Happiness Is........................................................

[Firehawk068]

New Tires and freshly cleaned/polished wheels..................

After my 650+ mile ride a few weekends ago, I had used up the last of the available rubber at both ends.

I got started this past weekend.





While I had the rear wheel off this time, I decided to pull the 42-tooth sprocket.



I want to experiment with different gearing to see how I like it. On the longer rides I find myself wishing it was a bit taller.
I dug out my old OEM 40-tooth rear sprocket, soaked it in some kerosene and cleaned it up nice with a parts-brush.
I'll see how I like it, and next season when I replace the chain I'll get a new set of sprockets in my gearing of choice.



Since I haven't done much in the way of maintenance to these wheels in the past 6-1/2 years that they've been on the bike, I decided to re-visit the polished lips.
The tire-changer really helped this step, as the wheel was securely clamped in place. I could use a fair bit of pressure without the wheel moving around.

I got my cloth-wheel out, chucked it in the drill, put some red compound on it, and made a few passes around both sides of the wheel.



Finished it up with a light application of some Meguiar's Polish, and a quick buff with microfiber.



Both sides shined up nice! 





A little blue Loctite on the threads, and got the sprocket mounted.



This time, I am also trying something new.
Instead of using the balancer stand (which works OK), and stick-on weights, and since I have a whole bunch of free-trial product from the sales-rep, I am trying the "Counter-Act" balance-beads.

I have them in my Jeep tires, and I am extremely happy with the results so far.
I am not sure how they are going to work in the FJ tires, but I will soon find out.
The sales-rep gave me a motorcycle kit, which includes an applicator bottle that you pour them in through the valve stem.  Not wanting to get any beads (not even one!) stuck in between the tire and the rim, they went in through the valve stem. The bottle was easy to use. A few "Puffs" on it while tipped up, and they go in super easy.

There are a number of different products of this type on the market, from ceramic and plastic beads, to various powder products.
Counter-Act uses hardened glass beads.

The 180/55-17 tire size calls for 2-ounces of beads.



A quick wipe-down of the rotor with some brake-cleaner, and it's ready to go back on the FJ!







On to the front wheel.



I used the same polishing technique on this end.
They have a few nicks here and there, but the powder-coat on both wheels looks just as nice as it did 6-1/2 years ago.





The 120/70-17 front tire calls for 1-ounce of beads.



All finished! Ready to go back on the bike.



Ready to Ride!
(I did peel the stickers off after I finished)







For a final bit of "Bling", I got out my tire-paint-pen and lettered the tires.
Now I just need to clean the rest of the bike. 

[Tuneforkfreak]

Its all ways interesting to see a  match to my bike. I'm always trying to pick out what it really looked like from the factory, for instance my entire frame was completely blacked out. Where the gold wheels factory color?I saw the 17" tire so I assume that is a Suzuki wheel? Mine are like a charcoal silver color and the mount plates on my rotors are gold. I'm never really sure what is what on my bike as it was a parts bike for two other FJ's.  I'm sure the lot of what I purchased in all those milk crates was a mix of all three and the worst of the lot. In any case you did a fine job on those wheels and tires, they look really good. Shinko is what I run on my rear, I was told they are the old Yokahama molds and compounds. In case you didn't notice it, those two sections of Pex pipe in that one photo look like the blue and red stripe of the bike are jumping off and leading the way, almost a perfect match.

[fj1289]

... Shinko is what I run on my rear, I was told they are the old Yokahama molds and compounds....

That refers to the old Shinko 003 tires -- there are many now that outperform those old models or the Yoko's they were based on.  It's incredible how quickly tire technology improves each year or so.  The new Shinko Hook Ups are one of the drag tires of choice now.  

Alan - the wheels look good!  I'll be Pat chimes in to say you should have polished the sprocket while it was off!

[1tinindian]

 Where the gold wheels factory color?I saw the 17" tire so I assume that is a Suzuki wheel?

No, those are both Yamaha wheels and the gold color is custom.
Alan was my inspiration to do the 17" upgrade on my FJ, and he has done a wonderful job with his attention to detail.

Alan, do you use anything on the new tires to remove the mold release from the new set of tires?
For better of worse, I use a liberal amount of lacquer thinner when I do mine.

I like the lettering, reminds me of the Dunlop Qualifiers on my 82 GS1100L.

Ride safe.

Leon

[Firehawk068]

Yes, the wheels are not factory.
The original FJ wheels were a charcoal/silver-ish color.





This is about as close to "Factory-Stock" as it gets, and is how I purchased it. (except for the front rotors, and the seat)



The rotors are not factory.
The front ones are EBC-Pro Lite, and were on the bike when I purchased it.
The front calipers that I'm using now are from a Yamaha R-1 (I am not sure of the vintage, 2003 maybe?) I put them on when I did the wheels, along with the FJR master cylinders.



The rear rotor is a Galfer Wave-rotor that I purchased and installed.



The wheels that I used are both from a Yamaha FZR-1000, of different vintage.
I had them powder-coated a custom gold color, then polished the lips.

The front one is from a 1987-1988 "Genesis" model. It is 17"x3-1/2", and is a direct bolt-on swap.



The rear is from a 1991-1993 "Exup" model. It is 17"x5", and requires a bit of machining/material removal to fit the FJ swing-arm properly.









I didn't notice the PEX tubing in my picture, but Yeah it looks like the stripes are just jumping off the bike!  

[Firehawk068]

Alan was my inspiration to do the 17" upgrade on my FJ, and he has done a wonderful job with his attention to detail.

Alan, do you use anything on the new tires to remove the mold release from the new set of tires?
For better of worse, I use a liberal amount of lacquer thinner when I do mine.

I like the lettering, reminds me of the Dunlop Qualifiers on my 82 GS1100L.

Ride safe.

Leon

Leon,
I have had good results with using Purple-Power de-greaser and a tire/wheel brush to scrub the tires. I like using the brush cause I can get down into the tread grooves.

And your attention to detail is far superior to mine! 

Just for kicks I decided to try the lettering again. I did it once on the Pirelli Angels that I first mounted on these wheels, and yes it reminds me of the Qualifiers.



I forgot to mention................When I took the front wheel off this time, I didn't use a jack.
I simply rolled it up onto a couple of 2x8 boards, and strapped it down!

[FJmonkey]

Are the 2x8 boards secured together? Or is it just the weight of the center stand holding them down and preventing them from separating?

[Firehawk068]

Are the 2x8 boards secured together? Or is it just the weight of the center stand holding them down and preventing them from separating?

Just the weight of the center-stand, and the rear tire pushing down on them.
Once I had it strapped down, I rocked it from side to side and it was plenty stable to work on without fear of tipping over.

Just for safety sake, I warned the wife and boys not to go through the garage while it was strapped on there, in case they decided to push on it.

If I wanted to make a permanent one, I would probably use 3 boards and screw them together underneath with some metal strap.

[FJmonkey]

Just the weight of the center-stand, and the rear tire pushing down on them.
Once I had it strapped down, I rocked it from side to side and it was plenty stable to work on without fear of tipping over.

Just for safety sake, I warned the wife and boys not to go through the garage while it was strapped on there, in case they decided to push on it.

If I wanted to make a permanent one, I would probably use 3 boards and screw them together underneath with some metal strap.

My concern was the CS is holding the boards down forward of the rear wheel. The straps are pulling up from the outside of each board and aft of the rear wheel. If the two boards start to get pulled up from the strap then they may open up in spite of the CS weight and amount of board that is forward of the CS. The two boards look good as far as a platform. My paranoia of "Things will go wrong" would have me add a metal strap on the ends of the boards aft of the rear wheel. Another strap in front makes it easy to put in a corner when you don't need it. I like the solution, anyone could do this for very little cost and jack is not required under the bike. 

[Firehawk068]

There was actually very little force required to hold the rear of the bike down and lift the front wheel.
Nowhere near enough force to separate the boards (I checked). I felt confident that it would hold the bike up, and I also checked that it wouldn't tip over.
It was merely a temporary solution while I had the front wheel off.

I wish I could afford a bike lift, but I neither have the room for one or the funds for one at the moment.

[FJmonkey]

There was actually very little force required to hold the rear of the bike down and lift the front wheel.
Nowhere near enough force to separate the boards (I checked). I felt confident that it would hold the bike up, and I also checked that it wouldn't tip over.
It was merely a temporary solution while I had the front wheel off.

I wish I could afford a bike lift, but I neither have the room for one or the funds for one at the moment.

Right there with you Alan, I am all for finding solid solutions on a budget.

[andyoutandabout]

Be interesting to see what you make of those Shikos. I know the briskness you like to travel (ref returning home on Donna's Kawasaki, 2016 central rally, pointing into an impossibly low sun, wearing a smoked visor) and how you like to get the most out of the rubber (ref central rally 2012?, the year of the vanishing end can and thread bare rear).

[Derek Young]

Very nice work Alan! And a great write up as always. I too am interested in your finding with the new skins. I just mounted a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4s on my FJ. One small road trip (1000 km) on them and so far I like them. I haven't really put them through their paces yet though. Hoping to get out with the boys tonight to take care of that.

I enjoy riding at a rather brisk pace, similar to Alan, and don't feel I out perform any of the modern sport touring rubber I have used. For me, tread life is fairly important because its a pain in the ass changing tires on both bikes. It takes the better part of a day to do. With my limited time off, I'd rather spend that day out riding. The more life I get from our tires, the less often I have to change them out.

On the other hand, these tires are a damn good price. If they get reasonable tread life they might be a good option.


Derek

[rktmanfj]

Very nice work Alan! And a great write up as always. I too am interested in your finding with the new skins. I just mounted a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4s on my FJ. One small road trip (1000 km) on them and so far I like them. I haven't really put them through their paces yet though. Hoping to get out with the boys tonight to take care of that.

I enjoy riding at a rather brisk pace, similar to Alan, and don't feel I out perform any of the modern sport touring rubber I have used. For me, tread life is fairly important because its a pain in the ass changing tires on both bikes. It takes the better part of a day to do. With my limited time off, I'd rather spend that day out riding. The more life I get from our tires, the less often I have to change them out.

On the other hand, these tires are a damn good price. If they get reasonable tread life they might be a good option.


Derek

Someone else will have to judge my preferred pace, but I don't seem to hold that many people up... 

FWIW, I'm on my 4th set of the Shinko Ravens, and I really like them, even better than the Avon Storms they replaced.

The set I took out west this year already had 3 rallies on them, and still a good bit to go.

Neutral handling, with good traction wet or dry.
Icing on the cake?  They were $175 delivered 

[FeralRdr]

.....

I wish I could afford a bike lift, but I neither have the room for one or the funds for one at the moment.

Right there with you Alan, I am all for finding solid solutions on a budget.

Siiiiigh...  Yep. 




Still, one can dream.