estell

9 hours ago, SlipperyNiblets said:

The first image is what is misaligned it is the exhaust cam.

7 hours ago, skipperT said:

Your first picture is either definitely off by one tooth, or it’s 1/2 a tooth in which case your chain may not be fully tight on the Ex side OR at some point it became not engaged correctly with the crank. 

if the marks are close after tightening. ... If they’re off a tiny bit, no worries. Full tooth out is an issue. 
-Skip

Skip, can you clarify how close is a tiny bit? Is the picture above a tiny bit, or is it off by one tooth? I recall that one of my cam marks was off by about as much as the picture above. I thought that was as close as I could get. If it was off by one tooth, then would the mark be off by much more than that?

On 8/5/2017 at 10:22 PM, ilanr1 said:

Hi , just want to notice that there are 2 signs on the crankshaft.
The first looks like - and the second looks like < .
The first is for TDC = checking clearance, the second is for installing the cams = timing issue. 

I wish I had known that before I removed the camshaft caps. I picked the only mark that I saw, and it was the wrong one. I have the FSM and it didn't mention the two different marks during the removal procedure, nor the marks on the camshafts. I had to read through the install procedure to pick up on that. I wish I had started there.

I am in the middle of the job, and now I have to rotate the crank to the "<" position and align the camshafts to the marks on the caps. As long as I get those three marks right, will it be correct? DId I miss anything else?

Washington state dropped emission testing for all vehicles a few years ago. 

On 12/17/2020 at 6:49 PM, DavidS said:

The gravel road goes for about 20-30 yards, and then curves to the right. Just after you get to the end of the curve, the road is adorned with fresh asphalt, and goes for around 20-25 miles following the Snoqualmie river back through some of the most beautiful country in Washington state.

Which road? I am near you. Sounds similar to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie road...

17 hours ago, DavidS said:

 in Seattle, there are plenty of good independent mechanics and I have found one I really like. Not the cheapest, but less money than the dealers, and I can trust what they tell me. Even get old parts to inspect when they are done.

Is that Optimum Motorsports, or have you found another?

2 hours ago, smeller said:

I'm thinking about doing the switch and since my clutch has 37.000 miles on it, it would probably make sense to order new friction plates as well instead of reusing the old.

You can order replacement discs but you may not need them. It depends on how hard you use the clutch.

My clutch had 36000 miles and it still measured the full thickness when I swapped in the discs from the Partshark kit. I bought the 2.3 mm clutch plate just in case I needed it to make up for wear in the re-used friction discs. I didn't use it.

On 10/19/2020 at 4:25 PM, Salish900 said:

So I'm at about 350 miles now and my first impressions of my 2019 900 are just Wow.  

What an engine, what a bike! 

The thrill of the FJ/Tracer doesn't wear out. I have 38K miles on my 2015 and I still get a grin every time I twist the throttle!

My drivers license specifically states that it is restricted to two-wheel motorcycles only. If your license does not have a similar restriction on it, then I expect that you will be okay. However, I can't say that with certainty. 

I don't see any language referencing displacement in the current regulations. They may have repealed the two-sized license in recent years. It was stupid anyway, but the policeman was glad to give me the ticket for it. 

19 minutes ago, maximNikenGT said:

Could be worse, in parts of Europe, in Slovenia specifically you have to get a separate license by motorcycle cubic displacement classes. Certification and training in a 150cc bike is very different vs a liter bike. 

Washington has that too. I moved here with a license for all motorcycles. They would only give me a license for under-500cc because I rode a 400 at the time. Of course, right after I bought a larger motorcycle they ticketed me for the wrong license.

Anyway, it seems that I cannot legally ride a Niken for a demo with my 2-wheel endorsement.

Washington state has a separate endorsement for 2-wheel motorcycles versus 3-wheel motorcycles. I searched a little and did not discover how the state would define the Niken. Do you know? I suppose a dealer should know.

How about those who have done demo rides in states with 2-wheel endorsements. Was your license an issue?

I guess I'll be the contrarian in this thread. I have a $26 battery in my FJ-09. I have used it since January 2020. It cranks just like the original battery. I was trying to justify the purchase of a lithium battery when I found this one. I decided to try it because of the low price. If it lasts at least two years then I'll probably get another when this one needs to be replaced.

I don't connect it to a battery tender. I did not connect the original battery to a tender either and it lasted 5 years.

1982 Yamaha Maxim 400

1984 Honda Shadow VT700C

2015 Yamaha FJ-09

I owned the Shadow from 1997 to 2015 and put about 30K miles on it. It took less than four years to put 30K on the FJ. It is way more fun!

This has been an occasional topic. If you search for MPG you will find that your results are much higher than what most riders report.

I find that the fuel mileage I get is highly dependent on my average speed, and whether or not I maintain a constant speed. If I am on a rural road stuck behind a long line of SUVs going a steady 55 mph then I can get 60 mpg. If I vary my speed to include speeds well over 70 then my mileage drops into the 40s. I get about 44 mpg if I ride a steady 75 mph.

Many riders who prefer to ride the FJ09/Tracer like the sport bike it is report mileage in the low 40s.

On 8/26/2020 at 8:33 AM, daboo said:

I looked at some of the tire changers mentioned above and decided to try the Motion Pro BeadPro Forged Steel Tire Bead Breaker Levers ($50).  I figured that if I couldn't do it with those, then I'd spend the money to get the nicer equipment.

I haven't felt any need to get anything else other than a single long tire iron and a clamp to keep the bead from walking around the rim in the last portion of getting it over the rim.

Chris

I have used the Motion Pro levers too. What is the clamp that holds the bead? Like a C clamp?

You recently asked about new seats. I didn't realize you were going to get a whole new bike attached to the new seat. Enjoy the new ride!

I have been on those roads more recently. I did not experience all the ominous conditions stated previously (like deep gravel), but I agree that it is not a sport ride.

I rode to Windy Ridge from Randle last summer on NFD25 and NF99. Two years ago I rode from Randle to Carson. I took NFD25 and the Wind River Rd and Curly Creek Rd. I could not resist also taking the side-trip to Windy Ridge on NF99. 

I recall that the worst part of road was the 11 miles immediately north of the junction of NFD25 and NF99. It has been two years since I was south of that junction. I recall that it was not as bad as the northern part, but still not a sport ride. I recall that all other roads were much better than NFD25. Specifically, the Curly Creek Rd was in good condition and a lot of fun. NF99 is gradually deteriorating, but it is still better than NFD25. 

I found that it was best to keep my speed down to 35 mph on NFD25. Then I had time to dodge potholes and frost heaves, or drop my speed to 15 mph within a second or so. That makes it more of an ADV ride. I rode faster on NF99 where my speed was more limited by the corners and the scenery than the road conditions, but the occasional hole or heave is there too. Look ahead and be ready to brake.

If your FJ-09 can't go slow then you may consider another destination. But if you go ADV speeds on NFD25 and cruiser speeds (not too fast) on NF99 then it is still possible to enjoy a ride to Windy Ridge. Don't miss McClellan Overlook on Curly Creek Rd. You may be having so much fun that you don't want to stop, but there is a good viewpoint there.

I have tried the Seat Concepts and the Sargent and the Terry Adcox seats, in addition to the original Yamaha seat. The Terry Adcox is definitely the most comfortable, followed by the Sargent and then Seat Concepts. The original seat is least comfortable to my bum.

If I try to quantitatively rate a subjective comfort level, it looks approximately like this: Terry Adcox (100%), Sargent (75%), Seat Concepts (70%), Yamaha (50%). Don't read too much into these numbers. It is just an attempt so estimate the relative comfort between the seats.

I could not ride the Yamaha seat all day. I can ride the Seat Concepts and Sargent seats all day if I wear padded shorts under my riding pants. I can ride the Terry Adcox seat all day without the padded shorts.

I keep the Sargent seat on the bike most of the year for commuting and rides that don't last all day. For full-day rides I will install the Terry Adcox seat. I don't mind the appearance of Terry's seat. Like the cargo box on the rear rack, I can't even see it while riding.

One problem with the Sargent seat is the seat pan. It is not as strong as the Yamaha pan. Both mounting points in the rear of my rider seat have cracked. I have had to reinforce them with some construction adhesive. Terry's seat is built on the Yamaha seat pan, which has not cracked. 

Have you looked for a custom seat builder in your area, someone like Terry?

I tried to justify the cost of a Lithium battery. But when someone posted this link for a $26 replacement battery (STZ10S), I could no longer justify the cost of lithium. I am using one of these today.

7 hours ago, endz2end said:

What if I don't need sprockets, 

Replacing sprockets is best if they show wear. A worn sprocket will wear the chain more quickly. Many riders replace both sprockets every time they replace the chain. 

I have replaced the front sprocket with each chain (3 so far). The rear sprocket was a little worn when I replaced the chain for the third time, so I replaced it then.

What gear? 1st or 2nd gear should be smooth at 30 mph. 5th gear is probably jerky because the revs are too low. Keep the engine speed above 2500 and it should be smooth when the throttle is open and you are varying its position.

Tire plug kit, small air compressor, small first aid kit, Yamaha tool kit. All stuffed under the seats with a few ROK straps for luggage tiedown. I don't plan to remove wheels or tighten the chain when I'm away from home.

17 hours ago, builderbob said:

Nice work-around.  That said, the easiest way to lift the front end is to load up the luggage rack while on the center stand.  Rear goes down and the front comes up!

This is what I have done. Then I stack some 2x4 blocks of wood under the exhaust pipes to keep the front end up, but very little weight is actually resting on the pipes.

On 8/20/2019 at 12:27 AM, dazzler24 said:

 

OK, I've got one of these coming.  You're right, a $40 clutch holding tool vs the risk of damaging and replacing a $600 part is a no brainer.

I used a Motion Pro 08-0008 clutch holder tool for my slipper clutch installation. It did not work very well for me. The jaws are larger than the slots of the clutch boss, so it did not fit securely. It kept slipping off when I applied pressure to the breaker bar and it marred the edge of the "teeth" on the boss each time. I wish that I had purchased the tool shown above instead. 

The poor function of the Motion Pro tool is the main reason that I abandoned the breaker bar technique and went to the air impact gun. The impact gun took the boss nut off within about ten seconds

I waited until now to install the slipper clutch upgrade on my 2015 FJ-09. One thing that I'll add to this thread is that the pre-2017 clutch has two friction discs with thinner tabs than the rest. They are the third and fourth from the inside and labeled '7" in the service manual. Those discs are not used with the slipper clutch.

So when you replace three discs from your 2015 clutch pack with the three new discs from the upgrade kit, you can take out the two with thinner tabs and replace them with the two outer friction discs that you replace with new discs from the kit. You also replace the inner-most friction disc with a new disc from the kit.

By the way, after 36K miles my clutch pack still measured the full thickness. I didn't need to use the 2.3mm clutch plate that I purchased in case I needed to make up for wear in the 6 re-used friction discs.