Bought an '86, need maintenance catch-up

[Schurkey]

Very pumped.  Bought an '86 FJ1200 a few days ago.  I've put maybe 40 miles on it.  Bike has ~25,000 miles showing on odometer.

Previous bike is an '83 CB1100F, bought new.  Out-of-commission due to lazyness, disappointment, chronic carb problems, and a horse-crap valve job (turned it into an oil-sucking pig (quart of oil to a tank of fuel) overnight.  Thanks, APE.  Maybe they forgot to install the valve stem seals.)

So I move to another state, I need to take a written test, and also a riding test to get my motorcycle license endorsement.  I bought a running, ride-able bike 'cause I'll never get Mr. F running properly before I'm required to take my riding test.

I understand that Prior Owners who have an intention to sell their bike/car/house either take exceptional care of it, or neglect it entirely.  I'm fairly sure my FJ is on the "neglected" end.

I've looked on this site, downloaded owner's and service manuals.  Looked for "themes" of common problems--and I still have a lot of research to do.  However, I'd like to get started on the deferred maintenance this bike needs.  I've compiled a list of things to do, but I'd like to hear about things I've missed.  Most--not all--of this will wait until after my riding test.

Gas tank supposedly "cleaned and coated" inside.
Fork has supposedly just been re-sealed.  I'm trusting that the fork oil is fresh, and at proper level.  Seems to ride acceptably, if a bit harsh, and no drool in the time I've had it.
Battery recently replaced.  Seems to crank fine.
Front brake pads recently replaced.  Rotors look thin.  Haven't measured them--yet.
Rear brake pads have acceptable pad thickness.  Rotor is SCARY thin.
Fairly certain that all three rotors are toast.
Oil level is good.  Will change and replace oil 'n' filter when stored for winter.  I want to see how bad it is to do with the OEM-style filter before I switch to a spin-on filter.

Chain is filthy.  Needs to be cleaned, lubed, and adjusted for now.  Sprockets worn, should all be replaced eventually.
One taillight out.  Need to find bulb access.
Verify tire pressure, and even-ness of tread wear.  Tires have plenty of tread--seem fairly new, but I haven't checked for date-codes on the sidewall.  I don't even remember how.  

Flush brake fluid--front looks OK, rear looks horrible.  Rear brakes "work", but rear brake pedal is so low I have trouble pushing my foot down far enough to activate it.  Adjustment?  Pedal seems firm--no air in system.
Flush clutch fluid

After riding test:
Instrument cluster grounds 'n' connections  (Hopefully, fixes low-reading tach and low-reading fuel gauge)

Lube speedo cable

Check headlight adjustment.  Maybe change to 100w high-beam bulb like Mr. F has.  Mr. F would burn a cat naked at 50 feet.  Liked it a lot.

Adjust valves  (Same shims as Mr. F, I have a small assortment.  Apparently requires entirely different bucket-depressor tool.)

Check/replace spark plugs, wires, coils.  Check tach wire at coil
With plugs out, check compression  Check cylinder leakage

Check service manual for grease points--lube as needed.
Inspect rear suspension linkage (where?  What wears?)

Flat-spot off-idle.  Tach shows ~2000 rpm, but tach is not trustworthy.  Suspect carbs are semi-screwed.  Previous owner removed airbox, installed dumbass "pod" filters, and some unspecified "Jet Kit".  No choke whatsoever needed to start from cold--but it starts instantly, hot or cold.  Must be pig-rich at idle.  Idles on all four cylinders, which is more than Mr. F can manage.
    a.  Verify float level
    b.  Verify "idle mixture screw" (Pilot screw?) adjustment
    c.  Synch carbs
    d.  If the above doesn't fix the soggy throttle response, remove carbs, split rack, verify calibration and cleanliness, replace parts as needed.

Verify charging voltage and charging ripple.  Should I expect to need brushes in either starter or alternator at ~25000 miles?  My guess is "no".

Verify fuel petcock operation, then wire or Loctite the outlet elbow.  (I lean towards removing and cleaning the outlet elbow, then reassemble with anaerobic locking compound rather than safety wire.)



What maintenance am I forgetting?

Oh, yeah.  Full-lock left turn, pinches my fingers between bar and tank.  No problem turning full-lock right.  Handlebars don't appear to be adjustable.  Ideas?

[Urban_Legend]

Hi and congratulations on your purchase.
At 25000 mile the bike is bearly run in. Age will be the issue though
things to check/change
1 Change the brake lines. The old rubber ones will be past their usby date, so investing in some Stainless Braided ones should be high on the priority list.
2 definitley check the dates on the tyres. 25000 mile in 31 years means they could have been on there for a while and a possibly only the 2nd set the bike has seen.
3 there is really nothing wrong with the cartridge oil filter, but a lot of us have canged to the spin on type for better availabilty of filters. Don't have to order from Yamaha shop. anywhere the sells automotive filters will do.
4 A lot of us have changed to the Pod style filters for ease of access to the carbs. It will create a doeyness at low RPM but this can be almost tuned out with jet changes. (going up in jet size)
5 it the bike has been sitting for a while, I would most definitley pull the carb and dismantle for a good clean. Porbably full of crap that will ruin you day when out for a ride.

There will be more, but this is a start.

Mark

[red]

I'd like to get started on the deferred maintenance this bike needs.
Front brake pads recently replaced.  Rotors look thin.  Haven't measured them--yet.  Rear brake pads have acceptable pad thickness.  Rotor is SCARY thin.  Fairly certain that all three rotors are toast.

Schurkey,

These brake rotors are thin.  Measure what you have, and check the specs.  I'd guess they are okay, but upgrades are available.  Use this line to search:
brake rotor spec SITE:http://www.fjowners.com

Will change and replace oil 'n' filter when stored for winter.  I want to see how bad it is to do with the OEM-style filter before I switch to a spin-on filter.

It's bad enough, and I never trusted the stock filters anyway.  A spin-on filter adapter is a quick and sweet mod.

Tires have plenty of tread--seem fairly new, but I haven't checked for date-codes on the sidewall.  I don't even remember how.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
and scroll down.  The FJ is heavy and strong.  I would not trust tires much over five years old for the FJ.  I run on Pirelli Sport Demon tires.  Avon radials may be better.

Flush brake fluid-- rear looks horrible.  Rear brakes "work", but rear brake pedal is so low I have trouble pushing my foot down far enough to activate it.  Adjustment?  Pedal seems firm--no air in system.

I think the rear needs bleeding.  No adjustment, though.  Do you have an ABS bike there?

Verify fuel petcock operation, then wire or Loctite the outlet elbow.  (I lean towards removing and cleaning the outlet elbow, then reassemble with anaerobic locking compound rather than safety wire.)

Do the locking compound if you like, good idea, but don't forget the safety wire.   

Oh, yeah.  Full-lock left turn, pinches my fingers between bar and tank.  No problem turning full-lock right.  Handlebars don't appear to be adjustable.  Ideas?

Unbolt the good side, and take a look at things.  Put that back together, then check the bad side.  I'm guessing that you have something bent or broken.  Parts like the handlebars are often found on eBay.

Happy hunting,

[FJ1100mjk]

Rotors look thin.  Haven't measured them--yet.
Rotor is SCARY thin.
Fairly certain that all three rotors are toast.

Here's a good full set of aftermarket ones for you, if you find the need for them. If interested, PM me.

[PaulG]

Check service manual for grease points--lube as needed.
Inspect rear suspension linkage (where?  What wears?)...


...What maintenance am I forgetting?...

Inspect ALL of your bearings/bushings. Wheel - steering head - swing arm - suspension. Be prepared for replacing all of them.  I would bet they are probably the original ones if your suspicions about the PO are correct. Any grease left in them may have dried up.  There are better experts on this subject, but a little used bearing that just sits there for decades with a load on it is probably just as bad as a bearing that is long past its due date.

Not familiar with the early series but the rear swing arm/suspension may have some bushings somewhere. I've read many owners replace them with bearings. Maybe some can chime in and lead you to a thread regarding that.

The swing arm pivot will most certainly require a hammer and drift to remove. On my 92 the grease hardened to a rock taffee consistency. It required some severe pounding to remove and took about 15 min.

The rear linkage has multiple needle bearings etc.  Go with quality aftermarket on the bearings, the OEMs are horrendously expensive.  Check out what RPM has to offer, or if shipping costs are prohibitive bring them into a distributor so they can size them out correctly.

Personally my immediate concern would be the wheel bearings. Don't know where you live or if you have a real winter but the rest could be done during the off season.  Replacing the bearings is mostly a DIY job other than getting some pressed out/in at a shop if you don't have access to a press.  It may sound daunting but it's fairly simple once you get into it. Also lube with a quality grease.  There's probably a grease thread somewhere if your not sure what to use, though it will probably be as confusing as an oil or tire thread. 

There is a 2nd gear issue with early bikes that were ridden hard. Don't know if that was cured by 86.  If the mileage is correct that may not be an issue yet.  If it is, it requires splitting the cases to fix it.  Again others could guide you better on this.  Some have early models that don't have this issue because they don't jam it through the gears or don't accelerate hard until they're into 3rd.

A bike of this age and maintenance history (or lack of) will have some initial issues. But once you get it sorted I/We don't think you'll regret it.    I certainly haven't.

[Schurkey]

1 Change the brake lines. The old rubber ones will be past their usby date, so investing in some Stainless Braided ones should be high on the priority list.

I intend to do that.  Did Mr. F years ago.  I'll give it awhile, I want to have some time to decide if I'm keeping the anti-dive.  No anti-dive, fewer hoses, lower priced hose kit.  Truth is, I have enjoyed the anti-dive on Mr. F.

2 definitley check the dates on the tyres. 25000 mile in 31 years means they could have been on there for a while and a possibly only the 2nd set the bike has seen.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
and scroll down.  The FJ is heavy and strong.  I would not trust tires much over five years old for the FJ.  I run on Pirelli Sport Demon tires.  Avon radials may be better.

Thanks for the link.
I hope I'm reading the date code wrong.  If I have it right, those tires were fresh on the 45th week of 2004.  Tomorrow, I'll write the codes down and verify I'm processing properly.

3 there is really nothing wrong with the cartridge oil filter, but a lot of us have canged to the spin on type for better availabilty of filters. Don't have to order from Yamaha shop. anywhere the sells automotive filters will do.

Will consider the spin-on filter.

4 A lot of us have changed to the Pod style filters for ease of access to the carbs. It will create a doeyness at low RPM but this can be almost tuned out with jet changes. (going up in jet size)
5 it the bike has been sitting for a while, I would most definitley pull the carb and dismantle for a good clean. Porbably full of crap that will ruin you day when out for a ride.

The flat-spot is really miserable.  I just get past it in-town, shift, and I'm right back in the worst of it again.  Power wise, it's like pulling off a plug wire...or two.  The hesitation has GOT to go.  Winter project, maybe.

These brake rotors are thin.  Measure what you have, and check the specs.  I'd guess they are okay, but upgrades are available.

Thought I'd have time for that today, and then ran short.  Likely tomorrow.
The fronts aren't so worrysome.  The rear is another story--I can feel the thicker ridge at the inner diameter of the pad-wear.  Mostly on the outside face of the rear rotor.

I think the rear needs bleeding.  No adjustment, though.  Do you have an ABS bike there?

No ABS.  Does have anti-dive.

Looks like there's a turnbuckle-style adjustment between rear master cylinder and the pedal lever.  I'll dick with it some and see what happens.  Probably have to re-adjust the brake switch when I'm done.

Inspect ALL of your bearings/bushings...
... Go with quality aftermarket on the bearings, the OEMs are horrendously expensive.  Check out what RPM has to offer, or if shipping costs are prohibitive bring them into a distributor so they can size them out correctly.

Glanced at the suspension linkage.  Surprised--and disappointed--to not see any grease zerks.  Another new winter project:  Disassemble and rebuild rear suspension 'n' steering head.

Personally my immediate concern would be the wheel bearings.

Looked in the service manual.  Seems like the bearings are re-pack-able.  I expected them to be sealed bearings.

Much as I hate to say it, I'm concerned that brand-new bearing assemblies will be worse (Communist Chinese) than the used ones (Japanese) that are in there.

At some point, I'll inspect them, repack or replace as needed.

What I did get accomplished today:  replaced the toasted taillight bulb, cleaned the dust off the other one, cleaned the inside of the taillight housing as it was filthy.  Blew it dry inside with compressed air.  Taillight, and license-plate illumination is much better.  Learned that a lot of my plastic trim and, especially, the "rubber" grommets that hold the trim in place are beyond brittle.  Half my grommets are in pieces on the concrete.  Lucky I didn't break chunks off of the plastic.  I see popsicle sticks and epoxy in my future, reinforcing the plastic that's cracked.  Are replacement grommets still available from Yamaha, or do I need to "scrounge"?

Half-assed cleaned the chain, and lubed it.  Ran out of time to do a thorough job--gonna have to do better tomorrow.  At least I know that the chain has been replaced (saw the clip-style master link) at some time.  Verified that none of the links are seized--they all flex nicely.  Owner's manual says .8 inch of slack at the "tight spot".  My chain is so slack, I can't find a "tight spot".  When adjusted properly, and on the center stand, will the chain touch the rubber bumper on the underside of the swing arm?

Oh, yeah.  One more thing.

KOOkaLOO!  Saw an indicated 105 on the speedo today.  Runs good once past the carb flat-spot.  Doesn't have the 7000 RPM coming-on-the-cam rush of Mr. F, seems like more of a linear rush.  'Course the speedo seems as flaky as the tach is, now that I'm getting more used to the bike.  Gonna have to make time to lube the speedo cable.  No idea how fast I was actually going--and the tach is useless.

[red]

I think the rear needs bleeding.  No adjustment, though.  Do you have an ABS bike there?

No ABS.  Does have anti-dive.  Looks like there's a turnbuckle-style adjustment between rear master cylinder and the pedal lever.  I'll dick with it some and see what happens.  Probably have to re-adjust the brake switch when I'm done.

You can eliminate the Anti-Dive units, if you want.  Just remove the short hose and use the short banjo bolt to connect the brake line directly to the caliper.  You can replace the old banjo bolt at the handlebar end with a "banjo bolt with a bleeder."  Makes front brake bleeding much more effective.  AD units were not a great idea, anyway, even if they work properly.  Leave the AD units bolted in place, or you would need new block-off plates with a fork-oil passage to cover the AD holes.  Cost will be ~USD100.00 for a pair of the block-off plates:
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=16092.msg162149#msg162149

Not sure what you have there, for the rear brake.  This is the stock assembly:
http://www.2wheelpros.com/oem-parts/1986-yamaha-fj1200sc-rear-master-cylinder-assembly.html

I see popsicle sticks and epoxy in my future, reinforcing the plastic that's cracked.

The plastics are ABS.  Dissolve some ABS pipe chips (~50/50) overnight in ABS glue, in a sealed jar, to make a repair paste.  Use it with or without sticks or ABS backing pieces.  Epoxy will not hold well on ABS.  Plastic welding is also an option, if any local repair shops can do it.

the speedo seems as flaky as the tach is, now that I'm getting more used to the bike.  Gonna have to make time to lube the speedo cable.  No idea how fast I was actually going--and the tach is useless.

Right, lube the speedo cable, and make any cable bends as large and gradual as possible on the bike.  Tie-wrap the speedo cable as needed to maintain the large bends.  New speedo cables are available, too.

A flaky tach is often caused by a flaky ground connection(s).  Make the wire ends clean and shiny, and don't be shy about running a new dedicated ground connection to the instruments, if needed.

You're on track, just enjoy the ride.

[Alf]

Hi

Myself I've just to buy an 86 FJ and I'm checking... well, almost everything. Take a look to my Facebook to see the job progress, FastJota Alf

There a lot of secondhand spares around, and cheap

It is a very straightforward and easy job, the FJ is a fantastic platform to work on. In a month and a half I've near finished the complete revamp. Near 100 hours of labour

My advice is that you first of all fix the objective and after you proceed accordingly: do you like an OE FJ?, or would you prefer a moded one?

If you start repairing little things (like i.e. carb adjusting only), you will have to repeat the task a lot of times (when after a time you have to clean them or adjusting valves, that you have to do anyway). The best solution (my humble opinion) is making a major revamp and after enjoying riding the bike

Regards

Alf

[PaulG]

 Learned that a lot of my plastic trim and, especially, the "rubber" grommets that hold the trim in place are beyond brittle.  Half my grommets are in pieces on the concrete.  Lucky I didn't break chunks off of the plastic.  I see popsicle sticks and epoxy in my future, reinforcing the plastic that's cracked.  Are replacement grommets still available from Yamaha, or do I need to "scrounge"?

RPM has both Oval Side Panel Grommetts  and Round Side Panel Grommetts.

I have several sets of sidecovers in red/white. One set is pristine with no cracks while the rest are fairly good shape but with missing pegs.  If your interested send me a PM and I'll send you some pics.

[ribbert]

Looked in the service manual.  Seems like the bearings are re-pack-able.  I expected them to be sealed bearings.

Much as I hate to say it, I'm concerned that brand-new bearing assemblies will be worse (Communist Chinese) than the used ones (Japanese) that are in there.

At some point, I'll inspect them, repack or replace as needed.

Haha, you're forgetting how old your bike (and the service manual) is. Bearings, like everything else on your bike, are better these days than they were 30 years ago, as discussed yesterday about spark plugs.

One thing that has changed though is there are junk versions of everything now which means you need to be a little more discerning about where you get them. I would never buy bearings or seals on eBay regardless of the claims made by the seller.
I buy all my bearings from an industrial bearing supplier, every moderate size town has one and they all have shop fronts. They sell either brands that are universally known or bearings that they know to be good quality. They can't afford to sell cheap bearings, not even once.

Randy (RPM) probably sells them as well.

And yes, replace them with sealed units. Just don't pop out the seal and add more grease!

IMO

Noel

[Schurkey]

The time-crunch involved in moving my residence and my shop have delayed me.  Next up is visitation with The In-Laws which will keep me busy into next week.  In short, I've done nothing to the bike but ride it (not enough.)

I still love it.

Ironic Twist:  I bought the thing so that I'd have a bike to take my Driver's License riding test on, as my previous bike has been semi-non-functional for far, far too long.  I completely mis-understood the State requirements.  I was surprised yesterday when I was handed two written tests--one for my automobile license, another for a motorcycle endorsement.  I had not studied for a motorcycle written test because nowhere I looked said there was one.  I should have known better.  Yes, I passed both tests.

When I asked the test proctor about taking the riding portion of the test, she looked at me like I had two heads.  "You have a Motorcycle endorsement from your previous State license.  You don't need to take a riding test!"

I bought my FJ1200S for nothing.

One of the best mistakes I've ever made.  Life is good.

[fj1289]