Hello from Nebraska, restoration starting

[kawabob1]

Great to hear you have her back on the road!! Would love to hear how you make out plastic welding as I have to do some of that as well. My chin scoop is in 5 pieces and the abs the fits next to the tank is now multiple pieces as well.

[airheadPete]

Welcome to the asylum. 
That's a great intro post.
Your parents let you get an FJ at SIXTEEN!?!?
Sweet Jesus!! I'm glad you're still alive! You must have been the coolest kid in high school.
(Mom was an ER nurse, you can guess the rest.)
I think you'll enjoy your decision to renew her, but I gotta ask, what will you do when junior wants to borrow her in four years?
 

[petetb154]

Your parents let you get an FJ at SIXTEEN!?!?
Sweet Jesus!! I'm glad you're still alive! You must have been the coolest kid in high school.
(Mom was an ER nurse, you can guess the rest.)

Yup, I remember the day I was planning to go buy the bike. I was 16 and a month, and had just sold my 1980 XS1100 that I had been riding to work for 2 years (on a farm driving permit). 


This is me and my younger stister. We were on a motorcycle camping trip with my Dad. I think I was 14. Dad's bike was also an XS1100 with vetter everything. I bought this bike for $650 when I was 14.


My Dad came into my bedroom in the morning and said that he had changed his mind and that he thought the FJ was too much machine for me. I cried my eyes out and pleaded with him that he'd simply ruin my life if he didn't let me have it. I had worked non stop for 2 years to save that money, and it was mine, and it was might God given right to own a FJ1200. Plus, I reasoned, that I had been riding the XS1100 for 2 years without killing myself, the FJ is almost the same thing (yea right). Somehow he was convinced and let me buy it. He shouldn't have. Oh the stories I could tell...

We at least thought we were pretty cool. 

Here is my friend and I getting ready to go to our high school graduation ceremony (notice the robes).

I actually think the colors and the styling made the bike more dangerous for me. Somehow I thought that it looked like it wanted to be going fast, on one wheel, down main street, with girls watching. As the owner, I was obligated to make that happen. Yikes. 

I think you'll enjoy your decision to renew her, but I gotta ask, what will you do when junior wants to borrow her in four years?

Now, I have already told my son that there is no way he is getting the equivalent of an FJ at 16. He's a pretty good hare scramble racer (rides a KTM 85), but he loves to show off too. I told him that were going to get some clapped out, street legal Honda XR250 that he can ride to school. If he listens to what that bike tells him to do, he'll probably stay off main street, keep his license and stay alive.

[X-Ray]

Fantastic!

But also if you can, throw up some "in the build" photos for us, we love that sort of thing, 

[petetb154]

Ok, here is the 10 footer view after I fixed most of the high priority mechanical things. 
Not too bad. Just got it re-registered yesterday, so we can go on short rides to continue shakedown.




So far, I have only completed my high priority repairs

• New battery
• new XJR starter
• clutch slave cylinder rebuilt
• spin on oil filter adapter
• oil change
• rt crank cover replaced
• rebuilt carbs
• polished rusted pipe
• new uni pods
• crank case breather filter

Mechanically, my medium priority list of todos that you probably cant see includes:

• New tires - will probably go with Conti-motion (waiting for new wheels to be installed),
• fuel gauge bounces - waiting to take the dash apart and inject the Toyota silicon
• instrument lights burned out - ordered 10 120deg LEDs. Should last forever
• Speedo cable trashed - have a new one, wiating to take the fairing off for gauge work

Lower priority cosmetic defects include:

• New wheels - have GSXR 5.5" rear and FJ 3.5" front. Powder black coat planned this week
• Drivetrain - Have have a new RK gold chain and black 17/40 sprockets ready to go on with rear wheel
• Suspension - still looking for late model FJ forks, and hoping Randy's shock will be available soon.
• Brakes - have R1 fronts and GSX-R rear ready to go. Will order the Chinese front rotors when I find the forks.
• Plastic welding - have the tools, just need to spend a weekend fixing cracks
• Body Paint - will pay someone to paint the plastic OEM colors
• Hardware Paint - will probably send all the black metal gloss stuff off to be powder coated last.

We'll get to all that soon enough, but here is what it looks up close, like before I fix them

[red]

Ok, here is the 10 footer view after I fixed most of the high priority mechanical things. 
Not too bad. Just got it re-registered yesterday, so we can go on short rides to continue shakedown.  So far, I have only completed my high priority repairs
Mechanically, my medium priority list of todos that you probably cant see includes:

• fuel gauge bounces - waiting to take the dash apart and inject the Toyota silicon

Petetb,

A bouncing fuel gauge may be caused by flakey ground connections to the instrument cluster. 
It's common that these connections need to be disconnected and cleaned, after all the years.

Cheers,
Red

[Joe Sull]

You might get some more red on that front wheel.

[wyraider]

Hey welcome to the forum man. I'm not too far get her going n let's meet up. Cool story too

[Yamifj1200]

Perfect intro,

  We are happy to see you have decided to restore your 87. Most folks here like seeing another FJ being brought hack to life. These old bikes are still impressive and easy to upgrade with modern wheels, tires and brakes they can become even better.  There are many original owners here and even more that have owned their FJ for many years. You have stumbled on the best place for all things FJ

  Keep us informed with your progress and enjoy the ride..

 Eric M

[andyoutandabout]

The ten foot view looks good enuff to me. Get riding, there's plenty of time to paper over the cracks.
Andy