FJ VRS Blackbird

[giantkiller]

My 86 fj1350r dynoed at 167hp 114 ftlbs. Weighs right at 500 pounds. Handles great. As I  said my neighbor. Who raced a 2008 gsxr 1000. Third in points three years in a row. Said it turns in better than his gsxr. I  spent  just over  $6500 total.  That includes  2008 gsxr inverted front end and wheels. Honda shock with eibach spring. Hank Scott built  motor. Digital  gauges. And  much more. Reliable.  Comfortable. Quick handling. Tones of power and torque. Great brakes. And has killed 2 deer and is still going stong. Best bike ever.... till I get the turbo bike done.

[ribbert]

My 86 fj1350r dynoed at 167hp 114 ftlbs. Weighs right at 500 pounds. Handles great. As I  said my neighbor. Who raced a 2008 gsxr 1000. Third in points three years in a row. Said it turns in better than his gsxr. I  spent  just over  $6500 total.  That includes  2008 gsxr inverted front end and wheels. Honda shock with eibach spring. Hank Scott built  motor. Digital  gauges. And  much more. Reliable.  Comfortable. Quick handling. Tones of power and torque. Great brakes. And has killed 2 deer and is still going stong. Best bike ever.... till I get the turbo bike done.

That's very impressive Dan and proof of yet another of the FJ's outstanding assets, a great platform for serious engine mods. That's pretty serious non turbo power for a daily rider/deer killer.

Noel

[ribbert]

If you're going to do a comparison then at least keep the rules intact.  Throw thousands of dollars at the FJ and compare it to a stock XX?  I think we can all agree that stock suspensions are sh*t (especially those from the 80's and 90's).  They work well enough for most applications but begin to fail when pushed beyond the 80% limit.
Neither bike actually works well in the super tight twisty sections where weight becomes the restraining parameter.  Of course modern tires and suspension go a long way to help either bike but eventually the physics of momentum overcome available traction.  Lets not forget that the deciding factor is the monkey sitting on top of the bike.
The FJ is a superb bike for its time.  Farkle it with modern parts and it's still a capable machine.  Hell, I own 2 of them, one since 1985.  Just don't kid yourself into thinking it is better than some of the modern stuff.  This is where you can talk about Josh Hayes on a FJ at Phillip Island......Not all monkeys are equal!   

I think sometimes folks forget that all these suspension, wheel, tyre and brake mods are not only about going faster but doing it easier. If you're game, you can ride your old pig at much the same speed as your modified one, it just takes a lot more nerve and a bit of luck.



Stock standard FJ on Macadams and with the belly pan removed for the occasion (it was also the last time I rode with the centre stand fitted), turn 4- 5 Philip Island 2 days after Stoner and Rossi had battled it out, their rubber was still on the outside of the line. It was a great day, the weather had stopped them from packing up the motoGP infrastructure from raceday.

Two things surprised me that day, one, how well the FJ equipped itself in a field of all modern bikes and two, just how many exotic, expensive sports bikes are owned by the best outfitted wankers. They were full of stories of their high speed escapades and quick with excuses as to why they couldn't produce it on the day. Bullshitting about how fast you are just before hitting the race track is not a good idea, save it for the pub.

The FJ was the oldest of about 30 bikes there and I was surprised how much positive attention it got for it's performance.

I've poured a truck load of money into my bike to the point of I can't think of anything else to do to it, interestingly, I don't think it's any quicker, it's just way easier to ride fast and my sphincter gets a rest. As I've said many times here, I can steer it with my eyes, all day twisties flat out aren't even tiring, I just look where I want to go and it goes. Quick changes of direction, braking, bumps, nothing upsets it and you can't out lean the tyres, even with the rear raised. I also like it's small physical size.

I have an RT1200 which is in my opinion the best sports/touring bike in the world but there's not a day I ride it when I don't think how much better it would be with the late model FJ engine in it. That would literally make it the 100% perfect bike. I don't know of another in line 4 that has better performance attributes than the FJ for general all day, all conditions road work. I don't even like the BMW in line 4 for touring. a lot of the modern engines are peaky, buzzy, harsh and snatchy.

Noel

[giantkiller]

That's what I  figure. I love going way too fast. 38 broken bones  and 47 pieces of metal in me. Obviously my  skills must not be up to par.  So I need all the help from suspension brakes and tires I can get.

[Motofun]

I have 2 race prepped bikes, a '13 GSXR750 and a '18 GSXR1000R.  New suspensions, race exhausts, ECU tunes, race tires (pirelli), race plastic, clip ons, rear sets plus lots of other stuff.  I routinely get smoked by some young gun on a 600.  It could be old age or something else but it is for sure the quality of the rider on board.

All of this just my way of saying that the FJ is a capable bike.  It certainly deserves to be considered one of the best of its era.  Time marches on, however.  The new stuff is astounding in what it can do....given the proper pilot.  I know that that is not me....I just don't care.  I'm way faster on my race bikes on the track than I would be on either of my FJs though I've never tried to prove it.  Just as I'm sure Josh on his Phillip Island FJ would shame me all to hell and back.  Still don't care.

These kind of discussions are endless and pointless.  The race track, the dragon, the Cherahola skyway are all quite different.  What works one place as top dog goes lacking in another.  If I'm going to drag race I'll pick the XX over the FJ, The Cherahola?  Perhaps the FJ.  The Dragon?  My RZ350!  

[T Legg]

Our fj's still get respect. I was out one night on an empty section section of highway one night cruising around eighty when I saw a set of headlights coming up behind me I increased my speed up to one hundred but the lights kept closing on me. I don't like having a racing car riding my ass so let the hopped up Honda car go by then sucked up behind him as we began ascending Washoe valley hill about a two mile curving grade to the crest where there is a turnoff to Washoe lake. I pushed the car all the way up the hill hitting about 125 mph before the car stopped accelerating. At the top we both slowed to take the turn to Washoe lake. That's when I saw the flashing red lights about a half mile down the hill coming our way. I took the turn and pulled off the road . I was thinking this is going to be bad. The sherriff finally made it up the hill and pulled in behind me. When he got out he said holy shit you guys were cooking through there. Then he asked me who was in the car that didn't stop. I was able to convince him the car had just come up behind me and I got carried away by the moment. He then told me he had been chasing the car for several miles and this was not the first time he had tried to catch that car. He looked at my bike and said that's an old bike how long have you been riding. After telling him fifty years he said maybe you can handle riding those speeds but anything can happen. He then thanked me for pulling over and explained it is against policy to engage in a high speed pursuit with a motorcycle and it wouldn't be fair to give me a ticket since he wasn't able to catch and ticket the car. I think I was saved by grey hair.

[JMR]

My 86 fj1350r dynoed at 167hp 114 ftlbs. Weighs right at 500 pounds. Handles great. As I  said my neighbor. Who raced a 2008 gsxr 1000. Third in points three years in a row. Said it turns in better than his gsxr. I  spent  just over  $6500 total.  That includes  2008 gsxr inverted front end and wheels. Honda shock with eibach spring. Hank Scott built  motor. Digital  gauges. And  much more. Reliable.  Comfortable. Quick handling. Tones of power and torque. Great brakes. And has killed 2 deer and is still going stong. Best bike ever.... till I get the turbo bike done.

Thiose a great #'s especially the torque. My 87FJ 1314 dynoed at 156.7 RWHP and 93.2 Ft lbs. If I put cams over .400 lift in it I am sure it would pick up another 10HP. All engine mods are fairly straight forward NA engine tuning. The engine is still a pussy cat as it idles great (with FCR-39's) and cruises very smoothly. The great thing about more HP is you can put a small rear sprocket to reduce highway cruising RPM but it still pulls like a freight train and will wheelie upon command.
You definitely need better brakes and suspension with the extra power.

[giantkiller]

That's the dyno that Hank hooked it to. Obviously  crank. He  had built it to a 1314. And  i said that's not what we had discussed. I said I wanted 1350. I already have stickers made. He laughed. He said your only going to get a couple more horses.  So  he tore it back down and made it a 1350.
I kinda  freaked him out how much difference it made. I think it was 147hp and 96ftlbs 1314. Different cylinders  and used xjr rods.

[JMR]

That's the dyno that Hank hooked it to. Obviously  crank. He  had built it to a 1314. And  i said that's not what we had discussed. I said I wanted 1350. I already have stickers made. He laughed. He said your only going to get a couple more horses.  So  he tore it back down and made it a 1350.
I kinda  freaked him out how much difference it made. I think it was 147hp and 96ftlbs 1314. Different cylinders  and used xjr rods.

The torque is nice.....that is just about stock Hayabusa torque. I love horsepower but tons on torque rules. I have ridden a Harley with over 130 lbs.....twisting that throttle at 70mph was fantastic despite it being a whale.

[giantkiller]

Yah my chopper is 120hp 120 ftlbs.
Here's some gratuitous pictures of my chopper  and  what I  used to look like. I used to be  high torque too.  Now w just worn out.  Chopper still looks the same. (Hand built in my garage)

[JMR]

 Bikes often age better than us brother. My 75 CB750F..with over 106 RWHP.....looks WAY better than me now. Your bike actually looks functionally comfortable too.....nice work.

[Millietant]

Bikes often age better than us brother. My 75 CB750F..with over 106 RWHP.....looks WAY better than me now. Your bike actually looks functionally comfortable too.....nice work.

Wow, how did you get that power out of a SOHC Honda 750 - turbo ? Got any photo's....I love the old Honda SOHC 4's, all of them..........done a lot of time/miles on a CB 500F and a CB 650 Z

[JMR]

Bikes often age better than us brother. My 75 CB750F..with over 106 RWHP.....looks WAY better than me now. Your bike actually looks functionally comfortable too.....nice work.

Wow, how did you get that power out of a SOHC Honda 750 - turbo ? Got any photo's....I love the old Honda SOHC 4's, all of them..........done a lot of time/miles on a CB 500F and a CB 650 Z

The engine is NA...no turbo or nitrous. I produced billet blocks that allow the use of pistons up to 72mm (stock is 61mm) so that helps.  Heavy porting with a 5mm valve conversion kit too. Tight squish etc....just good engine building techniques and a generous amount of money used. I have to say it really surprises kids on 600's.
My oldest son comes home today and I'll have him post a pic or 2. Here is a video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0I5q8-3DGc      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FeFCLBcIg8

[giantkiller]

I was wondering the same thing. First bike I I rode was my dads cb750.
That's an awesome bike. Wow.

[JMR]

I was wondering the same thing. First bike I I rode was my dads cb750.
That's an awesome bike. Wow.

Thanks fellas.....very much appreciated. I have owned her since early 1977 and she is affectionately known as "The Million Dollar CB".