Hey there, love my FJ1200 hope theres others who'dlike to share some of your stories
Hope you don't mind another "fan"...
Have'nt got any good stories for the FJ, My other country rides (Europe) were all done on other bikes.... Have to admit I would have prefered the FJ even above the Kwaka 1000 I had in the mid 80's for that kind of distance touring.
hey there can you tell how many ks your getting out of your fj. I heard stories the were quite good back in their day.....oh and can someone maybe tell which way the fuel reserve switch is suppose to be in the off position
Hi guys, don't have an FJ at the moment but I've owned 5 over the years, all models except the 1100. They've still got a big following in the UK despite ending their run in '93.Great bike, great memories, I'll see if I can find some pix.
Hi Hoodz the reserve switch position. on top of switch pushed down is normal running, res is when the lower section of the switch is 'down'
thanks graywolf
Hey Guys, anyone been taking advantage of the wicked weather, bummer i've had a cold for the last week and have'nt been able to take Fat jack for a ride lately.....Believe when I say I tried, but the throbbing headache and tunnel vision when I put me helmet on convinced me I should wait LOL
Hi Guys I promised Wolfrider I'd dig out a couple of reviews to help him, thought I'd be as good to post them here for others to read what FJ's are all about. THE BIGGEST YAMAHA RETURNS FROM A YEAR ABROAD - POLISHED, POISED AND EVEN MORE POWERFUL In 1984, the long-awaited FJ1100 was big, fast and refined - an immediate force to be reckoned with. There were faster, sharper bikes, but none had the FJs whole-cloth competence. The Yamaha embodies a balance of comfort and performance that has lengthened its lifespan beyond other open-class bikes which have long since faded away. Since 1984 positions and players have changed. In the natural progression of things, the FJ has gone from warrior to elder statesman. Yamaha has sharpened the FJ's focus on the sport-touring market, where it now competes with such machines as BMW's K100RS and Kawasaki's ZX-10.Other liter-class motorcycles make more peak horsepower and handle better but it has taken on a smooth, gray-at-the-temples character those adenoidal upstarts lack. The Yamaha's beauty becomes apparent as its odometer racks up miles. Many will be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable bike for rider and passenger, short of a full-dress tourer. It's still one of the hardest-accelerating motorcycles around, in fact, the only things that stop this bike from still being the Superbike King are Yamaha's own FZR1000 and Suzuki's GSXR-1100, with more emphasis on high performance. Their more modern engines make greater peak power that results in higher top speeds, and they have more advanced chassis. But strap your significant other to either of those brutes for more than 50 miles and it's only a matter of time before papers are served. The FJ can still bang fairings with the youngsters, up to a point, but experience has taught it certain things that come with middle age. It has learned to prolong the act of riding. Rather than going at a full-throttle completion of an outing in the shortest possible time, the FJ wants to satisfy its rider over a period of hundreds of miles. In fact, long-distance riders not of the bolt upright, full-dress school may find the FJ more comfortable. Set full soft, it rivals their cushy rides, easily absorbing bumps, holes and ripples. The fairing and windscreen encapsulate an average-height rider. The seat is thick, wide, and feels lower than its 30.1-inch. Wide and high clip-ons cant the rider slightly forward, while footpegs place his feet slightly to the rear. Overall, the FJ offers splendid accommodations. In keeping with the bike's enhanced emphasis on long-haul comfort, backseat riders have been granted a less pronounced slope to their portion of the saddle. Weight and sheer size are the major chinks in the FJ's armor when it comes to backroad battle with newer liter-bikes. At 588 pounds wet, it's considerably heavier than modern repli-racers. he FJ's wheelbase stretches to 58.7 inches, while the FZR's is 57 ins, and the GSX-R's a stubby 56.7. A short wheelbase makes for a nimble motorcycle. Still, at speed, the FJ seems smaller than it is. Aggressive riders, will find the steering on the slow and heavy side. In the sport-touring venue, the FJ's weight and size hurt it not at all. Over a long haul the bike it feels totally relentless and unruffled, solid as a very supple rock, the smoothest of engines begging for more throttle. The dashboard reinforces the FJ's image as a Euro-cruiser. Three large instruments - a tachometer, a speedometer and a fuel gauge. Everything about the FJ says function without frillery. Here we are. Let's you and me snort some road. Fuel capacity of 5.8 gallons gives the bike a range of about 250 miles, longer than that of most riders. A few minutes with a screwdriver and a 14mm wrench turns the same bahnburner into a capable swerve-blaster. The FJ has what Yamaha refers to as "programmed suspension" at both ends. The single-rate rear spring is 18-percent stiffer for '89, and the shock's linkage has been rearranged for more-progressive action. Fork springs are dual-rate items, but both are now approximately 15-percent stiffer. The change compensates for the underspringing of previous FJ's. With the rear spring at the third position and damping at the fourth, fork spring preload in the second setting and damping at the third, Cycle's fastest expert found the FJ entirely trustworthy, if somewhat cumbersome, around the tight streets of Willow Springs racetrack. Bumps don't upset the FJ. The big Yamaha is wonderfully stable in a straight line, too. That excellent stability results in part from replacing the old 2.75 by 16-inch front wheel with a lighter, cast-aluminum hollow-spoke 3.00 by 17-inch wheel and lower-profile tire. The rear is also a hollow-spoke design, but in the same 3.50 by 16-inch size as before. The FJ was originally designed around 16-inch Pirellis purpose-built for Bimota. The front tire, designated a 120/80, was actually 128mm wide. That width and profile created steering torques that tried to stand the FJ up abruptly when braking into corners. It also contributed to unwillingness to change lines in mid-corner. The new 17-inch front Dunlop, helps the FJ's steering considerably. The tendency to stand up under braking while leaned over is much less pronounced, although the bike changes headings mid-corner more readily, it still requires more effort than modern superbikes. Yamaha decided to graft on new front brakes. Larger, 298mm floating discs replace the old 280mm solid-mount rotors, and they're four-pot calipers in place of the previous twin-piston units. The rear disc is unchanged, and is still one of the best rear brakes around. The brake upgrade doesn't necessarily allow the bike to stop any faster but the '89 does require less effort, and feeds back reliable information. Some things never change, thankfully. This motor will still leave bruises on your heart from banging it into your spinal column. Refinement has made it even stronger throughout its rev band. Displacement increased to 1188cc '86, and the '89 FJ improves or that engine with a precise, digitally controlled spark-advance unit. This is a civilized motor. Below 3000 rpm, the air-cooled, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve engine sounds semi-agricultural, with no water jacketing to absorb noise. Vibration through the grips is readily apparent low revs, up to about 50 to 55 mph in top gear; it's not particularly bothersome unless you have to ride that slow for while. By 60 mph, wind carries away whatever sounds the engine might be making. The FJ has a top-gear sweet spot from 65 mph up to the vicinity "go directly to jail," and its mile-wide powerband means there's a deep, easily tapped pool of acceleration anywhere within that zone. Deceptively smooth and quiet - ticket-prone, in other words. Around 8000 rpm the smooth engine again becomes a bit buzzy, in top gear the FJ can't hurl itself forward from 120 like superbikes of more recent vintage. The new FJ runs nearly identical quarter-mile times as Cycle's original FJ1100 clocking a best of 11.03 seconds at 123.7 mph. At everyday speeds, the FJ1200 is simply a phenomenal performer. Let's talk roll-on acceleration from 45 to 70 mph. Pay attention here: With the exception of the 88 V-Max Cycle tested - and only in third gear, mind you - the FJ's roll-on numbers are better than those of any production motorcycle we have ever measured. The V-Max beats the FJ in third gear by two-tenths, but the FJ outmuscles the VMax in fourth and fifth. The FJ is faster in roll-ons than the FZR 1000. Faster than either of the 1100 Suzukis and the ZX-10. Yamaha has apparently decided upon a role for the FJ1200, that of designated torque-monster. The FJ powerplant does more before 3500 rpm than most engines do all day. At that engine speed, 60.6 foot-pounds of torque are available. The FZR1000 can't work up to that until 3000 rpm later. As to horsepower, at engine speeds most common in street riding, the FJ buries the upstart FZR with 10 to 15 horsepower more all the way from 3500 to 7500 rpm. The FJ's 102.7 peak comes at 8500, right where the FZR's power curve steepens on its way to 114.9 horses at 10,000. Such compelling power, combined with almost armchair-like comfort, makes it hard to fault the FJ in its role as traffic-blaster and road-swallower par excellence. Recruit a passenger, strap on some soft luggage, and try to conceive of a more pleasant long-distance, high-performance conveyance. Time has been good to the FJ. It has fought its battles, and gallantly, but it is not nearly ready for retirement. Yamaha's FJ1200 is a survivor because it is an intelligent machine, one with wisdom tempered by fire. Rather than doing one thing excellently, it does everything very well. Reprinted/Edited without permission from Cycle Magazine, July 1989.
Kawasaki GPZ1100I vs Yamaha FJ1200 Even boring luggers like Kawasaki's re-invented GPZ1100 and Yamaha's never-been-away FJ1200 have balls, and to prove it Hargreaves and Smith thrash them off in a 1000-mile binge round Devon and Cornwall Kawasaki GPZ11I It's Friday night and we're flying along the A39's twisty bits between Bridgewater and Porlock. Kev's in front on the FJ and I follow on the GPZ. We streak across the north Somerset and Devon coast like low-flying jet fighters (Roger, Wilco, etc), swathed in a wash of wind noise, eyes scanning the road and headlights locked on the vanishing point. Kev hustles the lumbering FJ into another corner. He turns every ride into a race, and he normally clears off. Then, when you catch him up, he pretends he was taking it easy all the time. But tonight is different my GPZ is lighter and more nimble than his FJ. So far things are going well, which means Kev hasn't got away from me yet. I don't get many chances to stay with Smith, so I'm not giving up easily. And then Kev makes a mistake. I know the road and I know the corner it's a bastard that starts as a 90° left hander and gets tighter. I also know what little ground-clearance the FJ has, especially two-up. Kev goes in too fast and too deep and I can see the FJ's ABS chattering full tilt as he goes past the limit, cranked over and decked out, only just hauls the Yamaha up before brushing the opposite bank with his leg. Meanwhile, the GPZ glides round the corner no footpegs down, no ABS histrionics. No worries. The GPZ makes lots of sense for Kawasaki. Take yer average ZZ-R1100 motor, rob a bit of top end with smaller carbs and milder cams, stuff it in a steel tube double cradle frame, lob the usual assortment of mediocre forks, shock and brakes, turn it out at a reasonable price, the gap between the top-of-the-range ZZ-R and the super-crap GTR is plugged. Still, you wouldn't notice the GPZ's engine is detuned unless you'd sampled the proper, ZZ-R version. From 2000rpm the Gee Pee takes full throttle with a hollow shudder, like it's clearing its throat before coughing out an awesome greenie. By 4000rpm it's up and charging and at 8000 it's still going and close to the point where you stop worrying about what the tacho says and start worrying about licences, speed traps, etc... So you haven't got the mindbending top end, but you still get the smooth rush of revs that seem to have no limit (not 'til the redline at HOOOrpm, anyway). How easy it is to hit naughty speeds on the Kawasaki came home to me when I rode the GPZ after slinging a 916 about for a weekend. The riding position and fairing are as much to blame for this sort of behaviour as the engine. At lOOmph you can sit almost upright, safe and warm_ behind a seriously effective fairing and screen, for mile after mile of M6/M42/M5. Saturday morning explodes across Exmoor in a burst of early spring sunshine. Last night's mad dash to get to the bar before closing time (so that's why Kev was so fast) resumes. We head for St Ives along the A39 south. The road swaps between flat out sweeping curves, tight hairpins, tree-lined roller-coaster runs and flat open dual carriageway. The GPZ gets into a rhythm, swinging from side to side, destroying cars and farm traffic in short bursts of throttle and, more importantly, keeping Kev and the wildly wallowing FJ behind. Through every hairpin I can hear the graunching of Yamaha undercarriage as Smiffy flits from mirror to mirror. Big touring bikes usually get floaty and wobbly when you push them hard on bumpy roads, and the Kawasaki will too. You just have to push it harder and faster to make it misbehave. The Kawasaki is very easy to use. Its gearbox is light and positive. So's the clutch. The brakes work. The steering is light for a 242kg fattie, especially at pootling speed. The steering lock isn't as great as the FJ's, but it only gives agg when you're trying to turn round in the road a million times for photos. The mirrors are superb. The tank is worth 150 miles before reserve. Pillions like it. Rachel began to eye the Gee Pee's grab rail with envy: 'When do we get to ride it?' she asked. The Yamaha's alright but its side grab rails are horrid and I don't like the way it bobs and sways about. Makes me feel seasick.' Nothing to do with Kev's antics, of course. We park on the harbour wall and collapse in a heap, exhausted and hungry. From now on Kev has the GPZ, and he doesn't look unhappy at the prospect. Neither does Rachel, come to think of it. I'm looking forward to riding the FJ because although the GPZ does almost everything you ask of it, it is also staggeringly ordinary. It takes competence to new and dizzying heights of mediocrity. It's cheap but not giveaway, it's fast but not insane, it handles but not on rails and it stops but not like a brick wall. Even the controls fall easily to hand, ferchrissakes. And if that's your bag, buy one, you'll enjoy it. Yamaha FJ1200 The first time I saw an FJ was in '84, when I was a spode on my TS50ER. It was only an 1100 then, but it was also, along with the GPZ900R, GSX-R750 and FZ750, the absolute billy-bollox. I remember it now... I was sat at a crossroads on the TS, listening to ZZ Top on a Walkman and pretending my Suzuki was a 120bhp monster. An FJ pulled up at the opposite junction. The rider was dead cool paddock jacket, black visor, Bandit lid and Frank Thomas paddock boots. He looked at me, pulled out, and fucked off down the road in a blast of revs. I nearly wet myself. And now, 11 years later, I'm going to ride one. Interesting comparison time. The GPZ is the product of lots of fiddling around by Kawasaki. If you start with the GPZ900R, then go through the 1000RX, ZX-10, ZZ-R1100, then back to the GPZ again, you get a 900R with better engine. All Yamaha have done with the FJ is take it out to 1200cc in '86, bung anti-lock brakes on in '91 and... err... that's mostly it. Oh, they changed the front wheel size (16 to 17in) and streamlined the fairing as a sports tourer. That really is it. Dinosaur or what? Yes it is. Back in the mists of time when the FJ's square section steel perimeter frame had a fancy name and a load more street cred than now, FJ's were bought by the kind of people who buy FireBlades today. And who buys the FJ today? Touring types. Nothing wrong with that. But does this mean in another ten years the CBR900RRwill be a duffer's bike? Wow. What will the hot stuff be like then? Sunday morning duly arrives in a blaze of fog. Paddling the FJ out of its overnight home in the garage of the B&B is a simple affair thanks to a lower seat height and a better turning circle than the GPZ. You appreciate these things better with a hangover. You also appreciate the plentiful supply of instant poke from the cronky old aircooled motor. The FJ builds power rapidly first is over almost before it's happened, with three more ratios chipping in before top. The gearbox isn't as neat and tidy as the Kawasaki's, but with fifth available from 1500rpm it matters not the average FJ owner is hardly going to be blitzing through the box in a series of traffic light GPs. Power the smooth, creamy variety is everywhere. It flows out from the motor and wrinkles tarmac in stonking great waves and does it with 30% fewer revs than the GPZ relaxed, long-legged and just the thing for the more mature motorcyclist. Throttle response is instant the motor seems to pick up revs even before the grip is opened. Once the engine has used up its King Grunt getting the considerable FJ bulk rolling, slowing it down again is the responsibility of Yamaha's ABS. It works like this: sensors on the front and rear discs work out when either wheel is on the verge of locking and momentarily bleed off fluid pressure to release the brakes. The tyres unlock while the brakes repressurise again. If the tyres continue to skid, the whole thing repeats until the tyres don't lock any more. And the biggest joke has to be the massive £830 the system adds to the FJ's price tag. If ABS is the high-tech feature of the FJ, the rest of the bike is a bit old fart. The FJ's steering is slower than the GPZ with the wheelbase of an ocean liner it's always going to turn in its own time. Chasing the sinking sun along the swooping delights of the St Ives to Land's End road with a dark visor was a matter of short blats of top gear throttle followed by full rear ABS action into corners. It was probably quicker than I could have managed on a race rep but it wasn't very smooth. But the FJ isn't a back road bike, even if it's entertaining to mistreat it as one. It's long-range comfort we're talking here, and the FJ has it. The riding position is an all-day jobbie, and so's the seat. The reserve switch is the usual rocker affair, only this one is recessed in the fairing and difficult to get a gloved finger onto. And while we're moaning, the mirror stalks aren't long enough. At the end of a long day pratting about for photos, it was time to leave Cornwall. After a traditional post-photo session Little Thief meal, it was 10.00pm. A30, M5, M4, A34, A43, A45 and A605 later I stumbled through my front door. It was 3.30am and I was knackered. The FJ wasn't. Nuff said. Source PERFORMANCE BIKE 1994
my mods: BY REQUEST 1992 3XW FJ1200ABS (AKA : SPOOKY) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION WIESCO 1314cc ALLOY LONG ROD BIG BORE KIT (4mm overbore) 12.2:1 COMPRESSION BALANCED, BLUEPRINTED, WEISCO LIGHTENED STROKER CRANK WITH KNIFE EDGE JOURNALS DISPLACEMENT = 1340cc STAGE 3 HEAD BLUEPRINTED, PORTED, FLOWED AND CCd CHAMBERS, WITH MANIFOLD MATCHING AND PORTING. POLISHED EXHAUST AND ROUGHED INTAKE PORTS. 31.5 MM OVERSIZED WEISCO TITANIUM INTAKE VALVES 26.0 MM OVERSIZED WEISCO TITANIUM EXHAUST VALVES HEAVY DUTY DOUBLE VALVE SPRING KIT 148 CFM FLOW 1984 FJ1100 HEADERS / MICRON CAN PCW 03 CAMSHAFTS (INTAKE - 380" LIFT 261 DEG. DURATION - 104 DEGREE LOBE CENTERS / EXHAUST 372 LIFT 259 DEGREE DURATION - 104 DEGREE LOBE CENTERS) VANCE & HYNES 5 DEGREE TIMING ADVANCE MIKUNI BS36 CARBS MATCHED TO 1984 FJ1100 36Y 33mm INLET RUBBERS 132.5 MAIN JETS #45 PILOT JETS NEEDLE #1170i-90q70rt FUEL SCREWS - 3 TURNS OUT IN CYLINDERS 1 & 4 AND 3 ½ IN CYLINDERS 2 & 3 8 1DIA HOLES DRILLED INTO AIRBOX DYNA 2.2 OHM 14,000V (GREY) COIL PACK / DYNA 2000 IGNITION PIGGYBACKED ONTO STOCK IGNITION (SELECTABLE) HIGH-TORQUE STARTER, HEAVY DUTY REGULATOR AND RECTIFIER BARNETT HYDROLIC RACING CLUTCH FJR1300 DOUBLE CLUTCH SPRINGS BACK-CUT GEARS OUTPUT 162.3 RWHP 97 LB/FT TORQUE SUSPENSION OHLINS REAR SHOCK PREPPED BY ROBERT TAYLOR RACETECH FORK SPRINGS/ RACETECH GOLD FORK EMULATORS 30W FORK OIL STANDARD FUEL MIXTURE 20 LITERS 105 OCTANE AVIATION FUEL .5L ACETONE .5L METHANOL .25L DIESEL FUEL (lubes upper cyl) .75L MOBIL 98 OCTANE FUTURE HPC HEADERS AVON AZARO ST TIRES 2003 R-1 BLUE STAR BRAKE CALIPERS OHLINS FORK SPRINGS 1992 SUZUKI GSX-R1100 17X 5.5 REAR RIM
hey there i was just reading an interesting thread on how much kms can you get on a tank of gas, and i'm wondering if anyone could tell me what sort of kms yr getting or were getting on your fj, now if ya seen my pic, i'm a big fulla and I dont like walking so I normally fill up around the 180-200km mark and have never ridden it outof gas, yr thought please !!!
At a steady 110kph I generaly get around 180 miles before reserve....... 300km's plus.
crikey, I think I'm gonna have to test my old girl out.....and see what her real range is.....now I'm not expecting amazing thing from her, as she passed her prime and carrying a f load of weight in my case...But ya never know, thanks graywolf....I read somewhere that they had a range of 400-450kms
no way on the 450 kms.. i barely get 300
