Re: FJ value vs cost

[Urban_Legend]

I should with a promotion like that.... And I am a valued customer. They keep telling me that evertime they want me to increase the card limit. 

[Sparky84]

They keep telling me that evertime they want me to increase the card limit. 

They want your House or FJ, whichever is of greater value 

[dammag]

I am relatively new to FJ's but not to bikes.

Rode a couple of hours today on my FJ and loved every minute of it. Would have loved to keep going but it was getting dark.

Handling, comfort, grunt, fun factor. It has it all.

I have owned and ridden a lot of bikes and can say the FJ is great VALUE at a low COST.

[Pat Conlon]

 Frank Moore the owner and builder of one of the first big bore FJ's he calls "Brutus" had this term he used in comparing his FJ to other bikes.

He called it the RDF stands for the Relative Duplication Factor.  With our modified FJ's we have a unique bike with a low RDF.

In a parking lot full of fancy store bought motorcycles, which bike do people stop and look at?

....and if you happen to have USD's on your FJ, the chicks get moist.

[Millietant]

Frank Moore the owner and builder of one of the first big bore FJ's he calls "Brutus" had this term he used in comparing his FJ to other bikes.

He called it the RDF stands for the Relative Duplication Factor.  With our modified FJ's we have a unique bike with a low RDF.

In a parking lot full of fancy store bought motorcycles, which bike do people stop and look at?

....and if you happen to have USD's on your FJ, the chicks get moist.

Oh Crap ! I think Liz might make me take my USD's off then Pat, and put the original's back on !!!!!

[giantkiller]

Best compliment I've gotten on my fjr1350. Was when I put it in the rockerbox show( vintage bike show). And one guy said to his buddy very loudly so I could hear it."I hate it when somebody goes down to the dealer buy's a new bike and then puts it in a show!"

And the chick's do like it inverted.

[Tuned forks]

On top of value for money, I found the FJ community, my bro and I thought we were alone in our preference for it until I came across the forum, which has lead to some great mates. This is probably the best benefit of the FJ. So few dickheads is such a rare thing.

Long Live the Mighty FJ (ambo's rule!)

As Troyskie stated, the FJ community and this forum add tremendous value to FJ ownership.  Without the good people in this community owning one of these bikes wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Joe

[ribbert]

I found the FJ community .... which has lead to some great mates. This is probably the best benefit of the FJ. So few dickheads is such a rare thing.

As Troyskie stated, the FJ community and this forum add tremendous value to FJ ownership.  Without the good people in this community owning one of these bikes wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Joe

Yes, this is very true and has been my experience also.

Just think about the fantastic hospitality Doug (the General) enjoyed from forum members all over the US and Canada recently, all folks he had only ever "met" on this forum, rock star treatment everywhere he went. I too have had many generous offers of hospitality should I get to the US.

Rallies, mansheds, catch-ups and coffees, all great fun with a great bunch of blokes.

Noel

[Troyskie]

Hmmm, I have to be in the US (LA, NY) then Germany (Frankfurt) causing me to miss the Aussie rally in March. Perhaps I should reach out....

[bigbore2]

The FJ was a bike ahead of its time then, now its still a good bike.  A great engine and looks [84-85].
Suspension is the weak point and well worth the upgrade.

Another bike at excellent value right now is the Kawasaki ZR1200 [2000-2008].  This is a another superbike with 175 mph top end.
A 25-30,000 mi bike can be had for $3500.

But my FJ always has a place in my garage. Cannot ever imagine getting rid of it.

[FJ_Hooligan]

Another great value for the money bike is a first gen FZ1.  Very FJ-like in ergos and performance.

I owned 2 FJs at one time and they are great bikes, but I now have 3 first gen FZ1s.  I still have my '85 FJ

[Millietant]

Another great value for the money bike is a first gen FZ1.  Very FJ-like in ergos and performance.

I owned 2 FJs at one time and they are great value bikes, but I now have 3 first gen FZ1s.  I still have my '85 FJ

Definitely agree, the FZ1's are great bikes - we have had both the FJ and FZ1 for the last 16 years - but of the two, I still prefer the FJ, mainly for comfort (both rider and passenger).

Both bikes are still more than capable of keeping up with today's machines in any road-riding situation and still leave friends with more modern bikes jealous of both their all-round ability and their timeless appeal.

[Mike Ramos]

I do agree that investing in our motorcycle platforms can be a relatively less expensive investment than buying a newer motorcycle because our FJ's can do nearly anything a newer bike can do...

Joe

Gentlemen,

Quite true in many repects.  Below is a slightly edited post from several years ago when this topic was mentioned. 

Other than an electrical problem in Colorado when on a subsequent Western State sojourn (thanks to Alan & Chris - review my "Accolades" post) the "old FJ" has been reliable, comfortable & competitive when compared to a variety of modern motorcycles, for many tens of thousands of miles.

Ride safe!


A Paean to a Sport Tourer

Good evening gentlemen,

After reading the various comments re: The Best Sport-Touring Bike, it may be true that the "Sport" part of sport touring has been diminished.  Large heavyweight motorcycles are for "Touring"; however despite claims to the contrary, they seem to be lacking in the "Sport" department; and while there are true "Sport" motorcycles on the market, they seem to be lacking from the "Touring" aspect.  No doubt there are exceptions to the rule; however they seem to be few and far between.

As it pertains to a combination of over the road and sport riding the FJ performs exceptionally well.  While the design may be old, with the modern updates (suspension, tires, and brakes et al) it is anything but old, and all for much less than the cost of a new motorcycle.  While 100 hp may be modest by today's standard, it remains in and of itself a considerable amount of hp.  It remains competitive with both long distance and sport motorcycles. 

Long service intervals are more than an advantage, they are a necessity.  Hoping not to jinx myself or other owners, the overall reliability of the FJ seems to be quite good and well founded.  As my over the road rides are usually unaccompanied, often fast paced and frequently in desolate and isolated surroundings, it is an important aspect which is appreciated. 

There is also an auxiliary fuel tank utilized because often stops are few and far between; throughout the Western States there are still remnants of small town America left to explore and the extra range is needed during late or all night excursions.  On other occasions mere curiosity gives rise to a desire to explore an intoxicating and beautiful, seemingly unending and almost overwhelming landscape. 

Over the road journeys are exceptionally comfortable; yet should a situation arise where the "sport" aspect is encountered, to date the FJ has held its own against other motorcycles and the occasional encounter with an automobile; typically without regard to ambient conditions and at a moment's notice without fiddling with power modes or on the fly suspension changes.  Especially at night when traveling at speed, unseen and potentially dangerous road surfaces are regularly encountered that simply do not allow time for 'on the fly" adjustments.   

"... below is a video that emphasizes both aspects of Sport and Tourer; it is a compilation of rides in 2014.  From November, some high desert footage (while perhaps foreboding I have never found it to be boring) traveling into a beautiful, almost intoxicating, painted sky; when after having left the far northern mountains of California, I ventured south to Texas, then traveled north through the Rockies on the way to Idaho before returning to California.  Almost no traffic so late in the year, a most delightful ride.  There is a clip of a storm front I was heading into, taken when I stopped to change my visor from tint to clear.  Once in Idaho increased rain and a considerable amount of off road mud was encountered.  When there is a discussion about dual sport riding, if tooling along is not your cup of tea, simply be judicious with the throttle and you will not tear up the tires nor fall off the 'edge' of the earth.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAObr8z9Vr0&feature=youtu.be

[ZOA NOM]

Listen to the GOAT.

[ribbert]

.....typically without regard to ambient conditions and at a moment's notice without fiddling with power modes or on the fly suspension changes.  Especially at night when traveling at speed, unseen and potentially dangerous road surfaces are regularly encountered that simply do not allow time for 'on the fly" adjustments.   

Mike, I love my FJ and agree with everything you say about them and especially how well, with a few mods, they still stack up against modern bikes, quite a feat considering the age gap. I have done hundreds of thousands of km's of every sort of riding imaginable and loved every one of them. But I appreciate it for what it is and do not pretend it's something else or delude myself that it's actually better than a modern bike. It might be more fun to ride, it might give me more enjoyment modifying it, it definitely punches above it's weight as a competent all rounder and if I could only own one bike, it would be the FJ for sure (it owes me $20k!) but one can't deny the wonders of modern technology and just how they enhance the riding experience.

The scenario you describe above it not how it works, get Frank to explain it to you, he has several bikes fitted with this tech.

Noel