What did you do to your FJR today?

[Uncle Hud]

Pumped the tires up tight and rode with FredW's suggested ES settings: one-up, soft, zero. A few bounces felt like the kids were jumping on the bed, but otherwise it was nice.

 

[rbentnail]

rbentnail,
I don't recommend using blue Loctite (242) on anything that potentially comes into contact with plastic. Loctite 242 (blue) and 271 (red) will breakdown some plastics, polycarbonate (Lexan) in particular. I learned this lesson the hard way.

Loctite makes another product #495 that is recommended for use with plastics.

Thanks, I'm well aware but I'm also not one of those slather-it-on-until-it's-dripping-on-the-floor types. When used sparingly, as in just a dab on the end of the threads, there's more than enough to lock the nut without any coming into contact with anything plastic.

 

[Powerman]

I get carried away with Loctite, used it on nut plates.

Soaked into the plastic, now JB welded.

 

[Niehart]

New spark plug, valve check [all good at 88,000 miles], radiator flush, changed the engine oil & filter, changed the shaft drive gear oil, throttle body synch and a few things I have already forgot.

My big buddy, Kevin [Panman] was the brains on the valve check. Thanks my friend.

 

[TomInPA]

Set up the catamaran sailboat for the summer. Walked by the bike after getting home and need to get that front tire changed.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Rode to the dragon and back.

 

[rbentnail]

207 mile leisurely shakedown cruise to evaluate the mods done recently:

- Heli Plate pullback + Genmar risers is the ticket for me!

- mid-range adjustment of the new shock and I'm good. I'm at 179 lbs now so......

- MCL peg lower-ers work well for the knees, the shift and brake pedals not so much. I think I need more "down" on the shifter. The brake lever I modded with a bolt on piece of 1" x 1/4" aluminum but I made it too long. The extension scrubbed the ground a bit and bent the pedal end outward. This might work if I cut off some of the bar and raise the pedal up 1 spline-click. We'll see how it goes, I'm considering it a work-in-progress and will prolly never be happy with it.

 

[sullivan]

New Yamaha comfort seat installed. Stitching and material is very nice, as is the FJR monogram. Immediately felt wider, but the gel seemed similar.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I prepped it for the trip to DC. We're leaving on Tuesday. It needed new tires as it had right at 4k on the T30 GTs that were on it. I replaced them with another set and I'll keep the old ones in the garage. I contemplated just going on those, but I don't think they'd make it.

On that note, WHAT THE FU!#$/%!^÷%÷???????

That was the worst tire changing experience I've have ever had. Getting the new GTs on was a bitch, but getting the old rear OFF was almost impossible! Those things are stiffer than.....most really stiff things!! I used the mount/demount bar, the Yellow Thing, the spring loaded tool to keep the tire in the trough, spoons, and a helping of lube! Those bastards fought the fight.

They were so bad, I'm thinking of just taking them to my dealer when it's time to switch them. That was awful!!

I also think I finally fixed my TB exhaust. When I initially installed them, the gasket on the left pipe tore. I rigged it using heat tape, hoping it would last. I ordered a new gasket and destroyed that one trying to install it. The fit was just too tight. So, back to the heat tape.

Of course, it's too hot there for that tape, so it crumbles away, and needs periodic replacement. What sucks is the stupid rubber loop TB supplied does not tighten down correctly, so the muffler was loose in the mount and moved around.

I realized it needed fixed before I left, and didn't want to use the stupid tape again, so, not having another OEM gasket on hand, I went to Autozone and bought some titanium & Kevlar heat wrap. It's rated to 2300 degrees.

It came as a tube, so I cut it open to make a single flat gasket piece. I wrapped that around the pipe for fit and held it together with a single strip of heat tape. Then I pulled it off the pipe and formed it inside the TB pipe. I pressed that on, and had to use a rubber mallet to get it to seat all the way. That was a good sign!

Then, I used a few layers of the silver heat tape around the muffler, where the loop goes. I tightened everything up, scored the tape that was still outside the loop and peeled that off. Now, the diameter of the pipe is big enough, under the loop, that it's solid, and I think the new gasket material will hold well. As soon as I'm back from DC, I'll order another OEM gasket, but I'm gonna have to figure out how to install that mammajamma without screwing it up.

 

[08FJR4ME]

New Yamaha comfort seat installed. Stitching and material is very nice, as is the FJR monogram. Immediately felt wider, but the gel seemed similar.

Yes the seat is wider for some reason. It made my hips hurt for the first few weeks but after that it was OK. I got used to it.

Took the 08 to work today. I finished machining the light brackets for the 08 but now I have to bend them. I have three options.

A ) Make a bending jig for my press. (More time and material that I don't have)

B ) Give them to a freind at work and have him bend them.

C ) Buy a $800.00 bending jig

Dave

 

[Fred W]

Took a tag ride north yesterday, up to Haverhill, NH, over on the VT border. Hit a little drizzle going up past the missile in Warren but nothing too steady. Put the rain cover over the tank bag to scare it away. This was the site of the Bedell Covered Bridge across the Connecticut river to Vermont until it was washed away in 1979.

Things brightened up after heading south for about an hour. Left one of the tags at this historic Marker, in Charlestown. Any baseball fan will know who this guy was:

Left the other tag at the historic Marlow Town Pound on Rte 123. Best part about collecting these tags will be riding Rte 123 from the sign to the pound. Fun road, which is why I positioned them there.

I also managed to finish off the remnants of the rear PR2 with this ride. First time I can remember actually finishing a rear tire just before the bike is due state inspection (in June). I'm usually throwing one in the shed with a couple thousand left on it, just for the inspection. Will give me something constructive to do this week.

 

[RossKean]

...I also managed to finish off the remnants of the rear PR2 with this ride. First time I can remember actually finishing a rear tire just before the bike is due state inspection (in June). I'm usually throwing one in the shed with a couple thousand left on it, just for the inspection. Will give me something constructive to do this week.

I REALLY finished off a rear PR2 last week - cord showing half way around in the middle (OOPS!). Far too much slab riding for that tire. I had an "emergency" PR2 (taken off for a new tire before a major trip) with some decent rubber on it and I installed that. I will run it for a couple thousand miles of "local" riding and then install a new pair of Bridgestone T30 GT Evo. I've used the T30 fronts in combination with PR2 rear but have not tried the EVO version and not tried the rear T30 at all. Weather has been too crappy to plan any longer trips anyway. Nice to use up some of the part tires that seem to accumulate over time - not good enough for a trip but too much rubber to throw out!

 

[08FJR4ME]

I see you covered up the toilet seat also.

Or replaced it.

 

[rbentnail]

New air filter. WooHoo. And a new fuel tank front mount bolt. I routinely mangle them.

 

[Fred W]

I see you covered up the toilet seat also.

Or replaced it.

Replaced it with this:



Clicky the piccy!

 

[rbentnail]

New front tire, Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. I get 8-9K out of them, not too bad. IMHO an excellent choice when running a car tire, even better than the Angel. About on par with the old, now-discontinued Pirelli Diablo Strada.

 

[Fred W]

^^^ Interesting.

I'd like to find a front that was a bit stickier than the Bstone T30, something that lasts about as long as the PR2 rears do (~ 9k miles).

Have you ever tried the Pilot Power single compound on the front? I know that was a favorite of some of the southern guys for a while.

 

[RossKean]

^^^ Interesting.
I'd like to find a front that was a bit stickier than the Bstone T30, something that lasts about as long as the PR2 rears do (~ 9k miles).

Have you ever tried the Pilot Power single compound on the front? I know that was a favorite of some of the southern guys for a while.

I wonder how the EVO will turn out compared to the previous T30 version. I think it was supposed to be better for wet conditions but I may be mis-remembering. In any case, I have a set of the T30 EVO to go on when I'm done with the current tires.

 

[Fred W]

I actually have a T30 EVO on the front now. Seems to be wearing the same as the non-EVO

 

[08FJR4ME]

Rode to work again today. I changed my hours at work and now I start at 6:00 AM. What's nice about that is I have the curves all to myself in the morning now.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Also I finished welding the top half of my metal bender jig. Now to start on the bottom. After talking it over with my buddy at work and getting some more ideas I decided to make it myself. So far I have $3.00 into it and my time. It will do everything I want it to do. Fred would be proud of me.

Dave