What to look for when buying a 1986 fj1200???

[craigo]

Take a XS1100 for a spin some day.  That thing would really rise up in the rear when you took off from a standing start.  Also it pogo'ed when you went up through the gears.  And don't get caught out on a decreasing radius corner.  When at angle, closing the throttle will just pull the hard parts to the ground.

When Yamaha built the FJ1100, the smartest thing they did was take the shaft off that XS1100 engine and put it in that FJ frame.  The motor is, as we all know, breathtaking.

Shaft drive, not a chance in hell will I ever own another shaft driven bike again.

Just my opinion,

CraigO
90FJ1200

[FJmonkey]

The battery is mute, the charging system is what is important. I don't drive much except for short Kookaloo rides in the  SoCal . The search function for electrical upgrades/charging/batteries ect... I am still on old 86' age tech with old suspension, 17" coming soon.

[simi_ed]

Shaft drive, not a chance in hell will I ever own another shaft driven bike again.

Just my opinion,

CraigO
90FJ1200

+1 on that!  Mine shaft experience was on a V-45 Sabre.  I always wondered why it handled so EVIL, until I sold it to a friend.  That POS would twist the swingarm +/- 15* when it hit a bump heeled over.  Plus it had all the benefits of shaft jacking, up & down. 

No, I was shafted once, never again!  And that includes an FJR (apologies to all the FJR guys out there)

[andyb]

It seems to me that more people use the FJ for touring rather than sport riding.  And a shaft is great for going long distance without adjustment and lube checks at every fuel stop.  Quiet, too.  The little SuperMagna that I've got has a shaft, and it's great.  Lovely low maintenance commuter.

For riding in a sporty fashion?  Don't be ridiculous.  Chains are better in every way.  But look at how few, how rarely, as a group, we do that. 

[ribbert]

I don't know about the FJR but the recent BMW's have eliminated the shaft jacking completely. I ride a an R1200GS (2009) occasionally and there is absolutely nothing while riding it that would hint at it being shaft drive, even when ridden hard, and they're surprisingly fast and torquey.  I have also been down the R90s and XS1100 trail and you're right, you can't fang them.

[Mark Olson]

It seems to me that more people use the FJ for touring rather than sport riding.  And a shaft is great for going long distance without adjustment and lube checks at every fuel stop.  Quiet, too.  The little SuperMagna that I've got has a shaft, and it's great.  Lovely low maintenance commuter.

For riding in a sporty fashion?  Don't be ridiculous.  Chains are better in every way.  But look at how few, how rarely, as a group, we do that. 

well I for one don't get the chance to ride much during the week , so when the weekend comes it is all about sport riding and wringing it out.

[Flying Scotsman]

When they make a shaft drive that robs less power than a chain it might be the way to go but untill then you couldnt  get me to buy a bike with shaft drive.
I am buying a EK ZZZ chain either chrome or gold.

[Kopfjaeger]

welll yeah touring maybe... ATM i have all my tools loaded into my panniers and my toolobox ocky strapped to the  rear seat..... but on the weekend im going to set some good times if the local constabulary are busy else where

[craigo]

well I for one don't get the chance to ride much during the week , so when the weekend comes it is all about sport riding and wringing it out.

Amen, I do not tour much anymore. It's all about the weekend ride and pushing it in a safe manner.  In other words, don't over drive the brakes.  I know that I am slower than I was as a kid.  Green bones know no fear and all.  Use to be that I was equal to my old 1981 GS1100.  Now, the FJ is better than I am.

In the vernacular of the FJ,  Kookaloo

CraigO
90FJ1200

[Ratchet_72]

For riding in a sporty fashion?  Don't be ridiculous.  Chains are better in every way.  But look at how few, how rarely, as a group, we do that. 

I think this statement rates a poll!!! On account its wrong!!!

[andyb]

Well, what I'd consider sporty riding means you wouldn't add hard luggage (weight) to a bike, yet it's one of the more common things people want to do to an FJ.  A really sporty rider would probably prefer something much, much lighter in the first place, whereas a person more interested in racking up big distances would prefer more comfort.  It's just a question of where the compromises are made.

A VFR750 is a sport-touring bike, but so is a ST1100, yet look how different they are.  Just a different set of design compromises.

The other part to maybe consider is what we mean by sport riding.  I consider it to be riding at a 50-70% pace on the street, myself, and it really doesn't matter what I'm riding when I do it.  I mean, it's better if you've got something that isn't going to immediately ground out the frame/pegs/pipe/etc, but once you've gotten to a reasonable amount of clearance and comfort, there isn't anything to be gained by going to a full racebike instead of something more tuned for touring.  Just so long as you're having fun and are mostly comfortable with the pace you're running, that's good enough.

Actually, one of my friends says that it's vastly more fun to sport ride on something like an old standard, because you feel like you're using all of the performance, riding the bike to the limit rather than having the bike giggle at you for not pushing harder.  He might be right, I really don't mind riding a fairly heavy machine at a comfortable pace, though I could undoubtedly be a whole lot faster on something lighter and more nimble... but going fast isn't the point of sport-riding, having fun is, and I'm having plenty of fun when I do it!

[racerman_27410]

Well, what I'd consider sporty riding means you wouldn't add hard luggage (weight) to a bike.

In theory you are right.... but in practice the hard luggage on the FJ does not relegate it to touring only status.
it really depends on the rider.

Plenty of evidence that sport bike riders come to a FJ rally and wreck their "pure" sportbikes trying to keep up with our "tourers" in the twisty bits. 

trust me when i tell you my 1349 engine does not care one bit how much luggage i have on the bike and when the lights turn green there is no better feeling than leaving a new sportbike in my luggage laden dust.

in the end it's street riding and at "sane" speeds the extra weight of unladen luggage is irrelevent.  If laden then that leans you can tour to an area where the great riding is, setup camp  then ride!   
It's almost impossible to do that comfortably on a true sportbike IMO.


KOokaloo! (with luggage) 

[moparman70]

First off if you can find a really good 86/87 at a really good price, snatch it up. They rule, and they never came in purple for gods sake.

1. Make sure the petcock doesnt leak.
2. Make sure the carbs don't leak when the motor is off.  This is an indication the petcocks rubber internal diaphram(sic) is shot.
    How much can a fj petcock set you back? No big deal you say? A fucking fortune if you can find one. And no there is NOT a rebuild kit available for it believe it or not.
3. Second gear.
4. If you like the lower fairing or any fairing make sure they're serviceable or live without em because those also cost a ton.
5. Look for oil leaks at the valve cover. Easy fix but look anyway.
6. Look for paint missing at the clutch cylinder.

Keep in mind IF the carbs leak you're gonna get to know this forum REAL well. I'm just sayin.

Jason hits the issues bang on -- just a few additional comments I had a 86 and love it but at 80k my second gear issue finally went arai - it locked up and fell over -- the next day I went out and bought my 90.
1. Had the petcock leak -86 have a funny system for the reserve -- I have a theory ( it simulates you running out of gas by turning the vacuum off - hitting the reserve switch turns the vacuum to the mechanism back on).. but to make all this short I have one I bought but later found out all I needed to do was to replace the small " O - ring " that can be found once you take it apart.  Be sure to be carefull with the gaskets as they are not available.
2. I also had the carbs done the diaphrams in the carbs had worn -- keep in mind this is the first real work at 80k.  The job cost about 700 bucks including -  the kits with diaphrams were 100 bones each x4 -- so most of the cost right there.
3.  This is the big one for me -- I am told later in the 86 year the problem was fixed but do more research.  My issue didn't start until about 50-60k but when it did it slowly got worst - popped out at first at high RPM -- then lower RPM then I avoided all together.
4. The wings on the lower fairing are week -- if you have yours get some JB weld and reinforce now before it breaks it doesn't have to look pretty as you don't see it --I used popsicle sticks and JB  worked great. -- I think the bike doesn't look right without it.
5.6. --no issues for me
The paint scheme is the best in 86 ( my opinion) although I love the red wheels of the 87.  I have a set of those as well -- I had big plans for the 86 until she went.
I would definitely buy it if you can .. it is a great bike.  PS you can get rubber for the 16in - radials too -AVON like they said -- you just don't have the biggest selection anymore.  I used to run Metzler all the time ME99 --ME55 -- ME33 for the fronts etc they worked great too.

steve

[moparman70]

Hi there all, I am new to the forum as well as to the FJ1200 series of bike.  I ride a Yamaha XJ900 all the time, but right at the moment I am looking at a 1986 FJ1200 that is for sale couple of hours from me.  It only has 15k+ miles on it and is in running condition.  I am just not sure what to look for in this bike to know a good value when I see it.  So if you have any suggestions I would like to see them.

Regards,

W. D.

I forgot to mention two other little things -- the fuel lines going to the tank are wrapped in a certain way that is very important -- get it right when putting the tank back on.  Due to the curves it makes and the last kink before the petcock they can crack right at the petcock especially the OEM type -- if you have a fuel leak I suggest you replace the lines to eliminate them as a possibility.

There is a fix for the vapor lock -- search this sight.  Before I knew of it I just put a little slit in the gasket and it worked well too -- you decide.

Steve

[andyb]

In theory you are right.... but in practice the hard luggage on the FJ does not relegate it to touring only status.
it really depends on the rider.

No, not at all, I agree.  A really good rider on a goldwing would likely decimate the rest of us no matter what we were on.  But there's a good reason that you don't see racers using luggage on their racing machines.  It doesn't make it impossible to have fun and ride well, but it does make it less sporty feeling, with the additional weight to throw around.  It's a little like carrying a passenger, it's still fun, but you're going to feel that you could be going quicker, more easily, if it/they weren't there, that's all.  Same with a shaft drive.  Some mods, like luggage, make things a bit less sporty, and some make it more so, like a different suspension or motor work.

All I'm really saying is that the more sport-oriented a bike is, the more sporting it feels to ride, really.  It's less work to keep up the pace you want and it's more comfortable when you're going that pace.  It's a compromise though, as the more sporting it is, the less good it's going to be for riding the slab a few hours to get to that magical road, and it'll have less practicality in terms of luggage space and such.  A Miata feels more sporting on a twisty road than a minivan does, but I would certainly prefer to sleep in the van, etc. 

Plenty of evidence that sport bike riders come to a FJ rally and wreck their "pure" sportbikes trying to keep up with our "tourers" in the twisty bits.

They're running well past their 50-70% comfort limit then, yes?  Maybe I'm alone in thinking it, but I'm more comfortable on a sportbike than I am on a standard at 60mph in a given corner.  On the sportbike I might feel like that's 60% of my ability, but on the standard I might feel like I'm at 95% of my (and the bike's) ability.