The Good the Bad and the Ugly - Product Review

[ribbert]

I have just returned from a couple of thousand km trip on the FJ. I left it a bit late in the season to be heading to the high country but anytime is better than no time for a road trip on the bike.

I struck a lot of rain and on several occasions it was so heavy that cars were braking sharply on the highway and wandering out of their lanes because they couldn't see where they were going.

The bike performed flawlessly with it's recently milled shims and xxxxxxx engine oil. I only ran it for 30 secs after refitting the cam shafts before hitting the road, not recommended but had no choice.
Other than spectacular country and roads to die for there was nothing of significance to report about the ride but thought a product review might be of interest.

Pinlock screen inserts: These deserve way more credit than they get. Only riders who have ridden extensively in the wet and cold know what a pia it is trying to keep the visor fog free. These things are 100% effective. I was riding in areas  where the midday temps were never went above low single digits and a lot of rain. With my visor down and clipped shut I could huff and puff all I liked and could not get even a hint of fog, very cosy (and warm).

EK ZZZ chain: New chain and sprockets before I left with zero miles on them. When I got home, chain free play was exactly the same as when fitted 2000 km's earlier and lots of wet roads later. I did not lube it during the trip and it still had coverage when I got home (Motul chain lube)
This chain is already performing way better than the DID I had last time, they are unfortunately near impossible to get in Australia. The national importer could only find one for me, at a dealer on the other side of the country. I bought one on eBay from the US, it was faster and cheaper.

Tyres. Continental Attack 2 GT's: These never cease to amaze me and I'm on my 5th set. New rear before I left (damn puncture) and near new front. My boot even hit the road on a few corners in the wet. Even with the rear of my bike raised you can scrape the belly pan mounting bolts and mufflers (and everything else) in the dry. The front tyre profile transforms the FJ handling like no other tyre I've tried.
Interesting that in the wet at 3 deg C ambient temp, the tyres were still running at about 30 deg C

Heated Gear: I have had heated grips for years. They are Oxfords and are on their  5th Winter.
Although I ride the cheap arse, built to a budget '93, the fairing keeps much of the wind (and rain) off your hands, making the grips more effective. In anything but the thickest gloves, the hottest setting is too hot to remain gripping the bars for long, they have 4 heat settings.
I also borrowed a heated vest, never used one before, it doesn't get that cold down here. First thing I did when I got home was greet the wife, pat the dog and jump on eBay to see how much they were. Fantastic.

Wet weather gear: I just use a cheap over suit (separate jacket and pants) over what is claimed to be, but is not, waterproof textiles. Between the two layers it kept me dry in the extreme conditions.
My new waterproof boots failed, unlike the last cheaper pair and my new water proof gloves filled with water but I think that came in through the cuff when I slowed for roadworks  in near blinding heavy rain. I was able to continue with wet hands in the freezing conditions thanks to the heated grips. Water conducts the heat so much more efficiently that I had to relax my grip occasionally to cool my hands and when removed, there was steam rising from inside the gloves.

Oil:  I couldn't recommend xxxxxxxx enough,  best I've ever used.

Fuel Economy:  Who cares!


Luggage: Soft luggage sucks in all day rain, no matter how much you wrap it up.

Ear plugs: Don't leave home without 'em. I have expensive moulded ones but I don't think they're that much better than cheap or disposable ones, providing they are inserted properly (twist to a point first)

The Mighty FJ: I have found a sweet spot with the suspension, front and rear height, forks and tyres. The bike handles beautifully and has near telepathic cornering at any speed, angle and load, the only input required is with my eyeballs, just look where you want to go and that's where you end up, and you can't unsettle it. After a few hours I always start to think more power would nice but the thought passes and I realise it really does have enough for spirited touring and good fun in the twisties (but more would be nice!)
The purpose of my trip was to look at a bike I intended buying.  After months of dreaming, researching and reading,  I rode it and was disappointed. For  the price of 4 or 5 FJ's I would expect nothing less than not being able to wipe the smile off my face after riding it, this was not the case.
As I zipped along a particularly magnificent stretch of road later that day with sweeper after sweeper (the Monaro highway) at 160kph, I wondered what on earth possessed me to think I could top the FJ, even if it is the cheap arse, built to a budget model (that's the model that has no vibrations, zilch, nothing, sewing machine smooth)
To our Stateside friends, I don't know why you never got the "finned" screens but other than being a bit noisy, they offer great protection. If you ever come across one, grab it.

RACV  (local equivalent of AAA) roadside assistance organisation.  Their slogan is "We're there for you"  Oh, if only they had been.
My battery wouldn't quite do the job one particularly cold morning and I called them for a jump start. They told me they don't jump start bikes. They were happy to send a tilt tray tow truck to transport the bike to a suitable garage that could do it, they would come and inflate my tyres, bring me 5 lts of fuel for free, pay for a hire car to complete my trip, pay for my accommodation for another night but no chance of a jump start. 3 times she tried to send a truck to pick it up. It would have taken hours to get to where I was anyway.
In hindsight I should have said yes to the truck and once loaded and before he tied it down I could have roll started it off the back of the tilt tray!

Noel

[FJ1100mjk]

Other than your battery issue, it sounds like you had one great trip. Heated gear allows one the benefit of a longer season. Long (or earlier) before others who have not found its indispensible qualities yet.

I have been interested in Pinlock after reading other'r raves about the system. They are on my list of things to get for later this season, when they'll come in handy.

Thanks for the detailed reviews.

[mr blackstock]

Excellent reviews!

A few years back I was suffering from "foggy visor" and installed some fog city inserts and never looked back.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FOG-CITY-HYPER-SHIELD-CLEAR-MOTORCYCLE-HELMET-ANTI-FOG-VISOR-INSERT-/251285980994?pt=AU_Clothing_Merchandise_Media&var=&hash=item3a81cfc742#ht_2053wt_725

Never tried pin lock.

cheers, Gareth

[roverfj1200]

Noel good reviews.

Thanks..

[oldktmdude]

   Noel, you must have been getting some of the weather that Pete and I had for a whole week. We followed the Murray River westwards and then headed to Mt Gambier via some fantastic single lane farm roads. We did around 2700 kms in some of the worst weather I've ever ridden in. Having said that, we had a great time. Caught up with Arnie, who volunteered to be our tour guide along the Great Ocean Road, my guide dog to get me through some tree trash covered dark and twisty roads to his place.  He was kind enough to feed and put us up for the night. Thanks again Arnie and Fran!
   Can't agree with you more about the Pinlock visor system. I've been using it for a few years now and it's fantastic. Never had a fogged visor since I installed it.
Heated hand grips would have been nice for this trip but as of yet I have not yielded to all my riding mates advice to get some. I don't like the thicker grip feel that comes with the addition of heated grips.  Pete. 

[Arnie]

The "tree trash covered dark and twisty roads" Pete is referring to is the road from Lorne to Deans Marsh :-)
Normally a great ride with tight twisties at the start that open up to wide sweepers as you head north.  We were a bit late getting to Lorne so it was getting dark, and the wind was howling with spits of rain all along the way.
End result was that we got here with no new scratches on the bikes. :-)

Arnie

[ribbert]

    We did around 2700 kms in some of the worst weather I've ever ridden in.Pete. 

Yeah Pete, I've seen worse but I don't recall ever riding in anything worse than Sunday's weather.

Can't agree with you more about the Pinlock visor system. I've been using it for a few years now and it's fantastic. Never had a fogged visor since I installed it.  

As general advice to anyone considering one of these, it's not advised to drill the holes yourself. The screen relies on exact placement of the pins to work. Many of the new helmets you buy now have Pinlock ready visors and my last replacement visor, even though I didn't specify it, came with the holes and pins already in it.

Heated hand grips would have been nice for this trip but as of yet I have not yielded to all my riding mates advice to get some. I don't like the thicker grip feel that comes with the addition of heated grips. 

Pete, I have excellent news for you, the grips aren't any thicker! Not with the Oxfords anyway.



As you can see, they are no thicker than than the handle bar weight. If you buy actual heated grips, the elements are integrated into the material, adding no bulk to the grip. I would not want them any smaller.

I do much of my weekend riding and part of my trips on those single vehicle width bitumen farm roads, love them. No cars, no cops, no signs, nothing. The ability to get to the same destinations but on these back roads has been one of the greatest functions of the GPS. (and Google maps) I find this far more use than it giving me directions to the 5 nearest MacDonalds.

Sounds like you had a great trip. We're hardy bastards down this end of the country, never let a bit of rain or cold get in the way of good ride.

Noel

[oldktmdude]

I do much of my weekend riding and part of my trips on those single vehicle width bitumen farm roads, love them. No cars, no cops, no signs, nothing. The ability to get to the same destinations but on these back roads has been one of the greatest functions of the GPS. (and Google maps) I find this far more use than it giving me directions to the 5 nearest MacDonalds.

Sounds like you had a great trip. We're hardy bastards down this end of the country, never let a bit of rain or cold get in the way of good ride.

Noel

Most of those roads were just as you say, Noel. No traffic, no cops, no roadworks and generally in really good condition. The main problem we encountered was the large amount of bark and branches that had been stripped from the roadside trees and vegetation by the gale force winds that we were riding in. You had to pay so much attention to the trash on the road, you couldn't have a good look around at the magnificent scenery and historic farm houses and buildings. I will definitely do another ride through those areas again, but in better weather next time.
   I'll look into getting some of those grips on day but only if they don't obviously look like heated grips. I couldn't put up with the flack I would receive from all of my mates that I've put shit on for having heated grips.    Thanks for the info on the grips, Noel.  Regards, Pete.

[Jeff0308]

Noel, Sounds like you had a great ride. I'm envious. The heated grips sound like a plan. The FJ might be a cheap bike as such now but they do the same job as the others and still put a smile on the dial. They still get a lot of looks. I was in brighton a few months back and a Postie stopped along side me and had a chat he said how nice it was to see the old bike out and about and how he had one. Brought back a lot of memories. Unfortunately no  riding for me at the moment. Fractured leg. Must catch up one day. Bikes going well last I rode it . Haven't ridden it in 6 weeks due to leg. Few more weeks should see it right I hope.  Jeff