New owner, anything I'm missing?

[MiserMiner]

So I picked up a '90 FJ a few hours away sight unseen. The guy was not who I was expecting at all and I had to make a quick game time decision. The miles were low-ish (44k km), it looked in relatively good physical condition so I figured I'd go for it and hope for the best.

The colour scheme and era are exactly what I was looking for and I honestly think it is the coolest bike:


The guy turned out to be a bit shady though and ghosted me as I discovered issues, so the history is a bit of a question mark. But he did seem genuine when talking about his plans when he bought it (a few months before) and why he's selling and it made sense. It had fresh oil and the guy was experienced with bikes and he did disclose one of the issues. Here's what I've discovered so far:

One of the forks is leaking despite cleaning the seal and so I'm going to replace them. I watched a video and it looks like a job I could do if I had a garage and could take my time. But I live in an apartment with a stall in an outdoor lot and I can imagine the whole thing becoming a headache. So I'm going to bring it to a shop to have this done, they quoted $450 which hurts but it is what it is.

The gas tank is also completely rusted inside and has sprung a few pinhole leaks. Figured it wasn't worth the work and gamble of trying to fix it, so I just ordered a replacement tank for about 250 CAD. I could only find one non-rusted tank and it just happens to work with my bike (black), kind of a lucky break I guess. I would have lowered my price if I knew about the tank but live and learn, at least it's a functional investment. I'm guessing tank removal/swap is one of the easier things and was thinking of doing it myself when the tank arrives, but if it's something super quick should I just have them do it at the shop with the forks? If it's an extra 20 or 30 bucks I'd be okay just not having to deal with it at all.

There is also a rattle he did mention and show me, but it was only really noticeable once I got it home. It's only at idle/low RPM and comes from the bottom of the engine case. A reddit user pointed me towards the page on "What to look for when buying an FJ" and it matches pretty closely with a common issue they describe: starter chain rattle at idle/low RPMs. Sounds like it's a big loose-ish chain that gets shaken around from the lower frequency vibrations. Is this likely what's going on? or should I get it looked at when it's in the shop for the forks? Someone suggested that syncing the carbs would definitely help this, and as long as it's less than 45 min of work at the shop I will probably ask them to do it.

I'm going to run some Seafoam through once the tank is swapped, but also wondering if I should just get the carbs rebuilt now anyway. Barring any major engine issues, I'm hoping to keep this bike for a long time and want it to be running as good as possible so I can really enjoy it. How do I know when it's time and how big of a job is rebuilding the carbs? Parts costs? How long would it take a shop? I'm thinking this is something I could tackle myself over the winter, but if I can pay a shop a few hundred bucks it might be worth it to just bite the bullet now.

When I bring the bike in I'm also going to get their mid-tier inspection/tune-up for 150 CAD:
-General check-over
-Check Wheel Bearings
-Check Steering Head Bearings
-Check and Record Brake System Components
-Check Suspension
-Check and Record Charging System Output
-Check final drive
-Check and Record depth and set Tire Pressures
-Check all Electrical systems (Lights and switches)
-Adjust Clutch and Throttle Play
-Check cable ends (control side)
-Lube Clutch Cable (as applicable)
-Service final drive
-Check and Record Coolant (top up as required)
-Remove and Lube Hand Levers
-Lube side stand
-Lube brake pivot and shift linkage

Anything else I should mention to them or have them look at when it's in there?

I know I've dumped a lot in this post, I'm just a bit overwhelmed and figured this is the place to put it out there haha. Feel free to answer none or one or more of the questions, or just drop some sage wisdom! Looking forward to waking this beast back up :-)

[MiserMiner]

Realizing I probably should have posted this in the Maintenance section but I'm not sure how to delete it, whoops!

[chiz]

OK CAD did you buy bike down Niagara area Brantford maybee? Anyway give Ultimate Cycle a call in Hamilton great people and not a dealership proper old bike shop specialising in Japanese. If you are in my area Grimsby I can help a bit.. Good luck.

[Pat Conlon]

Sorry for the late reply....I did move your post over to the Maintenance section for better exposure.
Here are my top 10 suggestions:
1) At low idle the FJ motor sounds like a box of rocks, so for the starter chain rattle, raise the idle to 1,000 rpm.
2) After you put your fresh clean fuel tank on, don't forget to replace your fuel filter. If your tank is as rusty as you say, it's your fuel filter that's keeping your carbs from loading up. (RPM)
3) Have your shop check the valve clearances...adjust if necessary.
4) While the valve cover is off, replace the base gasket and rubber grommets on the valve cover bolts. (RPM)
5) Check and synchronize the carb air balance.  
6) Remove and discard your outdated oem rubber brake line hoses, install new SS lines. (RPM)
7) Replace all hydraulic brake fluids (DOT 3/4) bleed all 3 systems. (Front, back brakes, clutch)
8 ) Buy oem Yamaha fork seals and bushings (RPM) Poor results have been reported with aftermarket fork seals.
9) While the fork seals (and bushings) are being replaced, also replace your old oem .64 kg/mm fork springs. They were weak the day they left Iwata, Japan. Today, 33 years later they are certainly sacked out. I Suggest some progressive springs, or better, some new .85kg/mm straight rate springs with RPM valves.
10) Check the date code on your tires. If over 5 years old, replace the tires. Old hard tires suck.


Do not store your FJ with ethanol laced (E10) fuel....and no, fuel additives do not remove the ethanol.

You have an air cooled engine with a hydraulic clutch, so no need to worry about coolant or clutch cables.

Welcome aboard, cheers.  Pat

I have put (RPM) in the above tasks as a suggestion on where you can buy parts. If you buy these parts from RPM and take them to your shop you can be assured that you are getting the correct parts.
http://rpmracingca.com/

[MiserMiner]

Just seeing this now but thank you for this list, gives me a good idea of where to start when I get some time/money!

[Millietant]

I'ma bit late to the party too on this, but to be blunt, I wouldn't my $150 passing a shop to do all of those checks. Almost all of them you can do yourself - checks don't actually involve any fixing, just highlighting what might need to be done - and most on your list are very straightforward and easy.

I would follow Pat's advice/list and do the appropriate checks from the list you provided, yourself, wherever you can.

That 450 CAD to do your forks seems excessive. Where I work (ok it's in the UK not Canada), we'd charge around 260-300 CAD maximum for both forks on a FJ.

If you use a shop Court all of your servicing/maintenance and checking, you are going to spend a LOT of money, which missed one of the plus points of owning a FJ - yes, it's big, heavy, fast, comfortable and reliable....  but it's also very simple. No water cooling, tank lifts off and can be turned around and sat on the subframe in about 2 minutes which gives massive access to the top end of the engine (spark plug swaps, valve clearance checks etc. You don't need to remove a load of bodywork to change the oil filter, or to get at the air filter, or battery, or to change taillight bulbs..........   

I could go on and on, but the real point is that these bikes are VERY easy to work on, in comparison to anything else from the mid 1990's onwards, so it makes sense to do as much of the work yourself that you can manage. Get a Haynes manual and follow the steps for each job - I find a lot of the pleasure I get from my FJ sends from getting to know the bike and all its quirks/foibles - abs if you get stuck, just ask on here for advice and you'll get the help you need 

[NoN]

New owner of a mighty FJ 1200 89 3CV beast.
Thanks for the advice in this thread. Thrilled to see this group is alive and well and recent.
I also have a couple of xj750e2/II
Anyone know if any parts from my parts bike are useable on the FJ?
Also, a recommendation for front rotors would be great as mine are warped (however flew through a wof)
I also have the rattle in what i hope is just the starter chain, touch wood. Purrs once ridden

[red]

MiserMiner,

The checks you listed are just that, mostly; they are checks to see if anything needs fixing.  As an example, you can check the steering head bearings with the bike on the center stand.  Sit well back on the seat, and with the front wheel off the ground, see if the front wheel pivots smoothly (no notches) from side to side.  Let the front wheel back down, while gripping the handgrips, and feel/listen for any "clunk" in the steering head.  Notchy steering? Bad bearings. "Clunk" in the steering head? Re-torque the head bearings.

Yes, a garage or workshop will be a big help, so make friends among the local riders there, and ask for tech help from your new friends.  The worst anybody can say is No, leaving you exactly where you started, with no real losses.

+1 on the fuel injector/carb cleaner (Seafoam is good).

+1 on non-ethanol gas, for the FJ, in the USA and Canada:
www.pure-gas.org

[red]

New owner of a mighty FJ 1200 89 3CV beast.
Thanks for the advice in this thread. Thrilled to see this group is alive and well and recent.
I also have a couple of xj750e2/II
Anyone know if any parts from my parts bike are useable on the FJ?
Also, a recommendation for front rotors would be great as mine are warped (however flew through a wof)

NoN,

https://fjowners.com/index.php?topic=5863.msg51269#msg51269

This assumes that the part needed for the FJ looks about like the same part on the XJ750.

[Millietant]

New owner of a mighty FJ 1200 89 3CV beast.
Thanks for the advice in this thread. Thrilled to see this group is alive and well and recent.
I also have a couple of xj750e2/II
Anyone know if any parts from my parts bike are useable on the FJ?
Also, a recommendation for front rotors would be great as mine are warped (however flew through a wof)
I also have the rattle in what i hope is just the starter chain, touch wood. Purrs once ridden

Many people on here have used and recommend Arashi brake rotors for the FJ. I know a few owners who have used them and been VERY happy with them - and they're half the price of EBC/Galfer etc