New to the FJ owners group

[Ron10]

Hello
I have been lurking in the shadows for a while. I had a FJ1100 years ago and now need another.  I am currently looking at two one with 12000 or so miles, clean but has not been run for five years. Has two dents in the frame upper left side( not the removable portion)The selling price is around 2200. Another one has 37000 but has been a daily driver with proper maintenance done.  The price is lower for the one running, but it has 24000 miles more. Should I buy the higher mileage one and ride it home, or the other and have it shipped? Does any member live in Detroit or Sioux Falls?  These are the locations.  I want an FJ to do mods wheels etc. I plan to get an FJ09, but want the FJ1200 because it has soul and I miss the one I had. If anyone can help please PM me. I have permission from my better half.

[roverfj1200]

Welcome to the forum Ron10. I hope you find a bike to suit you.. Watch out for the low mile ones some have been right round.

Cheers

[movenon]

Welcome Ron10 ! The FJ just keeps coming back into your life after you have owned one. They do have there attributes.  I can't give you much advice on buying an FJ so far away from where you live. More than one person has driven many miles only to find out the the bike wasn't as advertised or quit Franck a piece of junk. But I am sure you are aware of all that.  Unless I knew the owner and the bike I think I would keep looking in areas that I could drive to easily.
I do hope you find a good FJ. There are a lot of them out there. IMO try to buy one in good shape to start with.
George

[aviationfred]

Welcome to the forum 

For me, the no brainer would be the '91 model in South Dakota. Lower price, daily rider, looks well maintained, and no dents in the frame.

Fred

[FJmonkey]

37K is not bad for the FJ engine, considering some have gone over 200K with proper care. The running bike has the advantage of you seeing it run along with a test ride. The non-running bike asks the question of how comfortable are you as a mechanic?

[Pat Conlon]

Dents in the frame? Are you sure? That's a big red flag for me....

Welcome Ron. We will have a good NBA playoff series between the Clips and your Spurs

[FJmonkey]

Dents in the frame, my '86 is grounded due to a low side drop that introduced the FJ to the curb. It took 17 years for the case to crack and leak enough oil make me want to fix it. That is when the crack was discovered. Randy at RPM got the crack welded up and I rode it home. The crack returned and the fear of a bent frame was confirmed.

[Ron10]

Thanks for the advice. I do have reservations about a non-runner. The frame has two dents along with the usual scrapes on the vent and mirror. Damage seems more than just a tip over in the garage. Around my area I have not seen any FJ's for sale. We are mostly Harley and cruiser bikes.

[Capn Ron]

Hey Ron...welcome to the group!

They both look like pretty clean bikes.  The one in Detroit is a '92 not a '91, but that shouldn't sway you much...outside of color.  The '92 is missing it's lower chin fairing and solving that can be a pain.  Honestly, I wouldn't hesitate on either based on their stated miles.

All that being said, buying the "running '91" seems like the makings of a VERY memorable road trip!

[Ron10]

They do seem to be nice. The runner has discoloration in the paint  from the magnets on a tank bag. I have never seen that before, I guess it is a problem with certain paints. Anyway I have just begun the search. The brown staining on the tank would bug me though.

[FJ_Hooligan]

This one should be relatively close to you.

Not sure what shape it's really in, but the kid had a lot enthusiasm for FJs.

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=13532.0

[Ron10]

Yes I spoke with Kyle on the phone. He was really not committed to selling it at the time.  He had a lows side accident  trying to avoid hitting two drunk walkers in Austin. Of course they have no money...You can't make that up.  Anyway it's an 89 I want a 91-93. I said he should fix it and then keep it because It has some really nice mods on it.

[Shazman]

Hey Ron, My name is Joe and this is my 1984 FJ1100. I am interested in selling it for 1800.00. It has 58k miles, new tires, new battery, and new mirrors.This bike runs excellent, it has the typical 2ND gear slip, but that doesn't hinder the ride! no rust, small dent on the tailpipe, It is fast and needs a gasket ring which is a quick easy fix. Let me know if your interested. I will be posting more pics of it with the new mirrors on it.