FJ Mods. Please explain?

[Jeff0308]

Hi Everyone.  Can somebody please explain to me a few things. I have a 6mth 88 build FJ 1200. I have read on numerous posts that people are putting on 17 inch front wheels. On mine its standard. Is this just for earlier models or what.? Also the changing of brake callipers , brake lines and front forks. Is this something I should be considering or not? Also I am after advice on the rear shock. I think mine might be looking for a change soon. I have been watching the forum posts on Randys unit. Is there also any others worth considering. Also tyres Whats good for a stock FJ with a 17 inch front wheel and 16 inch rear or is the rear wheel an item to change and if so why? REMEMBERING I LIVE IN MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA. Thanks everyone. I am still finding my way around the site and some of the forum posts are a great laugh.  I cant make the FJ Rally this year unfortunately but all going well will be there next year.  regards Jeff

[FJSpringy]

Your lucky you live in Melb (lol never thort I would say that  ) you have some great FJ moder's down there.

Seek local advice and all will be answered   

[Jeff0308]

Have you got any good starting points as to who to contact down here.?

[FJSpringy]

paging Arnie and Noel, patient in room 6 

[ribbert]

paging Arnie and Noel, patient in room 6 

Yes, I think I can help. I thought it may have been a case of Pink Strip disease or breaking out in red and white blotches but I see from the photo it's only a case of Black fever, quite treatable.

[flips]

Hi Jeff.

The early model fj's had the 16" wheel with the anti dive fork setup.These are prime candidates for the 17" front end conversion for bigger brakes and better damping/handling.Yours has the 17" wheel already.You might want to look at a 17" rear wheel conversion.
Here's some light reading for ideas....

http://www.fjmods.co.uk/

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?board=12.0

Cheers

Jeff P

[ribbert]

Have you got any good starting points as to who to contact down here.?

Jeff, I am also in Melbourne (East Ivanhoe) and would be happy to catch up offer what help I can.
Being in Melbourne and a forum member and owning an FJ sounds like sufficient reason for a coffee meet somewhere and a deep and meaningful mod discussion.
Let me know what part of town you're in and when you are generally free and we'll organise something.

Arnie is only about an hour out of Melbourne, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the mighty FJ and is very generous with his advice and time.

To answer you tyre question, there are really no 16" tyres available now that are a safe match for the bike.

There will never be a concensus on the order or importance of mods here but if I had your bike I would do the 17"rear wheel and front brakes first. If you want to keep the cost down, later model 4 piston calipers, which someone would probably give you, EBC HH pads and new braided lines will give you 90% of the improvement you would expect from the full job, that is, Blue Dot calipers and adjustable 14mm m/c.  These 2 improvements not only make the bike more enjoyable to ride but a lot safer.

I will expect to hear from you.
Noel

[Arnie]

Hi Jeff,

I'll jump in here as well with a G'day and say hello.

More than happy to discuss what and why you'd want to modify your FJ.
Noel is probably giving me more credit than I deserve, but I do know a thing or two about FJs.
I'm pretty sure that with the change to a 17" front, Yamaha also put the 4 pot Aisin brakes on.
Still, the blue (or gold)-spot brakes from R1, R6, FJR, TDM, and a few others fits right on and does improve your braking.  Probably more important would be to replace your OEM rubber brake lines with SSbraided lines and change to more aggressive pads.
Have to check, but I think Avon may still be selling a 16" radial rear tire.
If you change to a 17" rear you'll be spoiled for choice.
Most other mods are personal pref and depend on what you want to do with your bike.

Happy to join you and Noel for a coffee somewhere or a ride most any time.

Cheers,
Arnie

Feel free to call 0419 034 225
Oh, I'm about 20kms due west of Little River

[movenon]

Good Morning from the Pacific NorthWest, the land of cold and snow... When you get done using up all the good weather let us know and please send it back up here
First mod I would do is a spin on oil filter adapter. I am currently doing the 17 " rear wheel mod. so that's the only one I can speak about.
The rear tire selection for the 16" rim is limited. My tire will need to be replaced next spring anyhow so that's what motivated me into the modification.
The 180 or 170-60-17 tire looks a lot better and gives more patch area on the road. The tire selection is great. Beware that after that mod you will want to upgrade the front wheel, it happens my Friend. There are so many mods so I would just focus on one area at a time.
                                                                                                                                              George

[FJmonkey]

I can play in this game, I have one of the older common as weeds 86' that was 100% stock except for the Corbin seat. I first put on the RPM spin-on oil filter adapter. Then I installed an HID lamp in the front, like sun light shooting out. Then I put on a 92, 750 GSXR rear wheel 5.5" x 17" with underslung caliper and 180/55 tire. Now I have so many choices of brand and performance options my head spins (more than normal). Then during a West Coast Rally Randy installed an RPM fork brace to stiffen up my lousy stock front end. Then I started collecting all the bits to upgrade the front. It was the most costly as it required many more bits. Your front is 17" x 3", I put an FZR1000 88/89' 17" x 3.5" front on. After seeing a 120 tire on a 3" wide rim, then a 120 on a 3.5" wide rim, the 3" rim looks like it is pinching the tire a little. The profile of a 110 on a 3" looks the same as a 120 on a 3.5". You will have to decide that for your self. But to get the FZR rim on I upgraded to 89' FJ forks, RPM fork valves, 0.85 straight rate springs, Blue dot calipers, HH pads, braided lines, new brake master (still stock piston size) with adjustable lever, new bearings and Galfer like wave rotors.

After all the front end changes my FJ felt modern and the front was really well planted in the corners. For my shakedown run I took a road I normally avoid as the pavement is buckling in the corners, I was naturally cautious but was blow away by how the new front end absorbed the bumps without any complaints or harsh feedback.  Without realizing it I was riding the road faster that I thought possible and felt comfortable. One work of caution if you make a major front end improvement. Be perpaired to upgrade the rear shock. Now with the front performing so well all I notice in corners is how crappy the rear end is. Can't wait till Randy releases his custom FJ rear shock. I already purchased an 89' rear suspension link to switch over to dog bones on my 86' so I can change the swing arm position and raise the rear a tad more.

If you want radials before you switch out your rear wheel then look for Avons, I ran the AV45/46 combo when I had 16" wheels. Pirelli Diablos are also a good choice but not radial. A few member here run them.

Enjoy your modification addiction.

[Jeff0308]

Hi again everyone. Thanks heeps for the info. Changing the rear wheel?  What model wheel?     is that the only thing you change or is it the whole swing arm chain,  sprockets and brake discs. Also going the bigger rear  wheel  means that the suspension travel will be reduced as well, so that issue also  has to be addressed. Im sort of stuck as I have a few options now. Looks like Im going to have a bit of a wait as I just found out today that I cant get the trusty FJ747 registered with club reg til July as its 25yrs old  in june.I tried to get around the system but failed dismally.  Unless I go full reg. What a piss off. I dont really want to do that yet but am now thinking how impatient am I going to be. Yeah the trail bike is a quick fi but its REALLY  doing my head in that I cant ride it yet. So my dillema is as it needs  new tyres, (!) Do I make the change and if so whats involved?       (2) What do I really want out of it ? A standard cruiser or ?      (3) How much is it going to cost?     (4) Do I just get it on the road to begin with, ride it for a bit and then consider all of the changes.That idea has merits but double handling with costs is not really a good option.  The oil filter setup as well as the brake lines sounds like a  worth while idea as well.Those seem to be a very common comments on the forum.. Is the brake lines a common problem or is it a wear and tear thing. Do the brake lines on there own  have any significant change to the bike in anyway other than looks? Arnie and Noel. A coffee sounds great. What suits you both? Weekends?  Week nights are a bit hard for me as I start work at 5am and I usually turn in early during the week up around 3.45 am.  regards to all. jeff

[ribbert]

Hi Jeff, the rear wheel change generally involves wheel, sprocket, caliper and disc and there are a number of wheels that fit or can easily be made to fit. There is a lot information here on that. The increase in wheel diameter is about the same as the reduction in tyre height so you end up with roughly the same OD. It is one of those jobs that can be overwhelming in anticipation but once done seems very simple. Trouble is, you only need to do it once.
My view is all bikes should have good tyres, regardless of how you ride. Many people think good tyres are only necessary if you ride hard and fast but good tyres do much more than just let you scrape the pegs. They are cheap insurance and there are some brilliant tyres out there.
The brake lines are suggested because they are 25 years old, rubber and considered at risk of leaking or bursting and I believe Yamaha originally recommended they be changed every 4 years anyway, although no one ever did and I've actually never heard of a failure. Safety aside, they swell under pressure giving a sponginess at the lever, the new braided lines give a much more solid feel.
I have found (too late for me) a mobile hose man in Melb. who does brake lines to the required standards and is President of the BSA M/C club so loves bikes. The advantage to that is getting the lengths spot on.
As far as what you want out of it, you will have to ride it and find out. Who knows, you might think you want a cruiser now but it might wake the devil in you when you ride it.
Will book a weekend coffee. What part of town are you in?
Noel

[X-Ray]

Have a quick look at the link in my signature Jeff, has a pictorial on my rear wheel change, theres some notes attached to each photo. But as Monkey says, yep, the Suzuk rear wheel change is certainly worth it. Front brake mod + stainless lines at least, even if you don't do the whole front wheel change, spin on filter kit from RPM http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=spinonfilteradapter&cat=39  oil cooler mod also from RPM, theres a heap of very worthwhile things you can do.

But definatley catch up with Noel and Arnie, remember to take a tape recorder to harness the knowledge!  

[Arnie]

Jeff,

17" wheel is SMALLER in diameter than the 16" wheel once you have a tire on it.
Most bike makers recommend replacing brake lines at 4 yrs old.  If yours are original they are way past due to be replaced.
The SSbraided lines cost no more than the OEM rubber lines, but they don't swell with pressure so the brakes have a MUCH firmer feeling. IMO, they are the major source of improvement in braking.
I'll be glad to discuss rear wheel changes, (I started it) OR look in the archives on this list.  To lazy to type it all out (again).
In my OPINION the spin-on oil filter mod is overrated by many here.  I change my oil every 5,000kms and the filter every 10,000kms.  I don't find the OEM cartridge filter that much hassle to deal with once or maybe twice a year.
As for coffee, send Noel (ribbert) and me a PM with a suggested time/place and include some idea of where you are located.

Cheers,
Arnie

[FJmonkey]

For my rear wheel I used a 92' GSXR 750. Get the wheel and all the bits that are on the axle except the swing arm and chain. You wont need the axle but it holds all bits on for shipping. Get the brake caliper, caliper mount and link arm that secures it. Get them all from one bike, if you mix them you may have a hard time fitting them together as not all sellers are accurate in the years and models of their their parts. There are plenty of write ups for this mod. When you are serious, read up on them and start shopping.

The brake line issue is an age item, rubber brake lines are not recommended to last more than 5 years or so. If you lines are original then there is risk of them failing. Not a good thing to say the least. Also due to age and use the original lines will swell more than when new when under pressure. Making the brakes feel soft. Braided lines don't swell enough to feel and really improve the feel of braking.