Prospect purchase

[Big D]

Mate, sounds like a real adventure, I could tell you all the reasons what you're doing is foolhardy and risky, but where's the fun in that... I have done much the same in my early days. Now I'm old and feral, I'll just read about you doing it thanks.

[ribbert]

I had already seen it and hoped I was wrong in assuming that was it. Alas. That's quite a pain to access, haha. Was planning on doing it soon. Clockwise pushes the idle up, correct?

Kyle, the easiest way and the one with the most control is with a gloved hand.
The trick is to open the throttle slightly to take the load off the screw so it turns easily, same if you want to use a screw driver, which I find a pain.
I can, and have, adjusted mine while at a red light.
Noel

,, yep easy to adjust,  even at lights, , pays to have small hands, even with summer gloves on

I've got mechanics hands and wear 2 - 3 XL gloves
Noel

[Tiger]

  Nice going...Now, while the gremlins are off chasing someone else, get her packed up, wound up and head for home...

John...

[SlowOldGuy]

Kyle,
If grounding the Blue w/White Stripe wire will spin the starter, then you won't have to take off the fairing. 
All you'll need to do is connect a switch to the Blue/White wire and run the other end to ground.  A monentary contact switch will work just like your starter button should.  Use a long wire and tape the switch to the handlebar for convenience.

You can also hook all your switches back up.  I think you've proved that they aren't the problem.

DavidR.

[movenon]

O'Reileys , Autozone or NAPA should have a switch to get you by here is an example.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Painless-Wiring-Push-button-extreme-condition-momentary-start-switch/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=238965

[Goetz]

Now MY wanderlust is acting up.

[Steve_in_Florida]

Now MY wanderlust is acting up.

I know what you mean. I did the same thing as FinTip when I bought my `92 FJ ABS.

Found it on E-Bay while looking for parts for my `90 FJ project. She was located in Madison, Wisconsin, and I'm in Orlando, Florida. Chat with owner about condition, title, and price, then found a cheap round-trip plane ticket (just in case...). Made the flight, owner picked me up and put me up for the night, then we signed the bike over at the bank the next morning. Rode her home over that weekend, by way of the Dragon. Loving her ever since.

This could be the start of an "adventure trend". With a limited budget, there are just so many "unknowns" to make the prospect uber-exciting! Shoot, even with an unlimited budget, it beats hiding from the world watching television!

Ride on, Mr. FinTip!

Steve

[fintip]

 

So, the weather is cloudy with patches of sky, no rain today!

Went out and did the oil change (which is a BEAR to do without an extension socket for the ratchet... Sheesh...), changed the oil filter, oiled up the chain, put the side cover pieces of the fairing back on, starts and warmed her up well...

Then I geared up and took off. Went around town for a few miles, lights and stop signs. Finally found the highway.

Then I came back. It was a 35 mile trip. No problems. Bike has a happy idle of 1250~ when properly warmed up, and will come back down to it without hesitation at any given stoplight.

Getting back on the highway after a u-turn from a dead stop, I got to feel the incredible acceleration of the bike. In other words, today I learned the meaning of the word "kookaloo".   

No problems to report. About to go hook up the givi rack mount.

Oh, and I tried the blue and white wire. That starts the bike. So the main relay solenoid is good. Just need to buy a switch and wire it up.

Thank you, everyone, for your help and encouragement so far. Now it's time to enjoy the west coast!

[SlowOldGuy]

Oh, and I tried the blue and white wire. That starts the bike. So the main relay solenoid is good. Just need to buy a switch and wire it up.

Excellent!  The cut-out relay is probably bad.  I'm pretty sure that can be replaced with a standard $5 relay from the auto parts store.  I'll look into the wiring and post it.

Good luck and ride safe!

DavidR.

[Ranman85FJ]

I love this thread, and the video!  Congrats Kyle, for making great progress in spite of our weather (we had almost eighty days without rain recently, sorry you missed it!).  I saw your bike on Craigslist and considered it, but was scared off by the thought of electrical problems.  Kudos to you for taking it on, and good luck on your trip.  You must make it to Canada, especially if you're single!  The most beautiful ladies in the world live in British Columbia! 

[fintip]

Oh, one thing I didn't mention is that my fuel and speedo gauges were wacko. Fuel gauge I never put much stock in, but I would like to have a working speedo. That said, I can use my tablet as a GPS speedo once I figure out how to mount it on the dash, so it isn't the most urgent issue, but what am looking at? It was bouncing around back and forth between 120 and 30 or something as if it were a see saw run by 4 year olds on sugar...

Re: relay, that'd be amazing good news. Let me know what you find, David.

Concerning Canada, maybe I'll try and make it across the border this weekend. But honestly I'm too broke to enjoy it properly right now. Hard to get a girl when you can't afford to buy her a drink, you know. Whether I go this time or not, I'll defnitely have to come another time. As for weather, I keep hearing that from everyone. Thanks for rubbing it in, haha. It's weird, I'm stating to think the rain follows me... it's a recurring theme in my motorcycling adventures...

Thanks for the encouragement!

Oh, and the kickstand switch definitely works. Killed the bike while I was parking to put the kickstand down while in gear. (I don't think it should work that way, since I had the clutch pulled, so I might have reversed the clutch switch wires...)

[SlowOldGuy]

No, that's exactly what the kickstand switch is supposed to do.

If the kickstand is down and the motor is running, if you put it in gear, the motor will die.  Won't even crank if the stand is down.  Also won't crank if the kill switch is in the "kill" position.

The sidestand relay grounds the ignition system (i.e. kills it) to keep you from riding off with the stand down.  It's working correctly.

Also, it doesn't matter if you reverse the wires on one of the switches.  The switch is just a break in the wire, doesn't matter which wire is attached to the switch connectors.  You're doing good, keep it up!

DavidR.

[Tiger]

        

[fj11.5]

your speedo sounds like the one on my 89, likes to bounce around too, , 2000 rpm should be about 60klm/h ,, 4,200 about 100 kmh / 55 mph ?? if you have standard gearing ect,,   in top  for both,,  could be your speedo cable needs a heavy oil to slow the bounce   

[fintip]

It looked like 60mph (fish, see speedo problem) was about 3000 rpm in 5th. Didn't have my GPS tracking it. Tachometer appears to be working properly... is this a mechanical or tci connected tach?

Taking a day trip to Canada on the motorcycle on Saturday if my friend finds a helmet he can borrow, otherwise we're going in his car. Then I leave for Portland Sunday.

Finished installing the givi rack today, didn't have time before. Packing stuff up right now.

Maybe I'll just go do a day trip myself to see Mt. Rainier...