How long is yours?

[nurse]

Dog bones that is!  Having had the rear dog bones replaced im not sure if i have got the length quite right.  some on hear comment that they get a few millimetres clearance when on centre stand.  My rear still touches and I have to put a piece of wood almost 40mm under the centre stand before it clears.  Have I over cooked it?
What is the general consensus of length for those of you who have done this?  Looking for middle of the road nothing too focused, more of a happy medium!

[rktmanfj]

I put my bike on the centerstand, unhooked the dogbones, and sat the rear wheel on a piece of 1/2" plywood and measured the distance between centers.  I never wrote down what the length was.  FWIW, I never saw the need to lengthen the side stand, as it seems less likely blow over or be knocked over now.

I think that many here have done it in this way.

[racerman_27410]

it really depends on how you like the handling.... i got adjustable dogbones and kept raising the rear until the bike hooked up and handled the way i wanted it to.

there really is no right or wrong ride height.... just the one that suits you! 


KOokaloo!

[FJmonkey]

The Monkey is interested in these "Dog Bones". My 86' does not have them but they seem simple enough. Does anyone have an OEM Dog Bone to loan me? I want to get more specification info on them. I have Domex, look it up....

[Pat Conlon]

Mark, I converted my '84 over to the late model FJ linkage when I fit the YZF1000 T-Ace swing arm.
Can you use my oem linkage? I thought all early FJ's were the same, until '89 when the design change occurred.
To convert your '86 you need the 89/90 relay arm (and a shorter shock) the 91+ FJ's used a offset shock and relay arm needed for clearance on the ABS module. Even the non-ABS FJ's had this shock offset.

Let me know and I'll send them to you...Pat

[FJmonkey]

Pat, you pose an interesting option. Randy is developing 2 different rear shocks to deal with the pre and post dog bone years of FJs. Can a pre-Dog bone FJ simply swap over to Dog-Bones? If so then the need for an adjustable shock is mute. Tell me more....

[Pat Conlon]

Yes, the early FJ anchor points for the 1) upper shock mount, 2) relay arm mount and 3) swing arm mount will accommodate the conversion to the '89/90 linkage.
You don't need to have and hold any dogbones to figure it out.
Get a 89/90 relay arm and a short shock, mount it and bolt it together, and with your bike on the center stand take a piece of plywood and stick it under your back tire, and now measure for the dogbones...easy peesey.

[FJmonkey]

http://www.ronayers.com/Fiche/TypeID/26/Type/SWING_ARM_/MakeID/4/Make/Yamaha/YearID/31/Year/1990/ModelID/2180/Model/FJ1200A/GroupID/350729/Group/SWING_ARM_

Looking at the Ron Ayers site for a 90' FJ I would need all the parts from #9 to #26, the shorter shock from RPM and Monkey made dog bones. And it just bolts on? No cutting or welding?

Randy are you getting this? You could sell a linkage kit with your new shock so pre 89' owners can have adjustment on the swing arm position.

One more mod to add to my list....

[Pat Conlon]

Yamaha no longer offers the relay arm for sale, the bearings, seals and bolts yes, but not the arm itself.....you gotta hunt for it.
Many examples we have found with various FJ mods....it's harder to assemble the parts, than actually doing the mod.

[RichBaker]

Pat, you pose an interesting option. Randy is developing 2 different rear shocks to deal with the pre and post dog bone years of FJs. Can a pre-Dog bone FJ simply swap over to Dog-Bones? If so then the need for an adjustable shock is mute MOOT. Tell me more....

One of the few times I'll ever go spelling nazi, this always drives me nuts....

[fj1289]

My rear still touches and I have to put a piece of wood almost 40mm under the centre stand before it clears.  Have I over cooked it?

Sounds perfect to me!

[fj1289]

Pat, you pose an interesting option. Randy is developing 2 different rear shocks to deal with the pre and post dog bone years of FJs. Can a pre-Dog bone FJ simply swap over to Dog-Bones? If so then the need for an adjustable shock is mute MOOT. Tell me more....

One of the few times I'll ever go spelling nazi, this always drives me nuts....

Many more "moots" than "mutes" here!

[rktmanfj]

Pat, you pose an interesting option. Randy is developing 2 different rear shocks to deal with the pre and post dog bone years of FJs. Can a pre-Dog bone FJ simply swap over to Dog-Bones? If so then the need for an adjustable shock is mute MOOT. Tell me more....

One of the few times I'll ever go spelling nazi, this always drives me nuts....

Many more "moots" than "mutes" here!

Just because many of us remain mute about it doesn't mean it's a moot point.