The best thing

[Urban_Legend]

I did then best thing with my FJ today. I got to ride it. It is now parked in my driveway, while I enjoy a quality red and look at it. Doesn't get any better.

[aviationfred]

 

[Mark Olson]

A ride on your FJ is always a good thing. 

[Sparky84]

Did you get far or just crusing?

Getting close to Jacaranda Festival isn't it?

Doesn't get any better.

Only if you ride again tomorrow....

[FJ1100mjk]

A ride on your FJ is always a good thing.  

Unless it runs like shit, dies on you while going down the road, or doesn't start or catches fire when you stop for something.  

[Pat Conlon]

Mark, that's love....when you park your bike and as you walk away, you find yourself turning around and admiring at her....

I think the FJ is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made.... Your blue and silver combo turned out bitchen!  Kudos.

You should be proud.

[Mark Olson]

A ride on your FJ is always a good thing.  

Unless it runs like shit, dies on you while going down the road, or doesn't start or catches fire when you stop for something.  

That is bad juju ... Do not speak of such things. You should keep to the " POSITIVE WAVES MAN'.

[FJ1100mjk]

A ride on your FJ is always a good thing.  

Unless it runs like shit, dies on you while going down the road, or doesn't start or catches fire when you stop for something.  

That is bad juju ... Do not speak of such things. You should keep to the " POSITIVE WAVES MAN'.

You're right. I missed the boat on that. Probably should work on that (good juju), but probably won't. I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone, by not disappointing  them. 

[Bill_Rockoff]

Beautiful!

It doesn't get "better" but it gets "every bit as good, in other ways."

- Go ride it some more in the next day or two, just you and the bike you built.

- Go ride it a long way, over several days, so that you have a long trip to get comfortable with it. There will be hours where your every thought is nothing but "this ride, in this place at this moment, with this bike I built."

- Find a distant place to go see on it. When you park it and relax and think about it, like you are doing in that photo, you can realize "I am seeing this new and beautiful place, made more beautiful to me by the fact that I rode a motorcycle to get here."

- Do all this with friends and/or family, for an hour or for a weekend or for a week. The FJ folks or other motorcycle friends in your part of the world will all understand, because they feel that way too. A significant-other or a child who comes with you, either on the back of your FJ or on a bike of their own, will come to understand something about you in a new and deeper way than before, because they are seeing you (and you are seeing them) have this profound experience.

Enjoy.

[TexasDave]

I did then best thing with my FJ today. I got to ride it. It is now parked in my driveway, while I enjoy a quality red and look at it. Doesn't get any better.

The feeling of having solved any problems with these old bikes, getting them back on the road and riding them, to me is greater satisfaction than just buying a new bike and riding. I guess I am a little strange in getting some satisfaction from wrenching and maintaining also. But judging from this forum I don't think I'm alone in this regard.

Dave

[giantkiller]

I did then best thing with my FJ today. I got to ride it. It is now parked in my driveway, while I enjoy a quality red and look at it. Doesn't get any better.

The feeling of having solved any problems with these old bikes, getting them back on the road and riding them, to me is greater satisfaction than just buying a new bike and riding. I guess I am a little strange in getting some satisfaction from wrenching and maintaining also. But judging from this forum I don't think I'm alone in this regard.

Dave

When I was young I thought "why the hell would anyone want to work on their bike. I just wanna ride" but now I understand. I really like the creating of a new old bike.

[Urban_Legend]

I enjoy working on my bike as much as riding it. Every change I have made to her has been an improvement. I actually get to ride it almost every day as it is my main form of transport to work.
I am planning on a long trip on her in March next year. Somewhere in the order of 4000km (3000 ish miles)

Thank you all for the compliments.

Mark

[Tuned forks]

Mark, that's love....when you park your bike and as you walk away, you find yourself turning around and admiring at her....

I think the FJ is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made.... Your blue and silver combo turned out bitchen!  Kudos.

You should be proud.

As the weather in NorCal is still pleasant, I'm riding the FJ for errands occasionally.  The FJ experience is still new to me but I'm noticing pedestrians are casting looks my way.  Not sure if it's because the bike is old or people are appreciating it's timeless styling. Or maybe they're just thinking, "look at that old dude riding a motorcycle".  

Mark, as you're in the Land of Oz, is your summer just beginning?

[Urban_Legend]

Mark, as you're in the Land of Oz, is your summer just beginnin

Yes it is. We had a very mild winter where I live, and can usually ride all year round, and this year we didn't even get a frost. We just got our first rain in 6 months here and even that didn't put me off getting on the bike. The FJ (any FJ) is a bike that always gets looks.

Mark