tires

[Mattman]

Hi FJ lovers,

I purchased this FJ in December and have gone through the carbs. valve adjustment,  wiring ect.ect. Everything is looking pretty good now after plenty of work. It looked like decent tires on it and the front is a new looking Dunlop sportmax roadsmart ll Radial 120/70 ZR17. date code is 2715 (27th week of 2015). When I checked the back tire I found a dunlop sport touring Radial 150/80ZR 16 date code is 1700. Has decent tread life but if I understand right this tire is 17 years old! ugh well, What do you guys suggest to put on the back that goes with the newer dunlop radial on the front? I see very limited choices and I thought You would know. Thanks for any of your Ideas!

Matt

[fj1289]

I sense pending moditis!  A 17" rear wheel conversion...

[Mattman]

lol sounds expensive, plus I have an ABS bike, not in the budget so Ill get what ever I can get in the size wheel I have. 

[Country Joe]

Then you are pretty much stuck with the Avon Storm 3D X-M tire. Does your ABS still function? I ask because that is almost unheard of.

[Mattman]

Ok the avon storm it is! I can lock up the rear wheel so I guess the ABS does not work.lol BUT I want to make it operable again. I dont know YET how to troubleshoot the system. Any Ideas?

[racerrad8]

Matt,

I recommend the Avon tires for both front and rear of you bike.

Randy - RPM

[Mattman]

Thanks Randy. I dont want to buy two tires right now, I have a nice low mileage dunlop in the front, Maybe for a couple thousand miles I can combine the rear Avon with the front. What do you think about it?

Matt

[racerrad8]

That rear tire is old. I would not ride on it personally.

Putting the Avon on the rear will work with newer, old front tire.

Randy - RPM

[Mattman]

cool thank you!

[Pat Conlon]

I continue to be impressed  with the Avon Storm 3D radial tire in the oem 150/80-16 size.
Yes, it's a big heavy donut of a tire, but if this tire technology had been around 15 years ago, I don't think I would have seen the need to convert to a 17" rim.

Kudos to Avon for thinking of (and investing in) a modern tire sized for our FJ's

[Mattman]

Thanks Pat, Im in....

[Mattman]

I just ordered the Avon Storm 3D X-M Tire
Wheel Location: Rear / Tire Size: 150/80ZR16 71W

159.32 delivered from revzilla
I wonder what the date code will read?
lol

[PaulG]

Ok the avon storm it is! I can lock up the rear wheel so I guess the ABS does not work.lol BUT I want to make it operable again. I dont know YET how to troubleshoot the system. Any Ideas?

I have a '92 ABS and the system still works fine for me. Possibly a near extinct species. The only time it screwed up on me was because of a crappy battery. One summer I cheaped out and got a no-name battery which would never hold a charge for more than a week.  It was a rainy summer so I didn't ride much and thought it was just from sitting too long between rides. When charged up, the bike seemed to run fine but my ABS light started to flash.  Thought it was pooched until I traced it to the shitty battery.  So if your battery is not charging properly that could be a reason.

If your light isn't flashing the bulb could be burned out. I'm guessing it should flash for any fault.

If it's not the battery then most times its probably the wheel sensors. If you want to take a chance and buy some off ebay and swap them out, that's about the only thing you can do. It could be something as simple as a blown fuse or it could be the ECU module under the tail, the servo pump.... how far do you want to chase this?

Personally I would only go as far as swapping out sensors if there isn't a fuse issue. Everything else is too expensive to replace, if you can find anything that still works. If you remove it you will shed 20-30 lbs from the bike.

I'm at work now so I can't check the factory service manual for a troubleshooting guide  (if there is one). If I find one I'll post it up or pm you if you like.

[Mattman]

Hi Paul,
Since i got this bike a couple months ago I have proven the abs dash light works (put it on the center stand and run the rear wheel the abs light will flash) normal according to the manual. Once riding the bike the light does not go on.  I did read some manual troubleshooting info. There is also as I understand a yamaha tester? to plug into the loose multi round plug behind the right side cover to test it. nice to have that tester! The wheel sensor's  as far as I know is a magnet and they both look fine. The previous owner changed the front calipers to R1 and maybe the system just needs some bleeding I don't know the brakes seem to work fine but I am yet to put some real miles on the bike to get a feel on how the brakes really work. Who knows if I ride it a bit flush the brake fluid the system may come around. lol well Ill keep you updated when we finally get some good weather. It does have a new cheapo battery but it seems to hold a charge the last couple months so far............Im curious how to check the system? try and skid the back tire? because I wouldn't  want to try to skid the front tire! lol The dash light is supposed to come on if the system is not working but maybe that system does not work? Of course I think it will be something simple....I hope anyway Ill check the fuse and the charging system just because...Have you ever replaced a sensor? Thanks for your input I appreciate knowing someone with the same bike!

Matt

[PaulG]

What I will do.sometimes is test it out on some gravel. A driveway, sideroad or shoulder will do.  You only have to be going 10-20 mph. Just give the brake a quick squeeze and you'll feel a pulse through the lever, as the pump engages.

Any rough pavement in the area - like where the pot hole patches look like the road has been cluster bombed - works too. On rough pavement you'd want to be going a little faster so the suspension gets a good workout so the front wheel will lose some grip.

Obviously try this when there is nil traffic around or in a mall parking lot early on a Sunday morning.

I should put a disclaimer in that if you decide to do this I shall in no way be liable for anything.... right?    Sounds like I'm telling you to deliberately try and crash - but done in a safe area it should be fine. Build up your speed a bit over a couple of tries. If the ABS doesn't kick in then you'll know for sure.

Better to find out at 20mph than at 80mph that your ABS is non functional.