martyl

One of my bikes is a 1976 XS650C Yamaha. It came with a helmet lock that worked with the seat release. Turn the key to the left, it opens the seat. turn the key to the right it opens the helmet latch. Simple design. WHy the heck did Yamaha not use this 40 plus year old system in their current models? Was this a accounting decision because they could save a buck? Our FJ09's have the side seat lock. It would seem like a no brainer to have the helmet lock there as in my XS650C. Frustrating....

The top of my, "To do" list is always ride my FJ09...

Set the front suspension stiffer. Increased rebound. I like the difference from where it was.

Here's a picture of my Michellin road pilot 4 rear tire after 12,500 plus miles. Still going strong! Handles great especially in the rain. These tires have far exceeded my expectations. I'm sold!

At 18,500 miles had a new drive chain install. My original one had a couple of kinks in it. New Spark plugs ( dealer didn't have them in stock at 16,000), fresh oil, and oil filter. Throttle bodies synced. My clutch cable is still fine so I'm holding off on replacement. Life is good...

Installed a 26" tinted Parabellum Windshield today. Love it!!!

I received my 26" tinted Parabellum tall windshield today. Install super easy! Took it for a test ride. Absolutely love it! Almost no buffeting at all. I can hear my engine much better and if I like I can ride with my helmet visor open. I rode with both ear plugs in and off and either way I was comfortable. I'm 5'11" and I ride with a corbin seat which is close to stock at the high setting. I have the windshield at the high setting on the bike. I can see over the windshield just fine. I had a tall Er-Max clear windshield and it slightly melted my dash (another story) so I went for the Parabellum. Very happy with my choice. I also have a Er-max windshield extender no need to put that on the parabellum as 26" is tall enough to do the job. That extender is going on the stock FJ09 windshield for the summertime. That combo seems to work fine.

Ordered spark plugs, new drive chain,( mine has a slight kink in it @16k), and a new clutch cable. Replacing cable because I want to be ahead of the curve. Question; What's the consensus on replacing just the chain or replacing sprockets as well? Rear sprocket looks fine to me.

...seems like a lot of damage from a kill over at a full stop... did the bike end up sliding off/down the road somewhere? Not really allot of damage at all. Actually quite minimal. I just rolled off of the bike at a full stop. No sliding. Between my crash bars and left rear pannier those kept the bike from damaging other stuff.

Cleaned up scratches from my tumble off of my bike. Bought a spray can of engine paint VHT-SP405 Black Pearl from Autozone as per suggestion on this forum. Color match very close. I can't stress enough that the crash bars saved me from lots of other parts possibly getting damaged. GP racing engine covers are in my future. A three set is around $320.00 U.S. Back in the saddle! Whoo!Hoo!!!

Well, I always say it's not if your going to drop your bike, it's when. Today at a full stop I was on an off camber section of road and past reach of my foot to the ground. So... I tumbled off of my FJ09. :-(. Crash bars did their job but I did scratch my strator cover on the bottom,left hand guard a little, and pushed in left aux. light. I'm fine, except for a bruised ego. Looks like a new cover is in my future and I'll get engine guards for that when I do my next service. Oh joy... :-(

Had my 16k service done. My next service (20k) I'm replacing my drive chain and clutch cable just to be proactive.

Bought these at Cycle gear today for $21.00 U.S. Although I ride with a very good sound damping Helmet (Shuberth) I'm still getting noise at speeds over 60MPH. I used regular foam ear plugs but they cancel everything and they're a hassle to put in and keep in. Also, I use a Sena 20S and with regular foam plugs I have to have the Sena set at almost full volume. Not good. So... I stopped by Cycle Gear and asked the guy there about ear plugs. He said that they were getting the, "PinLock" brand ear plugs. He had been using them for a while and he really likes them. They come in two sizes and has one pair of filters that fit in to the plugs. So when I get home the guy calls me and the UPS man just dropped them off. So I went back over and bought a set and went for a test ride. What's nice is these plugs dampen wind noise but not important sound like horns, sirens, and even conversation. They work well with communication systems so I don't have to crank the volume on my Sena. Very good investment to save my hearing.

I'm Experiencing, "YFJ09DF" or better known as,"Yamaha FJ09 Delay Factor". I keep having people come up to me and ask me questions about my bike. So far the most common question; "Is that a BMW?" I usually get this, "Delay Factor" with my Ural Gear Up. It's all good.... :-)

Rode about 200 miles today. Saw a big black Bear cross the road in front of me while in the southern section of the Ocala National forest. FJ09 just humming along. Great weather in Central Florida. Cool enough early in the morning to use my heated grips in low (1) mode. Put the thermal liner back in my Helite jacket. Snug as a bug....

12,000 mile service today. Replaced oil filter anyway as the 12,000 service doesn't require changing it. I believe why change the oil and leave a dirty filter? Enjoying the FJ09 allot.

Vinnie, I'm not sure if this is an official,"Recall" or a,"service bulletin". Whatever they want to call it, personally I didn't have any noise but I choose to have it replaced with the new one. At first after the swap mine then made noise when cold but quieted down when warmed up. After some miles now no noise. I guess it had to settle in?

Rode out to the Daytona speedway to check out the Bikeoctober fest happenings. It rained part of the day and the FJ09 handled like a champ! I love the road pilot 4 tires. They inspire total confidence in wet conditions. Turn out was ok this year but down from previous years. Maybe the hurricane last week scared some people off? Saw lots of tree debris but everything looked open for business.

Correct. There is no three quarter full mark. Generally when I get to 100 miles my fuel gauge jumps to half from the full mark. The best method of gauging fuel is to do the math. Miles divided by gallons gives you MPG. That's U.S. On my Ural the trip meter is in Km's. So the math is; Km. Times .62 then divide that number by gallons to get mpg U.S.

When I bought my FJ09 I thought,"Why would I need heated grips in Florida?" Well last December very early on the a.m. I learned the hard way as it was cold to my Florida hands... So... Since there seemed to be Back log of people ordering them, I waited till this past summer to order mine. I got them quickly. I'll let you know how they work out this December...;-)

IMHO if it's just cosmetic I'd much rather get the front fender extender. I like add on's that actually have a purpose. Different strokes, different folks....

I really like the idea of the Helite jacket... I hope you never actually have to see if it works. Yeah man! I hope I never need but it's nice to have it. I live in downtown Orlando. Lots of distracted drivers. This morning I saw a lady driving, eating breakfast, and putting on make up! :-0 I wish I could have a rocket launcher accessory, there's a few drivers I's like to take out. Anyway, the Jacket is a 3XL and I'm glad Nichole from Helite changed the order from a 2XL because with my frame (44 chest, 5'11" 215 lbs.) the 3XL is perfect. These items are European cut so think bigger... Now I just have to watch my buddies because I know there going to want to deploy it. ;-)

Received the Helite air deployment jacket and vest today. Quality stuff. Lots of pockets and a breathable jacket. Jacket is heavy. Took the thermal inner liner out as not needed this time of year in Florida. Went for an evening ride and the jacket is very comfortable. I'll try out the vest tomorrow. They were pricey but if they save my hide IMHO it's worth it.

I had to refoam to the softer gel foam Corbin offers. After 6 thousand miles the Corbin was uncomfortable after 80 miles or so. Big difference with the softer set up. My butt couldn't be happier...

Having fun playing with my Sena 20s. Sounds great and adds a new dimension to my riding. Went for a ride this morning and ran into a buddy of mine on his way to work on his DR650. Followed him to his job, chatted a bit and then rode some more listening to tunes and enjoying the experience. Life is good...