Hi all!

[RobbieKNobbie]

Though I've 'met' a few of you guys already in my "considering an FJ" thread (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=17175.0, now that I've actually bought the bike, I though it would be time to introduce myself a little more formally...

I've been riding street bikes since my sixteenth birthday, 31 years ago, and it wasn't 'till I was 28 that I got a car license, so I racked a lot of miles early. Been through the MSF safety course twice (once to get my license, once to keep my wife company as she got hers. In that time, my major rides have been...
82 KZ550LTD (totaled by inattentive driver)
86 Yamaha 180 scooter (don't ask)
82 XZ500 Vision (Yamaha Vtwin, desperately under-rated bike. - sold to finance...)
83 VF750F Interceptor (sold)
86 KLR250 (sold)
68 CB350 (stolen, still cant figure out why though)
64 Ducati Monza (traded 'up' to...)
77 Ducati 500GTL (ugh. sold)
81/82 XT500 (stolen, wrecked, returned, fixed up, stolen again.)
86 CB700SC Nighthawk (sold)
82 XT550 (parted out)
00 GSF1200 Bandit (still have)
05 R1100S (lost in fire)
06 T100 Bonneville (lost in fire)
03 MZ Skorpion Tour (lost in fire)
91 Ninja 250 (fixed up, given to daughter)
and finally...
89 FJ1200

And there have been a lot of bikes bought just to flip, including...
91 Ninja 250 (fixed up, given to daughter)
6? Honda CA160
86/88 250 Rebel
8? Honda Hawk (actually lost money on that one)
83 XS650 Special(wish I'd kept)
82 GPz 550
Yam 850 triple (sold to a guy who stopped me *before* I even got it home. Literally rolled it off the back of my truck onto his)
87 600 Radian
78(?) CB400/4
and more that I cant recall on the spot. Most of those flips were done while I was in college

Now i'm a Mechanical Engineer, and own a small Automation/Machine Design shop outside Philadelphia. 3 kids, wife,dog, blah blah blah.

I've owned this FJ for four days now and I've already started replacing some of the heavy steel, under-stressed brackets etc with fabricated aluminum equivalents (i.e. exhaust pipe support that connects to the passenger foot peg). I'm a tinkerer at heart, but I also tend to appreciate stock machines more than massively customized bikes, so even though I have a full machine shop at my disposal, most changes to this bike will be smaller details, not wholesale changes. This winter I'm hoping to repaint the metallic blue/gold bike to the original '84 Red/silver - or as close as I can get considering the larger fairing etc.

That's more than enough about me, so... Hope to be around for a while, and perhaps meet up with some of you folks. And let me stress that I appreciate the help already given, and look forward to participating lots more as time permits!

[TexasDave]

Yes the red and silver is the best color for the FJ. Yamaha got it right the first year but I might be a bit biased with an 84.    As someone of the older persuasion I like smaller changes(improvements) that make our bikes better. We would appreciate any pictures of your mods please. This is from a person who can't even get one picture out of my gallery to use as my avatar.

Ride safe
Dave

[PaulG]

 

68 CB350 (stolen, still cant figure out why though)

Very popular for vintage class racing - chopped up for it's engine and frame?  How's that for closure...

Now i'm a Mechanical Engineer, and own a small Automation/Machine Design shop outside Philadelphia...

... I've already started replacing some of the heavy steel, under-stressed brackets etc with fabricated aluminum equivalents (i.e. exhaust pipe support that connects to the passenger foot peg). I'm a tinkerer at heart, but I also tend to appreciate stock machines more than massively customized bikes, so even though I have a full machine shop at my disposal...

Uh-Oh! You've let the cat out of the bag.  Don't get the impression that people will try to coerce you into a very unprofitable sideline of supplying custom bits for the rest of us... just sayin'...

Yes please - pics of your progress.   

[Charlie-brm]

Did you ever get writer's cramp from signing over all those ownerships?

Well, we've got the Yamaha triple in common, that's about it.
A 1979 XS750 Special was my first bike for seven years before the FJ1100. Same weight as the FJ with half the power but a really nice triple growl.

[FJ_Hooligan]

Some commonality:

'78 Yamaha XS750 (not stolen)
'69 Honda CB350 (not stolen)

and of course, '85 FJ1100 (still not stolen)

Also Mechanical Engineer turned Systems Engineer

[Firehawk068]

Hi Robbie,

My first "Street" bike was a Yamaha Vision, and they were 550cc (not 500).
I also think they were underrated. It was a great bike!

[RobbieKNobbie]

Well THAT'S an embarassing typo! Yes it was absolutely a 550. A really innovative bike in lots of ways, i guess it was too 'different' or maybe its marketing wasnt focused enough for a time when 'real' sport bikes were stealing all the headlines - a quick, good handling bike without any plastic just didnt grab much attention.

I also listed the little ninja twice, so yeah, how dumb do i look?

[FJ_Hooligan]

All the mag reviews on the Vision were very positive about the performance and total package.

Except for the looks....  I think the most used description was "you will eventually grow to like the look.'

[Charlie-brm]

I also listed the little ninja twice, so yeah, how dumb do i look?

You just over engineered the list, that's all. Professional stereotype.

[aviationfred]

Welcome to the forum,  

Something that I can add from seeing the photos of your '89. Always park your FJ with the front wheel turned left to the full stop. If you park with the handle bars straight, the rear section of your front fender will droop in the center from the radiant heat of the head pipes and if done often, eventually the fender will contact your front tire.


Fred