Older versus newer street bikes

[movenon]

If I had a modern bike I would have to find something else to tinker with.

Riding my bike only accounts for about half the pleasure I get from it but I do understand some people just want to ride.

My brother for example does 35,000 km a year of purely recreational riding. His interest in tinkering with his bike is limited to putting fuel in it.

I need a rolling project.

+1 on that.
I have a neighbor that has a newer bike (ZX 14) that he can't do to much work on it himself, every time he takes it to a dealer it costs him 200 - 600.00. He has a stack of receipts...... And most of it for stuff you can easliy do yourself on an older bike.

He comes over to my garage and watches me tinker with mine and wishes he could do the same to his. He now has to take his bike back in to the dealer because of something with the "fuel mapping" and some other electronic feature that isn't working correctly. But he has good job and it's good for the economy

I am pretty happy with the FJ. Lots of good bikes out there, you just have to find one that fits your pocket book, style and needs. Hell if I had a ton of money I would probably have a building full of bikes..... A bike "hoarder".

Rally next week ! 

George

[racerman_27410]

All good points.
I like Frank Moore's quote: "The RDI on my FJ is so low, as to be almost unmeasurable"
RDI = Relative Duplication Index.
The chance that someone will pull up to you at a stoplight with a bike like yours.
.

I read all the stuff K-man has to say and there are some points to a new "modern" motorcycle....like ABS..... HOWEVER......

i've never crashed because of a lack of ABS or traction control.

My FJ suits me perfectly.... I made it that way and i enjoy it that way.... it handles as well as any new motorcycle (in its class).... has as much HP and torque (if not more) as most ALL new bikes and i love proving that to the new bike riders every chance i get!  

I cant even count how many times conversations have been started with " i used to own one of those" or " my father had one of those" or " my dad had a poster of that bike on our garage wall"  

i've ridden a few new bikes..... FJR, ZX14, concours,GSXR1million,R1, FZ1, et al but i still like my FJ that does what i want when i want without having to make payments on it...... heck even including how much money i have in my engine and all the suspension upgrades combined it still cost less than half the price of a "new" sport/touring motorcycle......

the ability to work on the FJ with basic hand tools.... i had a fuel issue on a long trip out west and had my carbs apart and cleaned on the picnic table of the KOA @ Glacier National park...... No laptop or factory service manual required.

Then when you figure in the RDI (as Pat mentioned above) makes my FJ as unique as i am= priceless

yes the FJ is "old" but guess what?   I'm "old" too...and i sure wouldnt want to be kicked to the curb just because of that one inevitable progression.....

Yes....you can ride a newer motorcycle than me but ya aint having any more fun than i am on my "old" one!  


KOokaloo!  

[Dan Filetti]

Mind you, there's not really a modern sporty sport tourer that fills that niche, amongst a few there's the Kawasaki 1000cc Ninja SX

...but it felt a bit cheap,some of the fasteners were already somewhat furred,its fairings rattled a bit and just didn't really do it for me.
It's no future classic that's for sure, few modern bikes are.

Klavdy-

I test rode one of those myself, at a Kawasaki "Rider Days" event.  I was only allowed to put about 20 miles on it, in a fairly sedate, group ride.  The one I rode was bone-stock and new, -it had less than a thousand miles on it, but I had a similar impression.  It did feel cheap.  Also, I did not like the throttle action, which felt more like an on-off switch, (struggled to modulate it) plus the one I rode would 'hunt' and never seemed to want to settle into a particular RPM/ speed.  The ergos were rider-friendly though, and the engine did have healthy accessible power. 

I had ridden the GSXR there, and was actually glad to get back on it after the test ride, for what that's worth.

Dan 

[pdxfj]

The FJ always stands out in a crowd.  I'd say at least 80% of the time when I'm getting gas, someone walks over and strikes up a conversation about it.  While it's nice at times, there have been a number of times where several people walk up and want to shoot the shit for an hour.. Uhh.. I'm trying to get someplace!! 

Yes.. it is old and all that.. I've ridden a number of newer bikes.. ZX14, both FZ1's, GSXR, VFR 800's and of course a turbo 'busa...  A newer FUEL INJECTED bike is always on my mind.. epically this week... 

My FJ is setup perfectly for me and I've done some very long trips on it with no complaints.  A newer bike is calling..no idea which is calling though..Given the years and work I've put into the FJ, I don't think it will ever leave my garage.. Much easier to replace a newer bike..

I hope to get the local (to me) FJ riders together some evening this summer and invade one of the local bike nights.  All of us pulling in at the same time would be a lot of fun.

[yamaha fj rider]

I think the question is what do you want out of your bike. It's like owning a classic Mustang, almost anybody can go down and buy a new one. When both are at the light together which one is getting the attention. The new one, may bee faster, ride better and out handle. Park your new bike next to a vintage cafe racer, see what people are looking at. If you gave them the choice, what do they want to ride. The comparisons go on and on. The FJ doesn't handle like a modern sport bike but does it need to? The FJR is more touring than sport. A good rider on an old bike that works well can still go fast if or she wants to.

Kurt 

[Vsekvsek]

The FJ always stands out in a crowd.  I'd say at least 80% of the time when I'm getting gas, someone walks over and strikes up a conversation about it.  While it's nice at times, there have been a number of times where several people walk up and want to shoot the shit for an hour.. Uhh.. I'm trying to get someplace!! 

Yes.. it is old and all that.. I've ridden a number of newer bikes.. ZX14, both FZ1's, GSXR, VFR 800's and of course a turbo 'busa...  A newer FUEL INJECTED bike is always on my mind.. epically this week... 

My FJ is setup perfectly for me and I've done some very long trips on it with no complaints.  A newer bike is calling..no idea which is calling though..Given the years and work I've put into the FJ, I don't think it will ever leave my garage.. Much easier to replace a newer bike..

I hope to get the local (to me) FJ riders together some evening this summer and invade one of the local bike nights.  All of us pulling in at the same time would be a lot of fun.

Thats been my experience too. I get a ton of people coming up and checking out and giving me compliments on my fj all the time. I have my fj setup perfect and it purrs. The powerplant on it has me spoiled beyond belief. All bikes going forward will be compared against it

[Bill_Rockoff]

I *love* my FJ1200.  I loved it when it was stock (once I got rid of the crap OEM tires) and I love it more now that it has some of the Modifier's Anonymous mods.  (YZF600R rear wheel, Penske shock, stiffer fork springs with cartridge emulator valves & thicker fork oil, modern radial tires, FZ1 calipers and master cylinder.) 

I will love it more when it's rebuilt and has new cosmetics.  And a new seat. 

But in terms of quality, yeah, the FJ is frankly disappointing, even by Reagan/Thatcher-era standards.  The plastics are brittle. (How many of you have had to replace your front fender?  Raise your hands.)  Mine have been disintegrating in the sun for 23 years.  Consequently, I shit you not, I can outbrake my own turn signals.  The fairing panels are a symphony of buzzing.  The gauges have vibrated themselves apart; the needles swing wildly and fling damping fluid all over their faces, while the speedo center cap bounces around in the bottom of the gauge.  (It has literally worn a spot in the gauge face, which by the way has vibrated itself into two pieces.)  The trip odometer reset button sticks and will frequently not allow itself to be reset; the mechanism is jammed, and only sometimes unjams.   So, I really never have any good idea how fast I'm going or how far I have gone.  This is why I do not care that none of my gauge lights work; I don't need the distraction at night and none of it would be accurate information anyway.

The rubber valve cover bolt grommets and the valve cover gasket have become brittle, leaking oil all over the place.  Again.  This is in addition to the oil it burns after 106,000 miles.  I'm sure the heat contributes to the periodic failure of clutch slave cylinder seals.

The starter does not always.  If it's too cold, it doesn't engage but simply spins.  If it's too hot, it bogs down.  Really guys, a starter?  They hadn't figured out starters by 1989?

Still, the FJ is a step above the 1970's crap I had beforehand.  It does overcharge its battery, but at least it has never failed to (over)charge.  This is my favorite bike ever, simply because it has never required me to say the word "Stator" out loud.  All of its wiring still works, and the only trouble I've ever had with it has been due to the alarm I installed in 1992.  I removed it in 1994 and it has been good ever since.  It does not have points or an ignition condenser.

But there's only so much you can do with old "fuel toilets" (my favorite phrase for "carbuetors") and materials / manufacturing from 24 years ago.  Stu's FZ6 was electric-motor smooth and had plenty of torque.  My friend Art's YZF1000R felt like it was hewn from a single billet of aluminum, it made the FJ feel like a bucket of loose hardware with a missing handle by comparison.  The fuel-injected GTS1000 felt unstoppable.  I have never tried anything really "modern" in the current-Japanese-sport-bike sense (the 916 occupies its own place on the spectrum - on a scale of 1 to 10, a 1990's Ducati is a W - for "WIN!!") but I always feel like "I would be as fast as these guys if I had a modern bike like they have." 

Still, I love the way the FJ1200 feels - it feels like home.  When I let the clutch in and throttle up the driveway, it always feels like the beginning of an adventure whether I'm going to the store or out on an actual adventure.  I know I'm going to have fun, and frankly that's not a feeling I got on Ducati Dave's ST1100 or my friend Doug's 'Wing or V-Rod or on Ralph's Sportster.  When it feels like I'm going too fast, it's because I'm going too fast. 

I'd like to try a variety of things and see what speaks to me.  The Ninja 250 was fun, and I've decided I must have a 916/996/998 at some point.  I want to try a BMW S1000R, a ZX14, a 'busa, a GSXR, an R1, a V-Strom, a V-Max, a VFR.

But I plan to always have the FJ. Even if I have to make my own fairings for it.

[Klavdy]

Do you like riding the bike you have?
That's the most important thing in my view, that you dig it, man.
When the romance is over though, it's time to move on.
Yet nostalgia lends a rose tint to most relationships.
I had a really modded FJ as my last one here in Aus, a '93 on model with USD front end, ohlins, 17" wheels, 4-2-1 exhaust, blah blah.
It's a beauty and went to a fellow lister.
Hmmm, I really liked most of the FJ's I've had but yes, time moves on.
You ever ridden one without a helmet?
Sound like a galvanised bucket full of broken glass and rusty bolts.
I also liked messing about with them sometimes, other times it was hatred.
Remember breaking down on the FJ in a deserted boondock or ghetto?
I do,despite near obsessive preventative maintenance I've broken down in Death Valley, been with a mate in one of the dodgiest parts of Las Vegas with a wretched and fucked FJ,having crack heads and freaks importuning us while we tried to fix the damn thing in the dark ,had recurrent fuelling issues despite cleaning the bejeezuz outta the carbs,been tormented by regulators,cracked exhausts, broken plastics, the list is familiar to anyone on this board.
I've also had the most wonderful adventures in Australia and America on my FJ's, met lifelong friends and made a few ill advised decisions as well.
Now I have three bikes, in Australia a Triumph Tiger 1050 that I can work on easily,a Kawasaki GTR 1400 (Concours in the U.S) that is a bit more involved because of the fairings but an OBD-II interface and software that connects to a laptop, tablet or smartphone makes balancing throttle bodies a simple affair,far less hassle than the old style carb balancing with tubes, ATF or mercury,it also gives you all the fault codes etc and other useful stuff like changing the air fuel ratios etc and an Aprilia Tuono in the U.S that is also really easy to work on.
None of them has ever let me down, and if they did I can connect to them via a usb cable and see what's wrong instead of guessing.

One thing that most newer bikes have all over the FJ is weight.
The FJ is a very heavy bike compared to most and I know I enjoy riding the newer bikes and can ride them much better than I ever could ride my FJ's.

Still, I reckon I'll buy another FJ, a basket case or show boat just to do it up and ride on the odd occasion.

[baldy3853]

TOOL 

[JPaganel]

The FJ is a cool bike that I am enjoying that fit into my budget. A brand new bike of any stripe does not, and will not for the foreseeable future. As such, I am going to suck it up and deal with the carbs, and the starter, and the broken plastic.

I do wish it was fuel injected. I haven't had the greatest amount of success working on multiple carbed engines...

[Dads_FJ]

 My kids cried (really) when I talked of selling my FJ, it's been in the family a long time and has helped create many memories.  To me 'new' doesn't last long and before you know it's just 'not as old'.  I like the FJ because of its ease of maintenance, and all bikes need maintenance.

[Klavdy]

TOOL 

Tool?
Baldy, my FJR1300 crashing mate, you do know that this isn't Facebook where you communicate with your playmates via Smiley's and TXT SPK, indeed you've been told time after time that you are no longer a teenager but in fact a fat, bald, middle aged man yet still you debase these pages with them.

[X-Ray]

^^^^ HAHAHAHAHAHAHA^^^^^^

Interesting topic you've started here Klav. Me?, I won't be selling the FJ, would love to have a fuel injected bike, preferably a Triumph Sprint or Trophy, but unless I come into a lot of money, its not happening.
I was shaking my head reading your list of problems Bill thinking What The?? The only problem currently I have is a slightly vibrating dash console, but no brittle plastics etc. The sidecovers are still as flexible as they were when new etc, but then again my bike spends 90% of its life in the shed,    (still have 115000kms on it though).

A few mods, and the Fjs are fantastic. Having a modern bike would be nice for a change, but do they have the "character" of the late 80s/early 90s Yamahas, not really. But lots of people have a sensible Toyota Camry as a daily driver, and then bring out the "Classic" car on weekends, same deal for bikes I guess. 

[fintip]

What does it mean to outbrake your turn signals?

[X-Ray]

You ever ridden one without a helmet?
Sound like a galvanised bucket full of broken glass and rusty bolts.

Gotta say, mine has the usual starter chain rattle when cold etc. But what I like doing is when doing highway speeds, duck my head down behind the screen out of the wind and listen, everything sounds turbine smooth, no noise, engine is just spot on, just humming along.