Cluster rehab and "modification"

[great white]

My 89 had been altered by a PO. Specifically, they had taken the cluster apart and sprayed the gauge panel a pearl white. While he may have liked it (same paint they did all the bodywork in), I didn't. I wanted something closer to (ie: same as) stock.

So I took it apart and sprayed it a semi flat black. They I painted the "Yamaha" white. It looked OK, but you could tell it wasn't quite right as paint build up was beginning to obliterate the nice sharp lines on the part, the "Yamaha" I could only get so sharp on the edges and there is overspray on the warning lights that I couldn't get off without going so far as to damage the white lettering.

The clear plastic also had the usual cracking/crazing and the trip knob and boot were gone. Here's what it looks like currently:



Oddly enough, it looks 10x better in that pic than what it is.

It's also a MPH speedo, which I gather all North American bikes got. Since I'm in Canada, I'm always straining to see the little numbers for KPH. Quite a PITA. The sun on my morning ride to work only makes it worse as it hits the cluster at just the right angle to make the KPH scale even harder to see. The curve of the "glass" doesn't help with seeing the numbers though the sun reflection either.

Well, enough of this. I ordered a new "glass" from Yamaha, a new button and boot from RPM and then off to ebay to look for a period correct piece of cluster trim. I know you can still order the trim, but you get the XJ900 piece apparently, but I wanted it correct for the FJ1200, not an XJ900. I'm fussy that way: If I'm paying, I want what I want.



Searching Ebay.com and ebay.Ca turned up similarly messed up units and still MPH speedo's. Ebay.co.uk wasn't much better. Same with outher online sources. Then I punched in Ebay.de and up popped all kinds of clusters that had clean interior trim panels and the speedo was in KPH. I found a seller willing to post to Canada and bought it:



After exchange and shipping it came out to a couple bucks shy of 170 CAD. Pricey, but not over the moon expensive.

All in, I should have a rehabbed KPH cluster for right about 300 CAD once I'm done. Side bonus is I don't have to look at that big red square around "55" anymore.

300 smackers is a spicy meatball for a clean cluster, but I look at that thing every time I ride the bike and it has a big impact on how I feel about the ol' wreck when I ride.

For me: Worth it.

[PaulG]

After exchange and shipping it came out to a couple bucks shy of 170 CAD. Pricey, but not over the moon expensive.

I would think that's a pretty good deal, especially coming from Europe.  In 1985 I paid $75 for a used cluster glass for my '81 750 Seca after I cracked it.  Given inflation and +30 yrs later, I payed (tappity-tap-tap.... mmmmmm  )  $156.63 + tax in today's dollars.  So in that perspective it's a great find.