the ones on my FJ are exactly the same size as the ones I got in the mounting kit for my wife's VF 750 F Interceptor.
I'll get some photo's as soon as I can and will post them up on here.
Before you start trawling EBay Dan, I'll pop the panels off my bike and get some detail photos.
I didn't actually get the the long bar that's shown on the Krauser sheet (that might be what you're calling the hockey stick) in the kits for either of my FJ's that have had K2's on them.
Hopefully you'll be able to fit it with what parts you have.
Here you go Dan, I hope these photo's help :good2:
and a couple more !
All right everyone,
The Fj is home! Multiple parts ordered, more to order yet. The slave decided to puke its guts over the winter, bead blasting and paint is in order. I found the Krauser parts, I will attempt to post a picture this weekend. For the moment here she is. Not bad for 28 yrs old and 88,000 miles. If I screw up posting the picture, sorry first time I have posted a picture to this forum.
Dan
Well, I had a slight oopsie. After 33 years and around 600k on bikes, I went down. No damage to me other than a seriously bruised ego, a weekend with a 4"buffer and if I can find it a replacement r/s air scoop with put it all right. I was riding home from work at 1:00 AM and I was cooking, came up to my normal right hander a little hotter than normal. When I went to bang down two gears I must not have unloaded the gearbox enough (I don't clutch), it just did not downshift. By the time I got on the binders I was probably 30-40 yards later than normal. I turned anyway (mistake I could have gone straight), the bike went wide. At the last second the front tire touched the shoulder I went onto grass. The tire dug in and I high sided at about 15MPH. I tucked and rolled and the bike landed on the grass. Lots of lessons to learn the biggest being LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO! I got frazzled and looked at the grass, so I went there. There is not a bought on my mind if I had looked to the inside I would have been fine. I submit one picture for your viewing pleasure.
A very much bruised ego, Dan
Coulda' been way worse. The bike didn't do anything wrong.
Get back on the horse that bucked you, brother. Let us know how it goes.
Ted
Welcome to the human race. Forgive yourself, learn a lesson, clean her up and keep riding. Shit happens.
Beware, the heebie jeebies are normal on your next couple of rides. Don't freak.
Cheers. Pat
Those that have and those that will (and most will again!)
Glad you are OK and the bike fared well
It sounds like you have the right approach Dan, looking at how you acted/reacted to the situation and learning from it.
Target fixation is all too common in crash situations - i found the best solution was track riding/instruction which helped me get over it for the most part, but riding at night, with headlights providing visibility, that makes it much harder to avoid just looking where the light shines and to look where you want to go.
Hopefully you get the bike repaired quickly and you get back out there to gain your confidence back.
But seriously, I'd advise all Road riders to get at least some track instruction, it helps you get used to things at higher speeds and gets you used to looking where you want to go, rather than fixating on what's in front of you :good2:
Quote from: Millietant on July 19, 2021, 05:41:38 AM
But seriously, I'd advise all Road riders to get at least some track instruction, it helps you get used to things at higher speeds and gets you used to looking where you want to go, rather than fixating on what's in front of you :good2:
I second this. I've been coaching with N2 for the last 6 years. In addition to the many riding skills to be learned on the track another benefit to us speed junkies is that you get that out of your system in the relatively safe space of the track. I don't often find the need to get silly on the street anymore.
Well, the heebie jeebies are spot on. After a couple weeks I cleaned up the old girl and went for ride. Just felt "odd", I did bend the muffler bracket in slightly causing contact with the swingerarm under full compression, easy fix. I found a set of the Krauser "hockey sticks" on eBay.co.uk. The seller was fantastic, he had them listed individually. I messaged him and enquired about the pair and shipping to the US. He took down the adds and relisted as a single add with the shipping cost as it would have been for one. Even better, the buy it now was 1.5x the cost of one! The parts arrived and they are in near perfect condition for used parts. Turn signals are perfect and don't even have cut wires. I can not say enough about the seller "witneybikebreakers", best eBay experience to date.
Well, now the question is do I straighten the exhaust on the FJ? Or do I work on re-jetting the Weber's on my Porsche 914? Either way, looks like its going to be a good day.
Have a great day all, and ride safe.
Dan