What is it that attracted you to the FJ?

[Tor-King]

I have been wondering this for the last 30 years.  I have ventured away temporarily but keep coming back.  I bought my first in 1989 and now have two.  I know we are all avid collectors and riders of this masterpiece but I would like to know what attracted forum members to the FJ.
Was it the wonderful torquey engine?
Was it the timeless design?
Was it the comfort of all day touring?
Was it the ease of working on and maintaining? 

Inquiring minds want to know.  For me, it was the beautiful lines and the gorgeous looking and performing engine.

Dean

[FJ_Hooligan]

It was an incredible bike when it came out in 1984.  It was beautiful and all the magazine reviews were raves. 

In the era of the new Honda V4s, the mags were amazed that the somewhat "standard" specs of the FJ motor could produce that kind of performance.

I really wanted one but waited until they worked out all the bugs and pulled the trigger in '85.

(yanking Pat's chain)

[FJmonkey]

I really wanted one but waited until they worked out all the bugs and pulled the trigger in '85.

(yanking Pat's chain)

You should yank his ear, he seems to have found an extra one some time back. 

[Urban_Legend]

For me it was sort of economic/opportunistic. In 2014  I was after a project to play with ( was looking for a Cb 4/750) and.came across 2 FJ11's junkers, and made one good one out of the 2.  I fell in love with it the first time i heard it run. And now I have 2 FJ's

Mark

[Pat Conlon]

Swear to God I can still smell it.....

I'm coming for you....you know who you are....and you know that I know....be afraid, be very afraid.
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Back in 1983 I had been reading some teasers about this new Yamaha...no pictures yet, just some press releases on the tech stuff.
Like, the new *narrow* DOHC 1100cc I4 engine from Yamaha. Hmmmm so they put the generator behind the cylinders and not on the side like my old Honda CB750?
Then came this wacky perimeter frame concept....hmmm, no backbone? How does that work?
Then the Pro Link single shock swing arm...hmmmm, only one shock? On a street bike? Are you sure? Aren't twin shocks better? More stable? All your eggs in one basket? What happens if the single shock fails? Do you crash?
What about this rear shock design? Voodoo magic? By twisting a knob, you can adjust spring preload, compression and rebound at the same time?
The hydraulic anti dive actuators on the front forks, hmmmm...I've seen that on racing bikes.
150/80-16 rear tire? That's huge!
A 16" front tire? Isn't that kinda small? That's weird.
V rated tires for speeds above 130mph? ABOVE 130 mph? WTF, are they selling street bikes now with racing tires on them? That's crazy stuff. How fast will this new bike go?
Vented brake rotors? Like I have on my car? Actual cooling vents between each face of the rotor?

Then....I saw my first picture of the 1984 FJ1100. The rectangular headlight, the compound curve of the windscreen. The chin fairing. The oil cooler. The tank, the seat, the aluminum side plates, even the little lip spoiler on the rear cowl.
oooooh.....The Stormy Red and Quartz Silver colors....

Wow, what a bitchen looking bike. I started (secretly) saving up for it. I bought the first bike in the SoCal region from Champion Motorcycles in Costa Mesa. They called me when the crate was delivered. I helped un pack the bike. I bought 4 pizzas as a bribe for the mechanics so they would let me hang around and watch while they put her together.

My first ride, up and down Newport Blvd, I knew the bike was special.
I was very glad I did not buy that Honda VFR500.

[4everFJ]

Nostalgia...

It was the bike my friends and I all wanted when we were young in the mid-80's.

A little more than a year ago, I finally bought one and have now pumped a lot of money in it and upgraded suspension, brakes, clutch, tires, exhaust, etc., etc...

It is a nice powerful bike, but having ridden my friends newer bikes (VFR800, FJR1300, CBR1000, FZ-07), I must say that the FJ really shows its age, it is a heavy old lump and handling/power is far from that of more modern bikes.

So, I like it for nostalgic reasons, but for the next season I will buy a new bike and the FJ will be my 2nd choice (when I get nostalgic..).

[aviationfred]

I bought the first bike in the SoCal region from Champion Motorcycles in Costa Mesa.

I was very glad I did not buy that Honda VFR500.

Pat,

I did buy the VF500F Interceptor from Champion Motorcycles in Costa Mesa.....  It was a couple of years later in 1986.

Two years later, I was in Jacksonville, NC and a used 1985 FJ1100 showed up for sale at a used bike and accessory shop. I immediately fell in love with it and told the store manager....This is going to be mine, do not sell it (the manager and I were close friends). My Honda was paid for and all I needed to do was sell it so I had some cash for the 1100. The parts and sales girl at the store heard all of this and told me she would buy my Honda.

Over the span of a week, the Honda was sold, and I got a very small loan to cover the difference that the cash from the Honda sale didn't cover, and suddenly, at 22 years old, I was an FJ owner.

To answer the post, The big horse power of the engine was a given, but for me, coming from the 500 was 2 things.
1. The bike was greatly more comfortable than the 500, I felt like I could ride all day.
2. The FJ had more range than the 500. I regularly made a 300 mile ride from Jacksonville, NC., to Beaufort, SC. On the FJ, I could do it on 1 stop in Charleston, SC for gas.


Fred

[Steve_in_Florida]

My car experiences have been MG Midget and VW Air-Cooled.

Really, really fresh to riding in `93, the FJ was my second bike, quickly following an XS-400. A good deal from a co-worker put me on a `90 FJ set up for touring, hard bags and all.

Living in Germany at the time, the FJ test ride was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Wide open autobahn, and not a speed limit for MILES! (well, technically kilometers...)

Been hooked ever since.

Still have an air-cooled VW camper, and an MG Midget for daily driving.

Old, cheap, utilitarian, and parts are plentiful.

The FJ is a two-wheeled version along that theme. Heavy hauler. One or two up. Luggage or not. Fast (enough) and fun!

Did we mention the OTHER fans of these bikes? EXCELLENT group of people.

What more could you ask for?

Smiles for miles...

Steve

[Dads_FJ]

I was in the market for a "large displacement bike" when I moved to the country where all the speed limits are over 55mph.  I was considering all makes & models but knew a friend had an '84 FJ as part of his collection that wasn't being used.  I sold my own collection (Two RD400s, Montesa, Bultaco... 13 bikes in all) and bought the FJ, that was about 20 years ago.  I didn't really have an appreciation for it until I owned it and realized what it was capable of. 

[fj1289]

I've been on street bikes since getting a "motor driven cycle" license at 14.  I traded my first car for a still new 1982 Yamaha 650 Seca my senior year in high school in 1985.  LOVED that bike - stepped up from a 1970 Honda CB450.  The thought of a bigger and better version of that bike had me lusting after FJs.  I didn't end up with an FJ until early 2000 (maybe 2001?).  Bought a "rolling basket case" '89 for $800.  Had a host of electrical ills I eventually sorted out.  That's been it ever since.  Daily driver, drag racer, lots of mods, setup for Bonneville, and has been idle now for over a year while the focus (and some parts!) have been on the race bike.  Time to get it back on the street where it belongs!  

It has to be that big lump of an air cooled engine that keeps me hooked on FJs - that and they respond well to simple modifications - engine and chassis - that they make you feel like you helped create the machine you're riding - like you are a part of it -- instead of just being some fashion accessory you buy, play with for a while, and then move on when you get bored. 

[Tor-King]

I've been on street bikes since getting a "motor driven cycle" license at 14.  I traded my first car for a still new 1982 Yamaha 650 Seca my senior year in high school in 1985.  LOVED that bike - stepped up from a 1970 Honda CB450.  The thought of a bigger and better version of that bike had me lusting after FJs.  I didn't end up with an FJ until early 2000 (maybe 2001?).  Bought a "rolling basket case" '89 for $800.  Had a host of electrical ills I eventually sorted out.  That's been it ever since.  Daily driver, drag racer, lots of mods, setup for Bonneville, and has been idle now for over a year while the focus (and some parts!) have been on the race bike.  Time to get it back on the street where it belongs!  

It has to be that big lump of an air cooled engine that keeps me hooked on FJs - that and they respond well to simple modifications - engine and chassis - that they make you feel like you helped create the machine you're riding - like you are a part of it -- instead of just being some fashion accessory you buy, play with for a while, and then move on when you get bored. 

Chris, I could not have said it better myself. Just AWESOME!  This encapsulates everything I see in the FJ.  The FJ has withstood the test of time.  It is sure not high tech by any means but it definitely stirs the soul.  Every other motorcycle I try is "meh" and indifferent.  Many have little to offer that would make me part with my FJ's.  This rolling piece of art is not "some fashion accessory you buy, play with for a while, and then move on when you get bored." 

[rktmanfj]

What is it that attracted me to the FJ?

• Articles like this dangled the hook
• Sitting inside an ice cream parlor on a bright sunny day, and noticing the very nicely kept '86 parked right out front got me to bite
• But, it was getting a test ride on one and just cracking lid on the kookaloo box a little bit that set the hook

I soon had a nice two year old '89, and have had it ever since (well, at least the parts of it I still have).

She's never failed to get me home.

[ribbert]

I had a $5000 budget (2008), it had to be Japanese and it had to big capacity. The more I searched and read the more the FJ firmed as the favourite.

The first one I looked at had just over 30k (km's) on it, never dropped, perfect paint, lived indoors and only dealer servicing. I had to ride 5 kms down a heavily cambered gravel (slippery) road to find some bitumen for a test ride, I didn't want to take it back and almost got my wish, getting a bit cocky on the gravel on the way back.

The front brake lever was bent beyond reach from a stationary fall over. I asked him about it and he said it had been like that for years but it didn't matter. He then leaned in towards me to get my attention and said "Son, never use the front brake on a motorbike, especially in an emergency" WTF? How was this guy still alive?

I've put about 125,000 km on it since and loved every single one of them, what a machine.

It was a great choice.

Noel

[turbocamino]

I have had too many bikes to count now...5 being FJ's , and the only ones i can ride all day (8-9 hours) and not feel beat up. The reach to the pegs and to the h/bars fits me perfectly. The seats are pretty good too...First one,i fell into a deal at the bike shop i was working at part-time...customer didnt want to spent the cash to fix the head issues on his 84 had and i got it for 800...it had a nice straight supper-trapp on it and paint was good. The order...= 84,91,87,84,89.

[jscgdunn]

One day a number of years ago my son brought home an 83 Yamaha 400 DOHC.  Not running and no airbox, and a few other bits missing.  While chasing parts I stumbled upon two exact same bikes that were disassembled.  Ended up buying them both....Got the first one running; took it for a ride and decided I too needed a motorcycle.  Built a second 400 out of the parts bikes and my other son started off on it.

Did a bunch of research and the FJ kept coming up as the best value, by far.  Relatively plentiful, simple, bullet proof, and of course they look great.  I was able to by an 84 in very good condition (only 43,000 KM) for only $1500 CDN....then a 92 for only $1300.  Of course moditis immediately set in: the 84 got 89 wheels and forks and blue spots. 

The next summer my oldest son  bought the 84 and still rides it.  My younger son ended up with a 90 1200.  I now have two modded (suspension and wheels) 92s, and a 91 parts bike (and a bunch of collected spare parts).  My brother has an 89 1200.  And a very good friend of mine has two 89s and his son also has an 84.  We all love the these bikes. 

This forum has added a great dimension to ownership and thanks again to everyone for all their help!