Thursday, 21 February 2013

Back on the FJ

I put the FJ off the road at the end of September last year and have been using the CBF since then. The little bike has provided good service over the last five months through all weathers. But with spring around the corner I feel the need for speed and plan to start riding the FJ again soon. Only not the same FJ. The bike I rode last year (the "new" FJ) is still in hibernation. I have resurrected my "old" FJ aka "Big Blue". 

Why two FJs? Well I bought Big Blue way back in 1993 when it was 18 months old with 14,000 miles on the clock. By 2004 it was nearing 100,000 miles and whilst it was going ok I though I should replace it. Since it did everything I needed out of a bike I bought another FJ. But what to do with the old bike? Although it looked and ran ok who would buy it? I didn't want to scrap it for spares so I kept it and ran both bikes. Big Blue hasn't been used for two years but I don't like not using a bike. Things go wrong with a bike that just sits there - a sort of mechanical arthritis. I went for a short spin today to blow away the cobwebs and the bike was going fine - pulling like a train despite its 134,000 miles.


The next step will be to take the bike for its MOT (UK annual vehicle inspection ) & buy a tax disc. By mid March the weather is usually good enough to take Big Blue out for some longer runs.


Old (front) & new (rear)

A bit of heavy braking will shift the rust
I bled the clutch because the lever was feeling spongey
  
You can't photograph a bike starting - so I made a video for you. A sign of man with too much time on his hands!


Getting my Yamaha FJ 1200 back on the road from Stuart Wade on Vimeo.
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5 comments:

  1. mr.combo21 February 2013 at 12:47

    Nice hat. Can I borrow it when I get the Dnepr on the road?
    I like the 'lifesaver' look behind you in your own driveway. You can't be too careful!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. fj_stuart21 February 2013 at 14:52

    Yeah, what is it with the hat - I'm one of the few my age with a full head of hair! I didn't notice the "lifesaver", maybe that's how I've survived so long. You have to get a Russian army jacket - the camouflage one with the fur collar for riding the Dnepr.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hairy Larry21 February 2013 at 20:43

    Did Toyota build the motors in those big Yamahas? Just kidding, that's fantastic..134,000 and still going strong. I agree with you about letting bikes sit too long. MyTrail 90 rusted up it's piston and cylinder from inactivity. At least it's not a hard fix.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. fj_stuart22 February 2013 at 03:15

      On the FJ Registry I'm 8th out of 684 on miles.

      http://micapeak.com/reg/view2/FJ

      I'll do a write up on the old girl at some time.

      Delete
    2. fj_stuart22 February 2013 at 03:21

      link doesn't work, try this:

      http://micapeak.com/reg/bikes/FJ/

      Delete

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