Another FJ12 Front & Rear Modification

[X-Ray]

. I have also noticed that after I raised the rear end with dog bones, this process got way easier, like I need less than half the effort.

Right you are Monkey, I nearly launch the bike through the wall with the shorter dog bones, love it, 

[jscgdunn]

"Jeff, I take it you mean the lifting handle under the LHS seat, not the the passenger grab handle."

No I mean the passenger grab handle....that being said I will try the lifting handle...always wondered why there was one on one side and not the other...never have used it....learn something every day

[FJools]

I find the lifting handle much easier and now I can find it first attempt......

Today I took it for a blast up to Dural to visit a mate, who wasn't in, so I carried on to Galston, down through the twisties to the Berowra waters ferry up the tight narrow twisties the other side followed by a blast down the freeway, along Pennant Hills road and through the Comenarra back home in time for lunch.

No problems handled everything like a dream and rock steady at 120kmh officer.

If anything it seems a bit short in the gears now so I'll fit the 40T rear sprocket. Have also decided to polish the rear wheel to match the front - there is another days filthy graft 

[FJmonkey]

If anything it seems a bit short in the gears now so I'll fit the 40T rear sprocket.

What did you have before the 40T rear? I am at 17/38.... A good fit for me....

[FJools]

Monkey

I forgot to answer this.........

To be honest I would need to look what it had. I messed around so much that it evades my long term memory.

I used a front Honda sprocket for the additional offset, which I know is the same size as the original. The Thunderace came with a 43T rear and I ordered a 40T, which took a long while to arrive. It the interim I put the FJ rear sprocket on in reverse, which I think was 41T.

[FJools]

On Sunday I got the chance to get out and give it a good run.

I had to go South to Bowral, a distance of around 130km from my place, to drop something off. By the time I got away time was pressing so I had to use motorways to get there but would use the old roads coming back.

brimming the tank I set off on the boring part, and it seemed everyman and his dog was out clogging up the main arterial routes till I got beyond Campbelltown. Cruising in this traffic on a two lane freeway with the Australian propensity to hog the outside lane at less than the speed limit (tyhanks to my GPS Speedo LOL) was frustrating. So the chance to open the taps and stick to 120kmh was welcome break.

The last bit of the trip through Mittagong gave me a few bends to work on. However, arriving at my destination and viewing the ominous black clouds, a check of the weather forecast showed big storms coming in so I made a hasty about turn.

Returning along the old South rd throughBargo, Tahmoor, Picton and Camden showed that the handling was much better than stock, if a bit hard on the front end. The road surfaces were pretty tragic and I had to pick my lines carefully.
Fortunately I was outrunning the looming storm clouds. Exiting Camden vally way, past the old Oran Park race track access (now a housing estate ) along cowpasture road onto the M7 for a spell, then on the M4 towards Sydney. a quick stop at Maccas for a thirst quenching coke, then off at the Cumberland highway, through Eastwood and back home.
The fuel light came on after about 264km on the M4, but didn't hit reserve so I switched it over anyhow. I was planning to refuel at the BP garage at Fiveways, near home, but it was about then that the storm caught and was it blowing.....so discretion ensured I legged it the few km's home without getting a soaking.
All in all a good positive ride, certainly the gearing needs sorting and probably some softening of the front end slightly.
Whether this can be done with the preload and compression damping remains to be tested.
Observations:
About 130km is the limit for me comfort wise these days. The tingling in my hands when I remove the gloves is quite alarming, and I put down to the vibration which is not that obvious. The usual aches and pains in bum and knees may mean I need a better seat.
Also a higher screen would probably be a good idea, the one fitted is not original.
My new Shark Evoline 3 is probably bedding in, but is quite noisy and because the flip up designs tend to be tighter around the temple, start to induce slight headaches after this distance.
I also noticed that the bumps had settled the steering head bearings and the top nut will need a tweak to tighten it all up.

[FJools]

Softening up the compression damping 3 clicks and balancing the preload (the left fork was 1 ring harder  ) seems to have helped.
But I over tightened the steering bearings so I need to address that before I can be absolutely sure.

I also noticed that the issue with the drive chain is actually the rear tyre, which is actually being chewed up by the drive chain. The while checking the size of the rear sprocket I noticed that I installed the sprocket the wrong way round so turning this over should fix the chain rubbing but then I'll need to check the alignment again.

gearing is 17/41 so while the wheel is out I am going to fit the Michellin pilots. I have ordered a pilot 4 170 rear & I already have a new Pilot 3 120 Front on the shelf. Then fit the 40 rear sprocket.

The instrument console also has to come out to tighten the GPS speedo bezel up. I noticed it has turned slightly and I'm a bit concerned that it may be reading 10kmh low.........

[FJools]

I have just started riding the bike regularly again as the weather and opportunity has improved.

The battery was showing its age so I replaced the old MotoBatt with a Lithium type. A valve check and shim and carb ballance with new Iridium plugs and she starts very easily now although I'm a bit concerned the starter clutch (if there is one) is starting to slip....something to look at later.

The left hand fork seal was showing signs of leaking so I pulled this out. It was a double lip type and there were no signs of anything that had snagged it so I put in the other way around to check and its been good since. Maybe my earlier assembly error.

I also noticed that the fork spring had begun to disappear into the spacer. The washer that should have prevented this looked to be the wrong type so I found a better one and reassembled the fork.
The clipons were fitted under the top clamp so that I could get a bit more length on the R6 forks. Although providing some fitting issues the front end seems a lot better and riding over the past week shows that the fork seal leak is cured.

I took the OEM forks apart to clean and to my surprise i found a Racetech gold valve and upgraded spring in there.........................
So, now I've decided to refit these with the OEM triples and wheel but keep the blue spots. The main reason for this is I really need this R6 set up for my CMR frame I got for the TZ750, the original reason I bought them before I got the FJ.

[FJmonkey]

I'm a bit concerned the starter clutch (if there is one) is starting to slip....something to look at later.

The left hand fork seal was showing signs of leaking so I pulled this out. It was a double lip type and there were no signs of anything that had snagged it so I put in the other way around to check and its been good since. Maybe my earlier assembly error.

What weight if oil are you using and how cold was it? When I was at the last WCR in Coleville I had issues starting. The starter would engage then let go and free spin. It took several tries to get started in the morning, I was concerned I would drain the battery. The rest of the day, no issues starting. I spoke with Randy about it at dinner the second night. He explained that my using 20-50 oil and the colder temps will cause issues with the starter clutch engaging. Back here sunny (warmer) SoCal I don't have any issues. So when this oil is shot I will replace with 10-40.

The fork seal has an open end and a closed end, the open end faces the oil. 

[FJools]

I'm using the recommended Yamalube (10-40?) and although it is winter here its still well above freezing. It also does it when warm too but not as often when its hot so it could be oil viscosity I guess.

Just wondered if there were any known issues with starter clutches and if they are easily remedied.

[FJmonkey]

I'm using the recommended Yamalube (10-40?) and although it is winter here its still well above freezing. It also does it when warm too but not as often when its hot so it could be oil viscosity I guess.

Just wondered if there were any known issues with starter clutches and if they are easily remedied.

My '86 would have this issue even in warm temps but not enough to cause me any concern. I would stab the start button again and off I go. But I cannot recall it ever happening when the engine was warm/hot. Pay attention to hot starts, if it happens then I would give Randy a call and inquire.

[FJools]

Earlier in this thread you will have read about the 2000 model R6 front end conversion.

On the whole I have been quite happy with the result, but using the R6 triple clamps with the FJ steering stem required a top clamp bush for things to fit properly.
The initial alloy version soon compressed and started to wear oval and was replaced with a brass one.
The other thing that bugged me was finding some bars that fit properly without everything being a compromise.

In the end I have picked up another set of used FJ triples and bars from Japan.
So this weekend I reinstated the original front end, including front wheel but retaining the blue spot callipers, while I have the old FJ triples machined out for the 43mm R6 forks.
I took the opportunity to service the FJ forks which had 0.95kg springs and emulators. After which with the bikes front jacked up till the back wheel touched the ground, I found that I had to pull the forks right through the top clamps in order to get the front wheel in. And once everything is in and tightened up I decided that to get some wheel clearance on the stand I needed 30mm of fork leg protruding above the bars. TBH I can't remember if it was like this originally. There appears to very little static sag on the front end so I'm wondering if those springs are too heavy or the spacers are too long. The Preload adjuster is on the minimum setting.
A test ride proved it all to work ok but the forks are for me on the stiff side. I used 20w oil 450cc each leg. The FJ wheel has EBC pro lite discs and I was not confident with their retardation properties compared to OEM R6 discs.

I also replaced the instruments with another picked up from Japan, which has some subtle differences - orange indicator repeaters and what looks like wiring for a speed limiter,
but missing the reed switch for the self cancelling indicators that my bike shouldn't have anyway.........But it proved the Tacho on the old set was broken, and the speedo on this set is steady.

It will be nice to evaluate these two set ups back to back and with the forks dropped through as they are steers as quickly as the R6 set, and in reality is probably the same height. Not sure what the offset differences are but I will check all of this. The riding position is good too with the OEM bars set higher than the ones fitted to the R6.

[movenon]

I weigh in 220 up to 240 at times and have .95 Race Tech springs with Race Tech style emulators and my front static sag from memory is about 30mm. I can check it later today if you want to know for sure.  The spring rate is good for me and the emulators / oil combo is set so under the hardest riding and breaking that I do (not a hard rider) that I have about 30mm before bottoming out. I put plastic wire ties on each fork tube above the seals so I can somewhat monitor my fork travel after a ride as a marking gage.  I set the preload up as per Race Tech's instructions. Don't know if any of this helps but that's my experience with .95 springs.
George

[Arnie]

I'm also about the same weight as George, have .95 kg/mm springs, R-T emulators, and 15wt oil @ 150mm.
My forks are ~10mm higher in the triples than OEM.
I've been very happy with the front end on my bike and others who have ridden it have also been pleased.

I wonder if when you installed the R6 forks you also put on longer dog bone links to get the attitude back to normal. If so, that would account for you needing to raise the forks to get the front wheel in place.

If you're lighter than us, that spring is probably too stiff for you.

[FJools]

Thanks for the replies - I was wondering about the dog bones too, but from memory (and looking up the front of this thread) it seems it was more to do with getting the Thunderace rear to sit properly. But I'll recheck that to see what the dims should be - another 10mm may cure that but as the plan is to refit the R6 forks I think I can live with it for now.

My weight is very similar (98kg) and did notice some sag when I heaved it onto the stand after the ride to work today so maybe I missed something. The other thing I want to check is the air gap so thanks for that dimension Arnie. For the race bikes we usually work between 120mm and 140mm.
I also noticed what felt like a mismatch with the front and rear tyres, or could have been the cold damp roads at 6:00am - something odd. The OEM front is a Pirelli dragon on the 3.0" rim. I have a pair of Michelling pilots that i have been waiting to fit and maybe its time for that fitment.