Greetings from Massachusetts

[captaudi]

Hey guys,

I just started posting. Been a lurker from the inception.

My story is as follows. Here I am working at the Audi dealer circa 2002. One of the other techs has an 89 FJ1200 repainted to match my 85 RZ350 Kenny Roberts. At lunch I continue to look and drool. One day he tosses me the key and says, it's for sale give it a try. I take off for a long lunch going easy but enjoying the freight train stability and inherent nimbleness for a 1200cc bike of the 80's. All back roads 40-50 mph and getting better all the time. I get back on RT 9 in Natick to go back to the dealership and roll 2nd gear to WOT and experience kookaloo for the first time. Gone is the 6k rpm bumblebee of the RZ and replaced by the big block torque of the FJ. I easily crack 120 MPH before getting on the binders to turn into the dealership. I spend the rest of the day accomplishing nothing. I can not get the FJ out of my mind.

That night over dinner I mention it to the wife. Amazingly she says. "Go for it" I get work the next day and tell the owner it is sold. He comes back with he has given it to his brother in law, sorry. I crash. I spend the next 4 months reading and watching eBay. I miss out on 2 low mileage 89's local to me. I fall into despair. another month passes, I get to work one morning and check eBay. In front of me is a pristine 93 with 8k miles, buy it now 2500.00. Lets just say you could smell the plastic burning from the VISA card. Now the hard part, the bike is in Chicago. How to get it home. As luck would have it a friend in Chicago rides a FJ1349 built on an FJ1100. The deal is quickly made. He will deliver the bike to me in 1 month when he comes east for other reasons.

Now I wait, and wait and wait...

He arrives on a Friday night at 8:00, torrential downpours. I decide I have to ride it immediately. The bike is so waterlogged from the trailer it will hardly run. The next morning dawns bright and clear. After 20 minutes of running in the driveway it runs prefect. I gear up and go for a 1 tank ride. It is heaven. I ride the rest of the season and begin the slippery slope of mods.

First is the FZR1000 5.5" rear wheel with a chunky 180/55 pilot road. Next I make the friendship of Jon Cain. He convinces me I really need R1 monblocks. OK, sounds good to me. Add an FZR1000 3.5" front wheel, Vance and Hines ss2r exhaust and Hank Scott jets and here I am at 62K miles. Still smiling and in love.

Great to make the acquaintance of all of you guys. I have been on the Yahoo list since I bought the bike, but as a lurker. Looking forward to being part of the fraternity and doing to weekend rides in New England with other FJ owners.

Cheers, and kookaloo

Daniel Jones (Dan)

[carsick]

 Congrats on shedding the cloak of lurkers Dan!
Excellent introduction. Sounds like you have all the same symptoms as the rest of us. And years of FJ cred to back you up. It would be great to meet up and put some miles on, say the word when it's time!
Doug

[captaudi]

Where are you man? I will be looking for day rides on the weekends all year from mid March to end of October.

Cheers,

Dan

[carsick]

 I'm about 150 mi. north of the Mass. border in Cabot, VT. And whereabouts are you?  It will be at least a month before the FJ is roadworthy, still dealing with issues from the previous owners, so we'll have to wait a bit. Just wouldn't be cool to show up on my Honda! Nice to see another wrench on here, although I've let my ASE certifications lapse, been out of the trade for 8 years.
Doug

[captaudi]

Hey Doug, I am in Shrewsbury next to Worcester. You are up in God's country. I have been going to Lake Willoughby for about 30 years now. We spend a week up near the North end of the lake every year in late July. I have not yet brought the FJ up there (wife gets mad about the thought of it). Maybe this year I will bring it and we can do a day ride.

Cheers,

Dan

[carsick]

 I notice you specified the North end of Lake Willoughby, trying to distance youself from the nude beach on the South end? Definitely some good open roads for riding up there!  No need to create strife on the homefront for a day ride though. Family first, bike second, work a distant third. So is this topic creeping toward the "join me for a day ride" heading or what?

[ssuv93]

Welcome captaudi!
   Sorry for being so late on the official welcome.  I worked on an Audi ONCE.  I used to do hobby work on old Jaguars and I thought  that would qualify to at least look at a friends 86.  I drove it to my house, and while it idled in the dooryard while I opened the garage, It burnt . All i could do was pop the door and let loose the parking brake while a friend tried one of those tiny little red fire extinguishers, for about 2 seconds.  Firetrucks and neighbors, red and blue lights and police.  "are you operating an unlicensed repair facility son?" etc.  (a 58 Mark II sedan (mine),a 62 XKE (brother's)and an off road truck I had built where in the drive way also.)  My Audi friend failed :good:to tell me about the oil leak(rear main seal?) that dripped liberally onto the catalytic converter.
  Good endings however.  He bought the car for $1000, they appraised it at $3500 and he gave me a few bucks for the hassle.
                                Murray from Maine