Hi! New member from London.

[konradsc]

Hello!
My name is Konrad and I new here!
I just wanna say hello and ask about Yamaha FJ1100.

It is gonna be good for beginner?

[Tuned forks]

Welcome aboard Konrad.  Yes, this is a good place for beginners to ask about FJ's.  You have many helpful members here that are willing to share their knowledge.

Joe

[ribbert]

Hello!
My name is Konrad and I new here!
I just wanna say hello and ask about Yamaha FJ1100.

It is gonna be good for beginner?

Hello Konrad, my name in Noel and I'm old here, in fact I'm old everywhere.

Seeing as how you asked the question, my answer would be no.

If you could content yourself with riding it like an old woman, only ever using a fraction of it's power, maybe, but historically this is unlikely. The exhilaration of riding and the fact you are even considering a big bike suggests you are likely to tap into it's full power and that is when it becomes dangerous for an inexperienced rider.

I think your basic skills learning would be better served by a smaller bike. The FJ may be old but it is still a very fast bike and an original 1100 without improvements to brakes and suspension can be a handful.

My advice would be buy a smaller bike for not much money for a year or two and then move up.

Noel

[Bill_Rockoff]

Hello, and welcome. We have people on this site from all over the world, including probably someone from pretty close to you, no matter which "London" you call home. (There are half a dozen in the USA, more like a dozen if you include variants like "New London." There's also a large one in Canada, halfway between Toronto and Detroit.) We like motorcycles, we have been riding motorcycles for a long time, and some of us have been riding our FJ1100s / FJ1200s for 35 years or so. We know a lot about motorcycles, many of us have taught beginners to ride motorcycles, and we know a lot about "good motorcycles for beginners" and "good motorcycles in general."

And as much as we all like our FJ1100s / FJ1200s, I am pretty sure that all of us would be happy to tell you that "No, an FJ1100 would not be good for a new rider."

I will go a step further: "An FJ1100 is pretty much the worst possible motorcycle I can imagine for a beginner." Everything a beginner needs in a motorcycle, an FJ1100 is the exact opposite. It's not even just "the power," you could pull half the spark plugs out of an FJ1100 and it would still be a horrible bike for a new rider.

1) When you are first learning to ride a motorcycle, you will be going at walking speeds in a parking area while you learn to use all the controls and keep your balance at the same time. What you need is a small, light motorcycle, with a low seat and with wide high handlebars, and with a modest and manageable amount of power. An FJ1100 is not any of those things. An FJ1100 is a large, heavy motorcycle, with a tall seat and narrow handlebars that are forward. An FJ1100 seat is 5cm taller than a good beginner bike, and it is 100kg heavier than a good beginner bike, and it has 4 or 5 times the power of a good beginner bike. If you try to learn how to ride motorcycles on an FJ1100, you are much more likely to fall over and smash the bike to bits while you injure yourself. Or, given the large amount of power (about 100 hp at the wheel, 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds when new) you are a single mistake away from crashing into something at ~100 km/h.

2) When you have gotten good enough at riding motorcycles to keep it from falling over in a parking lot, you will start learning how to ride on actual roads among other traffic. Again, the ideal motorcycle for this will be something small, light, and easy to ride. An FJ1100 is still large and heavy, but it is also "not easy to ride." For one thing, the FJ1100 was only in 1984 and 1985, so they are 34 years old (I've had bosses at work that were younger than that!) with 34 year old carburetors and electrical system. An old bike like that will not be as faultlessly reliable as a 5 year old motorcycle. "I stalled it in traffic and now it won't start, is it the bike or is it me?"

2a) Also, a stock FJ1100 has a lot of power even by today's standards but it had mediocre handling and brakes even by 1980's standards. You know how everything uses radial tires? Well, an FJ1100 is from before radial tires were common for motorcycles. The front brake calipers had only 2 pistons each, and the brake rotors  were tiny - they used the same one for the rear that they used on the front. (Later FJ1200s got bigger brakes in front, but the brakes were still not great.) So, 100 hp can get you into all kinds of trouble, but a stock one of these bikes won't have the brakes or the handling to help you get out of trouble.

In summary: An FJ1100 for a new rider would be like a 1960's V8 Mustang for a new driver - too old, too heavy, too large, too powerful, not great-handling, and with not-great brakes. A car like that, or a bike like this, is a farcically bad idea for a beginner.

I am trying to come up with a worse idea than "FJ1100 for a beginner rider" and the only thing I can imagine that's worse is "a condom made of bees."  

[X-Ray]

That last sentence Bill is going to stick with me forever 

[Bozo]

That last sentence Bill is going to stick with me forever 

I hope you are talking about your memory Ray 

[red]

Hello!
My name is Konrad and I new here!
I just wanna say hello and ask about Yamaha FJ1100.  It is gonna be good for beginner?

Konrad,

-No.-  The FJ1100 is too heavy and too powerful for a beginner.  You would be better served by a reliable modern, lighter bike with bigger brakes, wider handlebars, much less power, and easier handling.  As said earlier here, carbs are a challenge now, when fuel injection is more common.  Few dealers or mechanics will work on thirty year old bikes, because they won't have the skills and manuals needed.  Any number of owners may have made a hash of the prior repairs.  Most FJ owners do their own repairs, as a result.  There is a lot to know, there.

Aside from all of that, the FJ can accelerate to a curve with a speed that the brakes and suspension can not handle, even by an expert.  The expert rider will not get into such trouble, by a light touch on the throttle from the start.  The beginner will not know when they are in trouble, until it is far too late.  Today, I would not buy any bike without a working Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). 

I realize that what I am saying is NOT what you want to hear.  Long ago, my best friend was the manager of the local bike shop.  He flat refused my cash money on an FJ, telling me that I did not have the experience yet for the FJ.  I respected his judgment then, as a friend, and it probably kept me in one piece, while I learned more about riding and traffic on smaller bikes.

Best wishes . . .
.

[Pat Conlon]

Welcome Konrad.

So, you are a beginner?
In jolly old England, what does the license law say about a beginner riding a 1100cc motorcycle?

[ZOA NOM]

Are we sure Konrad is a beginner motorcycle rider, or could he just be a beginner in the FJ world?

[Pat Conlon]

Good point Rick.....or maybe he's just asking for a friend.

[Millietant]

If you're old enough and being a newly fully trained and tested rider (who has been using riding school rental bikes, usually 500/600 cc bikes), then it could be that a FJ could be your first "bike".

Our licensing laws and training requirements are a LOT more stringent than in the USA, but "inexperienced" riders can still get to ride a big legally before they're really ready to ride one "properly".

My youngest passed his motorcycle practical test 3 weeks after his 17th Birthday (passed his theory test 2 days after his birthday) and that entitled him to ride a bike with no more than 33 bhp for a period of 2 years after passing his test. We had a restricted Yamaha Fazer 600 waiting for him and as soon as the 2 years were up, I took out the inlet restrictor plates to release the full power. By the time he could ride the full power bike (90-95 claimed bhp at the crank) he had enough experience and knowledge to ride it safely, not just legally (and he'd been riding off-road & motocross bikes since he was 5 yrs old).

However, passing your test in another EU country without the same stringent test/training restrictions, still enables a rider to just apply for and get a UK full motorcycle licence if they're resident here.

Personally, I believe the standards we strive for are correct, even if the route to get there can be somewhat convoluted and expensive, if you don't understand the system and prepare properly. It definitely helped my son that his mum was a motorcycle riding instructor at the time he was being trained !

I must say, I have motorcycling family in the USA and their standards of riding are diabolically poor ! My brother in law, who had a full US motorcycle licence, came to the UK and he sat our Compulsory Basic Training test (that you have to pass before you can even ride a 50cc moped on the roads) - despite having being a fully licensed rider and riding his own CBR600 for about 6 months, he couldn't even pass that test. After that, he spent 2 weeks training with our friends riding school and then out riding with us - he couldn't believe how little he knew about riding when he got here and as a result he won't ever allow his son to ride a motorcycle on the roads at home (at least until he's trained here first).

[PaulG]

I realize that what I am saying is NOT what you want to hear.  Long ago, my best friend was the manager of the local bike shop.  He flat refused my cash money on an FJ, telling me that I did not have the experience yet for the FJ.  I respected his judgment then, as a friend, and it probably kept me in one piece, while I learned more about riding and traffic on smaller bikes.

True story: Many moons ago I boarded in a house where the owner used to work in a bike shop in the 70's. A father and his 16yr old son came in to buy a new Kawi H2 750cc triple 2-stroke.  Much the same as an old FJ - extemely fast and handled like shit.  He literally begged the father not to buy it.  To no avail. A few weeks later he saw the kid's obituary in the paper.  Anybody can still do this today.

So if you are a new rider, please heed the advice given, and don't become a statistic.

If you're an experienced rider, then as stated, be prepared to do more than just basic maintenance yourself.  There are still some shops around that do most of their work on older bikes, but they are becoming ever so fewer nowadays.

[Pat Conlon]

.....I must say, I have motorcycling family in the USA and their standards of riding are diabolically poor!

It seems to me that the different states are more interested in the license revenue rather than rider competency.

I agree with the concept of requiring riding experience at tiered power levels, prior to advancement.

[ribbert]

We have a graduated licence system too, 250cc, or approved power restricted models (LAMS) up to 650, for 3 years.

My daughter was sitting on my bike chatting to me in the garage a while back. During a lull in conversation, she grabs the bars and mimics the riding position and asks "which one is the clutch? I tell her, then she says "...and the other one's the brake?" followed by "....and this is what you turn to make it go faster, right?" and just to complete her education she asked for clarification of the foot controls.

Nothing unusual about that conversation for someone that's not into bikes except for the fact that she's licenced to go and buy and legally ride an R1 or Hyabusa!!

Three years earlier: I'm merrily going about my business one day and this photo turned up on my phone.



It is of my daughter having just passed her motorcycle licence test, she had wanted to surprise me by secretly getting her licence. 'Surprise' was somewhat of an understatement.

A Learners permit is granted by passing theory and riding tests, the riding component is conducted in an enclosed area at low speed.  The idea being you then go off and get experience for between 3 and 12 mths then come back for your licence test.

In my daughter's case, she had no bike so just waited out the minimum time and booked in for her licence test, her total time on motorbikes at this stage was an hour or so of stalling, knocking over cones and falling off in a parking lot in first gear (for her learners permit).
This test involved going for a ride for 10km's or so in heavy traffic while being observed from behind by the tester on his own bike.
The thought of my daughter launching out into the traffic on a motorbike with zero road skills or experience (she had no driving experience either) was truly terrifying and high risk, a point I made none too subtly to the private company that conducts the licencing tests.
I also made it clear the risk the bloke who deemed her fit to ride on a public road faced to his own well being had she hurt herself.

I am vehemently opposed to government increasingly controlling every facet of our lives but I do think the graduated licencing for motorbikes is a good idea, but as my daughter demonstrated, it's not fool proof.
The tiered licence system is flawed in that no experience is required to progress through it, just observe the mandated minimum time between levels.

Modern bikes are seriously fast and 18 year olds are seriously stupid when it comes to risk assessment and their belief in their own immortality.

Noel

[ZOA NOM]

So long Konrad, I'm pretty sure that'll keep you out of here for good. Too bad, really, I was happy to see a new face from the Mother Country. Try the FJ club over there I suppose.