FJ600 owner in beautiful Toronto, Canada.

[Matt Rain]

Hi y'alls! I joined this site a couple years ago, but seeing as the focus was on the 1100 and 1200 beasts, I never got around to introducing myself (maybe out of fear of getting rocks e-thrown at me.)

So why would anyone maintain an unremarkable 30yo middleweight "sports" bike? Well, when I started looking for a first bike, the main thing I looked at was power-to-weight ratio. I wanted something close to that of my twin brother's SV650. I was also wary of insurance costs, which in Ontario are very substantial, so I had to stay below a 650cc or so.

Found a listing for this '85 FJ that seemed to have been kept in good running condition. Its owner had just come back from a trip to Central America with it (!) so that seemed to indicate a strong reliable bike. It did look pretty ratty with its mismatched parts, but I figured I would only keep the bike for half a season and flip it to a fresh newbie. That was before I found out that I loved riding and wrenching on old-school carbureted bikes.

Anyway, here's how she looked when I picked her up in September of 2013. Wrong tank, wrong right side cover (red instead of black), no belly pan, windscreen was almost opaque yellow and cracked, seat was ripped, etc. Cosmetically awful but in good running order so I forked over 800 Canadian dollars and brought her home.



I started looking into parts and was amazed to find that there is still some aftermarket support in Europe, probably because there the pre-Diversion XJ600 was sold until '91. I was able to find a taller touring windscreen, a belly pan and a new vinyl seat cover. I set up some eBay alerts to try and find a black tank and the correct right side cover. Both were found and acquired within a couple months - I managed to find a NOS tank for $125. Amazing.

This is what she looks like now.



Since acquiring it in late 2013 I've also learned to wrench, out of necessity - I cleaned/rebuilt/vacuum-synced the carbs, adjusted the valves, replaced the stock coils with modern Dynas, and generally spent a lot of time learning about old-school motorcycle maintenance.

My most recent "upgrade" to it was a brand new aftermarket set of carb boots I scored from an eBay seller in Poland. Whereas the local dealer wanted 100 dollars per OEM boot, this eBay guy was selling a complete set of made-in-Japan boots for 150 bucks shipped! Scooore.

I've grown quite attached to this quirky old bike. It's quick enough for some light hooliganism and it's still competitive with modern 650s. I doubt I'll ever get rid of it. It'll probably end up as garage decoration if and when the engine blows up.

Looking forward to exploring this site - who knows, now that my insurance rate has dropped in half, I may even be able to justify getting my 600 one of its bigger brothers. The 1100 and 1200 are a surprisingly common sight around these parts.

[giantkiller]

Great looking bike! And a belated welcome to the campfire. Need to get to a rally. And meet so of the other crazy fj owners.

[FJmonkey]

Great intro Matt! You clearly fit in with this group. Your 600 is looking good, I did not know they came in that color. 

[great white]

Ah yes, the FJ600.

A fine bike that was overshadowed by the Ninja 600 and the VF500F back in the mid 80's. Unfortunately, both the Ninja and the Interceptor were better handlers, which usually put the FJ behind the pack. At least in the "magazine wars" it did. They had comparable pinch, bjt the FJ was a bit more....flexible....than its contemporaries. Even the RZ350 stole much of the FJ's limelight (understandable, the little two stroke had/has a ferverish cult following).

The engine went on to live a slightly longer live in the FZ600.

I had a Seca 550, which is pretty much what the FJ600 grew out of.

The Seca was a great bike. Light and nimble, if not a little underpowered. But it was a middleweight, handling was where it was at. The Seca was also overshadowed by the GPZ550. Another great bike from the same era. Suzi has the GS550, but I never considered that a contender until the GS550ES came out.

Enjoy the 600 for what it is. Decent handler, decent power and a complete time machine back to the mid 80's

[Matt Rain]

Thanks guys! great white, I love the early Interceptors. They're still very common in Ontario. Just last year, this near-mint VF500F started parking next to me at the office. Only saw it a handful of times and I never got to meet its owner, but what a beauty.



If I ever move out of my condo and into a proper house with a garage, I strongly suspect that I'll be starting a small collection of 80's sportbikes.

[fj johnnie]

 Nice bike. I too had a 550 Seca. Very nice machine. Until a buddy blew by me on a CBX 550.  Good job on the restoration. Your intro was very nice.
We are having an FJ rally next weekend in the Kingston area. It is listed in the Join me for a Ride section I think. If possible ride out and meet some of the guys. John

[great white]

Thanks guys! great white, I love the early Interceptors. They're still very common in Ontario. Just last year, this near-mint VF500F started parking next to me at the office. Only saw it a handful of times and I never got to meet its owner, but what a beauty.



If I ever move out of my condo and into a proper house with a garage, I strongly suspect that I'll be starting a small collection of 80's sportbikes.

Lol, I've got a VF750F in the garage next to the Venture and the FJ:



(ignore the CBR mirrors, those were photoshopped on, I'm using bar end mirrors)

Not exactly stock anymore though.

It's kind of becoming a never ending project bike...... next up is SP2 brakes and rotors.....

That's why I'm keeping it on the low down for modifications on my FJ12. Wheel swap, suspension work, brakes and then just ride it......yeah, right. That's what will happen....



I've ridden a couple VF500's over the years. I'm not super tall (5'9"), but I could never get comfortable on the 500. Just too small for me. Oddly enough, I grew up on RD350/400's and those weren't small for me at all. Probably the peg location.

I'm on the east coast BTW, NS.

[JPaganel]

I've been wrenching on the FJ600 in my garage since last year, when I acquired it for the princely sum of $200 as a non-runner with clear title.

Last few months have been a neverending carburetor headache. I am now ripping apart a second set, and just broke some screws... 

[Matt Rain]

What kind of carb issues? I'm no expert but I've completely disassembled mine twice, maybe I can help.

I recently replaced my mixture screws with the extended ones sold by Factory Pro. So convenient, these things.

[JPaganel]

What kind of carb issues? I'm no expert but I've completely disassembled mine twice, maybe I can help.

Well, first, I couldn't get it to run without choke. Then I tried to pull those mixture screws, found one stripped from factory, tried to drill it out, broke a drill bit in it. So, I got another rack, and it has some broken butterfly screws. Those, at least, I should be able to dremel out.

[Matt Rain]

I see, nothing too major then. I used a hand drill to slowly drill a slot in 2 of the mixture screws that were badly stripped. Glad that's done.

Did you thoroughly clean the carbs? Even after bathing my carb bodies in Pine-Sol for 12 hours, the fuel passages that lead to carbs #1 and #4 had ungodly amounts of yellow sludge just behind the needle seat screens. I had to pry out the gunk then shoot compressed air through the fuel line to get rid of everything.

[JPaganel]

I see, nothing too major then. I used a hand drill to slowly drill a slot in 2 of the mixture screws that were badly stripped. Glad that's done.

Did you thoroughly clean the carbs? Even after bathing my carb bodies in Pine-Sol for 12 hours, the fuel passages that lead to carbs #1 and #4 had ungodly amounts of yellow sludge just behind the needle seat screens. I had to pry out the gunk then shoot compressed air through the fuel line to get rid of everything.

Carb cleaner and compressed air through all passages.

The one with broken butterfly screws, once I get that apart, is getting boiled. Heat is great for stubborn deposits.

[paulfj03]

Hey Matt  ,

Thats a nice fj ya got there! Love to see it some time.
The FJ600 would be a cool addition at a clinic or rally.
I test drove one in whitby quite a few years ago... it needed alot of work for the price, so i passed on it. I would probably look at another one when the timing is right... 

Feel free to join us this weekend north of Kingston, or at clinic in Brantford... in October.

Cheers

[Matt Rain]

Thanks Paul! Won't be able to make it to Kingston this weekend, but I'll try to join future events. Do you guys meet in the GTA from time to time?

I've only ever seen one other FJ600 in the wild, a silver '84 that was parked on Queen St W. I still regret not stopping to at least take a picture.

[Burns]

The 550/600 is a GREAT bike. the Gpz was a hair quicker but wiggled like a snake when pushed. The Seca was rock solid. One of the sweetest scoots I ever rode. Glad you are keeping one on the road.