Greetings from the Emerald Isle - Republic of Ireland.

[CelticTiger]

Hello Y'All, It's good to be back! When I bought my first 1992 FJ 1200 over five years ago, I'm certain I was a member on here, but I'm damned if I can find the details. So, as I just bought my second 1992 FJ 1200 this week, I figured I deserved a second account.  I will be hitting the big 50 this December and I suppose like a lot of guys and gals out there, I have spent over half my life raising a family and providing for everyone else, so I decided to treat myself for a change. The bikes are twin machines, so I will be using the "new" FJ as the main project and the "old" machine as a donor bike which I can use for parts. My buddy and I have carried out some upgrades to the old bike which we will gradually transfer across to the new machine.

It's hard to believe, but I picked up my new bike in PMO for €500,( that's US$ 650,  Aud$ 700 )  this damn recession is biting deep here in Ireland as elsewhere. Cash is King and folk just haven't the spare cash these days for personal luxuries like recreational bikes. The seller had taken it in as a part ex and advertised it for €800ono but no takers. It was located 200 miles away from me in Tralee, Co Kerry, so my buddy and I set off with a car boot full of tools at 5.00am. The bike was originally a German import and has had one Irish keeper since then. Apart from a dodgy front tyre, the bike runs like a dream. It was by far the longest run I have had on a bike in 25 years but the bike was damn near flawless. I could not believe how solid and planted it felt at motorway speeds of 120kph/75mph. The only difficulty I experienced was that my hands went completely numb from the handlebar vibrations. I have since seen inexpensive throttle clips that act as a Cruise control which I will be investing in. It should help greatly especially for Motorway journeys. We got home safely and none of the tools we brought with us were needed.

The only other issue was the OEM mirrors. They were obviously designed for petite Japanese riders. They had not considered the possibility of a "fully grown" Irish pilot, so for the entire journey, I had zero rear visibility. That resulted in me only been able to ride as fast as the slowest vehicle in front of me. I then got the idea to get my buddy to drive alongside me when safe to overtake, then I would overtake the slow moving vehicle, and we would continue on until the next slow moving vehicle. It worked a treat, which meant I could be 100% confident when it was safe to overtake. An Irish solution to an Irish problem, and a very useful tip! I have a new pair of extended mirrors purchased which will be fitted this weekend.

I will also be transferring the front forks, as I have fitted progressive springs and new fork seals to the old ones. I have a replacement rear wheel and machined components which will enable me to do the rear wheel & tyre upgrade, but I might leave that project for the winter. I also have bought the R1 blue dot front brake callipers & braided brake lines which should improve the stopping power.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say Hello and Thank You to the members on here who have given of their time and experiences for the rest to learn from, I have enjoyed and learned from your contributions.

Slan go foill, (All the best!)

Conor

[baldy3853]

 The only difficulty I experienced was that my hands went completely numb from the handlebar vibrations.
Conor
[/quote]
Hi welcome aboard Conor

Just a small thing on the vibrations, do the service on the front engine mounts you will be extremely surprised with the out come.
Baldy

[The General]

  Glad ya dropped in to say hello Conor. Australia is only just beginning to feel the pinch. Lucky we got a great Canvas to practice FJ art on. (All Year)   

[movenon]

"Top of the morning" as Pat would say,

Welcome !! Sounds like good times to me.   You get that FJ tuned up and carbs sync'd and the vibrations will be a lot less. Oh, and motor mounts lubed up !   

George

[ribbert]

The only difficulty I experienced was that my hands went completely numb from the handlebar vibrations.
Conor

Hi welcome aboard Conor

Just a small thing on the vibrations, do the service on the front engine mounts you will be extremely surprised with the out come.
Baldy
[/quote]

This is no 'small thing' this is THE major improvement/elimination of vibrations. Do this job and it will feel like you have an electric motor between your legs. It will get rid of the vibrations as well.

Noel

[WhiteBeard]

As for the mirrors, see if you can get your hands on a pair of these:



You can find them in auto parts stores. I now see more than just my elbow and they eliminate the blind spot I've experienced.

Good to have another Irishman on board!

Greeting from across the pond (Sweden),
Nat

[CanDman]

Welcome CT......always nice to have another Celt join in the fun !! Being of Scottish decent I have always been curious to know how your Island came to be called "Ireland" .......is everyone there pissed off all the time?
CanDman   

[Tiger]

  Sla/inte chugat ... A gaelic tiger to tiger welcome and welcome back to the nut house

I'm of Dundonian father & cockney mother, raised a 'Geordie' and living in Canada...and still love ma kilt!!!

John.                  

[CelticTiger]

Jeez guys, thanks a mill for all the good vibes and warm welcome. Lots of solid advice there to get rid of my Bad Vibrations. I am wondering if there is a link to how to carry out these issues, servicing engine mounts, sync carbs etc. I suppose I could always look up YouTube, but if there is a specific link referring to the FJ all the better.

The other night I txt the wife that I was having an early night with a Dirty Book. I think she was relieved to see me tucked up with a well thumbed Haynes FJ Manual!!! I will be studying my section on engine mountings to see if I can resolve the issue. I will also be replacing the front tyre and both front forks. I have upgraded the springs to progressive springs, new seals & new gaiters on my old bike. I will be swopping them out asap. I am also delighted to see braided lines to the front calipers. These calipers I will also be swopping out for the blue dot R1 calipers I got.
We had a fine evening here so I took the opportunity to fit a pair of bar end mirrors and fresh grips. I managed to get one of the OEM mirrors off but the other is stuck fast from years of corrosion. I will have to drill out both screws, but the bar end mirrors will certainly be a big help in the meantime. I took her out for a blast, and it certainly got the adrenaline pumping.

Looking forward to getting loads of tips and tricks to keep my FJ running sweet. I hope I can give something back in return, maybe photos and footage of the various mods I undertake. A picture is worth a thousand words, and all that...

[baldy3853]

Conor there was a reference in the down under section about a shed day have a look there I think there's some pictures as well.
Baldy

[FJmonkey]

Welcome Connor, the insanity is already at full speed so I hope you can hit the ground with the RPMs up and ready to Kookalooo....

[CelticTiger]

@ Baldy & Fjmonkey, Thanks guys, looks like I've lots to learn and mods to undertake before I have my bike running near her potential. But every mod I carry out is a step closer to making her safer and more predictable.
I'm off now to read up on other guys mods successes.

Thanks one and all,

Conor