OK, I'm out of excuses...

[ZOA NOM]

So, I've owned two 1993 FJ1200ABS's, and the last one has been sitting for too long. I recently bought a dream property in the Bay Area with a shop for my toys, and I can finally get a "round tuit". Along with the shop, the previous owner left me a mill and a lathe, so I'm really all out of excuses for getting the old girl in serious shape. Also, I live in Livermore, a mere 30 minute drive from Randy over in the Central Valley, so I can't claim to not have any help.

The good news is this second bike has not been abused, only neglected in terms of exercise. There are only 56k miles on her, and the motor feels good and strong, so my interest will be in getting the front and rear ends upgraded (I have the GSXR rear wheel swap parts), and freshen up/repair some aesthetics.

So what I'd like to do is a begin a methodical, sequential project of rejuvenation, to include the popular modifications and upgrades to result in the return of that kookaloo feeling I've had every time I twist the throttle from 70mph in 5th and she just pulls my arms away from me. I'd love to hear suggestions on specific ideas if you had no excuses. I don't mind spending a little bit of money, but I'm not looking for a concours bike. She'll be a fair weather commuter and weekend mental health bike.

She is factory stock, and everything seems to work, including the jumpy tach. 

Obligatory pics:

[Pat Conlon]

Well, if you change your rims out to the popular 17" offerings, you will lose the abs function.
Are you ok with that?.....Think about it.

Kosman offers a welding service where you can send your abs rims in and they will cut and weld on a new 17" rim band. That way you can retain the abs sensor rings on your rims and still have modern 17" tires.
http://kosmanspecialties.com/services/wheel-widening-and-weldups/


Regardless...I would start with the front forks (inc. fork brace) and back shock.
RPM makes popular upgrades for both ends.

[ZOA NOM]

Well, if you change your rims out to the popular 17" offerings, you will lose the abs function.
Are you ok with that?.....Think about it.

Regardless...I would start with the front forks (inc. fork brace) and back shock.
RPM makes popular upgrades for both ends.

Thanks for the reply, Pat.

Yes, I'm fine with losing the ABS, so I can get to the wider and better rubber offerings. In looking around the site, I've seen many different front end modifications. Is there a good wholesale front end swap that is cost effective and makes the best sense? I'm not looking for crazy performance, only a simpler way to address the mods. I don't plan on riding the bike until I've addressed the whole thing, so I'm interested in a way to achieve the end result without too much piecemeal.

[Pat Conlon]

Simple modifications are:
RPM front forks and back shock. Shorter dog bones on the swing arm links to raise your back end.
'87/'88 FZR750 or FZR1000 front rim (3.5"wide vs. your 3" stock rim)
GSXR rear rim
R-1 blue or gold spot front brake calipers, SS lines and FZ1 14mm master cylinder

That will get you the essentials: 1) tires 2) suspension and 3) brakes

After that, modifications can get more extensive, but IMHO the best bang for the buck are the above essentials.

[ZOA NOM]

Simple modifications are:
RPM front forks and back shock. Shorter dog bones on the swing arm links to raise your back end.
'87/'88 FZR750 or FZR1000 front rim (3.5"wide vs. your 3" stock rim)
GSXR rear rim
R-1 blue or gold spot front brake calipers, SS lines and FZ1 14mm master cylinder

That will get you the essentials: 1) tires 2) suspension and 3) brakes

After that, modifications can get more extensive, but IMHO the best bang for the buck are the above essentials.

Perfect, thanks for the list. That should get me rolling.

edit: oops, I just re-read your first post and I like the wheel widening link you posted... Is the 1993 ABS worth keeping?

[FJ_Hooligan]

Is the 1993 ABS worth keeping?

It's worth keeping if it works.  Most don't anymore.

Decide on whether you're going to keep it before you buy SS brakelines.

[aviationfred]

Welcome to the group.     Great looking FJ.


Pat pretty much summed up the recommended mods for newbie's.

I would add the RPM Spin-on oil filter adaptor to the list. I also know that it can get nasty hot in the Central Valley, another thought may be to add the RPM oil cooler.

Fred

[ZOA NOM]

Thanks again for the replies. I think it makes sense to think about sending the stock rear wheel off to be modified for width and diameter, which would keep the ABS intact. At that point, I could still disable it if necessary. Not sure about cost on that, but it's worth looking into. I'll get started on the other stuff soon and post updates as I go.

[ZOA NOM]

FYI - I called Kosman about the wheel widening, and Sandy told me he has sold that part of his business to a Charlie Stefano 530-200-3572. I left Charlie a message to get back to me with pricing info on widening and diameter increase.

[ZOA NOM]

Wow, wheel widening would be nice, but not at the crazy prices they want these days. I'll stick with the GSXR swap, and disable the ABS. Seems to work well for others, and I don't really ride aggressively enough to justify the ABS. I don't ever recall it activating in all the years I've owned either of the '93's. I guess it could be that it never worked, but whatever.

I'm off to remove the rear wheel and start getting greasy.

[FJ_Hooligan]

Curious, how much did he want?

[ZOA NOM]

Curious, how much did he want?

He actually hasn't returned my call. I searched around online and found other recent stories that folks had shared, and it seems the prices are up into the $850 range and beyond. There aren't very many places that do the work, and I suppose the market is pretty small for it, so they have you where they want you if you really have to have it done. It isn't that important, so I'm happy moving ahead with the tried and true mods that folks here have already proven works.

[Capn Ron]

I'll be interested in the dollar amount if you do hear back from him.  This has been on my to do list since the WCR...

That way, all the girls can keep telling me, "Whoa!...Nice ABS!"   

[ZOA NOM]

Roger, Wilco. I'll keep trying to get in touch with him and let you know.

[ZOA NOM]

Simple modifications are:
RPM front forks and back shock. Shorter dog bones on the swing arm links to raise your back end.
'87/'88 FZR750 or FZR1000 front rim (3.5"wide vs. your 3" stock rim)
GSXR rear rim
R-1 blue or gold spot front brake calipers, SS lines and FZ1 14mm master cylinder

That will get you the essentials: 1) tires 2) suspension and 3) brakes

After that, modifications can get more extensive, but IMHO the best bang for the buck are the above essentials.

Thanks Pat,

Is the 87/88 Front wheel the only 3.5" choice?

Also, what year bikes should the blue dots and 14mm master come from?