wagzhp

Wow, looks like you have made real project out of that one! I'd recommend doing the steering head bearings while you've got it all apart.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Winter is a time for maintenance and daydreaming of buying more motorcycles. Along those lines, I find myself very intrigued by Yamaha's FJ-09 (aka Tracer). Aspects of the bike that appeal to me:
 

• The highly praised three-can power mill
• A real effort by Yamaha to keep the weight down
• The amount of bike you would seem to get for the modest price

 
A bike like this (great engine, low cost, low weight) seems like an ideal platform for building a bike to taste. Take the money you saved and add whatever refinements most appeal: suspension, luggage, custom seat, etc.
 
Have any members spent time on the FJ? I'd be interested to hear how the riding experience compares with the VFR.
 
 

You shouldn't.

I was able get mine registered a couple of years ago with an after market exhaust. Bike came from Reno, NV. CA DMV required that it be inspected before they would register it, but they did the inspection right at the local DMV.

They checked that it had the emissions stickers, and that the old NV title matched the VIN on the frame lable, and I was good to go.

520 chain, -1 on the front sprocket, +2 on the rear. You will be quicker than hell off the line and will red line the tach at 135 mph, but will get there in a hurry.

However, note that a 520 chain will only last 10k miles, or 15 - 20k if you take really good care of it.

I have done +2 on the rear sprocket (stock front) with one set of chain and spockets, and done -1 on the front (stock rear) with another set.  They are both very similar, but the -1 on the front is a slightly bigger change. 

If your bike is like mine was when stock, the speedo will read about 8mph faster than true speed, but the odometer will be spot on.   Changing the gearing will make the speedo even farther off, and will also make the odometer think you are going farther than you really are.  Adding a speedo-healer or similar will allow you to make either the speedo or the odo correct, but not both.

I highly recommend the gearing change.  It really wakes the bike up.  Mine went from pulling the front wheel up every once in a while, to having to be careful to stay out of the throttle in 1st and 2nd gear.  Before the gearing change a power wheelie was a surprise, after, the bike will do them at will.

I wish pure gas were available here, but it's not.

I love our smh10 units. They are a great tool for teaching/coaching new riders, realtime, rather than at the next stopping point. That makes things much safer for new riders. I also really like being able to communicate with other riders in a group vocally, rather than having to use hand signals. Having music and phone capabilities is also a huge plus.

Thanks for reminding me. I think I still have one of these nib that I never used and need to sell.

I just got done reading up on this coolant and it looks very promising. Jay Leno even endorses it. I may switch the VFR over to it on the next flush.

http://www.evanscooling.com/

The coolant is supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. If any repairs are done that require the cooling system be drained, save the coolant and reuse it.

The prep fluid can also be reused on other vehicles. I would likely drain any old conventional antifreeze, flush with a descaling solution and distilled water, drain that and then add the prep fluid, drain and save the prep fluid for the next vehicle, and add the new waterless coolant.

Note that the "Powersports Coolant" and the "High Performance Coolant" are the same product (according to the data sheets, but they are a different color), they just come in 64 or 128 fluid ounce containers.

... Not sure why there is a difference between the front and rear cylinders - anyone have an idea why this might be?

If it's only the rear 2 cylinders, I would guess that they are drawing in oil from the crankcase breather vent (which is attached at the rear of the airbox).

I took the suspect brake pads back to Cycle Gear today, but brand new ones off the shelf had the same pin hole size, and the caliper slide pin would not fit those, either. So I opened up the slide pin hole with a 7/32 round file. It didn't take much, only about 5 or 6 strokes with the file to achieve clearance similar to the OE pads...the backing plate is stamped from super mild steel. I have used Galfer brake pads in the past on the front brakes, and the improvement in brake performance was very noticeable. Today, the rear pad performance is more in line with the OE pads. Considering past experience, I thought I might be able to lock the rear wheel using the Galfer pads. No, not by a long shot. Still, the brakes perform like they did before, I did not lose stopping power. Maybe performance will improve as the pads bed-in.

I really dislike having to modify parts to make them fit, especially brake parts. You would think something like that would be plug-and-play.

Jeff J.

Am I reading correctly that you are saying that with the new pads you cannot lock up the rear tire?

If that is true, you have a problem. I can lock the rear tire on any of the bikes in our stable, with minimal force on the brake pedal. The VFR700 is the hardest to lock up, but even that bike can be braked hard enough to slide the rear tire without having to stand on the pedal.

I'd say you need to check the rear master, brake lines, and rear caliper. Locking the rear brake should be very easy to do.

It's normal for a 5th gen to run cold when it's cold ambient, and likewise hot when it's hot. It's the nature of the side mounted radiators.

Yep, the thermostat opens at 174 Degrees Fahrenheit. My bike runs at 174/175 when the ambient temps are below 50.

It's a shame that the alingment was so poor, but all in all I'd say it looks much better than rashed up or broken stock parts. I like that the paint on the gauge surround matches the rest of the fairings, that looks nice!

oh boy...... you couldn't pay me to put a used tire on my bike.... a track tire is also going to be incredibly soft and you'll burn through it computing in no time.

+1 Tires and chains = too important to try to save a buck on.

One thing to consider with the RF-1200 is that there is a "transisions" sheild available now. It's pretty pricey, at $150, but that would be a nice way to eliminate needing a drop down internal shield, sun glasses, or carrying an extra shield. For me, the main drawback of the helmets with the internal dropdown shield is that none of them are Snell rated. Hopefully more helmets will have the "transisions" shield avaliable soon. Currently, I'm only aware of them being available for Shoei and Bell. (Which kind of bums me out, because the Arai Signet-Q is the best the best fitting helmet that I have found for my head.)

Nope, sorry I can't help you with what those letters mean.

I do have a question. What are your plans for the old clutch cover? If you aren't going to use it, or haven't already sold it to someone, could I buy it from you?

I have a spare. Ever so slightly rashed in the usual place. PM me if interested Wagzhp.

Do I have junkyard motor?

I tossed the old cover in the trash, didn't think about selling it until I learned about the Seb transparent clutch covers.

Sacrilege!

Nope, sorry I can't help you with what those letters mean.

I do have a question. What are your plans for the old clutch cover? If you aren't going to use it, or haven't already sold it to someone, could I buy it from you?

My CompuFire does work, but I don't have any confidence in it at high rpms, based on others' failure reports. Harley parts on a VFR!

The SH775 looks good, but has a low output rating. The reg/rec on the newer Suzuki Vstrom 1000 appears to be one of the higher-output series-type reg/recs Shindengen had shown as "under development" on their website (but I have not seen this confirmed). The reg/rec is marked "SH847AA". Suzuki Part # 32800-31J00 (~$150)

Not a cheap alternative, but possibly worth the money--if it is what I think it is!

Ciao,

This is the one that I will use the next time around. This thread (posts 14 and 15) is very promising. http://www.triumphrat.net/3766329-post14.html

Jack at roadstercycle also offers it as a kit: http://roadstercycle.com/#SH847_SERIES_RR_KITS_ARE_NOW_AVAILABLE_

I'm not sure if I'll get just the SH847AA from one of vendors like partzilla and then tie it in with my existing VFRNess, using new furkawa connectors from eastern beaver, or if I'll go with the full kit from Jack.

Let me know if you need your VFRness modified to work with this R/R. You can send it to me and I can do it for a minimal fee + parts and return shipping.

Oh WOW, that would be awesome! I'm still researching wheather a relocation of the R/R into a place with better air flow is necessary. Once I have figured that out I'll let you know if I need to have the VFRness modified.

I really like the article, but I'm not holding my breath.

Indicator switch on my 5th gen VFR (2001) is a bit temperamental. Not many on ebay uk (without the fast idle lever)

So has anyone attempted a 6th gen switchgear? Was it a direct fit?

Thanks for reading.

Yes, the first group of 6th gen bikes use the same assembly.

See this thread: http://www.vfrdiscus...-switch-needed/

post #21 for the short answer.

Cant go wrong with Michelin PR3...or for more wet riding PR4's...have had both... superb handling

+1

+2

Other tires that have received high praise around here are the Pirelli Angel GT, Bridgestone TC30 EVO, and Dunlop RoadSmart 2.

I've also run Dunlop Q2's, and Bridgestone BT16's, and while they provide OUTSTANDING grip, they just didn't last long enough for me. My bike sees primarily commuting duty with occasional weekend twisty riding. With the service my bike does the softer/stickier tires square off and start showing cords in the center before I can even use half of the edges.

You can be the first one trying

Suzuki V-strom 1000 R/R

Shindengen SH847AA

Ref. Suzuki: 32800-31J00 (142 dólares)

http://www.shspowersports.com/fiche_select.asp?mfg=Suzuki&partnumber=32800-31J00

I think is the best option right now

This is the one that I will use the next time around. This thread (posts 14 and 15) is very promising. http://www.triumphrat.net/3766329-post14.html

Jack at roadstercycle also offers it as a kit: http://roadstercycle.com/#SH847_SERIES_RR_KITS_ARE_NOW_AVAILABLE_

I'm not sure if I'll get just the SH847AA from one of vendors like partzilla and then tie it in with my existing VFRNess, using new furkawa connectors from eastern beaver, or if I'll go with the full kit from Jack.

After reading his post he says with a full load the SH847AA was to hot to touch.

My SH775 was never too hot too touch ,

Yeah, I don't like the elevated heat, as that is the enemy of electronic components. My concern with the SH775 are the reports of over-voltage at high RPMs (above 10K). While the SH847AA may run warmer/hotter, it's supposed to be good all the way to redline for our bikes. Not that I'm constantly bouncing off the rev limiter, but I do go above 10k fairly often. I'm thinking that relocating the R/R to the front of the bike, or somewhere that it will get more airflow than it does in the stock 5th gen location, will resolve the potential heat issue. I would likely cut the stator wires where they exit the stator cover and splice on 12 gauge wires to the relocated R/R, and then make sure the R/R output wires are 10 gauge to the battery.

The biggest reason I'm wanting to go with a series R/R to to reduce the load on the stator, hopefully allowing the stator to run cooler (extending it's life), and also reducing parasitic drag (freeing up a little torque and HP).

My current R/R (updated but stock, with the stock connector removed and the wires soldered) is starting to show signs of impending failure (voltage drops off as the RPMs increase). At idle I'm getting 13.9V - 13.8V but it drops off to 13.6V - 13.5V above 5K RPM (this is at the voltmeter, voltage at the battery is .1 or .2 higher) and falls off even more on warmer days.

You can be the first one trying

Suzuki V-strom 1000 R/R

Shindengen SH847AA

Ref. Suzuki: 32800-31J00 (142 dólares)

http://www.shspowersports.com/fiche_select.asp?mfg=Suzuki&partnumber=32800-31J00

I think is the best option right now

This is the one that I will use the next time around. This thread (posts 14 and 15) is very promising. http://www.triumphrat.net/3766329-post14.html

Jack at roadstercycle also offers it as a kit: http://roadstercycle.com/#SH847_SERIES_RR_KITS_ARE_NOW_AVAILABLE_

I'm not sure if I'll get just the SH847AA from one of vendors like partzilla and then tie it in with my existing VFRNess, using new furkawa connectors from eastern beaver, or if I'll go with the full kit from Jack.

My CompuFire does work, but I don't have any confidence in it at high rpms, based on others' failure reports. Harley parts on a VFR!

The SH775 looks good, but has a low output rating. The reg/rec on the newer Suzuki Vstrom 1000 appears to be one of the higher-output series-type reg/recs Shindengen had shown as "under development" on their website (but I have not seen this confirmed). The reg/rec is marked "SH847AA". Suzuki Part # 32800-31J00 (~$150)

Not a cheap alternative, but possibly worth the money--if it is what I think it is!

Ciao,

This is the one that I will use the next time around. This thread (posts 14 and 15) is very promising. http://www.triumphrat.net/3766329-post14.html

Jack at roadstercycle also offers it as a kit: http://roadstercycle.com/#SH847_SERIES_RR_KITS_ARE_NOW_AVAILABLE_

I'm not sure if I'll get just the SH847AA from one of vendors like partzilla and then tie it in with my existing VFRNess, using new furkawa connectors from eastern beaver, or if I'll go with the full kit from Jack.

Subscribed. I like the 2 minute capture feature in the event of an accident. That could really come in handy with today's distracted drivers.