New member with a ?

[vegetta58]

Hey, I own a 1994 Connie and a 2010 XR 1200 Sportster. My buddy in high school way back when had a FJ 1100( and I loved it) but I cant remember the ride. My Connie is my winter bike(cause there is no way in ell you can ride it when it's hot) and I ride my XR in the summer. I'm fixin to pull the trigger on a 1985 FJ 1200 and was wondering how hot is the bike when riding it? Like I said the Connie is a toaster oven and not real sure I want that in another bike. Thanks Mickey. I live in S.C. and yes it's hot

[Zwartie]

Mickey,

Firstly, welcome to the club. You'll find everything you've ever wanted to know about the FJ (and more) here. I'm from Ontario but have been in the Southeastern US in the summer and know that it can get smokin' hot. As far as heat pouring off the FJ, I don't believe it is nearly as bad as a Concours. The Connie has a liquid-cooled engine so once it hits the temperature required to turn the radiator fan on, a lot of that heat gets directed toward the rider. I don't know this specifically from the Connie but I had a V45 Sabre many years back and that's exactly what it would do - it had the Hondaline fairing that was great at trapping heat unless you pulled the lower parts off in the summer. The FJ has an air cooled engine. At speed it's great at just about any temperature. In stop-and-go traffic the engine can heat up pretty quickly. I never found it uncomfortable though - it was the engine that I would worry about. That being said, the engine is pretty bullet proof and I'm sure you'll get feedback from other members in the group regarding the engine and heat. I also wear full riding gear whenever I ride, no matter the temperature. Riding pants do a good job of shielding the sensitive bits from engine heat. Riding in shorts may be like chestnuts roasting on an open fire - but I wouldn't know that.

Zwartie.

[FJmonkey]

The FJ is air cooled, so sitting in traffic is gonna be warm. I also remember having a water cooled bike and sitting in traffic was still warm. What is so bad about the conni? The FJ like any bike likes to keep moving and grooving. If sitting still is part of your daily ride then an air conditioned cage might be best. Here in SoCal we can filter to the front at stop lights and split lanes when traffic gets stuffed. The best part of the FJ for me is that it does all I need it to do. Toss on the tank bag and hit the twisties, load up with the GIVI bags and enjoy a week or more away (Rallies most likely).

[Pat Conlon]

I'm fixin to pull the trigger on a 1985 FJ 1200 and was wondering....

Welcome Mickey, FYI the '84/85's were 1100s, the FJ1200 came out in '86...

I know a bit about hot weather and the air cooled FJ is not bad for rider comfort. The smallish fairing on the early FJ's keeps the rider in the airstream (kinda) Yes the air cooled engines get hot but they don't have the large fairing that your Connie has, and as mentioned, the FJ does not have the fan directed air off the radiator that the Connie has.
To keep your future FJ cool,
1) Check your valve clearances right away. Tight valves are bad.
2) Get the carb jets richened up. Per the EPA regs, the USA oem jetting was on the lean side. Lean jets =  hot engine. At the very least #40 pilot jets, shimmed needles and 115 main jets to start. Go up from there.
3) Invest in a more efficient RPM oil cooler.
4) Use a premium 20w-50 ester based synthetic oil. (Change to 10w-40 for cooler seasons)

Still, with all that, be careful in stop and go riding. Avoid it whenever possible. Lane split if needed.
With good oil and proper carb tuning, the air cooled FJ engine can run hot with no ill effects.
I know, I live in the desert and it was 122* today.

Cheers and welcome again.....Pat

[vegetta58]

Thanks you answered all my ?'s. I thought it would be more like my XR 1200 being air cooled just wasn't sure with the fairing. Yeah you're right about the 1200 thing it is an 1100 I was still thinking about the XR. I'll post pic's next week if he still has it. Looking forward to soaking up all y'alls knowledge on these excellent bikes. Thanks again

[red]

Thanks you answered all my ?'s. I thought it would be more like my XR 1200 being air cooled just wasn't sure with the fairing.  Looking forward to soaking up all y'alls knowledge on these excellent bikes. Thanks again

Vegetta58,

I have a 1985 FJ1100.  You may notice the gas tank gets hot in hot weather, more than anything else.  If the bike does not have this already, you can get a fabric & aluminum-foil heat blanket that goes under the tank and covers the engine.  It's just commercial rigid insulation stuff, and you can make one yourself, or buy it pre-made.  That mod is a good one, cheap and effective for heat management.
Look at the tires on that bike, for age, not just tread depth.  The FJ is a mover, and please, don't try to tell us you won't be "moving it."    
Beyond five years of age (IMHO),  the tires harden and may not do the job that you need.  It's easy to know the age of tires, just click this link and scroll down a bit:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

I run on Pirelli Sport Demons, and they tell me the Avon radials are great, also.

Cheers,
Red

[vegetta58]

Yeah on my other 2 bikes I run  Avon's. With under 8000 miles Ibet they may not have ever been changed. 1st order of business. Thanks

[vegetta58]

Missed the deal. Someone got a nice bike. If y'all know of a nice one in the southeast, I'll be checking this post and the Ads. Thanks Mickey

[FJmonkey]

Missed the deal. Someone got a nice bike. If y'all know of a nice one in the southeast, I'll be checking this post and the Ads. Thanks Mickey

Mickey, try this http://www.searchtempest.com/

[vegetta58]

Best search engine yet. Thanks