DavidS

Last bike I had came with grip puppies on it and I could never get over the "fat" feeling. That was an '02 zr7 that handled nowhere near as well as the fj, but with the puppies on I felt like I had way less control of the bike. I've been tempted to try the puppies on the fj so I'm curious how they fare for you.Well they were cheap enough, and a lot of people love them. I figure I'll give them a try and if I don't like them, I'll can just take them off.

Got a pair of Grip Puppies and installed them on the bike tonight. Went on very easy with soapy water and just a little pushing. Much easier than I expected. They feel kind of fat right now, but I haven't taken them out on the road yet. I'm hoping they compress a bit with use, and I get used to the larger grip. I'm just trying to reduce some hand fatigue on those 8+ hour day rides. I'll try riding with them tomorrow, weather permitting.

A friend of mine bought one of these for quick cleans while riding, and showed it to me last week on our ride. He said it cleans great, and the magnet is super strong, and doesn't come off while riding. It attaches to your handlebar, and you fill the container with whatever cleaning liquid you want. I ordered one, but haven't got it yet to provide a personal review, but my buddy swears by it.

I use vinegar and water on the outside of mine, and rarely clean the inside with anything other than a microfiber cloth.

One of my favorites....

Did a 320+ mile ride around Mount Rainier today. (Couldn't go over the mountain because they don't open the roads due to the snow until mid/end June) Still lot's of curvy roads around the mountain, and only the last leg back to Seattle is on the freeway. Picture of the mountain side around the Mount Rainier - I'm not a great photographer, but I got the bike and mountains. Hard to see in the picture, but I'm actually in the road taking the picture, so I didn't want to fuss with making it perfect. not much room on the road, but it is very windy and fun to ride. Could have taken a picture of actual Mount Rainier, but that will have to wait until they open the roads in a few weeks. And the map of the route I took:

That smoke is from the split second before the pinto burst into flames after being rear ended by the bike. And all the evidence was covered by the Mount Saint Helen's eruption.

Wow, where is that photo taken? Mt. St. Helens? My long lost Ford Pinto, circa 1969! I always wondered what happened to that car

Original to my 2015 FJ-09, I bought it in September 2015...... and I used the charger last year and the year before with no issues

Put my bike away late last fall, put the battery tender on the battery, and when I went to get her ready for 2018, the battery was completely dead! Had it tested, and it was empty and wouldn't hold a charge. I know the batteries on our bikes aren't very good, but really? Now to find a new battery to put in that (hopefully) is much better. Any suggestions?

Welcome to the forum, and hopefully it won't be too long before you can pick up a new bike....... Hardest part is the waiting!

I just looked longingly at mine waiting for the snow and rain to go away and the warm weather to come back..........

Wow, sounds like that was a real PITA. I had been kind of / sort of / maybe thinking about this, but the height isn't too much of a problem for me. (Feet touch, just not flat) After your experience, I think I'll leave this one alone. Thanks for the write-up!

Makes me feel better to put the round side against the crank case, but I know it really doesn't make any difference!

Thanks everyone, at least I know I'm not crazy, I'll try the zip tie first and electrical work as a last resort.

I recently purchased a phone mount for my handlebar, and started riding with my iPhone as my GPS. It works fine for what I'm doing, and have been happy with the setup. I plug the USB cord from my iPhone into a cigarette lighter/USB adapter, and plug it into the cigarette lighter accessory on the FJ-09. This all seems to work fine most of the time, but more than a few times, I have been surprised by messages on my phone saying I was running out of power. A quick glance at the phone shows it is definitely not charging, so I twist the adapter and it starts charging again. Sometimes one time solves the problem, sometimes, it takes 2-3 to get the charger to keep charging. Anyone else experienced this, and short of hardwiring a USB plug to my bike, any ideas on how to make this more reliable?

Let's see: Carry the one, and... a hair under 71 mph average. Would you care to elaborate? And we all know the FJ-09 can't go 1100 miles without a gas stop, so figure 190 miles per tank, and 15 minutes for the stop and fill-up, that means 6 stops for gas for a total of 1.5 hours, so now you have 1100 miles / 14 hours (actual riding) = 78.6 mph. Impressive indeed........

Cleaned her up, changed the oil, and lubed the chain, getting ready for a 500 mile ride with a friend tomorrow morning, and looking forward to the time in the saddle......

Chadman - Is that the Yamaha factory sticker I see on the right side of your tank? Take that thing off, it's yours now! And the bars look great!

Changed my oil and oil filter, and cleaned my chain.........

This is exactly what I was looking for, now I just have to figure out how to order it.

Yep, I tried that too for a while, but It's a bit of a pain to pull it out, and put it away after use. I was hoping for something a bit more elegant. I know I can get something that bolts to the handle bar, but I was hoping someone else had found something that is better.

One thing the FJ-09 seems to be missing is a helmet lock. I have always had one right near the lock for the seat, so it is easy to secure my helmet if I'm going into a store or getting something to eat. If I'm crazy, and someone knows the secret to lock my helmet to the bike, please let me know. And if not, any ideas on how everyone else locks their helmet would be appreciated.

Wow, I love the sound of that, and it looks good too......

Definitely not the case on un-flashed earlier models. Switching to A-Mode has become part of starting the bike for me lol.A flash setting can change your startup routine, I can't imagine having to switch to A mode every time I start my bike.....