Post Ride Bike/Product Report

[ribbert]

After my recent (and possibly best ever) road trip to the SA Outback, my bike came back in a sorry state cosmetically. It had remained unwashed since the Alpine ride a couple of months earlier with a number of long rides in between.

   

After a lot of work it was back to it's former glory, for about 5 minutes, before riding into heavy rain next time I took it out.

This was the screen after I washed the outside. The hole rubbed in the dirt was for my HUD to reflect onto.



Time to remove it for a machine polish, 5 grades of W&D starting at 800, 2 grades of polish and wax (in progress)
While doing this job I fitted an Eagle touring screen that I've had for years but never really used. The air off it is a little smoother but for the first time ever I am getting a wet neck.

The mufflers were also overdue for a machine polish, they come up better than new.



For anyone contemplating Delkevic cans or for those who have them and wonder about their life expectancy, these have been on for years and probably done 70,000Km. Despite many road scrapes the casings remain tight and there is no sign of the internals deteriorating.

It was fantastic peeling off the Tankslapper (temporary tank protection) which had also been on for months to reveal pristine paint underneath. This last trip for sure would have trashed the tank paint with my knees.



Heated grips, as usual, were great as many miles were covered at 0 C or just above. I think they were only off for a couple of hours over the entire trip.

Relatively new to me, and now top of my "how did I ever ride without it" list is a heated vest. It has wide elastic side panels to ensure a snug fit when fastened. As they work on infra red heat, it is essential that it be near your skin to work properly. It is recommended therefore that only a T shirt or similar be worn under it. I wore a thin long sleeve thermal top, my jacket and that's all. I enjoyed the freedom of not having bulky under layers on.
It has 5 settings and even at zero degrees I could not get it above #2. I tried #3 a couple of times and had to turn it down again after a few minutes. The pulse controller means it only draws about 3 or 4 amps on the highest setting.
It was not off for the entire trip. It's like having the sun on your back, fantastic. Like the grips, it doesn't have to be freezing to use it, it's a comfort thing, even when conditions are relatively mild.

Despite the harsh conditions and the mileage, chain maintenance was zero. Good chain and electronic oiler. As near as you'll get to a shaft.

I fitted a set of Z8's for the first time before the previous High Country trip but the roads were most wet and this trip had virtually no twisties so all I can say about them is I've put 8,000km on them in the last couple of months and they're wearing well and wet grip seems pretty good.

The only casualty for the trip was the hugger popped a couple of mounting screws from hitting the subframe. All those tools and spares I carry and I only got to use a couple of zip ties.

It is a great testament to the FJ's reliability that you can get on an old machine like that, do a trip like that and hold your own with a modern, high tech machine like the GS. As usual, other than the last few hours of the last day home, at no time did I wish I was on the beemer.

My bike now has 135,000km's on it.

The fork bushings are original and has had one set of seals only (100,000km ago). Even with all the corrugations and dirt of the recent trip and the 5w oil, they remain dry.
The front guard never cracked (until I broke it taking the wheel out) I don't have a fork brace.
The clutch has only ever had one set of fibres and still bites hard under the most demanding conditions with plenty of reserve.
The head stem bearings have only ever been washed and greased and are original.
I've never put a globe in it although low beam went on the trip.
The slave is original having had one seal replaced.
The carbies have only been off once and that was to re jet them.
I've never had any of the switches nor instruments apart.
The fuel pump is original. It does need a tap to spring it into life if the battery voltage drops a bit but it's been like for years and even that seems to have stopped with the new battery.
All the ignition components are original, even the leads and caps.
It's only on its third set of plugs.

I think all I've done to it (other than the engine) is a few wheel bearings, the swing arm bearings (rust and dirt)  and an electrical gremlin that turned out to be a broken wire inside perfectly good looking insulation, a set of throttle cables, a speedo cable because it came loose and I lost the inner, and of course MODS, plenty of mods.

I did blow a base gasket on the motor which would have been a cheap job but decided to do the engine up while I was at it.

To be able to put 100,000 + kms on a 22 year old bike with so little trouble and expense is a great tribute to the FJ. This was never more evident than the demands placed on it this last trip. My brother spends more on one service on his BMW than I have spent on repairs in all the time I've owned the FJ.

I still love riding my bike as much as the day I bought it and hate it when the rides over or the trip is finished. However, I will admit I am looking to add something a little more comfortable but just as sporty to the stable in the near future.

Loath as I am to admit it, my body is starting to find a few consecutive big days (800-1000km) on the FJ tiring.

Long live the FJ - Comparing our relative health over the last 6 years I think it's on track to outlive me!

Noel

[Earl Svorks]

 Noel, your bike looks pretty darn good when you get the dirt off. I am really impressed by the look of those cans. Do you have a buffer or did you farm them out? It's not easy to eliminate the last trace of the fine lines the wheel of the buffer imparts. Did you do anything after the white wax ?  That is show quality work IMHO.
  Cheers
  Simon

[Pat Conlon]

Noel the reliability and condition of your FJ is a testament to the knowledge and care of it's owner. Kudos!

May you continue to have many enjoyable miles in your travels. 

Yes, I do know what you mean about age vs. consecutive long mileage days, but then again I've always realized that my FJ is a more capable bike than I am a rider.. On my recent tour back to South Dakota, we broke the trip up into 3 days, first day 600 miles, second day 400 miles and third day 200 miles. It worked out great with me arriving to the Central Rally reasonably refreshed.

Long live the mighty FJ!

[Troyskie]

Noel the reliability and condition of your FJ is a testament to the knowledge and care of it's owner. Kudos!

May you continue to have many enjoyable miles in your travels. 

Yes, I do know what you mean about age vs. consecutive long mileage days, but then again I've always realized that my FJ is a more capable bike than I am a rider..

Long live the mighty FJ!

+ 1 
Noel, I'm jealous. Just plain jealous.

[jo-sommer]

Beautiful bike.... nice colour! VERY good condition!

BTW, what type of heated vest are you using? Sounds much better than those "regular" 5-6 layers.

Cheers Jo

[ribbert]

Beautiful bike.... nice colour! VERY good condition!

BTW, what type of heated vest are you using? Sounds much better than those "regular" 5-6 layers.

Cheers Jo

Thanks Jo.

The vest is a "Tourmaster Synergy" I researched the options at length and this suited me best. It reviewed very well with frequent mentions of the price seeming almost too low for what you get.
One thing I am definitely glad I settled on was a hard wired unit vs a battery powered one.
It also has a controller that can actually be used with thick gloved hands.

I ride with someone who has a battery powered model (it's own battery pack) and it always runs out at the worst time, at the end of the day when you're tired and it's getting cold. This is not the time you want to be without it. It has other limitations as well such as amount of heat, it must be cycled while in use, heats your back only and use of the controller requires stopping the bike and removing a glove to turn on or off or alter the hear setting, the Tourmaster heats all over.

It can also have heated trousers, socks and gloves added to it from the same manufacturer. The controller the vest comes with already has a second knob to control these other items. You can also get full jackets with sleeves and collars (that sounds more like -25c gear)

Most of them have collars but I specifically wanted one without a collar. Our climate here is relatively mild, most days in the South of the country mid Winter struggle into double figures C and it's rare to find yourself riding in below zero temps for any length of time, even then only by a couple of degrees.

The effect having your core warm has on the rest of your body and limbs is quite amazing.

I'm sure there are other good brands out there but I am very happy with mine. I recently ran it 12 hours a day for 6 days. The vest is not at all bulky and I wear it riding even if I end up not using it, it is quite thin and very comfortable and you quickly forget you are wearing it, that is until you try walking away from the bike without unplugging it. 

Noel

[movenon]

Very nice write up Noel  Love your bike for sure. The Tourmaster Synergy is on the list of things to accumulate. Want to try one on with the collar first.
I am in admiration of your adventures and pictures. 
George

[ribbert]

Noel, your bike looks pretty darn good when you get the dirt off. I am really impressed by the look of those cans. Do you have a buffer or did you farm them out? It's not easy to eliminate the last trace of the fine lines the wheel of the buffer imparts. Did you do anything after the white wax ?  That is show quality work IMHO.
  Cheers
  Simon

Simon, I do them myself on a rag wheel about once a year with a few light polishes in between. It takes less than 10 mins each to get them looking like that. I used to use all the different grades of polish but for the last 4 or 5 years I have only used the green and then a light hand polish with Autosol to get rid of any residue and add a bit of protection, it doesn't enhance the finish any more though.
Even up close in harsh light I'm sure they have a much deep lustre than when new, they seem to get better with age (and polishing)

Did you see my other post last night about trimming the buffing wheel of loose threads?  If even one longish thread breaks loose while polishing something fine like those cans, I can immediately see the whipping marks start to show up. I stop, cut off the daggy bits and resume polishing. Usually, I check the rag wheel for loose threads and trim it before each job.

As you no doubt know, polishing is about pressure, speed, heat, duration and abrasion in varying amounts and combinations and is about 95% technique and difficult to explain.

This is one of my headers, it could have been better but was good enough considering how they are viewed when fitted.



I've been getting better at plastics lately, experimenting with all sorts of combinations. These headlights sell for $800 a pair in good nick but most examples around are now badly damaged (the plastic is  soft and they sit square on and vertical) and new lenses are no longer available. It doesn't seem to occur to anyone to polish them. I got these for a song because they were considered no longer useable.



.....and here's a couple of gratuitous shots (sorry guys) of my paint, it's oringinal. I haven't polished that for a year /20,000kms or so. I just maintain it with a bit of quick detailer after every wash and polish it once a year, or longer, like now.





Once you get the finishes are up to standard, maintaining them is easy and takes no time at all. IMO the trick is not to wait until something looks like it needs polishing, by that stage you have a big and difficult job on your hands.

If you want to exchange ideas on finish restoration, we can chat offline, PM me.

I like polishing.

[Arnie]

SHOW OFF !

[jo-sommer]

@Noel: Thanks a lot for this great review! 

Think I will check this out, though the Temps over here are moderate as well (mostly not below -5 to -10°C, that's no problem for the daily 45 min ride to work) but we are planning a winter ride to Finland/Russia and this means 8-10 hrs riding a day. We expect temps about -20 to -25°C, this is what we experienced during our Nordkapp-Run as average.

Have to take care about the power consumption due to the capacity of the gernerator. The KLR I ride in the winter offers not too many Watts and LED conversion in head- and accessory lights is illegal (f... für the German TÜV ). So it was those 3-4 amps you mentionned making me ask...

Unfortunately it seems there's no Tourmaster dealer over here to check those vests personally; looks as if this will be one "blind" purchase once again.

Cheers Jo

[ribbert]

SHOW OFF !

Haha. Yeah, well at least it doesn't draw flack from the wannabes that my mechanical/technical posts do, yet!  

Noel

[mr blackstock]

G'day Noel,

Did you do your own paint work?  Because the above picture is stunning!?

I can imagine how mine would look in blood red.  Outstanding work on the polishing too!

cheers, Gareth

[ribbert]

G'day Noel,

Did you do your own paint work?  Because the above picture is stunning!?

I can imagine how mine would look in blood red.  Outstanding work on the polishing too!

cheers, Gareth

Hi Gareth, thanks.

The only thing I can take credit for with the paint is polishing, it is original.

The extent of my painting skills will be revealed when a I have a go at my other bike. (or if it looks terrible, they won't be revealed  )

Blood red would look great on the FJ. Nothing looks better than dark colours well painted and polished up, nothing is more unforgiving than dark colours painted badly (and polishing only makes it look worse)

I'm quite looking forward to having a go at it. It's a '93 I will be painting in the original FJ1100 Red/Black/Silver, as per Pat Conlon's bike.

Noel