New member from Arizona

[GaryL22]

Welcome Gary! Always, always carry a pair of soft ties. Tuck these away in your tail cowl.
In the unlikely event you have to tow your bike (via flat bed) these will save your front fairing.
The tow trucks do not carry these. They have a large 4" strap and hook they use which *will* damage the lower edge of the fairing.



Tips on desert summer riding: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...start before your ride. Eat a banana.
If you wait until you're into the ride and thirsty, you will be behind the time curve and you will not catch up.
Your kidney's will thank you.

Take the #37.5 pilot jets out and throw them away. Install at least #40 pilots, or better #42.5
Your engine will thank you.

Cheers  Pat

Hello Pat,
Thanks for the tips. I actually have the straps already and I'll stuff them in the trunk. Thanks for the carb jetting tips, I need to locate a good cheap set of carb synchronizer gauges as well.

Tonight I changed the oil and filter and disassembled almost the entire fairing to get to a loose turn signal screw that was causing it to rattle. When it was apart I remove the clear plastic cover cleaned an odd sticky film that was clouding up my gauges. Now they are crystal clear. Gary

[GaryL22]

Thanks for the tip on the Delkivic slip-ons, they look similar and are SS to boot.

Gary, I can't speak highly enough of the Delkevic mufflers, these photos were taken only a few weeks back and they have 100k on them.

They are solid and despite some road strikes the casings remain entirely tight and intact.

                   

Noel

After a break in period of probably 5k (they get louder) the sound has remained constant over all that time.

Great product and well priced.

Hello,
Thanks for the photos. Just curious, are the road strikes on the bottom or on the sides from cornering? Does the motor gain any torque with the slip-ons or is it all for sound and top end?

I think I am definitely ordering some soon when they get them back in stock. I wear earplugs under my helmet and I cannot hear the exhaust or motor to catch the optimum shift points. On a long ride today (with the FJ's tractor like torque) I found myself forgetting to downshift and rolling up to stops in 5th... I guess I forgot I wasn't in my car.

[Mark Olson]

Well everybody is sounding off with some tips for ya.

On the clunk into 1st gear , all FJ's do that and there is nothing to worry about. Keep the idle up where it is or the engine will start making other noises that will freak you out . like the starter chain ... will rattle with a low rpm.

Good advice from Pat on the pilot jets.  With the heat you have there go with the 42.5 you can get them from the RPM webstore.

[GaryL22]

Well everybody is sounding off with some tips for ya.

On the clunk into 1st gear , all FJ's do that and there is nothing to worry about. Keep the idle up where it is or the engine will start making other noises that will freak you out . like the starter chain ... will rattle with a low rpm.

Good advice from Pat on the pilot jets.  With the heat you have there go with the 42.5 you can get them from the RPM webstore.

Thanks for all the help and advice!! I did lower the idle slightly. I will raise it back.

I also lowered the shifter and that helped my shifting precision greatly. I have a 36" inseam and in the last 20 years I must have lost some range of motion in my ankles. I had it all the way down and it was still too high, I had move it on the shaft a few degrees to get it lower yet. I also lowered the brake pedal but the tail light quit so I put it back, I'll figure out how to adjust the brake light sensor later.

I'm assuming 42.5 is richer? I "think" the bike sounds and smells like it may be running a tad rich right now, I wonder If the previous owner may have changed it. Back in the 80's we used to change the jets in the snowmobiles for the mountain trips all the time so I kind of remember what you are talking about.

The next thing I will work on will be replacing the front brake lines. Would RPM know the lengths or will I need to measure? Also there are 2 guys parting out R1's on AZ Craigslist so I may swap the calipers at the same time. Gary

[Mark Olson]

sounds good.

on the brake calipers , don't get the the radial mount ones. no worky

[red]

The clutch disk mod sounds smart. The motor idles a little faster after it warms up fully and clunks into 1st gear if you are not precise. I was thinking about backing down a few RPM. I have a digital tach but I have not hooked it up yet, the tach on the cycle looks like 1100+. The service manual say 950-1050.

Gary,

It's been said before, but shifting into First should not be a Clunk.  It is not really a matter of "precision."  When the motor is almost warmed up enough to ride (not when cold), pull the clutch handle and hold it.  Rev the engine a few times, not too aggressively, still holding the clutch handle disengaged, and let the engine come back down to idle.  Then shift into First.

The Clunk comes because the clutch plates are "stuck" together from sitting, and you are using the transmission gears to hammer them apart.  Warm oil and blipping the throttle gently are 'way better options than hammering the gears.

Alternately, you can put the bike into First before you start the engine, pull the clutch handle, and "rock" the bike forward and back until the clutch plates separate and the bike rolls freely.  Then shift to Neutral, and start the engine normally.

Either method should reduce the Clunk to a Click, which would be much nicer on the running gears.  If not, you may have dirty or warped clutch plates that need maintenance, or maybe you need to bleed the clutch hydraulics.  There is a bushing in the clutch handle that wears out, after a few decades of neglect, so lube or replace it, if needed.  Index #4 here:

http://www.2wheelpros.com/oem-parts/1991-yamaha-fj1200b-front-master-cylinder-2-assembly.html

Good luck with your "new"  FJ!    

[racerrad8]

 There is a bushing in the clutch handle that wears out, after a few decades of neglect, so lube or replace it, if needed...

On the shelf and ready to ship if needed; 86-93 Yamaha FJ Clutch Lever Brass Pivot

Randy - RPM

[GaryL22]

Thanks for all the advice! I bled the clutch and did not notice any difference so I ordered the brass bushing and a new clutch lever from RPM (My lever had some noticeable up and down play in it). They seemed to help a little.

I then tried bleeding the clutch again and this time I put a 1/2" thick piece of wood under the left center stand leg to lean the bike to the right. I also lightly tapped on the slave and lines to knock any bubbles loose. This time I noticed some fizz bleeding out. Wow! between the new parts and the rebleed, my bike really improved on the shifting especially noticeable on the downshifts, just quiet little clicks now and all sponginess in the lever is gone.

When I first brought the bike home I went to Autozone and bought the only motorcycle oil they had, It was Lucas 20w-50 motorcycle synthetic. Are there better oils for clutch performance? Is 20w-50 too heavy? Or is oil oil. I was thinking about trying plain old Yamalube regular oil next time.

Also, I found a nice set of vintage Cobra F1s pipes for my FJ. I plan to remove the decals, polish and repack them before I put them on with new gaskets. This will be my first try at repacking so I need to figure what packing material to put in them. I bought them off a running 91' so I know how they sound now and fit. They seemed a little louder than I remember but I may be just getting old. Gary

[Pat Conlon]

Yep..The Cobra's get louder as the packing blows out. Randy @ RPM has some high quality packing material he used on my Cobra F1-R's.

Previously when I repacked them I used some fiberglass mat used on dirt bikes, which lasted about 4 months before it blew out.

The FJ sure pumps out a lot of air.

[GaryL22]

Yep..The Cobra's get louder as the packing blows out. Randy @ RPM has some high quality packing material he used on my Cobra F1-R's.

Previously when I repacked them I used some fiberglass mat used on dirt bikes, which lasted about 4 months before it blew out.

The FJ sure pumps out a lot of air.

Do the Cobra's hold your center stand is a lower position? If so I think I may put a precision dent in the left can so the stand locks up in the stock position. Maybe it depends on the year of the bike too, mine is a 91'. Gary

[Pat Conlon]

Dunno, I don't have a center stand.
I use Pit Bull stands at home and a Snap Jack on the road.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-lift/snapjack-portable-jack-review/

[GaryL22]

Hello,
Tonight I changed my fuel filter with a factory Yamaha. The one I removed was clear plastic and had a visible metal screen inside, not factory, possible high performance filter?

When I had the tank off I was shocked to see the condition of the Carbs...they look Brand new, top to bottom. I was told they had been serviced shortly before I bought it but I had no more details than that. I don't know what the jetting is but my instincts and nose tell me it's running rich right now. Also when I was under the bike today I noticed the collector hanger or stay was missing (I found a new one local). The fact it's missing makes me suspect it had 4 in 1's or something before I bought it. I doubt it just fell off.

Also it has what I suspect is an aftermarket fuel pump. I'm attaching a photo, does this look OK? It runs for about 3 seconds every time I turn the key on and seems to be running quieter after I put the new fuel filter on?

These are my last questions in intro, I will move to service etc. in the future. Thanks! Gary



Condition of carbs..

[GaryL22]

Dunno, I don't have a center stand.
I use Pit Bull stands at home and a Snap Jack on the road.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-lift/snapjack-portable-jack-review/

The reason I originally bought my F1S's back in 92' on my 92' bike was it was parked in parking lot on the side stand and the stand punched through the black top and wrecked the factory pipe. The Cobra's were at the time were the cheapest fix and I ended up loving the sound and look of them. That happened when I lived in North Dakota where it was always cool outside compared to here. So I'm scared of the side stands, maybe I could weld a bigger pad on it etc.

[FJmonkey]

Gary, the fuel pump will run  for a few seconds when you switch on the ignition. It stops pumping for safety reasons till the motor is running, then pumps as required.  This is normal and good. Good catch on the collector fastener. A rich idle is not a bad thing, helps the cold starts and pisses off the tree huggers. Your plugs are the real tell if you are running rich.  

[Pat Conlon]

Yes, that's an aftermarket fuel pump. The oem Yamaha pumps have the inlet and outlet on the same end of the pump, both of which face forward.

If the pump works, good, leave it alone. Just be aware that sometimes the fuel pump can fail. Your bike will run out of gas. Get used to listening to the tell tale clicking indicating the fuel pump is active. In the unlikely event the fuel pump fails all you need to do is to clamp the inlet fuel line (from the tank) then disconnect the inlet and outlet fuel lines at the pump and connect them together with a male/male coupling. Keep this coupling in your tool pouch. The bike will now run on gravity flow to the carbs and this will get you home. Don't buy cheap Chinese eBay fuel pumps. Buy quality.

You can't go wrong with an oem Yamaha fuel filter. The purpose is to filter, something a screen can not do...

Good idea on moving your future questions over to the appropriate section. I was going to suggest that.

Cheers. Pat