aassstt oouuurrrnnnaaall

ast
ournal
The News Letter for the FJ Owners Club
FJ Owners Club; Ivy Cottage, Cromhall, Wotton-u-Edge, Glos, GL12 8AR, tel; 01454 299325
Issue 71 October 2010:
Inside this issue;
2010 Diary
Contacts
Rally Page
Essex Tales
Club Page
Members Emails
Recovering Carbs
‘Not so Young’
FJ Racer update
Tyres and Running
Costs
Northern Drivel
Fastest Spanner:
FJR Fork Springs
New Conti Attacks
Sale-Wanted page
New FJ1100 and FJ1200 Club Catalogue online at
www.fjcatalogue.com
New FJR1300 Club Catalogue online at
www.fjrcatalogue.com
Footman & James Special Club Insurance Deal
0844 826 4547 www.footmanjames.com
F J O w n e r s C l ub C o nt ac t s
Phil ‘Doc’ Hacker
2
Main FJ Owners Club Contact
FJ1100 and FJ1200
Technical Support:
Workshop booking at Fudge Motorcycles:
Membership enquires: Web or Printed
FJ Spares and Accessory Orders:
Mark ‘Ernie’ Lodge
email doc@fjclub.co.uk
phone 01454 299325 (9am - 9pm)
FJR1300
Technical Support:
Workshop booking at FJR Centre:
FJR Spares and Accessory Orders:
email ernie@fjclub.co.uk
phone 01454 299325 (9am - 5pm)
Steve ‘Penguin’ Beesty
Rally Organiser
All Club rally and run enquires
Lorinda
Post; 9 Well Meadow Bridgenorth Shropshire
WV15 6DD.
email steve.penguin@btinternet.com
Phone 01746 765488
Membership Secretary
Membership ONLY
Post; FJ Owers Club, Ivy Cottage, Cromhall,
Wotton-U-Edge, Glos GL12 8AR.
email contact via doc@fjclub.co.uk
Emergency Phone Orders (enquires on orders contact ‘Doc’ or ‘Ernie) see above
www.fjclub.co.uk Web Master
email Bob Allen ; webmaster@fjclub.co.uk
Club Organiser
Tool Co-Ordinator
Kris ‘JC’ Pittick tel 0329 237494
Jerry ‘Gadget’ Bromyard tel 02392 785803 ; email fjgadget@ntlworld.com
Mark and Kerry
tel 01302 880501 ; email kerry@fjclub.co.uk or mark@fjclub.co.uk
Paul Barber ;
tel 01255 886687; email paulbarber673@hotmail.com
David Pratley
tel 01926339562
CLUB Events
FJ Owners Club 2010 Diary
D at e
E v en t
WARNING:
All club rideouts and events are attended at the
members own risk and no liability can be
claimed against the FJ Owners Club or its organisers. If you are in any doubt, please don’t attend
Sept 25/ Oct 3
Gadgets French Tour
Oct 3rd
CHESHIRE
Oct 16th 17th
CORNWALL
Oct 31st
GADGETS REGATTA
Dec 4th
CLUB Annual Dinner Dance
Nov 27th -Dec 6th N.E.C Motorcycle Show
C o nt a c t
02392785803
07798831072
01746 765488
02392785803
01454 299325
for tickets see below
All “Runs” are one day ride outs, and weekend events have “Two Runs”. Welcome on either
of the days. No booking is necessary unless stated, just simply turn up at the arranged
meeting point (make sure you have a full tank of fuel). The runs are generally 70-110 miles
in total length. For a more details, contact number relevant for event.
For Tours please contact organiser’s direct ASAP, as they are limited numbers so making
them friendly and stress free.
NEC Motorcycle Show 2010
Nov 27th - Dec 5th
Discounted Tickets available through club at £15 (if the Club
can sell a 100 tickets we get the show stand FREE);
A bonus is those who purchase a ticket will get a FREE Limited
Edition FJ Club Pen, to be collected at the clubs stand.
Please send in cheque (payable to FJ Owners Club) for £15 per
person to club address at
FJ Owners Club, Ivy Cottage, Cromhall, Wotton-U-Edge, Glos,
GL12 8AR.
or order via the web at http://www.fjcatalogue.com/club.html
Please support the club
by purchase an advance
entrance ticket at a discounted price of £15. If we
manage to sell a 100 tickets, the NEC club stand
comes free.
Again the Club has been offered an excellent position at the annual
N.E.C Motorcycle Show near Birmingham.
We will be in one of the main Hall. Hall 4 next to the Aprilia stand, for
reference the club stand is G462.
In the past we have been kicked out to the lesser halls, which has
made it difficult for members to find us.
Please pop over and say hello to Doc, Ernie, Kerry or Mark (Northern
Drivel page) plus any of the club helpers
Last year we picked up 90 new members so this year we hope to
improve on this.
3
Rally Page
R ally Organi ser
All correspondence to: Steve ‘Penguin’ Beesty, 9 Well
Meadow Bridgenorth Shropshire WV15 6DD. email him at
steve.penguin@btinternet.com or tel 01746 765488
C h e s h i re r u n
October 3rd
An autumn trot through the leafy
backroads of the county where
some of England’s finest cheese
and tastiest ice cream is produced (and you might possibly
get to sample some as well!) with
some faster twisty sections
thrown in for good measure.
Interesting rides with magnificent
autumn scenery is assured.
Meet point for the run is the
Halfords carpark, adjacent to the
Sainsbury's superstore, on Caldy
Valley Road which is off the
A41/A55 roundabout to the south
east of Chester . Satnav/postcode CH3 5PR. Follow the exit for
Huntington & Superstore off the
roundabout.
Accommodation is available at a
Premier Inn (Chester Central
South East), which currently does
advance bookings at £29 per
night and which is all of 100yds
away, with a pub next door. Tel.
0871 527 8232. Satnav: as per
meet point.
Anyone who wants a late season
camping session can book at the
Birch Bank Farm site which is
about 3 miles away, just outside
the village of Christleton .
Located in Stamford Lane , just
off the A51. Satnav.Postcode
CH3 7QD. Tel. 01244 335233
Usual 10.00am meet for a prompt
11.00am start.
For further information and
details phone Richie & Shirley on
01244 346806 or 07798 831072.
C o r n w a ll r u n
Oct 16th - 17th
Autumn is now with us and yet
the weather usually holds out in
Cornwall at this time of year.
We will be stopping at the village
of looe in a delightful part of the
southern peninsular, camping is
available as are caravans The
site amenities such as the clubhouse and shop will be closed in
October although showers and
toilet facilities will of course be
open.
With a run on the Saturday leaving the site at eleven am and the
Sunday at 10 am. The finish time
will allow for the earlier departure
back home as the nights draw in
at this time of year.
Both runs will take in a mixture of
country and coast. looe is a picture book Cornish fishing village
with a goodly number of pubs and
there is an excellent eaterie within yards of the site.
The site is called Ten Creek
Holiday Park Polperro road looe
Look forward to seeing you on
one of the seasons closing runs.
For more info call the penguin on
01764 765488 or book the caravan site on 01503 262447
Cl u b An n u a l
D in n e r D a n c e
D e c 4 th 2 0 1 0
Please book ASAP’
This years Xmas Do will be
held in the Midlands area in
Tamworth, this is due to its
central location, which suit as
many members as possible.
The Hotel is called the Holiday
Inn Express. This is the new
flagship under the Express
hotels, very nice and modern.
They are offer discounted
accommodation per room at £
45.00 including of full breakfast
(£22.50 per person).
Dinner will be a HOT buffet
(not cold sandwiches and a
sausage on a stick that we
seemed to have been served
prevoiusly) for £ 12.00 per person. The buffet can be booked
even if you’re not booking the
accomodation.
For those simply wanting to
attend the dance only, the cost
will be around £5 each, please
contact Doc on 01454 299325
or email doc@fjclub.co.uk.
Please BOOK EARLY.
To
book accomodation (or buffet) ring hotel direct on
01827 303220 and quote “FJ
Xmas Party” to get the discounted rate.
Remember this year we plan to
have a small live band with a
back up Disco.
4
Tour de France
This years club tour was try and stay in France, the
reason was after lasts year 3500 miles in two weeks
to Italy and back we wanted a more relax tour, less
miles and more time to take in the views.
After the Dover - Calais ferry crossing we made our
way to Luxembourg for the first night stop, we found
a lovely area near Clervaux. The camp site was close
to small village were they had a festival on with old
vintage tractors. On leaving we at to pass around 80
of them pottering up the road
View of the Lake from the Grand Canyon
We then made are way along the beautilful gourge de
Loup, so beautiful that i was shocked how nice Luxembourg was, as in previous times spent there i hadn't taken the time to look around, well worth a longer
stay.
We were trying to keep to the 'A' roads but we at to
make some distance if we were to make the South of
France in a few days so we shot pass Metz, Nancy
and Epinal, then onto the smaller 'A' road toward the
mountain area around Gernay. While looking for fuel
(France is a nighmare for fuel on a Sunday) we eventully found a site near Guebviller and the station would
open 9am in the morning. As luck would have it the
site had very cheap rooms for only 20 Euros so we
didnt even put up the tents.
The next day was another long day but we kept to the
small roads as we headed for the Swiss boarder over
some great views from the mountains near St Claude.
We finally camped over looking a massive lake near
Annecy and with the weather heading towards 30'c
there outdoor swimming pool was a great relif.
Next day was over the French Alps, this is poper motorcycle country, mountain passes with snowy summits while it was stil 25'c with blue skys, it doesnt get
much better than this. Later in the afternoon the
weather finally closed in and while trying to make the
Grand Canyon du Verdon area, thunder and lighting
5
Doc write a few words about
this years Club Overseas Tour
started, so we quickly made a bee line to the nearest
campsite and only after a few minutes after the tents
was up the heavens open up. By then we were in the
camp bar supping beer and ordering home cooked
meals.
The next day the blue skys were back and it was only
a short 80 mile ride to planed stop just off the lake Lac
de St Croix.
There we remained soaking up the South of France
sunshine. The ride outs we had around this area is
simply amazing, perfect tarmac, high mountain
passes, no traffic as it was early July. Once everyones
batteries was charged we headed back trying to get
as many passes over the French alps as we could.
The other challange I had was trying to find places
where the old Oversea Touring vetrains Nemo's and
Penguin haven't been before. I managed a few good
spots but some places like the Val-d'Isere is one place
you can't see too much of.
The last few days I sneaked everyone into Germany
because there is only so much French bread and shit
small beers one can take. So heading through the
Black Forest to the land of Schinzals and Weise Beer
in large glass, we weren't disappointed, the final day
was in the Mosel valley in Zell.
We even managed to get from there to Calais on
mostly 'A' roads though the last 80 miles I was sat at
100mph hoping to not miss my boat only to be told
that it was delayed by an hour.
So to sum up the tour, the best weather ive seen in
Europe, only seen rain once and even then we didnt
really ride through it. Great company with the likes of
'Posh' John and Nigel. Amazing roads and with the
time to actully enjoy them insead of being in a rush to
but high mileage. No break downs, no accidents only
the odd 'U' turn due to me trying to work out either to
listen to the sat nav or read my map.
Here’s to next year, were looking at Algarve in Portugal, or Norway. Anyone interested?
Members Emails
doc@fjclub.co.uk ; techncal support & membership enquires
Black Musuem
Mura’s Horrors
It never fails to amaze me how
people value their lives or present their bikes for the annual
MOT. Last year the same guy
presented this Thunderace for
a MOT with no rear wheel spindle nut, one year later & this is
what we have.
I have no doubt that some of
you have seen this before &
some people that ride bikes
have no idea of what some the
components should look like
when they are in good order let
alone dangerous like the above
rear brake………….but
is
there an excuse for this ?
New Conti Road Attack Two
Two emails reference to the new Conti Road Attach 2.
Hi Alan
The RoadAttack 2 is designed for current sports touring bikes or
sports bikes that would like more mileage without sacrificing too
much grip and leans slightly more towards sports than the original
RoadAttack.
The FJR1300 is more of a touring than sports touring bike so the
best fitment would be the RoadAttack.
Regards
David Humphreys, Technical Adviser, Continental Tyres
Hi Phil -- As you know we take all our "recommendations from Conti
Germany -- As of yet the FJR1300 has not been put forward for
"homologation" over there -- It will be soon -- & they are 99.9% sure
it will get "accepted" etc etc .........You & I know the Attack 2 works
well on the FJR........So, officially -- no it hasn't been "approved" as
yet -- but we know it works -- There are 3 FJR's in the local area &
they are all using the 2's -- Vast improvement over the old Road
Attacks -- but I'm sure I'm telling you something you already know.
Mathew Leeman, Cambrian Tyres
I have a set fitted to my FJ1100 (big wheels) and they work very
well, great grip and lasting well.
But in my opinion if you’re the type of guy who shoots up and down
motorways then choose the standard Road Attack. These have
deeper thread depth and are very hard wearing
If you like me! want grip and like the bends but don’t want short life
of a sport tyres then the Road 2 is fair better.Doc
Mura. This is a worn tyre!
This is what we call an aeroplane tyre, Air on the inside
plain on the out side.
Tune in soon for the next
episode of Mura’s horrors.
This is a front tyre that a member said
quote “its only just done this. It was
perfect a few days ago”... Really!
Found when he came in for a service
6
Members Emails
Neil Bruce emailed in this picture of is well sorted FJ1200
FJR Won’t Start. Whats Wrong?
Doc
Thanks for your advice on how to start my FJR which
you gave me last week. After days of trying to start
it without success, recharging the battery and trying
again. I eventually followed your advice. Listened to
injection system starting up. Checked for spark
which was OK - not at all easy on FJR. Fully charged
battery and then pressed starter continuously, no joy
at first then after an occasional sign of a cylinder firing the battery was nearly flat and then it started, ran
a bit rough for a while and then ran OK.
It has never caused any problem before. Fired up as
normal the day before. And now seems to be running
perfectly. Haven't got a clue what the problem was.
Thanks for your help and advice.
John
This is a common problem that we have mentioned
many time in the news letter. The FJR refuses to
start. We have no idea what causes this or why.
Buytplease dont take it to the dealer, he’ll have your
bike apart and charging you lots of money before you
know it. This is one of the good reason for being in
the Club. Were here to help and save you lots of time
and expense, so please ring me (Doc) for FJ’s or
Ernie for the FJR’s on 01454 299325. Easier to talk
through a problem than an email.
7
Great Service
Hi, I received the order
today.
You almost broke the
record.
I get a lot of stuff, mainly
IT hardware from via the
internet and the fastest
I've had is 18 hours from
placing the order to my
door ( Essex to Scotland
).
You done it in 20 hours,
not bad for a small company (I mean Club).
Well done, great service.
Jim.
Cheap Insurance Quote
Hi Doc & Ernie You may or may not
remember me John Williams from
when I came to see you at the Fuj centre last November and again at the
Bike show ,are you well? anyway just to
let you know I have just transferred my
insurance to Footman James and it
was about a third cheaper than C.N for
the same level of cover, I did pay a little
supplement for NCD protection and the
usual credit card payment fee .
So well done to you and the Club for
negotiiating the arrangement. That is
more money to spend on petrol and riding.
Jokes from Terry Crandon
My wife, being unhappy with my mood
swings, bought me one of these mood
rings so she could monitor my mood.
We discovered that, when I am in a
good mood, it turns green and, when I
am in a bad mood, it leaves a big
f#*king big red mark on her forehead.
A man goes into a library and asks for a
book on suicide.
The librarian says; 'F#*k off, you won't
bring it back.'
Essex Tales
Written by Paul ‘Pope’Barber
PROFI DRY CHAIN
LUBE
After further testing of this
product I regret that I cannot
endorse it as my chain seemed
to need regular adjustments
after using it which is not the
case with standard engine oil
that I normally brush on.
The chain also seems to have
developed
a
damaged
roller/kink that I suspect could
be down to the lube.
Certainly the chain does pick
up a lot of grit which seems to
stick to the lube although
whether such is protected by
the coating the lube gives is
hard to say.
My gut feeling ( Ernie would
know all about this as his guts
always have feelings ………..
feeling bloody empty. wouldn’t
yours if they were that big!) is
that I do not trust this product
or what it seemed to be doing
to my chain.
100 NOT OUT
We are not talking cricket here
but the mileage on my Fazer
which is at 101k at the time of
writing.
Since my last update club
member and all time good guy
Pete Broom known as Gillette
(due to his love of blades) has
removed and cleaned my
carbs with compressed air.
This was Pete’s idea given the
dirty fuel issues I previously
reported.
It has worked a treat as the
Bike feels better and smoother
than ever. Thanks mate.
Pete also changed my first
ever replacement front fork
seal and at the same time we
changed fork oil and I seem to
have stumbled on a magic
quantity as the forks feel slightly more softer than before
which is a good thing as I have
always felt that they were
slightly too harsh.
Having hit the 100k my next
target is 138k which will beat
my old 1991 FJ1200 ABS.
ERNIE
Englishman, Scotsman and Ernie in a pub having a beer.
Englishman says” my son was born on St George’s day so I
called him George”.
“That’s funny” said the Scotsman “as my son was born on St
Andrew’s day so I called him Andrew”.
“Bloody hell I don’t believe this” said Ernie “wait till I tell our
Pancake”!
TYRES
I have recently tried a Dunlop
Roadsmart rear on the Fazer.
This was recommended to me
by FJR member Ali Paisley
who is very happy with his.
This tyre is a dual compound
sports touring tyre and is
designed to compete with my
beloved Michelin Pilot road 2’s.
Compete it certainly can as
grip and feel were fantastic in
both dry and wet.
My grip preference is definitely
the Dunlop over the Michelin
(which in itself is very good) but
the Michelin wins on longevity
by 1500 miles (7500 to 6000).
All in all a draw as it depends
what you are looking for as the
Michelin lasts longer and is a
bit cheaper on a pence per
mile basis albeit it is around
£12 more expensive to buy.
I would definitely recommend
and be happy with either
option.
I have now bought a Pirelli
Angel rear, following positive
feedback from club members,
which has given good first
impressions and I will write up
on this in due course.
8
Essex Tales
FOOTBALL
The
Football
Association
today proudly
unveiled Total,
fcuk and UPS
as the new
sponsors of the
England football team. ‘The
combination of
these three corporate giants
perfectly captures the ethos
of the England
side,’ said an
FA spokesman.
‘After all, they
had nothing in
the tank when it counted, and they’ve shown themselves to
be a bunch of expensive posers who always fail to deliver.’
The announcement followed the news that Nationwide
building society would be ending its sponsorship of the
national side after the FA rejected its pre-World Cup offer of
a new £20m deal.
‘Not so bloody cocky now, are you?’ said Nationwide in a
prepared statement yesterday, before respectfully suggesting that the FA ‘shoved its sponsorship deal right up it’s
a**e’. Pundits noted that if the FA followed Nationwide’s
advice, it would be the second time in a fortnight that
England had been laid wide open at the back.
The new shirts come in a new range of bright ‘easy to spot’
colours after claims from England players that the old kit
was painted in ‘magic invisible ink’, which made it impossible for England midfielders to pick out an easy and obvious
pass to a team mate.
The new shirts are also made of a super lightweight material, unlike the old tops which were apparently made of extra
heavy chain mail which left the Premiership stars lumbering
around looking exhausted and unfit.
However one criticism has been made of the design of the
new England kit with claims that the neck hole was inexplicably too small for the heads of the Premiership stars.
Players say this will it make it very hard to pull the shirt off
during an over-exuberant goal celebration but a spokesman
for the manufactures said ‘They didn’t envisage this would
be a problem.’
FUEL RANGE
9
I don’t know what it is with Bike
manufacturers but don’t they
ever ask their customers what
they want from a bike?
Fuel range is a current issue.
First the new VFR 1200 sports
tourer can just about make it
from the garage it re-fuels at to
the next one down the road, i.e.
range of 120-160 miles depending on what article you read.
Now the new Fazer8 sports
tourer has a 17 litre tank.
According to my maths 17 litres
is less than 4 gallons so let’s
assume c 50 mpg which means
realistically the LATEST you
want to start looking for fuel is
150 miles.
Please manufacturers can we
drop the word ‘tourer’ from this
designation as ‘tourer’ it clearly
isn’t .
Imagine the far north of
Scotland or France on any
Sunday and you may as well
say to the rest of the group I will
see you at the hotel tonight
because you know that you are
going to spend all day worrying
about fuel and half the day trying to find it.
Why don’t these office bound
design idiots wake up to the fact
that a lot of people ride bikes for
distance and don’t just sit in
their garage admiring it with perhaps half a dozen annual 50
mile ride outs on sunny Sunday
mornings.
The worst thing about it is they
are actually paid a good salary
to come up with this kind of
crap!
Technical Information
10
Frequently Asked
Questions
Q; When riding at about 40-50 mph and I take my hands off the
bars the bike wobbles, how can I cure this?
Answer; Don’t take your hands off the handle bars!
It’s a common question and I’m always amazed why
anyone would take there hands off the bars but I understand your concern.
As to why a bike feels unstable at those speeds. It’s
down to some extent to dynamics, best explained
when you take a look at a shopping trolley, the front
wheels seems to a mind of there own at a slow
speed until enough momentum is achieved.
Basically due to the castor of the head stock and the
trial of the forks this can produce a slight instability.
That’s why a custom bike has massive amount of
stability but poor turning qualities, compared this to
a race bike, this turns on a sixpence and needs a
steering damper to stop the head shaking.
There is checks you can do to insure your bike is at
its best because any faults will only exaggerate the
problem.
1) Tyres and pressures.
Set to high speeds settings which is 36psi front, 41
psi rear.
Check tread depth, minimum is 1mm but even if its
close to this limit it will cause a problem and make
the bike feel unstable.
2) Wheel bearings.
Grab top and bottom rear wheel and rock feeling for
any slight knocking or movement. Front is best done
by holding the wheel with your two legs and with your
hands move handlebars sideways. Again feel
through the legs for any movement or knocking. Any
signs of wear best to replace.
3) Steering head bearing.
Before you can check for wear you must make sure
they are adjusted correctly. Basically raise the front
end, flip the bars, they should only move a few mm
and stop, if they full onto the stops then they are too
loose. Adjust until they support themselves.
Now they are correctly adjusted, using your finger
tips grab the bar end weight and feel for any roughness as you pass the centre point. Any tightening
they are U/S and need replacing.
4) Wheel alignment;
First check that the chain adjusters are set to the
same setting, these are the lines scribed onto the adjuster, this will insure that the wheel is parallel to the
swingarm and in turn should be true to frame. Using
two straight edges align against the tyre each side.
Straighten front wheel so its parallel to the straight
edge. If you have perfect alignment the gap on each
side of the front wheel will be equal.
If out its worth checking the front wheel is true.
This is done by taking the weight off the front wheel
with the use of a jack under the collector box. Release the axle nut, top and bottom yoke bolts and the
fork brace.
The fork legs should be able to turn in the yoke, now
grab the bars and with the front wheel clamped between your legs twist the wheel so that it settles true,
finally check to see if both the legs are set to the
same height by looking at the handle bar clamp and
the full caps should be equally and fully disable.
Now tighten the bolts starting first with the axle nut,
then the yoke bolts and finally the fork brace. The
front wheel will automatically square itself as its possible they could have been twisted in the yokes
through an accident.
Recheck wheel alignment. If still out you can adjust
the rear wheel so it aligns with the front. If you find
that to achieve this the adjuster marks are out a lot
then you may have bent fork or at worst a bent frame
or swingarm.
5: Suspension;
Check that you have movement and are not too stiff,
they should return smoothly. Test by sitting on the
bike and with gentle body movement the forks
should the move and again same with rear.
Also check the rear shock for damping. In basic
terms the rear shock should return slowly, about a
second until it tops out from compressed, you should
be able to visibly see this. If it returns too quickly,
readjust by increasing rebound damping.
6; Top box or luggage;
If you ride solo with a topbox, then this will always
upset low speed handling. The bike is always more
stable when two up, even with a full luggage system
filled up to bursting point.
The reasoning is with more weight on the back this
effects the steering geometer and as mentioned at
the beginning it increases the head angle.
Always worth riding the bike without the luggage and
check the effects.
If all this fails to cure the wobble. Keep both hands
on the bars!
FJ1100 Tourer
11
Doc rebuilds his FJ1100 after his crash
After the big crash last summer in Germany (when a
car drove into the back of my FJ Tourer throwing me
and Lorinda onto the the Autobahn), the bike has
been left in a bad state (feeling sorry for itself) while
being sat in a damp garage over the winter months.
My first thought was to scrap her as it was clearly a
write off (a new fairing alone costs £900) but having
only last year upgaded the engine with XJR barrels
and pistons and Dyno'd at 120bhp it would of been a
shame.
The Insurance agreed to
offer me £800 plus keep
the bike, so this was my
budget.
The original body work
was a write off but over
the years I have collected a large selection
of FJ1100 body panels
mainly for the FJ Racers,
so it wasnt hard to find a
tatty body kit lieing
around.
Having a set of mismatched panels, it obviously needed spraying
so the cheapest option
was a local car body shop, they had already sprayed
the FJ Racer and offer to do the lot for £250, Dream
Machine would work out at around £800.
In for a penny in for a pound!
So I stripped the bike right down to the thinly painted
(rusty) frame, this I then had Powered Coated silver at
a back street platers in Bristol.
The cost was £100 cash, this included the main frame, the two
frame cradles, side stand and
the two engine mounts which
was coated in just three days,
impressed!
The down pipes and collector
box had taken a big hit and was
squased badly. My first thought
was the excellent Remus full
system but having the Akropovic systems fitted to the
Racers I thought it would be nice to adapted the down
pipes to a twin silencer system (just to be different).
A friend managed to pick up from ebay a Akropovic
full system from an XJR1300 for £170, the low price
was due to the can being damaged. Next was a pair
of Arrow cans from a GSXR100, again off ebay for
£290 looking as new (retail for these are £800). Roy
at O&S Stainless
was
given the task
to make a
j o i n i n g
FJ Racer and FJ Tourer
pipe/collector
for the Akro down pipes and the Arrow twin cans. I
was with him whilst he performed his magic as he
arrange for the pipes to be neatly tucked in whilst still
keeping the centre stand.
Before the re-fit I
picked up the remain
parts need which incluced a set of
clocks, headlamp,
subframe and finally
a FJ1100 fairing
frame from ebay for
£15 (rare as hens
teeth), plus I purchased a new left
hand Yamaha casing. The bike was
also given a Full
Monty service during
the re-build.
The GIVI rack and fitting kit had been 'mullered' in the accident so I looked
at another method for carrying luggage and opted for
the light weight Ventrual Luggage Rack as I already
got the Euro Pack (fabric top box).
As you can see from the pictures the FJ Tourer is back
on the road ready for some club runs this year.
I keep getting asked what other
FJ's I have, so here we have it!
I have a bog standard (down to
the OE rubber brake hoses)
mint, one owner, uk spec blue
and white FJ1100.
Another standard FJ1100 in European colours red and white,
though its a bit tatty.
Then there is my FJ1100 Racer
plus the spare FJ Racer that is up for sell (£2500 if
anyone is interested, can get back on road and have
all the parts to do so).
This makes a total of five FJ1100's. What makes you
think I like the early, sporty, FJ1100 models?
Yamaha FJ1100 and FJ1200
History and Problems
12
Write up taken
from Super
Bike magazine
When YAMAHA introduced
FJ1100 in 1984, it was presented by both YAMAHA and
the press as a true super bike.
However, the “super bike”-term
was soon to be replaced
with “sports tourer”. This was
partly because of HONDA’s and
KAWASAKI’s introduction of
super bikes the same year. And
on the road racing tracks? Well, the HONDA was fast and
so was the KAWASAKI....
FJ1100 the Sports tourer!
It was as a sports tourer the FJ
was known and loved all over
the world. The racing inspired “Bimota-type”
chassis made of steel profiles gave the FJ already from the start a reputation as a stable and
safe bike.
Tall persons complaint about the fairing. It was
too small and did not give
enough protection against the wind, they said.
This was no surprise since the bike from the start
should have been a super bike and not a touring
bike. Another
comment was that the value of the front fork antidive function was questionable. This was however a problem all the Japanese super bikes from
the beginning of the 80’s had in common. The engine vibration was on FJ1100 and early models of
FJ1200 transmitted to the saddle and the steering. To compensate a bit some FJ-owners
mounted foam-rubber-grips. The vibrations also
caused cracks to the fairing and engine spoiler.
The driver’s comfort was by all MC-writers given
words of praise. It was relaxed and comfortable
both for short and long persons. (This was already from the start an indication in the direction
of a touring bike...) Even the passenger could
enjoy the ride of a FJ11-1200. The steady chassis
was capable of carrying lots of luggage and a
passenger without any complaints. All the way up
to maximum load (and beyond...) the double-disc
front brake and single-disc rear brake was more
than sufficient.
FJ1100 Engine:
The engine was a 1097ccm four-in-line engine
provided with 16 valves and DOHC.
It was a slim engine due to the placement of
both the starter and the alternator behind the
cylinders. The maximum output was 125hp at
9000rpm and 86Nm at 8000rpm. It was provided with a 5-shift gearbox and the clutch was
hydraulic.
The FJ used chain-transmission to the rear
and not as a shaft as in YAMAHA’s smaller
sports tourer XJ900.
FJ1200, the next step!
In 1986 the FJ1100 was replaced with the
FJ1200. The engine was now 1188cc with
125hp at 8500rpm and 108Nm at 7500rpm.
Making the same power but more torque.
With the FJ1100 gearbox, Yamaha introduced
a new stronger gearbox and clutch on the
FJ1200. The exhaust system was now noncorrosive and the fairing got bigger with integrated blinkers. This was the definitive end of
YAMAHA’s FJ-super bike-concept.
The FJ1200 was presented as a true sports
tourer. Another option on the FJ1200 was the
digital watch. One strange modification was
that the capacity of the fuel tank decreased
from 24,5 litres to 22 litres. The FJ1200 modi-
Yamaha FJ1100 and FJ1200; History and Problems
fication resulted in ten extra kilos, and the total
weight now touched 260kg (with 22 litres of fuel).
However, the top speed still was 239km/h. In
1988 the fairing was enlarged one more time to
improve the driver’s touring comfort.
The front wheel size increased from 16 to 17
inches, the (not working -) anti-dive-system disappeared (missed by no one) and the front brake
discs were exchanged with improved floating
discs. Another detail change was the look of the
wheel rim. From 1988 and up to 1991 the FJ1200
was produced almost unchanged, but from this
year you could get ABS-brakes as an option. To
improve the comfort more, the engine was
mounted with a rubber suspension to the frame to
absorb some of the engine vibrations.
13
The rest is modified and improved!
From the ‘88 and later models the front blinkers
may loosen from the fairing.
Check the bracket/fairing for damages. On the
same models the front brake discs may get a distortion. Check this on the test-drive.
The handle will pulsate during a slight brake if the
disc(s) are damaged.
FJ1100 problems ...
The FJ1100 has some typical problems. As earlier mentioned the engine vibrations may have
caused cracks on the fairing and the engine
spoiler. Check this, and adjust the asked price...
The FJ1100 has double-wall exhaust system and
the inner pipes may loosen due to the engine vibration. This may sound like a serious engine
damage but it is a much more friendly fault (especially with respect to the savings account).
The engine may often have a “ticking” sound. It
sounds like the valves should be adjusted and it
may come and go in short intervals.
The cause is probably the camshafts and expert’s
states that, as long as the valves are correctly adjusted, this sound will not cause any damage.
The valve adjustment is done with shims without
removing the camshafts. Check the exhaust system regarding rust (worse on FJ1100 than others).
The rear shock absorber should be checked. The
chain adjustment of the shock absorber may get
stuck and should be checked.
One frequent fault on the FJ1100 is trouble with
the second gear. Check this out on a test-drive
by loading the second gear a bit more than
usual... It should remain in it’s position and not
slip out.
FJ1200, almost no problems!
The only common fault the FJ1200 has with the
FJ1100 is the damages of the fairing and engine
spoiler due to the engine vibrations.
Small matters ...
Like the editors previous XJ900, the FJ-bikes
may have a problem with the starter button. It
may get stuck in the “ON” position. If the starter
button is still in on position when the engine is
running, the oil lamp will warn you.
The screws for the hydraulic fluid covers (clutch
and front brake) is not of the best quality. Use
exact tools when changing or refilling the hydraulic systems.
Check also that the reserve switch is working. It
is not fun to stop in the middle of nowhere “out of
gas”, when you know there is some left...
Conclusion
The FJ1100 and FJ1200 motorcycles are in general conventional bikes with well tested traditional
mechanics.
The reliability is well proven through all these
years, and speaking about value for money: they represents the typical “best buy”.
Buy and enjoy!!
Cold Commute
Winter comes early to the Highlands – it’s five
a.m., the first of October, minus two, pitch dark.
I’d better get used to it, ; sub zero, at this time,
my usual departure time, will be the norm for the
next six months and that’s the good days – the
bad days, well that will be
howling gales, rain and later
snow.
A shiver runs through me. It
would be April till I’d see light
again, June till warm temperatures returned.
Choke out, a quick prod of
the starter and “Awesome”,
my FJ1200 fires into life. I
bought him two years ago
for £1100. He had only done
32,000 miles then – now,
well into his 70s, he performs as well as any
teenager.
A big bike for a five foot five
slip of a lass like me, his
weight I find easy to manage
due to the low seat and centre of gravity. Furthermore
“Awesome” always does
what he’s told. He has never,
ever, let me down.
My husband tells me the FJ
is the most reliable beast
and simplest machine on the planet to service. I
let him enjoy that aspect – oily finger nails on a
woman I’ve never found that attractive.
I should of course be riding a Harley.
I am the author of four crime books, the leading
character being “Brodie” an Edinburgh court
lawyer who drives a 1982 “pre evo” fat boy. I have
owned such an animal – great bike, but for distance and the sort of weather I travel through –
just too darned vulnerable and slow.
I head out onto the main street of my home village,: Kingussie – a tiny Highland town sandwiched between the Monaliath and Caingorms
Mountains.
I purr through the town in top gear not to waken
the sleeping populace all of whom know me and
seem to like me – it wouldn’t do, being a mother
of four, to be regarded as some sort of hell-raiser.
14
Mrs Thomson, an author of four crime
books writes about her tales on the FJ
Out on the open road however I can leave such
respectability behind and allow my soul to fly free
- Soon I am travelling at highly illegal speeds.
degrees.
All around me is heathermoorland, an eerie white glow
from the full moon illuminates
the valley. I am hemmed in by
ancient, foreboding lumps of
granite, that silently watch my
progress. Nothing moves at
this time – I have the Heelands
to myself.
Well not quite to myself; as I
head for the Drumochter pass
some 1500 odds feet above
sea level I see gleaming in the
headlight what appears to be
fireflies hovering a few feet
above the ground, I back off
the throttle; these are the eyes
of deer grazing at the side of
the road.
I offer up a silent prayer to the
angel of safe motorcycling and
glide past – the stag shakes
his antlers at me, annoyed at
the intrusion, his women don’t
even bother to look up from
their grazing. The temperature
on my gage drops a further two
How to protect the bike on roads salted for six
months of the year and how to keep warm have
been the subject of much debate between myself
and husband who is also a keen motorcyclist.
My husband favours covering his motorcycle in
“Winta Wax” a product you apply once but the
poor bike looks so dull.
I, on the other hand, go for damage limitation
without destroying the look of “Awesome”. When
I return this evening the bike will be sprayed with
a quality cleaner such as “Muck off” then hosed
down. Once dry a salt neutralizer will be applied.
Truth is there is no absolute protection.
As for warmth, well I’m too hashy for electric
Cold Commute
heated clothing and anyway money is tight – layers is the way to go. The latest sport long johns
then shirts, jumpers and finally fabric trousers
and jacket with winter lining. Winter gloves and
heated hand grips completes the picture and if
it’s bucketing, I wear a a pvc waterproof oversuit
under my fabric suit – a girl can’t afford to look
like the Michelin man.
You know what – I’m still cold.
15
opaqueness.
Once I emerge from such a pool to find myself
surrounded by tree bats. These creatures love to
fly at break of day. I feel I’m in a scene from some
old Dracula movie where the hero looks out of his
carriage to find instead of horses and riders he’s
being pulled by bats.
Slowly I am entering civilisation, the Highlands
are being left behind, heather gives way to farm
land, deer and bats to cow and sheep. I am close
Drumochter never fails to amaze me – I’ve bat- to Perth and the motorway that will speed me to
tled through blizzards with only the reflective Edinburgh, journey’s end, one hundred and fifpoles marking the sides of the road keeping me teen miles from home.
from driving over heather - this morning it is quiet,
peaceful, and simIn Edinburgh I
ply glorious with
face a hectic day,
the frosted ground
I usually require
reflecting off moon
to be there by
and headlamp.
7.00 a.m two or
There is old power
three times a
in these mountains
week. Today I
that communicates
have a breakfast
with my soul – I
meeting with my
ask, as I do every
Literary Agent,
morning, to be allunch with my
lowed safe paseditor and am
sage
and
speaking at a
fortunately, that anwriters’
workcient force, once
shop in the afteragain favours my
noon. All the time
request.
I keep an eye on
As I exit the pass
the weather.
my eyes automatically search the road ahead. It Is the wind rising, will the bridges close, will there
‘s on the down-slope that water might wash away be snow at Drumochter?
the salt and the dreaded black ice form. But today When I return my husband will have a log fire
it’s too cold.
burning. If anybody asks, as they often ask, why
When air temperature is slightly above zero and I motorbike such a cold commute I point to a picground temperature still below, that’s when the ture I have on my wall.
black ice takes hold.
There an old man with a beard is sitting with his
Light slowly spreads from the East, the land is feet up on the table, motorcycle boots kicked off,
just a little tamer now. The village of Blair Atholl a roaring fire in the back ground. His jacket is
with its white shining castle flashes by on my left, draped over the seat and drips with melting snow.
I brake for the speed camera then open “Awe- His crash helmet is on the table next to him covsome” up through the pass and battlefield of Kil- ered in ice. The old man has lit a cigar, a large
liecrankie where Jacobite fought Red coat, past whisky is in his hand and a huge grin covers his
the Victorian playground of Pitlochry and down to face.
“That’s why” I tell them - but they don’t underthe banks of the River Tay.
Mist is now the hazard, great pools of it clinging stand.
to the river and spilling over the road. I’m constantly moving from opaqueness to brightness to
‘FJ Racer’ Update 2010
Visit www.fjracer.com for more in-depth details and lastest results.
Doc Racing in NG “Pre-Injection” pre 2001 class
Pembrey;
29th, 30th and 31st May 2010
Saturday; Race 5; Round 5 Qualifier; 7 laps
The weather was wet, very wet so I fitted full wet
tyres to the FJ Racer for both practise and this race.
Its not that I don’t like riding in the wet, being smooth
and the FJ’s torque engine helps, its that I don’t
seem to be FAST.
I was again kindly given a grid position of 11th and
my main competitor Adam Jeffery (racing a 2001
R1) had position 12th.
After a poor start I got trapped at the hairpin as 26
guys pile into a 180’ first bend called ‘Hatchets’
(rightly named). Adam was gone, obviously quick in
the wet conditions and for once he seemed to get a
good start. The final result was I got 13th position
while Adam had made an excellent 10th, with a time
of 1:10.27
Race 14; Round 5; 7 laps
Weather? Wet! Damp! Dry!. Yes it was all of these
so running scared I fitted Wet front and Race rear. It
was a fair choice as Adam had the same thought
and turn up to the race accordingly.
On the grid Adam was 10th, I was 13th. The main
goal was to beat him. Even though we are racing
amongst the Street Stock guys, the Pre-Injection is
a race within this class.
Had a fair start, but not my usually ‘Stoner’ start.
Managed to get behind Adam into the first hairpin
and kept on his tail for a few laps, noticed that
Adams R1 was wheeling out of the 2nd hairpin
(Brooklands) shit his R1 is fast. But my main problem was getting out of Hatchets,
After a few laps I had a few goes at over taking
Adam into the hairpin but each time I was being held
up by a Street Stock guy or they simply went straight
on, so spooking me. Finally had a moment out of the
hairpin, the wet front was not liking the drying track,
so decided to let Adam go, he was quicker than me
and I was pushing too much to catch him. The result
was Adam came 11th (1st in class) and I came 12th
(2nd in class) right behind him with a time of 1:5‘53.
12th out of a race of 26 modern bikes seemed a fair
result, but the problem was I wanted to be first in
class. There was always Mondays race!
Sunday; Prince of Pembrey
NG had arranged a Anniversary Race Day called
the Prince of Pembrey.
The
idea
was to have
a 15 minute
qualifying
session, the
times would
be put on a
list from the
fastest
to
slowest taking
no
account of
bike or cc.
Then
it
would
be
broken into
5 races, the result I was put into the 2nd group with
a grid position of 20th. The was two races with
points for both over a massive 12 and 13 laps. The
total points would be added and then the top three
get a trophy and one additional tanker for a outstanding ride.
The weather was spot on with it being sunny and
around 20’c. The racing was excellent, because
you were racing with everyone around you with similar lap times it was a fairing bashing race. The first
race I managed to get up to position 13th and the
second race I had a blinding start and managed to
get into 6th place on the first lap but over the extra
long race the big bikes caught me up. I was having
a big problem of my arm bumping up, this made it
difficult to get full throttle and hard braking. The
result of another 13th with a time of 1:3.83, quickest
time to date.
Later that evening the NG organisers presented me
with a special Pembrey Anniversary Tankard, I
think it was for my effort in the race with my out of
the ordinary Yamaha FJ1100. Big thanks for that,
made my day.
Monday; Race 5; Round 6 Qualifier; 9 laps
Back to my 11th starting position I had a good start
and was in front of Adam for the first few laps but I
soon started to worry about my arm pumping up
again, so I knocked the pace off a bit and tried to
relax (best you can racing with a FJ at full throttle
out of every bend and standing it on its nose for the
two hair pins). To reduce the arm pump I decided to
use the full four fingers on braking as I normal just
use two finger as this seemed to put to much strain
16
‘FJ Racer’
Update 10
on my forearm.
The result was the front washed away dumping
me on the ground at the hairpin whilst chasing
Adam. Shit!
This meant Adam would be given 9th on grid (his
time was 1:3.21) and I would be last on the grid in
22nd.
Race 14; Round 6; 10 laps
Now this would be an uphill struggle. Its bad
enough starting next to Adam let alone 13 places
behind. There was no other way but to put in one
of my ‘Stoner’ starts.
With a fantastic start I managed to get just two
places behind him as we went into Hatchets. By
the time we were into Brooklands I had passed
him. This must of shocked Adam and fired him up
because the next lap around into Brooklands he
passed me, but because he went in hot he again
had poor drive out so I passed him by the time I
had changed into 4th gear. Finally we got held up
with a few Street Stock guys and Adam made a
clean pass, I wasn’t far behind but Adam seem to
Snetterton Circuit; June 12th and June 13th
Doc riding his 26 year old FJ1100
‘pull the pin’. I had no answer to this so I finished 11th
(2nd in class) with a lap time of 1:04.02 and Adam 9th
(1st in class) with a super fast time of 1:03.05.
Conclusion
Great three days racing but lost 10 points against
Adam in the Pre Injection class. Adam and his 2001
R1. He is very fast and he’s going to take some beating.
Having never raced at Snetterton or done many track
days, Mura (on his FJ1100 Racer) and I went for a
trackday on the Monday before the meet to get our
heads around the circuit.
The high light was when for the measly fee of £25 the
GP legend Nail McKenzie Instructed me around on
his BMW1000RR whist I played catch up on the FJ,
which good tips and lines were given.
Saturday 12th June; Race 5; Qualifier. Sunny / dry
My times around the in practise and on the trackday
were around 1:18 but I was given the grid position of
8th out a field of 20 due to pass performances. The
full gird included the Pre-Injection class plus the fast
Streetstocks.
I had a great start and was 5th into the first bend and
to my surprise held them off for a full lap but second
time down the back ‘Revett’ Straight the big boys were
starting to pass due to the lack of the FJ’s top end,
even though I had geared it up to 18t front and 40t
rear.
On the fourth lap Adam and his R1 (PI) came passed
down Revett Straight, I slipped stream him so I could
keep in touch with his fast R1. Later a Streetstock
again passed me down the straight but not wanting to
give it up easy I out braked him for the wickedly fast
left handed into the Esses only to find me climbing
Close Racing, NG streetstock and PI
over the back of Adam. What my FJ lacked in
top speed was made up with good corner
speed and a grunt engine for good exit out of
the slow bends. Next lap tried to out brake
Adam in the same place but it looked a bit risky,
I even tried to ride around the outside of him
around Corum right hander but it looked an
impossible move. On the Final lap still on Adam
ass I got on the gas early out of Russell Bend
and Adam was unable to get pass whilst I
crossed the Line on the Senna Straight.
The result was 7th ahead of Adam in 8th.
Mura was riding well and was having a battle of
his own with a Honda CBR900 Fireblade, which
17
‘FJ Racer’ Update 10
he managed to get the better of not only him, but the
remaining six PI and Streetstock guys.
Race 14; Round 7 Championship race. Sunny /
dry
On the grid in 7th and Adam was next to me in 8th.
Got a good start but by the time I came around to the
left hand ‘Russell Bend’ I had a big moment when
my front tyre let go, by luck or judgment it gripped
again. On lap eight Adam passed me down Revett
Straight but I wasn’t given up that easy so I out
braked him into the sweeping left hander by going
around the outside line.
The last Lap Adam came passed again but he left no
room for me to do the same overtaking pass so I at
to out brake him on the inside of the left hander, it
was a bit of a spunky move but I at to do it otherwise
Adam would have been leading into the lat bend
again. The times had drop massively to 1;15.17 with
Adam getting a better time of 1;15.11.
This meant that I got 1st in the PI class, Adam was
2nd and Mura on his FJ1100 came in amazing 3rd
in class and still in front of six other PI and
Streetstock guys, well done Mura.
To explain how close the racing between me and
Adam is, I only beat Adam on the first race by 0.06
of a second and in this one it was 0.33
Either one of us could have won; it was great racing
for both of us and the small crowd plus the
Marshall’s who was watching
Sunday 13th June. Race 5; Qualifier. Cloudy/dry
The grid positions meant I was in 8th while Adam
was on 6th. Again I had a good start but as in the
other races, Adam was back to over taking me down
the back straight, all I could do was slip stream and
make up some of the lost ground on the brakes. Lap
after Lap I would out accelerate him out of the
Russell’s only for Adam to pass me down Senna
Straight before Riches Corner, we were passing one
another many times per lap. The final lap I held a little back into Russell’s so I could get really good
drive and passed him out of the bend and again like
the last qualifier race I pip him to the flag with only
0.1 second between us. The result was a 8th for me
and 9th for Adam.
Race 14; Round 8 Championship Race;
Cloudy/dry
The start wasn’t perfect in that I never gained many
positions and soon found Adam in front. In the first
few laps a few Streetstock guys came pass me and
finally Adam. Around the third lap, Adam had pulled
a good distance from me and I was starting to think
Mura battling out with CBR fireblade
I couldn’t catch him.
Adam was getting some attention from Justin
Collins on a 2009 R6 and at times he looked like
he was going to swap paint with Adam, to which
he took no notice of Justin’s wild moves and kept
his head down. Mean while I was slowly catching
Adam up on the brakes and pulling out of the slow
bends. With only a few laps to go I was on his tail
and then made a move that I had sent all weekend
trying, I drove around the outside of him through
Corum, even if I say so myself it was a ballsy
move and manage to catch Adam unaware as I
passed and lead into the Russell Bend. Now I got
my head down and revved the nuts off the FJ taking it to 10k through each gear and was shocked
and pleased when Adam never came pass me on
the two straights. The final lap Adam was unable
to respond and I finished 8th just over 3 seconds
lead from Adam.
Mura had again been dicing with the Fireblade
who was determined to take 3rd place off him.
Mura held him off to finish 12th in race but 3rd in
class, which is an excellent result, FJ’s 1st and 3rd
in PI class.
Worth mentioning Mura fantastic performance of
his FJ1100, two thirds in the PI class and he’s
going to get better the more he rides his quick FJ.
18
‘FJ Racer’ Update 10
Pembrey;
July 10th and 11th;
Streetstocks and Pre-Injection
It was a bit of a panic as I at to rush back from the
club French tour (550 miles) to make this Pembrey
meet.
Mura was already set up but having never seen the
track at Pembrey the free practice was spent
showing Mura around the circuit. He picked up the
course very quickly and was soon finding extra
track he thought he could use (see his write up).
Even Ben Spies can’t learn a circuit that fast, so
Mura was in the deep end but what he lacked in
circuit knowledge was made up in the size of his
gonads.
I started the racing meet with level points with the
championship leader Adam Jeffery on his 2001
Yamaha R1. Adam is known for being fast around
Pembrey but I wasn’t going to give up the points
without a fight.
July 10th; Race 4; Round 9; Qualifier
race.
I started 8th with Adam on grid 7th but after the
warm up lap the weather had closed in and it started spitting. Then after the first lap the heavens
opened up and the race was ‘red’ flagged so was
stop.
This left me only 15 minutes to change the wheels
for full ‘wets’ tyres, so the race was re-started. It
was mad, as all 20 of us entered the first hairpin
‘Hatchets’, please note none of us had any practise on the wet circuit. Adam is good in the wet and
on the exit he was ahead of me and his lead was
extended throughout the race while I wobbled
around trying to keep him in my sights, not a
chance!
Race finished with me in 11th and Adam a fantastic 7th. Mura made 17th in front of two Streetstock
guys riding a GSXR600 and R1
Race 13; Round 9; Race
By now the weather had brightened up so the track
was dry, thank god!
I was way back in 11th while Adam had a good
spot in 7th. This didn’t stop me having a ‘Stonking’
start and by lap one was in 6th and poor Adam was
bashing fairing back in 10th. As the laps went by so
did the super quick guys on the Streetstock, as
really I shouldn’t have been in front but I held them
off for as long as I could, but by lap 5 Adam had
caught me up and passed. I kept him in my sights
for most of the race. I still at to fend off the other
guys in Streetstock.
The final result was Adam 7th (1st in class) with a
best lap of 1:03.49 and me 9th (2nd in class) time
of 1:03.89. Amazingly Mura had a cracking race
and got 3rd in class and for his rewards he got a trophy. What can you say! Never seen the place
before and first races gets a ‘dust collector’. Good
one mate!
July 11th; Race 4; round 10 Qualifier
race.
I needed to dig deep if I was to get some points
back from Adam, but this is one of his favourite
tracks so I knew it was going to be difficult.
Again I started 8th and Adam 7th. Another good
start (Adam is always shocked with my starts) but
this time I was right on the back of the fastest of the
Streetstock guys, lap after lap I was within a few
metres of the leading guys. It seemed to work out
that they would pull away from me down the
straights but I make it up on the brakes, they would
hold me up through Brooklands hairpin and the
result was I would loose drive coming out. I was
impressed with myself that Adam never passed
though I knew he was only a fraction of a second
behind me as we passed the finish line. I took 7th
with Adam 8th
Race 13; Round 10; Race
Looking at the times that Adam did, I knew he was
doing faster lap times and it was only my good
starts that was saving my skin. So this race was no
different, got a good start and by the first lap I had
only dropped one place to 8th but Adam also seem
to make a good start and was right behind me. I
stayed in front for the next 3 laps and on lap 5 Adam
made his pass in his best overtaking place into
Brooklands. Adam was on a mission and as I tried
to keep up. I had a massive moment out of
Hatchets hairpin as the rear tyre let go nearly high
siding me, so I backed off to a comfortable pace
and Adam slowly pulled away. I had no answer to
his quick pace. The result was Adam came 8th (1st
in class) lapping with a 1:03.53 and me behind
some six seconds in 9th (2nd in class) with my best
of 1:03.83.
Mura had a fight on his hands and his lap time had
tumbles to 1:07.87 and came in at a very
respectable 4th in class, which I sure he must be
well happy with.
Sorry no Pictures from Pembrey. Kerry unable to attend
19
‘FJ Racer’ Update 10
Anglesey;
14th and 15th August 2010
Pre-Injection, Pre-2001 (with Metzeler 700-1300
Streetstocks)
I consider this my 'Home' Track' as I’ve been racing at this circuit for four year with the Wirral 100
Club.
All the other circuits I’ve been racing with at the
NG I’ve always had the disadvantage as all the
competitors had had lots of experience.
Adam is leading the championship by 10 points
and I was hoping to get my points back.
Friday was a practise day.
I left early in the morning too find Mura and Caz
already set up.
Later that afternoon Mura decided to have the
afternoon session on the track but 3rd lap in
some idiot took him out on the fastest part of the
circuit, were talking close to a 150mph.
The result was carnage, Mura was punted into
the air where I’m sure he could see Ireland, he
then slide up the embankment. With good luck
he only suffered a broke collar bone which was
amazing considering the total destruction of this
FJ Racer, you need to look at the picture to get
the true scale of the damage.
This was a massive upset for Mura, not only the
damage bike and suffering but what really
pissed him off was like me he had a lot of experience racing at Anglesey and knew he could put
on a good show and was hoping to have a crack
at Adam.
14th August; Race 5, Round 11;
Qualifier
On the grid Adam was 7th and I was 8th.
Because of the very short distance to the first
corner I was unable to get my Stoner starts, but
it was still a surprise that Adam was in front of
me in the first corner. So I thought I'll follow and
see what he's got. Too my amazement he put
some serious lap times in and was lapping at
1;15.47. One point I passed him into the first left
only for him to re-take me out of the Banking.
My main problem was I was on the rev limiter for
about 1/3 of the back straight, finally Adam came
pass the line in 6th and me 8th.
Mura’s FJ after the massive crash
When Doc said he followed Adam, he meant it!
Race 14; Round 11 Race; 5 laps.
I was determined no to let Adam get the better of me
so right from the start I had my head down. So manage to get in front of Adam then noticed I was still in
touch with the leading Metz guys put on the exit of
Peel one of the guys had a massive high side, he
was flung into the air and landed in the middle of the
track while his bike was only a few feet away. I was
fourth but has luck would have it half way around
the red flag came out and we was held up at the exit
of Rocket while they attended the fallen rider.
Now the race had been reduced to 4 laps.
The start was the same and I managed to get in
front of Adam out of the first bend just behind the
leading three guys. These guys on there Streetstock
modern 1000-675 bikes was having massive acceleration out of the Banking and I was obviously
unable to keep up from there and along the back
straight but would pull them back on the braking into
20
21
‘FJ Racer’ Update 10
the Hairpin. Sometime I had problems running into the
back of one of them as we went into the bends
I came across the line 4th in race but gladly 1st in
class and got 5 points back from Adam. With my gearing changed so I wasn’t over revving the engine so my
lap time went down to 1;14.77, this is the first time I’ve
broke into the 1;14 and with 4th in class against the
big boys this is the best result I’ve had to date.
15th August; Race 5; Round 12; 6 laps
Qualifier.
My rear slick was looking a bit worst for the wear so
just in case I had fitted a new one, Adam had had a
new tyre fitted the day before. Again back to grid position 8th while Adam was 7th as per the day before. As
the round before got ahead but this time was closer to
the leading group but still 6th, in front was a
GSXR100K7 and a Yamaha R6. The first attempt to
pass the K7 was into the hairpin, I showed him a
wheel but he wasn't going to let me have it easy so the
next lap I got on his chuff along the back straight, my
knee was hitting the track at over 150mph before I
swept up the steep hill and into the Hairpin. This time
I had a complete bike length in front but again he
wanted to come across me but I didn't give it back so
I showed him the edge of the track.
Once in front I quickly caught the R6 up and soon
passed him onto the entree into the Banking. Without
them holding me up in the bends I managed to get a
small lead front them and came 4th in the race and 1st
in class.
In doing so I again broke the circuit record for my
class now down to 1;14.42. Adam was having problem with his rear tyre and even though he was doing
a fastest lap of 1;15.48 the Metz boys can hold you up
and take its toll on you so he came across finishing a
good position of 7th.
Adam on 2001 R1; Doc FJ1100; Brian Blade
Looks like Doc is riding pillion with Adam
Race 14; Round 12 Race; 8 laps.
Now I felt I could perhaps have a shout at getting 3rd
but even with my good starting position of 4th the
Metz guys on there Streetstock pulled away bit by bit
on each lap. I was still pushing hard and the lap time
was well into the 1'14 but the extra laps was starting
to make my arm pump so I settled down for a comfortable 4th and again 1st in class. Adam was having
an even harder time with his rear and I could see that
it wasn't looking good when we were in the holding
bay.
This meant I manage to get my points back and we
are now on level points. This leaves only 3 races left.
Next one is Oulton Park, a track that we both like so
sparks will be flying.
Anglesey circuit
Club Page
New Insurance Deal
22
0844 826 4547 www.footmanjames.co.uk
Email Direct From Footman
& James Executive
I am extremely pleased to notify
the club that it has been signed
off by the AON group as a recognised club. The following is now
in place:
The club members are encouraged to simply seek an insurance quote from Footman
James for their:
Classic and Modern motorcycles
Classic and Modern Cars
Home and Contents
Club members who identify
themselves as same will
receive the club specialist
rates when quoted for all the
above products. It is unlikely
Footman James will always be
all things to all people however,
we are a specialist classic vehicle broker and I trust the rates
will prove competitive in the
majority of cases.
Martyn Raybould MCMI |
Business
Development
Executive
Footman and James has guaranteed that the FJ Owners
Club WILL be offer a special club price.
In fact, you will need your membership number to get the
discount and they have told me that anyone contacting them
with an FJ or FJR will be told from the onset that if they join
the club they will get discount from that quote
This will encouraging owners to join even if it’s only for the
insurance discount.
By all means please contact Carol Nash or any other insurance company to make sure your getting the best deal.
The Club is in no one pockets but i’m excited that we have
finally found someone interested in us.
Please contact me via email with good or bad results when
it come to getting a competive quote.
Below is recent email from a club member who took up the
new insurance deal;
Hi Doc
just to let you know I have just transferred my insurance to
Footman James and it was about a third cheaper than C.N
for the same level of cover .I did pay a little supplement for
NCD protection and the usual credit card payment fee ,so
well done to you and the Club for negotiiating the arrangement. John Williams
Winter Storage
Storing Your Yamaha
Below is the Yamaha official line on storing your
Yamaha. More details can be sent in the owners
hand book.
Some riders may wish to store their machines
through the winter months and in this case certain simple preventative maintenance should be
carried out
1)
Remove dirt with warm water, a mild detergent, and a soft, clean sponge and then rinse
thoroughly with clean water.
2)
After drying the motorcycle, apply a corrosion protection spray on all metal, including
chrome and nickel plated, surfaces to prevent
corrosion. Make sure that there is no oil or wax
on the brakes or tyres
3)
Ensure the motorcycle painted surfaces
are cleaned and polished.
4)
Fill up the fuel tank and add Fuel Stabilizer
to prevent the fuel tank from rusting and the fuel
deteriorating.
5)
Disconnect the battery and apply silicone
grease to the terminals. Charge the battery once
a month and do not stored the battery in temperatures below 5’c.
Auto Glyn Care Kit
Contains 5 Auto Glyn motorcycle products plus carrying case
Motorcycle Visor cleaner bottle ; Motorcycle Visor
Cleaner solution 500ml ; Motorcycle Degreaser 450ml
; Motorcycle Cleaner 1 ltr ; Instant Bike Shine 450ml
; plus polishing cloths. £25.90
23
Visit www.fjcatlogue.com or
www.fjrcatalogue.com to order parts
ACF-50
This state of the art Anti-Corrosion lubricate was manufactured for the USA Air
Force to protect their Aircraft
and there avionic components when in storage, now
is sold to consumers over the
counter
Its design to Protect, Penetrate and Lubricate. Once applied it has a life of 2 years.
The protective film it leaves is
so strong that you will need a
solvent cleaners to remove it.
This is the Ultimate corrosion
preventative product on the
market. £12.99
Fuel Stabilizers
This chemical product
stops the fuel breaking
down when fuel is stored.
The big problem with modern unleaded fuel is If left in
the tank after 3 months the
fuel breaks down and
blocks the air jet. .
Also this will stop the moisture forming inside the tank
and causing corrosion and
eventually it leaking.
£4.50
FS 365
This has a blend of mineral oil, surfactant, anticorrosion additives and
water which forms a stable micro-solution that
can only separated by
evaporation. FS 365 is
water soluble and therefore
inherently
biodegradable, it clings
to all surfaces lubricating and preventing the
onset of rust. FS 365 is
an MCN product of the
year.
£7.80
The FJR Centre
24
FUDGE MOTORCYCLES
The FJR Specialist
The FJ Specialist
Bookings, call Doc Ernie 01454 299325 during working hours
New Apprentice
Just to let you know we have a new Apprentice working for
both the FJR Centre and Fudge M/C. He’s a bright 18 year old
guy and has been doing a college course for the last year on
his own back without any support from a bike dealer, and has
got distinctions in his results.
His name is Jake but in typical Doc’s fashion he has been nick
name ‘Peg’ (think about it!)
It’s a shame in this day and age that no ones want to employ
young, keen and hard working guys, but we feel that’s it a
good thing and I hope you support us while we train up
someone with the right attitude and skills to work on your
pride and joy.
He has been with us 6 months so now has the ability to service both the FJ’s and FJR’s (though a lot slower than either
Ernie or Doc). He has no bad dealer habits as he services
bikes in exactly the way the Yamaha Workshop Manual tell
us.
Below is an reply email from some idiot (ex member) who
Now deserve to support HIS local dealer. I’m sure they can’t
wait to kick his tyres for £250.
Directions to workshop
Junction 14
All charges are for labour only and
exclude VAT and Parts
FJR Servicing Charges
6000 Mile or 6 monthly SERVICE
COST: summer £90, winter £70
……I quite agree that Jake has to learn, and from what I saw while 12000 Mile or 12 monthly SERVICE
he was working on my bike quite a lot! He also needs to actually
think about what he is doing, for example what is the point of
greasing the head of the bolts or the end of the rear axle spindle COST: summer £180, winter £150
that should be gripped by the swingarm? (Even more so when the
24000 mile or 24 monthly SERVICE
nut is difficult to get off).
I was also very concerned that an 18 year old should be tightening
nuts without using a torque wrench, which is why I checked them COST: summer £280, winter £250
the following day.
I chat to lots of other FJR owners and those that have been to your
workshop have only ever had good things to say about you and
Phil. That is the problem as if you employ someone who is not as
good as you, and an 18 year old will certainly not be, your reputa- ENGINE SERVICE; COST £75
tion will be lost.
MAJOR SERVICE: COST: £99
I am afraid that I would not come down again and will probably
LINKAGES ;
COST; £99
not even renew my membership.
FJ Servicing Charges
And you believe that your Yamaha dealer isn’t got a spotty kid from school
pulling you FJR apart for 3 times the price that we charge and then not even
doing the service requirements that is stated in the Yamaha service listing.
I bet you can not get a dealer to do what my apprentice did, bet they have never taken the linkage arm out or
adjusted valves on ANY FJR''' as it would be the first we have seen from a Yamaha dealer
Yes please and try some local dealers. And obviously they will also let you watch their highly experience
OLD mechanic work on your bike.... What do you means they won’t! Nuff said! Good luck. Regards. Doc.
PS; We never use a torque wrench as the most common way to strip threads is to use one, so we taught him
common sense (which is rare nowadays) , plus bolts and axle’s need to be greased so they don’t seize. doh!
ERNIE ‘THE FASTEST SPANNER IN THE WEST’
CHANGING THE SHAFT DRIVE OIL
25
Changing the shaft drive oil on an FJR1300 should be done at 600 miles and thereafter every 6000
miles WITHOUT FAIL. This is because there is only 200 cc of oil in the shaft unit and this oil lubricates the main drive spline to the back wheel whilst transmitting 120 horsepower through it, it also
cools the drive and suspends any swarf and worn particles from the drive until it is drained.
This is an awful lot of work to ask a small amount of oil to do and is why Yamaha list a very
expensve shaft oil (£20 for a 1/4 litre!). The club sells its own version of Yamahas oil for a fraction
of the cost (£12 per litre). This oil was recommended by Morris Oils as an alternative for Yamahas
oil after they analysed, for us, Yamahas Shaft Oil. The drain plug has an integral magnet that is
there to catch suspended mettalic matter. This needs to be wiped clean at every change.
To change the oil...........
1) Take the bike for a short (or
long) run to get the shaft unit
and its oil nice and warm and
runny.
2) Place FJR on to its centre
stand and place a container
underneath the drain plug. I
wedge a container into the
wheel rim. (See pic.).
3) Using a 17mm socket
remove the filler plug and then
remove the lower drain plug.
These plugs have re-usable
thin aluminium washer seals
as standard make sure you
dont lose them.
4) Allow the oil to drain for at
least 30 minutes or even
overnight if you wish. In the
meantime, using a clean cloth,
wipe off the accumulated
sludge from the magnet that is
an integral part of the drain
plug.
5) Replace drain plug and
tighten firmly.
6) Fill the shaft drive unit
through the filler hole until the
level of oil reaches the bottom
threads of the filler plug hole.If
you get an airlock that stops
the oil going in then gently
rockin the wheel too and forth
will allow the oil to go in nicely.
7) Replace the filler plug and
tighten firmly.
8) Pour yourself a nice cup of
tea as the job is done!
Drain container under drain plug
Wipe magnet clean every change
Dinner Break
Only use specific oil for shaft drive
Fill to bottom of filler threads
Just a reminder for members who are or are hoping to book in for a
service. Please remember to bring some sandwiches or something to
keep you going through the day if you are coming for any service other
than a 6000 mile.
Northern Drivel
By Kerry (& Mark)
E-mail address(es):
Kerry: kerry@fjclub.co.uk
Mark: mark@fjclub.co.uk
Well it’s approaching that time of year again,
with not many ride outs left in the club calendar,
darker nights/mornings setting in and a distinct
nip appearing in the air, autumn is here and that
‘W’ word is on its way. Depressing or what,
well no it needn't be...
Just cause FJOC ride outs are coming to an
end, that doesn't mean club members don't
have anything to look forward to in the coming
months. For us, there’s my “life begins” party
as yes, I’m turning 40 (if I’ve overlooked your
invite, email me). Then there's the NEC bike
show, where as usual the club will be attending
with its very own stand, so why no pop by and
say hi, and of course to end the 2010 season
on a high, there's the club annual dinner dance.
So you've seen the dinner dance advertised,
read the information and maybe even thought
about coming along but never have. Maybe its
because you've never been on a ride out so
don't know anyone, or don't like to ride your
bike in the winter or you're single/your partner
doesn't want to come, there's 100's of possible
reason's, but these are usually the main three
we hear from people.
For me it’s a chance to get dressed up and see
people in something else other than their bike
gear. Some members bring their partners
who'd normally not attend ride outs so it’s nice
for them and the rest of us to put faces to
names. I also enjoy seeing people from all over
the country who I may only see once a year,
due to not attending the same ride outs.
Well don't let those bother you. In all the years
I've been attending the celebration I've only
seen a handful of people actually arrive on their
FJ/FJR's (they’re braver than me), plenty of
club members attend on their own for various
reasons and to be honest I think this is one of
the best places to actually get to know people
as you've more chance to chat/relax/socialise,
than on a one day ride out for example.
With people arriving mid/late afternoon on the
day, there's a chance to say hi to most people
before the festivities start. The shindig itself
normally kicks off early evening with the buffet,
there's then a small presentation to the ride out
leaders, during a review of the year and an
award made to the “member of the year”. This
is wrapped up by a short raffle which is followed
by whatever you want, you can join us on the
dance floor, chat with new/old friends over a
beverage or just sit back and watch the fun.
Stay as little or as long as you like as someone
is normally around until the wee small hours.
Northern Drivel
By Kerry (& Mark)
E-mail address(es):
Kerry: kerry@fjclub.co.uk
Mark: mark@fjclub.co.uk
The following morning it’s always fun to see
who may have partied a little too hard (normally
it’s me) at the breakfast table.
Once the schedule is organised then sad
farewells are said but we all leave with the new
season to look forward to.
After breakfast Steve (Penguin) hosts the ride
out meeting to arrange next season’s calendar.
Everyone’s welcome, those who either just
want to get a sneak preview of what will be on
offer and/or those who want to volunteer to
organise a ride out in their local area. Steve’s
always looking for new ride outs so if you’ve got
a favourite local route, then why not contact him
to discuss it (see rally page).
For 2010 the club has arranged a completely
new venue for it Annual Dinner Dance, a hot
buffet, disco and a small live band as well as a
few more surprises. So why not pop along and
join us, we'd all love to see you. Check out the
rally information pages for more details.
28
2009 YAMAHA FJR1300 ROADTEST
The Yamaha FJR1300 carved
out a strong position in the
sport-touring market with its
US debut in 2003. Since then,
Motorcycle USA has declared
it the head of the ST class on
two separate occasions (2004
and 2008), with one runner up
position (2006). Sourcing
sportbike power from its Inline
Four, the high-performance
handling has been the true distinguishing mark of the FJR
and the reason it enters this
comparison as reigning champion.
In 2009, handling remains the
FJR’s forte and the area where
it overtook the Kawasaki for a
slim second-place result. With
a 26-degree rake and 60.8inch wheelbase the Yamaha
turns quick, though the same is
said of the Sprint and BMW.
However, the Yamaha delivers
unmatched confidence once
on its side, tracking through a
line with remarkable stability.
Ensuring riders can further
refine the front end feel, the
43mm Soqi fork offers the most
adjustment of any in our test,
with preload, compression and
rebound settings (along with
convenient knob adjusters like
the Kawasaki). The rear shock
provides rebound too, a twoposition lever making quick
preload settings for soft and
hard.
Based off riding impressions
alone, the Yamaha curb weight
of 664 lbs seems improbable.
While it’s nowhere near the
lightweight Triumph, portly is
the last description we would
affix to the Yamaha. Somehow
it manages to feel both narrow
and light – certainly far lighter
than the 20-lb difference measured on our scales when compared with the Kawasaki. A
closer inspection of the weight
chart reveals another surprise,
with the 331.5 front end weight
the heaviest of the test – nine
pounds heavier than the
Kawasaki and contradiction of
how it feels. On the other hand,
the
Yamaha’s
331.5
front/332.5 rear is the most balanced weight distribution of the
bikes. What role that plays in
the Yamaha’s stability and
sure-footed feel, we can’t say,
except that all riders agreed
the Yamaha does parlay
supreme confidence from the
road.
As mentioned prior, all the fourcylinder bikes exhibit strong
brakes and the Yamaha’s dual
four-piston Nissin/320mm disc
fronts and single two-piston/282mm disc rear are no
exception. ABS now comes
standard on the FJR along with
its Unified Braking System – a
linked configuration that activates six of the eight front pistons when squeezing the front
lever, while dabbing the rear
pedal activates the two rear
piston and remaining two up
front. While lever feel up front
is not as crisp as some, it delivers one-finger stopping power.
Combining the rear and front
together and abrupt stops
come easy. The ABS also
impresses, deemed one of the
least intrusive by our testers.
Pull an average rider off the
street, stick him on the
Yamaha and they’d rave about
the spectacular 1298cc DOHC
16-valve Inline Four. Keeping
2009 YAMAHA FJR1300 ROADTEST
company with the Kawasaki
and new Beemer, however, the
FJR mill feels more plain – if
it’s possible for 123 horsepower and 87 lb-ft of torque at the
rear wheel to feel plain. Yet
while the Yamaha gives up
peak numbers and feels less
spry at the controls, it still
sports a pleasing on-road performance.
The Yamaha’s power builds
down low with
a smooth delivery. However,
get the tach
wound up to
about 6 grand,
rip on the throttle and the
word
“plain”
blurs right out
of mind, along
with the roadside scenery.
One consistent
gripe with the
Yamaha’s engine was buzziness around 4K, but as a complete package the Yamaha’s
motor feels manageable without being too vanilla.
One quirk we didn’t enjoy on
the previous FJR was its stiff
clutch pull. For 2009 Yamaha
promised reduced lever pressure and it does feel lighter
than remembered, but tester
riders split on the overall transmission. The five-speed gearbox is smooth enough, though
the shaft drive judged clunkier
than
the
Kawasaki.
Interestingly, while some riders
whined about the lack of a
sixth-gear overdrive, the wide
fifth gear of the Yamaha provides one of the most relaxed
75 mph cruising rpms.
The Yamaha’s 262-mile range
bolsters its touring credentials,
the top range of our testing
field yielded from an observed
40 mpg efficiency and the
largest fuel tank at 6.6 gallons.
The upright riding position
feels natural, with the seat
plush without being too
spongy, and both the handlebar and seat are adjustable the seat height ranging from
31.69 to 32.48 inches.
In wind protection, the
Yamaha’s adjustable screen
rates second to only the BMW.
And while some pointed out
that unlike the Kawi and BMW
it returns back to the lowest
position after restarting the
bike, come on folks it takes two
seconds and your left thumb to
dial it in with the left handlebar
switch.
Instrumentation includes a leftside tach, with speedo placed
directly in the center. A right
side LCD displays electronic
fuel and temperature gauges,
dual trips, a clock and other
information accessed by a button mounted in the display
area. Notably the Yamaha
reads ambient air temperature,
with the BMW the only other
ride to offer such information.
Some found the Yamaha
instruments top-line, others
less impressed, and riders did
complain about the mirrors
29
shaking at high rpm.
The FJR’s no-nonsense bags
looked easy to operate, however, we found one bag a cantankerous opener, actually
bending our key. They also
weren’t quite big enough to
accommodate a colleague’s
laptop. More patient riders may
find better results as our bent
key never quite worked the
same afterward…
Style-wise the
FJR
looks
fine,
with
s p o r t y
enough lines.
Yet, we admit
some
elements,
like
the exhaust
cans and faring logo verge
on the dated.
A
minor
s t y l i n g
redesign
might be in order soon, though
FJR fans will surely go at our
throats for making such suggestions.
At $14,499 the FJR is a mere
200 clams more than the
Concours, but a whopping
$6500 less than the BMW we
tested. Our rudimentary math
skills compute that to a 45%
price premium! The Yamaha is
far from 45% less a bike than
the BMW, that’s for sure.
That said, in its fourth appearance, we must admit the FJR’s
luster shines a little less bright
than we remember. But while it
loses its place atop the sporttouring pecking order by our
latest measure, it’s still one of
the best ST mounts on the
market. For those who place
value over pure performance,
the Yamaha remains the ST of
choice.
ERNIE ‘THE FASTEST SPANNER IN THE WEST’
POLICE SERVICE HISTORY
30
Any comments
please write to
Ernie at FJ
Owners Club,
Ivy Cottage,
Cromhall,
Wotton-UEdge, Glos,
GL12 8AR
I did an interesting 36 K service recently when Steve Summers
brought his recently purchased FJR in for a 24 K.
Having read the articles in the journals Steve was, rightly, suspicious
of the servicing records being absent when purchasing the bike from
his local dealer. The bike in question belonged to the West Midlands
Constabulary and was a covert i.e. undercover Police bike. Steve
contacted the West Midlands Police and they supplied him with their ‘Service History’ for the bike.
Steve brought it in for me and I duly copied it for
posterity and for you to look at in these hallowed
pages. (Fig 1) According to the ‘History’ the bike
has had eleven ‘services’ in just under 30000
miles and over a time period of just over 41/2
years. To my reckoning this FJR should have
had three 6000 mile services, two linkage services, one valve clearance adjustment and one
swingarm bearing grease over that period of
time. In fact the bike had no grease in the bearings whatsoever and they were seized and a
reconditioned unit was required. The steering
head bearings were not greased and the valve
clearances had not been done as there was no
indication that the dirt that builds up in this area
over 24000 miles had ever been disturbed.In
fact i would say it had had little more than oil
changes and a plug and air filter change.
The moral of the story is; If the Police cant get a
proper service from a dealer what chance have
you? Looking at the ‘service’ sheet it looks like
there was more time spent positioning and repositioning the Sat. Nav. than doing a decent Fig 1 ‘Service sheet’ supplied with Steves bike
service on it!
Apparently this bike was serviced under contract through a dealer and not, as used to be, in house
with the Police’s own service department.
By the way Steves bill came to just over £700 to rectify the faults and bring the FJR up to date with
its servicing. Ernie
LETTER FROM STEVE
HI Phil and Ernie
Just a quick note to say thanks for the excellent service you did yesterday
on my recentlly purchased ex police FJR, which according to West Midland
Police had had 11? services in its 5 year 36000 mile life.
Interesting to see Ernie prove that linkages and steering head had never
been greased, rocker cover never been off (amazing how they checked
valve clearances without doing that). Just goes to show if you want it done
properly take it somewhere where they know what they're doing and care
about it and enjoy the banter while you're there. Not too sure about Ernie's
singing though.bike's going and feeling better now.
Thanks again. Steve Summers
LOTTERY
Husband: ‘’What
would you do if I
won the lottery?’‘
Wife:’‘I would take
half of it and leave
you!’‘
Husband: ‘’Well,
I’ve just won a tenner, here’s a fiver,
now f*ck off!’‘
ERNIE ‘THE FASTEST SPANNER IN THE WEST’
ERNIES LONGTERM FJR
CURRENT MILEAGE 71400 MILES
Since January my old faithful has covered 5000 commuting miles
nad hs now racked up just under 72000 miles. The electrical non
start problem that I had has mysteriously dissappeared since I disconnected every connector I could find on the bike cleaned, greased
with ACF 50 grease, (£4.70 per tube), and then re-connected
although, more likely, will return on some dark winters night when it
is raining and about 30 degrees below!
I have replaced all the discs with Armstrong wavy discs.
a). Because they look trick and
b). Because they are the cheapest option.
The old brake discs were very worn and giving poor braking performance. The new discs have brought the brake performance back
up to at least o/e standard, although the holey nature of the front
discs, when braking from high speed, produce a prounounced
whirring that initially I thought was something wrong but now accept
as a result of the discs design.
During
the
s u m m e r
months especially, I have
noticed that
the temperature
guage
has
been
spending
more time on
three
bars
than the normal two and
Ernies badly damaged radiator on its last legs when travelling back at high speed from Anglesey, via the M4, the guage stayed
put at three bars. (Sorry 06> onwards members; this only applies to
up to 2005 models). I finally deduced that the radiator had seen better days, as at least 20 % of the fins have rotted away, due to being
clogged with salty mud for more time than I would have liked. (On my
last FJR Ihad a radiator
guard fitted and I used to
gently wash the radiator
with a hose pipe to clear
trapped dirt and mud from
the fragile fins but, on this
bike, the damage had
already been done).
I was lucky enough to
aquire a second hand radiator that although showing
some signs of deteriation
had not reached the level
that my radiator had and so
this has been fitted and the
bikes temperature now runs
like it should.
Close-up of damaged fins
31
TENSIONER GRAVEYARD
Following on from Julys article
about Cam chain tensioner failure. here is a picture of all the tensioners I have changed since
then.Weird how I never changed
one in seven years and now this!
Not wishing to repeat myself: If
you suspect your tensioner is not
doing its job properly, (You will
hear a whirring rattling noise from
the top-end of the motor that may
come and go sporadically and/or
at certain revs), then you need to
get the tensioner changed pronto.
Cost of the tensioner at time of
press is £94 and labour is £50
plus vat to fit.All FJR’s up to 2008
model can be affected and at any
mileage There again the etensioners can go on for many years
without causing a problem. Its just
something you need to be aware
of and keep an eye (ear)? on.
THANKS
Hi all,
Just to say a big thank you for the
great service I received off you and
Ernie when I came up last wednesday 09/09/10, for a 24K service on
my FJR. You both made things look
so easy even the tea boy did a
good job with plenty of banter the
day flew by. As for the ride home to
West Wales it felt like a different
bike [well impressed]. Once again a
big thank you
All the best Huw.
Club Page: For Sale & Wanted
For SALE
Post ‘For Sale’ / ‘Wanted’ ads to , Ivy Cottage, Cromhall, Wotton-U-Edge, Glos, GL12 8AR
FJR1300. 2001. Blue. One owner
since new. 30,000 miles. Extra;
Ohlins front fork springs and rear
shock, Club seat, Club 2 piece windscreen, Renthal bars, radiator guard,
foot guards, long mudflap. 24000
service performed by Ernie (therefore done properly!) sadly a health
issue means I have to part with it.
£4500 OVNO.
Also available by separate negotiation – Baglux tank cover and tank
bag, and Givi colour matched 46 litre
top box. Ring David on 07980
574416
FJR1300 2003 Maroon non abs,
8675 miles, Yamaha luggage full history by club except oil change by me
(receipts available)
unused much due to illness last 3
years.
superb condition. All MOT's 2 keys,
all original. MOT till February taxed
intil November. Asking £5000
Mick Thompson 01952246390 in
Telford Shropshire
FJR1300A
2003 2 owners from
new, done 23.117miles, 1 years mot
and 1 years tax, i have serviced it my
self I am a mechanic by trade, it has
06 forks , replacement rear diff (due
to paint flaking off) it rides like new. i
have had the linkage serviced as
well recently, it was a Virgin limo bike
when i first got it but i have had new
or painted panels over the years and
it is now Blue. Down side , I dont
have the red key, and the panniers
are still in Virgin paint work colours.
Im look-in for about £5000,
Mob 07989454838 Bill and im in
Surrey
Yamaha fjr 1300; year 2003; red;
milage 7900; mot february 2011; tax
june ; 011. service history club serviced; less than 1000 miles on new
tyres ;extras:colour matched yamaha panniers; all
brake hoses goodridge; clutch hose
goodridge; k&n air filter; oxford heated grips; s/s rad guard; most frame
E-Mail sales or wanted ads
to
doc@fjclub.co.uk
bolts s/s; headlight guard; disc lock;
fender extender. The bike is in exellent condition. I am asking £5200 or
nearest offer
tel:-01482 508660 ; 07972047301.
Trev
FJ 1200 1995 with 54000 on the
clock, my FJ up for sale due to ill
health. twelve months MOT and six
months tax in good condition serves
history. full luggage kit some miner
scratches on the paint, runs well looking for around £1400 for it
Chad 07800734395
I live in chester/Ellesmere port
Genesis 1000 rear wheel 18"x 4.5"
with cush drive, ideal for FJ conversion, £65
Reasonable offers on the following:
FJ1200 3CV Front & rear wheels,
Clutch & brake master cyls with
levers (& spare levers), Front calipers
(gold), rear caliper bracket, clutch
assembly, 3 OE mirrors, OE screen, .
Kawasaki ZZR brake lever (new).
Steve. 01761452832, stevewheeler321@btinternet.com NE Somerset
area
FJ1200A (ABS) 1992 model 50k
miles, tax till October MOT till April
2011, Stainless braided hoses, stainless exhaust, Data tagged, data tool
alarm and recent front tyre. magnetic
tank bag. I am asking £1400 or near
offer. I live in Coventry and my home
number is 02476 597348 email
Te r e n c e . m a i r @ o l e o . c o . u k
Tez
I get on extremely well with the
lesbians next door.
They asked me what I would
like for my birthday.
I was stunned when they gave
me a Rolex.
It was very nice of them, but I
think they misunderstood me
when I said, "I wanna watch."
Free years membership
To anyone who gets a write up
on their FJ or FJR printed in
the clubs news letter.
Please email tex and some
photos to doc@fjclub.co.uk
Wanted:
Air intake ducts for FJ1200 1990
3CV. Preferably midnight blue but
any would be good.
Dave Buckingham 0781 024 8801
david.buckingham155@gmail.com
Buying a New
Yamaha FJR1300
If any one is interested in purchasing
a New FJR1300, the club can highly
recommend either Jon at Frasers for
a full UK FJR or Phil at Taz for an
Imported one. Both have agreed to
offer a full warranty and are happy if
you decide to get the bike serviced at
the clubs workshop ‘FJR Centre’.
Both will offer club members a very
competitive price so please mention
the club when ringing. Doc
TAZ Motorcycles
First
Drove,
Fengate,
Peterborough, PE1 5BJ
Contact Phil on 01733 358555
email via web site www.tazmotorcycles.co.uk
FRASER'S of Gloucester LTD;
261 Bristol Rd, GLOUCESTER,
GL2 5DB
Contact Jon on 01452 306 485Email : sales@frasersofgloucester.co.uk
32