Ttaskmaster

The speed limit is 70, yes... But when you roll on the throttle of the FJ, you understand why there's nothing else like it on the planet. Move up to 40mph, click up into 3rd and then roll on - You'll be at 70 in an instant and you'll feel the surge of power, but with the perfect security of knowing that the bike is so heavy that both wheels will stay firmly planted... and it's like that in any gear - There's almost no discernible power band. Going back to the weight - Yes, the FJ is 42 stone (266kg) of bike, but you only feel that when you're trying to push it. You're not going to be flicking it around in the twisties like a 125, but you're not going to be especially struggling with it either. You won't want to reverse it back up a slope, but that's the same with many other bikes. Having unfortunately had to lift mine up off the floor, it's still not that heavy in the grand scheme of things. Comfort is not simply whether you are or are not comfy. It's about *how much* comfort you have - My naked Cruiser was comfy... but the FJ is much more comfy. That's what Sports Touring is all about - The powerful performance of a sporty bike with all the comfort of a Tourer! The FJ has many things about it - One of those is that you just whip the tank off and everything is easily accessibe. You can even turn it rounmd and leave the fuel line connected, which makes sorting the carbs out an absolute doddle. It's pretty bullet-proof with massive tolerances, parts are cheap and plentiful, fuel economy is still OK by today's standards, and it just has so much character.

Cheers Slice - Just the thing for blasting the cobwebs out of the wedding tackle!!

Vented leather Frank Thomas jacket, made with perforated panels facing oncoming airflow - Useless if it rains, but fantastic cooling. Leather trews, boots, gloves, lid. Might see about vented trews one day, though...

Depends entirely on how much you want to carry. I use a Predator TECMAC 50 from Karrimor, which has 50 litres plus side zips for PLCE packs (extra 30 litres) and PALS webbing to add a load of MOLLE pouches on the back and sides. However, the whole thing compresses down real small for when I'm not doing a weekly food shop! Good enough for the Army, good enough for me. There's a school of thought suggesting that you shouldn't wear a rucksack of any kind, even ones designed for bikers, as you will mash your spine to pieces in the event of an accident... I've never really had such concerns and it's usually the most convenient luggage solution for life on a bike, as far as my needs go. Your call.

FJ1200s are the absolute Dog's in most areas of biking. Probably the easiest to maintain that I've ever had - Just take off the tank and everything is there! It's big, but not overly so. A touch heavy for throwing around in traffic like a 125 and too heavy to try and reverse up a slope, but still one of the fastest bikes around. You can break the NSL in 1st gear or, in 3rd gear from 40mph, just roll on the throttle - You'll be doing 120 before you realise! As mentioned, use top grade fuel. Cheap stuff has too much of that ethanol crap that kills your rubbers. Also consider putting some rubber rings between the bulb holder and the socket on the rear brake lights, as those occasionally blow due to vibration. Do check out the owners club website, as they have a plethora of info on looking after it. The guy that runs the club and the club workshop owns 3 FJ12s and still races his FJ11, and has made over 2 decades worth of living from just servicing FJs, so he knows his stuff... to the point where another club member makes his living off servicing the FJRs - Each guy has one side of the workshop!

IIRC, XV650 is a Jetski... £2400 is OK for that... but haggle down if possible and do not hesitate to flat-out decline and go elsewhere. £2k would be better, but still not amazing. Base bike is probably worth about £1700 (mine was around that with only 14k clocked) including the accessories that are maybe £100's worth in total... possibly even less, given the sagging saddlebags. Bear in mind this is a "fair weather" bike and you're looking at inflated Summer prices.

Cornwall isn't in Europe!!

Having earned a fair few quid sorting out the self-adjusting spoilers and clutch cables on several cars, I'd personally beware of anything "self-adjusting"... but I'm old and behind the times anyway!!

A 2001 fit my '99 model just fine. They're a bit of a fiddle until you know what you're doing, but it's pretty straightforward.

Kinda disappointed in lack of stumping guarantee - Throttle cable issues would have been my second thought, with not realising you're twisting the throttle being the first... but only because I've done that myself.

Hunting for aliens? Let me know if you need an M41-A Pulse Rifle, yeah?

172kg wet... That's not heavy!! My FJ weighs 266kg and that was initially put out as a sports bike!! Probably light sports because it's only a 600?

Do you have a copy of the Bennetts quote, or even a reference number they can trace?

Fantastic!!

I'd just replace the switch, save faffing about. Costs maybe £20 incl P&P...

Pretty much. It's basically what the service schedule says to do, when it says to do it... but doesn't cover anything outside of that. This is why you can have a FSH that exactly matches the schedule, but the vehicle itself is still ragged to shit. Far better to know the vehicle, know the owner and know how good it actually is.

I carry mine around. Could never use the lid lock on the Drag Queen, as the luggage was in the way, so I don't miss it. I also don't trust the weather to remain dry and I certainly don't trust other people to not kick/knock/scratch my lid.

I did this to my Dragstar. It was piss-easy, to be honest. Might as well make it a permanent mod, as the bigger saddlebags will mean you use the bike more often! You may have to bridge the wires so they'll reach, but that's just some bullet connectors, a bit of wire and a pair of crimps, really. The hardest part is getting both new holes equal!! See on this Wiki page, the photo shows one with this exact mod already done: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_XV250

Nope, no turbo... else I'd most DEFINITELY own one!!! That was the XJ650, not the FJ range.

Ohhhh, an *X*S250... You/your profile never said that!!! http://www.motorcycleproducts.co.uk/yamaha-xs250-parts-c-2070_4988.html http://www.motorcycleproducts.co.uk/yamaha-xs400-parts-c-2070_4996.html http://www.partsnmore.com/parts/yamaha/xs400/ Apparently a lot of XS650 parts will fit too, so perhaps check that side out. A lot of owners mentioned this super-secret place called "eBay" too...

^ Beat me to it, chapter and verse!

CMSNL, Wemoto maybe?

TBH, the styling hasn't really changed much since, what, 1978 when the 1100 came along. A few minor tweaks and some new paint schemes, but that's about it. That's why it's so lovely!!

The Club was keeping an eye on the sales listing for this one - You'll have to hop on the forum and let them know how it turned out!

Borderlands?