Touring/ Highway Mods

[1tinindian]

  Does anyone have the crampbuster throttle lock?  I've had a throttle lock on a different bike before and it was nice to be able to take my hand off the throttle, even for half a minute.....on a flat road.

Let's not forget about the old standby Caterpillar O-ring throttle lock.
I use it along with my Throttle rocker and works well for its intended purpose.

Leon

[racerrad8]

1) CBR1000 mirrors.  Do the 2004 bolt right on my 86 with no problems?
     Better mirrors are a no brainer, but you need to buy quality mirrors, not eBay/china crap.

2) New front forks.  I just saw a pair of 92's on ebay. 
3)  If I get the forks, a 17" front wheel.
4) Blue dot calipers, if the last 2 happen.
    The forks themselves, other than the anti-dive on your 86 are basically the same. So, you can find a set of late model forks, which will allow the upgrade to the 17" wheel and blue dot calipers. I know I sell it, but the RPM fork valves are going to be a major improvement over any stock fork or other fork valve on the market. This will make your commuting so much more pleasurable, you will be astounded. The ripples & expansion joints of the highway are no longer something you look ahead on the road to miss, you just ride and the suspension does the work of absorbing them. In fact many people who have changed over have told me they now seek out road imperfections and dot-bots to feel how well the RPM suspension absorbs them.

5)  New Rotors, front and back. Do the FZR/FJ 17" wheel take the same rotors?  Does anyone have a link for purchasing the rotors?
     A lot of guys are running rotor found on eBay and I have not heard any complaints.

6) Engine bars
    Not going to help the actual ride, but is good insurance in case you go down as the ignition system will be protected and the rear brake lever will not poke a hole in the clutch cover; both of those things make the bike no longer operable.

7) spin on oil adapter (more miles, more oil changes)
    Ease of use for the additional filter changes.

18 tooth sprocket.
    Personal preference, it will increase your fuel mileage by slowing the engine RPM's

9) Vibranators
    They work well, especially in the vibration laden non-rubber mount engines like your 86. My wife cannot ride more then 15 minutes without them. Plus, they are just like the O.E. bar ends and you have the groove for the o-ring Leon mentioned.

10) Fork Brace
      The fork brace with also create a more stable platform to obtain the full use of your new fork upgrades

11) Uni-pods? How are these in wet weather?  Are they only going to add top end, or will they help at highway speeds with a new sprocket?
      No wet weather issues ever associated with the dual pod filters. The 18T sprocket will add more top-end than the filters. But like you said more oil changes due to more miles, which also means increased service intervals for the air filter too.

Like already mentioned, the rear shock you have is working well for you, but once you upgrade the front the inefficiency of the rear become almost immediately apparent. Now, the RPM rear shock performs at the same level of the fork valve and will soak up everything you can throw at it on highway miles, but when you need to take evasive action or decide to head off to the twisties, the suspension will offer you more on that front as compared to any other FJ suspension product on the market. If you want to wear out your tires, you can do the RPM suspension mods to your stock 86 and then transfer of to the later model forks when you make that change

I too recommend a better seat. I did 95% of the upgrades above to a stock FJ I bought and rode in Australia for the rally and the only thing that really sucked on that bike was the stock seat. After getting home and sitting my my Corbin again, I have decided, not matter where I go in the world to ride an FJ, it will have a Corbin seat.

Radial tires, for either wheel package you choose.
EBC HH pads for the front brakes, for whatever caliper you are running.
If you will be doing any might time commuting, then better lighting from and rear; HID in front & LED in the rear.

Randy - RPM

[TexasDave]

Randy did his shock and fork mod on my bike at his shop last year. The improvement in ride and handling is amazing. Like night and day.  Dave

[giantkiller]

I took a 3000mi trip awhile back. The one thing I wished I had was a throttle lock. The right hand gets numb after a time. The other thing I did have was engine bars. Randy at RPM gave me a set of highway pegs ( I guess he took pity on an old man)  and they mount very handily on the engine bars. They make a world of difference in allowing you to stretch your legs and change position. I (like Capn Ron) found the stock seat very comfortable.   Dave

+1 on the highway pegs. I'm built like a gorilla long waist and short legs. So the close pegs shouldn't be as bad. But it still killed me.
Installed highway pegs. Now I can empty my tank. And wish I didn't have to stop.

[FJscott]

  Does anyone have the crampbuster throttle lock?  I've had a throttle lock on a different bike before and it was nice to be able to take my hand off the throttle, even for half a minute.....on a flat road.

Let's not forget about the old standby Caterpillar O-ring throttle lock.
I use it along with my Throttle rocker and works well for its intended purpose.

Leon

Leon,
What is this o-ring throttle lock you speak of? I see the yellow o-ring in the pic, do you flip it over the grip to hold throttle position?
Scott

[1tinindian]

What is this o-ring throttle lock you speak of? I see the yellow o-ring in the pic, do you flip it over the grip to hold throttle position?
Scott

You roll it up until it falls between the bar end and the grip. Just make sure you have full length grip. Not exactly C/C , but while its in place on the flat, you can maintain speed and give your have a break.
It fits nice in  the groove in the bar end, so no chance of loosing it.

When I get home, I'll try to remember to find the part number, I had to buy a bag of 10, so I have extra.

Leon

Try this linkage:::
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8M4991-YELLOW-CATERPILLAR-SILICONE-O-RINGS-MOTORCYCLE-THROTTLE-LOCK-10-PACK-/160875622737

[rktmanfj]

When I get home, I'll try to remember to find the part number, I had to buy a bag of 10, so I have extra.

Leon

Or you have enough to add 8 more FJs to the stable...   

[simi_ed]

Does anyone have the crampbuster throttle lock?  I've had a throttle lock on a different bike before and it was nice to be able to take my hand off the throttle, even for half a minute.....on a flat road.

Snip>. Who would have thought arses came in so many varieties? <Snip>
Noel

Sorry Noel, that's a no-brainer!  Just look at the collection of arses we have here, both horses and other!

[magge52]

What is this o-ring throttle lock you speak of? I see the yellow o-ring in the pic, do you flip it over the grip to hold throttle position?
Scott

You roll it up until it falls between the bar end and the grip. Just make sure you have full length grip. Not exactly C/C , but while its in place on the flat, you can maintain speed and give your have a break.
It fits nice in  the groove in the bar end, so no chance of loosing it.

When I get home, I'll try to remember to find the part number, I had to buy a bag of 10, so I have extra.

Leon

Try this linkage:::
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8M4991-YELLOW-CATERPILLAR-SILICONE-O-RINGS-MOTORCYCLE-THROTTLE-LOCK-10-PACK-/160875622737

Those look like something I'd find in my 20 yr old son's bureau drawer! If you have extras I'll send you $ for one + post. I'll give it a try...on the bike that is. 

[andyb]

Honest answer, if you boring old men aren't going to go with my first suggestion (though the expense is undoubtedly true...)

RIDE THE DAMN THING. 

After a long ride, what hurts?  What would you change?  For me, it was the seat.  Bars are fine, pegs are fine, but my ass had me squirming after a few hours.  A corbin fixed that.

Did you run out of space to put stuff?  Get luggage.
Do your knees ache?  Look at dropped pegs.

Etc.

[FJ1100mjk]

RIDE THE DAMN THING. 

Exactly

[rktmanfj]

Honest answer, if you boring old men aren't going to go with my first suggestion (though the expense is undoubtedly true...)

You and fintip oughta start a 'young guys FJ club', or the like...   

If you're lucky, you'll be around long enough to discover what the complaints are about.   

[FJ_Hooligan]

Honest answer, if you boring old men aren't going to go with my first suggestion (though the expense is undoubtedly true...)

After a long ride, what hurts?  What would you change?  For me, it was the seat.  Bars are fine, pegs are fine, but my ass had me squirming after a few hours.  A corbin fixed that.

Hey,
Who are you calling boring?

I've had 3 stock seats give me the same problem.  A Corbin fixed it every time.  If/when I get my next bike, a Corbin will be the very first thing I buy.

Okay, boring story for you.  My brother once had an FJR.  He changed the stock seat material for a nice fluffy filler thinking that softer would be more comfortable.  WRONG!  You couldn't ride the thing for 30 minutes.

[Fj.itis]

I see both sides of the fence, when i first started to ride the fj the seat was giving me grief but the more i rode the more i got used to it. I think if you ride everyday then you get used to  most issues and learn to live with others, but yeah a corbin sounds nice.

[The General]

Honest answer, if you boring old men aren't going to go with my first suggestion (though the expense is undoubtedly true...)

After a long ride, what hurts?  What would you change?  For me, it was the seat.  Bars are fine, pegs are fine, but my ass had me squirming after a few hours.  A corbin fixed that.

Hey,
Who are you calling boring?

I've had 3 stock seats give me the same problem.  A Corbin fixed it every time.  If/when I get my next bike, a Corbin will be the very first thing I buy.

Okay, boring story for you.  My brother once had an FJR.  He changed the stock seat material for a nice fluffy filler thinking that softer would be more comfortable.  WRONG!  You couldn't ride the thing for 30 minutes.

I too found the Corbin comparatively very Hard but great on a long journey. Since Loaned it to a fellow FJ enthusiast couple to try. They now won`t give it back to me!
She loved it so much she started Googling to buy one....ended up buying another 3 FJ`s instead!....None of which had a Corbin!!! (True Story!....not that any of mine aren`t.  )

Interestingly I went to an Osteopath recently for a sore back I`ve had for ages. (Already been to Chiropractors and Physiotherapist....didn`t know an Osteopath was different!.....another mystery in the world of Education.)
He explained that the muscles on top between my knee and hip are too short from lack of exercise or sitting around too much, which tended to kink my Hip forward. Gave me some stretching exercises that fixed the prob instantly....but now I gotta do them regularly. He explained, that would be the reason (basically) why I can ride all day comfortably on any bike seat I`ve long distanced on, even the plank on my DR650!

Are ya still there? ....oh good,

That Osteo cost me $70....but it`s okay, I`ve just added the cost to Corbin Negotiations!...which happens to be way cheaper than 3 FJ`s. (so far).