Best year/best value/best FJ to start with?

[hawkaholic37]

First of all, l want to say thank you to everyone here that has given me such a warm welcome. I really had no idea there was such a great FJ following. This make the idea of getting one even that much more exciting! I have been reading and learning and searching and looking at bikes on Craigslist and, well...now l am a bit overwhelmed. Okay, deep breath!!!

I sold my bike yesterday, so l have some cash to play with. I really want to make a wise decision on what bike to get. For starters, l will tell you a bit about who l am and what l want to do.

I do building maintenance for a living, but it is a somewhat new thing and, while l am decent with a wrench and love learning and fixing things, l am far from an accomplished mechanic. I would like to be one day, but l am not there yet. So, while l am looking forward to learning how to do my own maintenance and mods to whatever bike l should decide to buy, l am not yet at a place in life where l want to get a project bike. In fact, l would prefer that whatever l get be in very good condition so l can ride this Summer, and then look into improving it during the Wintertime.

I plan to use the bike as a commuter (short distance) and regular day rides, with the occasional long ride. I would like to do a long cross-country ride next year, but nothing is set in stone.

I have heard that the earlier 1200's had 2nd gear problems, but how common is this really? There is what appears to be a very clean one in my area, it is an '86 for $3500.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/mcy/5074484670.html

There is also a pair of 1990's available. There is a bit of a discrepancy between the price of one to the next...how does one know the real value of these? Or is it more a case of what a guy can get, and nothing more? FWIW, Wenatchee is a small city in Eastern Washington, while Edmonds is a suburb of Seattle, so that could be part of it. But $1500 seems like a wide gap.

http://wenatchee.craigslist.org/mcy/5051683971.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5078068097.html

BTW, is there one paint scheme that is more common or valuable than the next? I must say, l like the earlier red paint scheme quite a bit.

Okay, now for the nitty gritty...l know this is somewhat subjective, and we all have our opinions, but we are here to discuss, right? All things being equal, if l was to buy any FJ in very good condition, all original, and wanted to go through it and give it the modifications and upgrades it deserves, to keep as a lifetime bike, which year would be the simplest to do this with? Is there an advantage to buying a '92 or a '93 over, say, an '86 or an '87? What about the '84 and '85 1100? Is it an entirely different beast altogether, or something that a new guy should not be intimidated by?

FWIW, l am not looking for crisp, concise absolute answers, but rather some thoughts to chew on and think about. Thanks

[Pat Conlon]

In my humble opinion: The best FJ's are the rubber mounted '91/'92 Non ABS models.
ABS became an option in '92 and in '93 all FJ's had ABS.
I am not a fan of the FJ's ABS. I am a fan of ABS, just not the early system used on the FJ's
If you can find a good '92/93 ABS model, that's ok. The ABS can always be removed.
The key is the rubber engine mounts on these bikes. Really much smoother than the earlier '84-'90 models.
I know this because I've owned both early and late model FJ's.
Also, no worries about 2nd gear and soft shifting forks on the late model FJ's.

The nicest looking FJ is without a doubt the first year '84 in Stormy Red and Quartz Silver.

Bang for the buck: All FJ's are bargains, some are just better than others.
Figure adding $2k in modifications, unless you go crazy (like me)
With a reasonable purchase price and prudent mods, you will have one of the best value's in motorcycling.

Look for a FJ that has all the body work in good condition. Every thing else mechanical can be fixed. Good bodywork is getting rare and hard to come by. For a low mileage bike look in the eastern or north western part of the U.S. where the riding season is short. Bad news that it's cold back there, so a garage kept bike is mandatory. Take a dental mirror and penlight with you and look into the gas tank. Our tanks are not getting any younger and a few are getting rusty.

Hope this helps.

[Capn Ron]

All the years of FJ's have their strong followers and there really isn't a "bad" year.  From '84 through '93, the bike went from leaning slightly towards the sport side of "sport touring" and the later years leaned slightly more towards the touring side of "sport touring."

The early bikes had a 16" front wheel and smaller brake calipers.  If you find one of these stock, you'll be pretty compelled to swap this out for the later year forks, more modern brake calipers and a 17" front wheel.  Well, Yamaha did this all on their own in the later years...so, if you find a stock '89 and up...you'll get the 17" front wheel with better brake calipers.  Not to say that these can't be improved upon as well, it's just not as compelling an argument...think of it as on the early bikes you have to do this upgrade...on the later bikes, you might want to do this upgrade.

The rubber mounted engine in the later years is also a plus as Pat mentioned...They also use a fuel pump with a filter instead of the straight gravity feed of the early bikes.  The second gear issue has been sorted (I think) by '89???  Others can confirm this.

On top of all that, over the years, the windshield and fairing grew slightly in size.  Each generation added a little more width and height in the rider protection area.  I've done extensive touring on my '92 through all sorts of weather and that's the only setup I knew on the FJ's.  Coming back from the Black Hills Rally, I had the privilege of riding Alan's bike (Firehawk) the 400 or so miles to Denver.  It's an '89 and he's got that WELL sorted out!  it was a joy to ride in every regard.  At some point, we caught some rain and that's when I realized the extra width of fairing...and the extra height of the windshield was missing.  Not a bad thing in most cases...just a bit more exposed to the elements is all.

The best color to own is the one you own!  All in good fun, there's some poking about the colors towards the ones you don't own.  There's the early red and white ambulances...The theft-deterrent silver/white combo...the "dark-side" midnight blue...the "manly" pink-stripe model...  They're all awesome in their own way.

[~JM~]

I own an '89. It's a nice bike. Try to find a low mile bike with good body panels & fairing.

I live just south of you. I ran a wanted ad on Craigslist & was contacted by an older gentleman that wanted to sell his clean FJ. Look along the coast of Wa. & Or. The prices seem to be less. Of course you will need to find a garaged model if you want a clean one. Be prepared to purchase any of the following. New tires, battery, change all fluids, filters, etc. Also be prepared to modify the front braking system as it doesn't work near as well as the rear brake. After front brake mods you will need to increase the spring rate on the fork springs as the front may dive too much.

Good luck with your hunt & try to be patient. There are some good deals to be had, especially during the winter months.

[Sabre093]

I got a 86 and modded it up for 17' conversion...try to buy 89+...all in all there all great bikes with a great bunch of Kookaloo's here,so ya can't go wrong but IMO try for 89+

[Flynt]

Hooligan has your bike...

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=14159.msg142845#msg142845

Frank

[magge52]

I tried out an 89 before settling on my 92. My goal was for longer 400+ mile days so the rubber engine mounts and larger fairing sealed the deal on the 92. Mine is basically stock except for a Corbin seat, Renntec engine guards, UNI pod air filters and the spin on oil filter. Tires, brakes and suspension are stock and so far fit my sport touring needs. The only major work so far was a carb rebuild by Randy at RPM. Excellent work and service. He takes the time to setup according to the area you ride, up in the mountains or in the lowlands. And a great source for spares.
I like the 92 color but the red/white ambulance years are the and the blue 89s are cool also. Just a matter of personal preference there. It's been a great bike so far. I've put on about 7k miles since I bought it last summer and after adjusting to the size/weight and the I4 (much different than my other bikes) it has steadily grown on me. Will probably do the same for you when you find yours. 

Good luck in your search.

George

[FJmonkey]

I have both an '86 (Ambulance) and a recently purchased '89 (Dark side Stormy blue). I have owned and ridden my '86 for over 17 years and fell deep into the MOD pit. First I changed the rear wheel for a '92 GSXR 750 (17" x 5.5") so I can run modern radial tires. then I put '89 fork on it so I could fit a 17" x 3.5" wheel from an FZR1000 and Blue Dot calipers. I put the RPM valves in along with straight rate springs. Braided brake lines. What a huge difference it made to the handling and braking. Then I put an '89 swing arm on to install the RPM shock. See where I am going with this? This bike had the 2nd gear issue as long as I can remember, however it did not stop me from riding. I just shifted into 3rd before 6000 RPM, not a big deal but hard to get your Kookalooo on when you have to shift short. A crack in the case eventually fatigued from a small oil drip to enough oil getting onto the rear tire. That was an interesting ride home when I discovered that. So the '86 is parked and waiting for a frame up restoration. But I was not going to miss the 2015 WCR so the hunt was on for a second FJ. I looked at a lot of PROJECTS, they were running bikes but every one was more project than I wanted. I eventually found the '89 in good shape, not great, but mechanically sound, no second gear issue, minor plastic issues (easy to fix). Over a few weekends I transferred all the good bits over ('89 FJ parts on to an '89 FJ). Got in a few shake down rides and had a blast the WCR. I really don't notice much difference between riding my'86 and the '89. Very similar in how the bikes feel and handle. The suspension is identical so no big surprise there. I have not ridden any other years so I cannot help you with an opinion on ride feel. I will recommend that you use color as the last influencing factor in choosing your FJ. Color can be changed much easier than what generation of FJ you buy.

Look what Derek did to his FJ (hint, its a '91/'92 gen FJ). So he has the comfort and the colors he wants.



Some members here will help you look at and evaluate a prospective purchase. Assuming they are close enough to the bike and can afford the time. I you find one in in SoCal I can offer to check it out for you.

To help you with your search try this http://www.searchtempest.com/ it searches multiple Craig's lists at the same time. Good hunting.

[hawkaholic37]

Thanks for all the info guys. This helps quite a bit. It does sound like the later ones might be more desirable for me, especially with the rubber engine mounts and bigger front wheel.

Something l am curious about...someone on one of these threads said that with the stock 16" wheel they could not run modern radial tires. Is this true? I didn't know anyone even still made bias ply tires.

[FJmonkey]

Thanks for all the info guys. This helps quite a bit. It does sound like the later ones might be more desirable for me, especially with the rubber engine mounts and bigger front wheel.

Something l am curious about...someone on one of these threads said that with the stock 16" wheel they could not run modern radial tires. Is this true? I didn't know anyone even still made bias ply tires.

Avon still makes 16" radial tires, I ran on them before switching to 17". They seem harder to get now days, like good FJ plastic, another reason to go 17". Not the plastic, the wheels.... The OEM FJ front is 3" wide, the common upgrade is 3.5". The 3" (in my opinion) needs a 110 wide tire, the 3.5 fits a 120 properly. Nothing wrong with a 110, just harder to find. Many run a 120 on the 3" wheel so I don't see this a show stopper. But if you want performance in the corners, the 120 on a 3" is pinched too much. I don't drag my knees but I wear out the sides faster than the tops of the tires. The front profile is important to me. On my FJ and other things...

[hawkaholic37]

I see, good to know. These are mods that l would probably do over time, but l don't want to buy a bike that immediately has huge demands.

BTW, when someone does a wheel upgrade, are they basically just looking for a GSXR or an FZR that was totalled? Just hoping to come across one?

[FJmonkey]

I see, good to know. These are mods that l would probably do over time, but l don't want to buy a bike that immediately has huge demands.

BTW, when someone does a wheel upgrade, are they basically just looking for a GSXR or an FZR that was totalled? Just hoping to come across one?

The wheel upgrades are plenty depending on how much you want to spend to make things fit. The GSXR and FZR are bolt on fits and do not require a machine shop. Others have done the USD fork to get the chicks. You also have some good rubber options if you are not scraping the pegs. Consider this a break in time for your new FJ...

[hawkaholic37]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info

[yamaha fj rider]

For what it's worth. I agree with Frank, hooligans bike is the one to buy. He takes exceptional care of his bikes and some of the best mods are all ready done. Read what has been done to that bike. This will be a far better deal than the ones on Craig's list. Yes this will take some effort but it will be worth it and if you have any questions he will be available. Anybody who gets his bike has gotten a real bargain. Also you can have bikes shipped.

Kurt

[hawkaholic37]

Yeah, l am feeling very good about the feedback l am getting from everyone on his bike. I am in contact with him and now awaiting to hear if his deal with another buyer works out or not. If it doesn't, l will be all over it. And l hadn't really thought of shipping it, although that would be an option. But l have to say l am more comfortable with the idea of turning around and finding myself in a situation where l have to ride it all the way home