FJ on a diet (make it lighter)

[fj11.5]

I was talking about rear wheels , but you could fit an 88  3.5" front , ask nurse about the abs as he has done the conversion

[nurse]

Hello there!  You called!

Any idea if my ABS system will cause me any problems?

Well only in that you will have to get rid of the ABS in any conversion to front or rear as the sytem is linked through and dependant on a whole host of sensors rotating gearing yada yada - basically more weight!

If you want the ABS (and crap stopping performance) leave it all alone and forget almost any easy conversions (it can be done to the rear but is major work and IMO isnt worth the agro).  If you want fantastic brakes, get rid!

I cant comment on anything gsxr related to the front end, but i did the rear conversion, very easy when you have all the bits.

As far as the ABS goes its shit and makes you wish you had better brakes in every way possible, just take it allllll offff! Replace calipers with blue dots (lighter stonger and generaly better) or similar (gold,grey etc - some minor differences in performance but not form - performance differences are splitting hairs when compared to what you are replacing)

loose all the piping and replace with a simple run of braided.  You can/should remove the pump which on its own ways about the same as South Africa, well 6kg anyway i am lead to believe, but dont quote me as i havnt actually weighed it. i left mine in because im a bit lazy (removal involves striping loads of bits out the way to get to where its buried)  make sure you suck out every last drop of the devils piss contained within if you do leave it in though.  I am converting to a 3.5 inch Yam XJR1200 rim at the moment so saving weight their!

Once done the ABS light will stay on, lift the seat, find the right connector (there is a thread on here about it with pictures) and 'pull the plug'.  Voila great brakes, about 3/4 of a ton in weight saving and no irritating ABS warning light.

[fj11.5]

nice job nurse, thanks for chiming in mate

[nurse]

Welcome

[David Allaband]

Ha! I just found the second page of my own thread!

Thanks everyone and especially Nurse for your explanation. But wait... the ABS is crap? What the hell! This is the first vehicle of any kind I ever had that was equipped with ABS! I thought I was finally growing up! Won't ABS save my life when a deer jumps at me in freezing rain on black ice in a 80mph turn on a dark night? Do I have to second guess conventional wisdom AGAIN! Damn it!

Can anyone tell me what I should know about the FJ ABS system? I never felt it kick in. I switched from old drum brake BMWs to modern Japanese bikes because I wanted the best braking (I could afford). The FJ having good brakes is how I convinced myself, in spite of a nagging PTSD, that I should keep riding.

What can of worms have I opened now? Can Pandora close the box?

[FJmonkey]

Ha! I just found the second page of my own thread!

Thanks everyone and especially Nurse for your explanation. But wait... the ABS is crap? What the hell! This is the first vehicle of any kind I ever had that was equipped with ABS! I thought I was finally growing up! Won't ABS save my life when a deer jumps at me in freezing rain on black ice in a 80mph turn on a dark night? Do I have to second guess conventional wisdom AGAIN! Damn it!

Can anyone tell me what I should know about the FJ ABS system? I never felt it kick in. I switched from old drum brake BMWs to modern Japanese bikes because I wanted the best braking (I could afford). The FJ having good brakes is how I convinced myself, in spite of a nagging PTSD, that I should keep riding.

What can of worms have I opened now? Can Pandora close the box?

Won't ABS save my life when a deer jumps at me in freezing rain on black ice in a 80mph turn on a dark night?

What exactly are you looking for??

[nurse]

Ha! I just found the second page of my own thread!

Thanks everyone and especially Nurse for your explanation. But wait... the ABS is crap? What the hell! This is the first vehicle of any kind I ever had that was equipped with ABS! I thought I was finally growing up! Won't ABS save my life when a deer jumps at me in freezing rain on black ice in a 80mph turn on a dark night? Do I have to second guess conventional wisdom AGAIN! Damn it!

Can anyone tell me what I should know about the FJ ABS system? I never felt it kick in. I switched from old drum brake BMWs to modern Japanese bikes because I wanted the best braking (I could afford). The FJ having good brakes is how I convinced myself, in spite of a nagging PTSD, that I should keep riding.

What can of worms have I opened now? Can Pandora close the box?

Won't ABS save my life when a deer jumps at me in freezing rain on black ice in a 80mph turn on a dark night?

Well it may do on some more recent superdooper linked computer controlled hyper response mega performance CBR600 system (my brother in law has one on his and it is v good, but then again the bike weighs about the same as a mobile phone off of the eighties, so it isnt really having to work too hard!!  As for the Fj, not so much.  By the time the ABS kicks in the forks have bottomed out which doent take much in standard format, the tyres have lost traction, you are loosing control and have barely scrubbed of any speed.  Blue dots will have scrubbed of loads before you get too the out of control point.  Advanced and police riders will argue that although a nice safety net if you need ABS then your riding/control/planning has let you down!

In a nut shell what you need to know about the FJ ABS is that it was one of the first generation of ABS systems on a bike and in its day it was felt to be a positive.  However that was twenty years ago and technology moves on ALOT.  Therefore a breaking system made up of more modern non abs components will be infintaly more effecient and ergo effective than an older one made up of older technology components (and that is without factoring in age related degradation of afore mentioned componentry)

ABS (in general) uses computer and sensors to work out differnce between speed of front trye and speed of travel.  When tyre is moving a given amount slower than travel then it assumes the trye is loosing traction and releases pressure of pads on discs then reapplies very quickly then releases until bike stops or you adjust pressure on lever to the point where it no longer thinks traction will be lost.  When it kicks in you no longer have any feel over braking, no control over braking and as the efficincy of the brakes is wore than a more modern braking system that doesnt use abs you are better of without.

[fintip]

Dead topic alert; I've read this article a few times over the last few months, and just scoured it for some info that I have started collecting for an fjwiki page...

So, http://fjowners.wikidot.com/lighter now exists with a summary of most of the information here (though some more could be added! Say, specific weights of various rim and exhaust options, etc....), as well as information from the FJracer site.

(Just putting this here in case someone in the future finds this via search, and wants to research further...)

[ktmaha]

I am running Katana wheels with 88ish GSXR forks. Made spacers and installed correct bearings and seals for the axle being used. Have some info on weights around here somewhere...

[racerrad8]

I just came across this again and the RPM S/S exhaust system is now available and the largest loss of weight for the FJ.

A full write up; In development: RPM header for FJ's

Randy - RPM

Here is another option for exhaust. The RPM 4-2-1 exhaust system is stainless and extremely light weight. Roughly 30 pounds lighter than stock. They turn a deep gold color once they have a few heat cycles on them. I am not into the highly polished look, but I am sure the RPM head pipes would shine up real good.






Fred

[~JM~]

Another thing to keep in mind is relocating weight. The FJ's are somewhat top heavy. If you can remove any amount of weight & relocate it lower & towards the center of the bike, the better it will respond. I recently purchased an AntiGravity battery for another bike that I have. These are amazing batteries! They only weigh 2 to 4 pounds & provide a higher CCA rating than the battery it replaces. The FJ battery is mounted up real high in the bike. Swapping batteries could take 10+ lbs. off the top of your bike. Here are the 2 batteries recommended for the FJ1200.
http://antigravitybatteries.com/ytx12-12/
http://antigravitybatteries.com/ag-1601/
Here is their video page: http://antigravitybatteries.com/videos/

Usually Amazon.com has much better pricing than the MSRP shown.

Good luck

[racerrad8]

Yes batteries are a great weight saver. We also stock lithium batteries by Shorai which are a fair bit cheaper than the antigravity batteries.
http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3AShoraiE  for your 84-90
http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3AShoraiL  for your 91-93

[BristolFJ12Russ]

what about removing the centre stand? 

[Pat Conlon]

I have no center stand, so I carry this on my trips so I can lube my chain:



https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tirox-snapjack-v2

[GhostMerc]

Thanks Tony and Alan! I have the racer web page marked and I ran through it. Lots of info there but not many things I can do. I'll search it in more depth.

About the 4 into 1 exhaust, I'm interested. But all my life I've heard that more exhaust pipes are better. The faster you get the exhaust gasses away from the engine the better it can breath. So is it different here? Also, about a year ago I was looking around and saw TONS of used 4 into 1s for cheap, now I don't see any. Anyone have any leads? How do I know how to change the carb jetting? What silencer should I use? Does the 4 into 1 fit over the stock oil pan and under the lower fairing?

Thanks again!

If you open up the exhaust all the way, you may get more peak horsepower, likely right around red line.  Since we don't ride while bouncing off the rev limiter, a little bit of restriction in exhaust flow is a good thing.  Horsepower is cool, but torque is what these bikes are all about.  The short exhaust systems on motorcycles also have a little better scavenging affect than cars. 

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm reading a lot about the GSXR rims. I see MANY of them on Ebay. Can anyone tell me which ones I'm looking for? Is this a direct bolt on replacement? (Will the GSXR rims fit my current forks, swing arm, chain, rotors, sprocket, calipers?)

A few months at the gym will only make me heavier. I'm 6 foot 180 lbs, my BMI is 24. The girl I put on the back is 99lbs.

I like power and performance but I'm not lightening for that reason. I live in NYC and there is a lot of zero speed maneuvering you do here. Pushing your bike through crowds of cars and such. I have different considerations. For instance, my bike can only be a certain width because it has to fit down my hallway to get it in my back yard and off the street at night. I want the bike lighter because of the way it handles in neutral.

I would love to cut the weight by 100 lbs. 45lbs for the exhaust is a great start! I wish there was a lightweight swingarm out there.

Foot maneuvering depends a lot on rolling resistance, not so much on weight.  Make sure your chain and sprockets are in good condition and aligned.  I had a link go bad on a chain so it would bind in one spot and it was very difficult for me to move the bike around.  Brake drag can also cause issues.  Make sure all your pads can move freely in the calipers and that your rotors aren't warped or have baked in high spots from the pads resting on them.  I had issues maneuvering my bike on foot with a stock shock.  Changed out the rotors, brakes, chains, and sprockets and even with the taller seat height from the Honda shock, it's easier to move now by quite a bit.