Who bought the FJ new?

[kensea]

Hey all,

I haven't been here for awhile and thought I would check in.  Great stories about buying the FJ new and its repercussions.  My wife and I purchased a 85 FJ 1100 new as an overstock, build out of the crate for us, in the Spring of '86.  We had the misguided idea that one of us would pilot and the other would be pillion, taking turns.  As this is a group of fellow pilots, you can guess how that turned out.............. The next spring, we purchased Benita (the wife) an overstock sales floor model 86 FZ 750.  Much better plan.  I still love riding them as they are my daily go-to bikes when the weather is nice.  Benita still rides, but would rather pedal than throttle most days.

As for a "mistress", I have a little Italian model that seems to fit that bill.  The Yamahas are more like best of friends.

____________
The Fleet...
08 848
86 FZ 750
85 FJ 1100

[Travis398]

Pat,

that was well played....and she is definitely a keeper.

i broke up with a girlfriend because she said i would rather ride my motorcycle than be with her..... and i agreed! SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYA!

[Mike 86 in San Dimas]

Hey Pat,
Cool story. My buddy has been through similar scenrio many times over the last 30 years of riding.  He had a serious crash last August, just getting back on his feet (V Max rider). Now he is shopping for another one. Wife says it over if he buys another bike. He knows she won't...its chance he willing to take.

Mike

[Dan Filetti]

As for a "mistress", I have a little Italian model that seems to fit that bill.  The Yamahas are more like best of friends.

Italian model: Sexy and temperamental, the stuff of a tumultuous affair.  I can't say it'll end well though.   

[vfourmax]

I had to laugh as I read some of the stories. I bought an '86 FJ1200 and had bought her sight unseen had only seen pictures several weeks before the dealer was expecting delivery. Paid 5400.00 dollars for her and waiting those 3 weeks for it to come in were hell! When it did finally arrive it was everything and more that I had dreamed and hoped it would be.

Put 10,000 miles on it the first 3 1/2 months I owned it. The way I rode back in those days tires and brakes and oil changes were killing me. 2000 miles was about the best I could get out of a rear tire, no burnouts at all but if I put more standard rubber rather than the softer compounds the old girl would just spin the rubber off coming off the corners rather than hook up better with the softer compounds so if all I could get was 2000 miles per tire anyway might as well put the tires on that hooked up the best right?

Needless to say I have some of the best sportbike types of roads in the country all around me and haulin that heavy girl down entering in the corners was costing me a set of front brake pads about once a month as well.

I also experienced marriage difficulties because of the Fj, granted it was my fault because I was gone on it ALL the time if I was not working and finally my wife gave me the ultimatum either the bike went or she did! Well I did miss her at times but the Fj kept me occupied just fine!

Finally got the bug about a year later and sold the Fj to one of my good friends and riding buddies and decided it was time for a new FZR 1000 and once that bike had been tricked out totally different world. Over the years I have had everything from Virago's, v-maxes, R1's, Venture touring bikes, dualsports you name it. But even throughout the years the FJ had always had a sweet spot and although it is excellent at actually nothing it is durn good doing well in a lot of directions all at the same time and as a general overall streetbike was always my favorite bike out of all of the bikes I had owned.

So about 3 1/2 years ago I sold my R1 and sold my Venture and bought another '86 FJ1200 that only had 10,000 miles on her and had been kept inside her whole life. These days I have slowed downed in my riding pace drastically (Main reason I did not keep the R1!) and ride the old girl at a much more mellow pace than years ago and I can honestly say that it still brings a smile to my face just like it did years ago! Granted she is a pig as far as handling, acceleration and stopping compared to the R1 and she is not as comfy as the Venture with the electronic cruise and 6 disc CD player on the interstate but she is more comfy by a long shot than the R1 and handles and accelerates lightyears above the Venture, she is just the PERFECT all around streetbike!

[Bob]

I bought my '93 new in '96, delivered on the Ides of March.  First thing I did was put on my helmet, fire up the bike, pull in the clutch, and put it in gear... and almost dropped it when it lurched forward.  The clutch was stuck; no way to ride it.  The dealer came back, took the bike, and brought it back the next day, and I finally got to ride it.   

That was the first of many more mechanical problems with the FJ.  I know they have a reputation for being rock solid reliable, but I figure mine was built on a Friday before a long weekend.  And then it sat at a dealer for a few years before I got it.

I suspect the problems were my FJ's way of bonding with me: all the work I've had to do to it made us close.  And then I went a bit nuts with all the mods.  Now, it's my unique FJ.  Can't imagine ever getting rid of it. 

I'm the only owner, and aside from some test rides, my butt has been the only one on the seat.  We'll probably ride into the sunset together.   

[FJato]

Well I didn't by my current '92 FJ1200 new, but I loaned my dad the money for a down payment on his new FJ1100 in 1984 – does that count?

He didn't want my mom to know what he was up to, and couldn't take the money out of the account without her knowing. It sure put me in a tough position as a 19 year old (who happened to have a bought a brand new 1983 Kawasaki GPz 750 months earlier). It's not surprising that my parents didn't make it much longer after that.

I remember marveling over how wide the back tire was. It was wider than the tires on my mom's Mercury Lynx. Who could've predicted that that was just the beginning!

As payment for the loan, I got to ride the FJ a couple of times. It was much faster than my 750, but I didn't much care for the 16" front wheel or the anti-dive, both of which were corrected on my '92 model.

When it came time for my dad to sell his '84 about 10 years ago, he chose not to tell me or my brother so that we wouldn't fight over who had first dibs (I did).

Last year, while BS'ing with one of the guys at work, I found out that he had a '92 that he'd parked due to leaky fork seals. He was a new father of two young children, and the bike had to go. Most of us have been there (my '83 GPz went on the chopping block, now replaced with an '84 model), but this time I was on the other end...with cash in hand!

[thkfast]

Summer of 1984.  Fresh out of college and working in Duncan, OK.  It had been a year since I sold my 1980 GS1100E and I had the itch bad.  I was pouring over all the magazine tests of the superbikes of that era and every magazine agreed the new Yamaha FJ1100 was the tits.  Each night after I'd get off work at 11pm I'd press my nose up against the window of the Yamaha dealer and drool over the new silver/red '84 FJ1100 they had on display.  One night I was actaully pulled over by a police officer who thought I was casing the dealership...I explained to him I was just looking at my dream bike...nuff said, he understood.  I was a 24 year old man on a mission.  Somehow I managed to round up the $4,900 and bought that FJ1100.  Rode the wheels off it!  Mounted some soft luggage and headed from OK to the west coast and up to northern CA.  I eventually put a V&H 4 into 1 on it when the stock pipes rusted out and sold it in 1987 when oh no, Yamaha came out with the all new FZR1000. 

Comfort took a backseat to arm stretching acceleration and razar sharp handling...and no doubt the FZR1000 was the best.  Oh no.  In 1989 Yamaha totally revamped the FZR and in 1989 I just had to buy the newest FZR1000 - a red/wht/blue beauty that to this day rivals the FJ11, in my mind, as one of the prettiest J-model sport bikes made.  I kept that '89 FZR longer than any previous bike I had owned.  Oh no.  In 1998 Yamaha pulled a fast one on me.  The all new YZF-R1.  Holy crap an honest to God racebike for the street. Okay I'll trade the FZR in on that!  The owner of the Yamaha dealership even told me before we wrapped up the deal, "Go ahead and take the R1 for a ride and make sure IT'S WHAT YOU WANT."  Oh I was in wheelie heaven that day and there began the gradual back breaking trend - '98 R1, '02 GSX-R1000, '06 ZX-10R Ninja...then wait!  2006 I walk into my local dealership and what do I see?  A like-new 1985 red/wht FJ1100 - 15,000 miles for $2,500 (pocket change, right?!)  I take a test ride to make sure everything works and oh the memories!  Bam, done, I buy it on the spot.  So now I'm 46 years old and riding a near-replica of the bike I bought 22 years earlier.  At the time in addition to the FJ11 I also owned an '04 Suzuki Marauder cruiser and the ZX-10R Ninja.  I sold both of those and rode the FJ11 exclusively for 2 years.  In 2008 I realized if the FJ11 is good, surely the more modern FJ1200 would be good-er.  So began my year long search for the finest '89-'93 FJ1200 I could afford.  In Fall of 2008 I located the bike - a 1993 FJ1200 with 12,000 miles, totally stock and included a few farkles. I drove from IA to OH to check it out and trailered it home.  I sold the '85 FJ11 to a good fella out in SC and have been riding in bliss for the last 2 years. 

Oh no.

A few months ago a genius friend of mine suggested I test ride the "modern equivolent" of an FJ12...a Kawasaki Concours14.  Test rode a pre-owned '09 C14 and ohhhhh so comfy... what a cool adjustable windshield...steam roller grunt from that beast of a motor...only $8,000?  Okay, I bought it.  So now I'm switching off between the C14 and the ole' FJ12.  See BIKES FOR SALE if you want in on the action!

Great stories guys!

[DailyDriver]

I bought my current and only FJ new. I was looking at a Kawasaki Zephyr 1200 but got a better deal on the FJ. It's a 90' model year that sat on the dealer floor for a while. I bought it new in 93'. Nobody but me has ridden it. I'm glad I made the choice to go with the FJ. 

It is now a salvage title as I wrecked it back in 2000' and resurrected it with the money from the insurance. (I wasn't going to give up on an old friend.)

A couple of years ago the gas tank collapsed due to a faulty tank vent which forced me to buy a used tank off of eBay of a different color. I gradually collected all matching body work off eBay and now it is Yamaha black/blue.


BEFORE:



What can happen to a near empty tank not properly vented after a ride on a hot day.



AFTER:

[carsick]

Really? Excuse me while I go remove my tank vent. Yowza! The awesome power of atmospheric pressure.
Doug

[Mark Olson]

wow, was something sitting on the tank ? like a tank bag.

gotta go check my vent now as well.

[DailyDriver]

wow, was something sitting on the tank ? like a tank bag.

No, nothing. I got back home late one afternoon after a short ride after work on a hot summer day. The engine was hot and the tank was less than a quarter full. I got up the next morning, went out into the cool garage my jaw dropped. Hard to believe I know.

[84and91FJFreak]

Back in 84 I, like many of you, read Cycle World and Rider and MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News) When I opened the issue that had spy pictures of the FJ1100 I was hooked and done. By the time they got the first review published I was fit to be tied. Here I was this 17 year old High school student riding a 79 KZ650 with my buddies who were on GS1150E and a Yamaha  XS Eleven.  They killed me on the Friday night drags from Sonic to the car wash. But all of us ate up the hot rod cars of course. I was almost a daily visitor to the local Yamaha dealer. I'd sit there on the FJ dreaming of the rides we would soon be on as I was saving every penny for a down payment. I had 700 dollars saved and figured with my next pay check I would head down and live the dream!!!!!!!!  That week a buddy of mine got his brothers YZ490 given to him but couldn't get it running so he came got me. After sitting down for 3 hours cleaning and adjusting I got that beast fired up and running. Well we lived on the edge of town and a new housing development was going up right next to us. they had the street curbs  and alleys in but only a couple frames started so I clicked it in gear and ripped down an empty ally down 1.2 a mile and turned around to head back when I saw the lights flashing. I turned off the bike and got ready to listen to the nice mans scolding and get the bike back to my buddies garage, right? No way, this young Mexican cop jumps out screaming and holding his hip like he was going to draw on me. By the time he was done writing tickets I had 5 No helmet under 18 (no license on me) no registration , no insurance and exhibition of speed (wheelies). All totaled up to just over 500.00 is fines and gone were my dreams of a new 1984 FJ1100. I swore sooner or later I'd have my mint FJ1100 and was on the hunt. In 1989 in Germany I bought a brand new 1990 ZX-7 and rode the crap out of it. Fantastic machine but still not my dream FJ.  In 2001 a buddy who knew I was looking for a like new FJ called me up and told me an older guy had a FJ in his garage and wanted it gone. When I went to see it I was disappointed it wasn't an 84 but it rather a 1991 with just over 8K miles on it. A guy had bought it and dumped it in a parking lot, replaced the lower fairing and traded it in on a boat. My friends buddy owned the shop and put the bike in his garage for 10 years. It was covered in inches of dust and had a half tank of fuel in it. I asked him what he wanted for it and he said $1600.00 and it's yours. I was back with a buddy and trailer within the hour and did the deal. Got it home washed and waxed her cleaned the carbs and she was ready to run. She was everything I'd dreamed the FJ would be and more. But also that next week a low mile 84 came up for auction in Milwaukee. it had 24K on it and after speaking with the guy on the phone I was set on winning it. It wasn't mint but was close enough for me and with a mint 91 in my garage I could refurbish this one to like new amd not miss a moment of riding. With me here?  lol.  I won the bike bought a one way ticket to Wisconsin and rode her home.  Here it was 2001 and I was finally living my dream of me and my 84 FJ1100 riding across America I rode thru tornado warnings, down pours and sunshine  just having the time of my life!!!!  I even swung by my child hood town and rode to the Yamaha dealer and my old neighbor hood and High school Friday night strip.

AHHH Life is grand but I can't imagine how much better it would have been had I gotten my baby new back in 1984.

This past month July of 2010 I bid and bought my 2nd 1984 FJ1100 of Ebay it was in better condition and closer to new than my other one. I got it in Colorado Springs and rode it back to Phoenix with a mile wide smile on my face. My garage looks great with 3 FJ's and my ZX-7 sitting beside my "obtainable" dream car my Corvette. I have been blessed but I will still continue to look and who knows maybe one day I'll find that showroom perfect specimen. I'd also like to find that punk ass cop, It would be worth the few nights in jail.

Its fun to read stories from you other FJ fanatics, It makes me feel less abnormal than I one felt.  

[milehighFJ]

I started with an 85 FJ 1100 at Boulder Yamaha that I believe was $4200 new. Sold it to purchase a 66 Hi-Po Mustang for $7K (now worth $35K). About 2 years later, got the bug again, back to Boulder Yamaha and puchased a new (in the box) 86 FJ 1200 in 1989 for $4500, I believe. I have had several great bikes since those fond memories in the mid to late 80's, however I have now gone back to an FJ. I found a one owner, 14K miles, dark blue 89 that is showroom. It's really great being back.

[carsick]

But you kept the stang- right??