b12ty

Well I use AC Delco batteries in all my families vehicles. They never leak around the posts, so less corroded battery cables, and they last a long time. The last one in my truck ( 60 mo. warranty ) went 7 years, and it sat a lot also. I have yet to try them on my bikes, but will when the time comes. The Yuasa in my Suzuki Bandit is over 3 years old and going strong still. It also sits some cause I tend to ride my FJ-09 more, go figure!

By regular lead-acid battery do you mean the wet, unsealed type? Absorbed glass mat (AGM) are also lead acid in their chemistry but are regulated by a valve, so won't leak if fitted on their side as in the Tracer. AGM also offer significantly better performance over the wet type with more cold cranking amps(CCA). This allows designers to use smaller battery packs for large capacity bikes, saving weight. AGM batteries will also stay fully charged for long periods, certainly the typical 2-3 month winter lay off we have in the UK. A Hawker Odyssey AGM battery on my R1150GS and a Yuasa AGM on my Super Tenere are evidence of this durability. So, for a sports-touring motorcycle, I am still not convinced that the LiPo battery has enough of an advantage to justify the extra cost when replacing a broken battery and certainly not to replace a new one. If one is riding a lightweight off road bike or a track bike then yes, maybe a few pounds weight loss is worth the extra cost. I'm with the wessie guy on this one. I'm not worried about a few pounds. This is probably what i'll buy when the stock battery goes. $57, free shipping. link AGM technology, fill it with acid only when you install it, then seal it for life. Always had good luck with ACDelco batteries. That or Yuasa. Ty

I don't know why in the hell motorcycle manufacturers don't put real fenders on (most Harley's and a few other bikes excepted) and let the squids just cut them back where they want or for hipsters remove them all together? I have had to add an extender to almost every bike, both front and rear on the FJ-09. FWIW I don't drill and screw/bolt to the fenders. I simply scuff sand both surfaces and clean with alcohol then supplement the adhesive strips with epoxy made for plastic clamping overnight, and have never had one come loose in the slightest. Why did you take the fender off? I did it easily while on the bike. Just FYI for people considering doing this. Just don't drill too deep. Ty

Thanks Ty, Mirrors have my thinking, running lights also? I have the indicators on the hand guards but I was thinking of ditching the guards, Hummmm? I originally wanted to do that, but then the running lights would light up the LED arrows all the time. I thought about wiring the front side separately, but the mirrors are sealed. So I just use them for turn signals, for now at least. Ty

You're gonna love em! Don't forget to program the 3 presets to a value of 1-10. I have mine on 2-3-5, I think. Works for me down to 40f. Ty

I didn't know there was a way to replace the brake lines on our FJs. A quick look when I bought my bike, it looked like it would be difficult to design. Any problems bleeding the system with ABS? I was thinking you may need a computer interface to command the ABS to cycle, or maybe it didn't get disturbed in your installation..? And more importantly, how do your brakes work now? !! Hugger. I just installed the front fender extender, haven't felt the need for a hugger yet, but will check it out. Ty

Thx, they remind me of higher end modern car mirrors. Hopefully they provide a little more safety/visibility too. Ty

With my holiday time off, i've continued farkling my FJ. Dialed in my Nitron shock upgrade, wow what a difference! Firm but plush as they say, no more jolts on hard edge bumps. Waiting on Andreani fork cartridges to complete suspension work. Meanwhile, with Lewis's ( ULEWZ )help, flashed my ECU yesterday. Just did some basic things starting with removing the speed limiter. 8D Disabled AIS, set cooling fan cutoff points lower ( 210/200 rather than factory 224/215 ), and played with engine braking settings. Left the fueling alone for now, as I ride in STD mode which always felt fine to me... Today I installed a Pyramid Fender extender. It comes with little plastic "push rivets" now, instead of just double sided tape. You do have to drill some holes for the rivets, but it's really solid now. Looks good, and will keep a lot of crap off my radiator. You listening wessie? Next up, I installed some ebay aftermarket lighted mirrors. I wired them to my turn signals. Not only are the backs of the mirrors lighted, but the front is too under the glass. Most visible at night, it looks cool with the arrow shaped pattern. And totally invisible when off , neat! A little wider than stock so I can see better around my shoulders, the only thing I can nit-pick is that the mounting stem is a little shorter slightly blocking the menu selector rocker switch. No biggie. Last thing today is a USB cigarette lighter adapter. It reads out voltage, and amps drawn when you plug something in. My Garmin pulls .3 Amps it appears. USB voltmeter bought here: link Mirrors here: link Says Ducati in the title, but comes with Yamaha reverse thread adapters. Note: These are clear lenses for max brightness, also made in smoke. Ty

Installed a Nitron R3 triple clicker with hydraulic preload today. Comes complete with stickers, and a T-shirt, LOL! Shock length ( ride height ) turned out to be right on out of the box. Removing pivot bolt sure made it easier to get at the lower mounting bolt... Pops right up, no fiddling with wrenches or crows feet. Preload adjuster, and remote, hi/low compression adjusters mount conveniently under the tail, easy access. How does it work? I'll find out tomorrow. Fork upgrade also, soon. Ty

Thx to Lewis for this how to. Just to add to this thread.. if you take out the pivot bolt, let the rear wheel drop down, the shock end mount pivots up on the dog bones making access to the lower bolt a piece of cake. Ty

! ! ! Ty

I like it, source please? Ty

That sucks. Any details on what happened? Off-road or what? Sorry to hear, where exactly did the rock hit? If you have a pic, I would like to see it. I'm wondering if it's near the drain plug where the fin around it drops down? And if this would have helped, or could help in the future? Drain plug mod Ty

So am I !! Ty

I wonder how many of us were caught out by that. The biggest I had was a 10mm. I used some vice grips to get it off, seeing as the hardware store near my house was closed for the day. Made a bit of a mess of the bar end in the process, but it worked. :-) I was double caught out! My brother had gotten me a set of allens 3/8" drive last Christmas... he had asked me if I wanted the set that goes up to 10mm or 14? I said 10 was plenty big. Then I bought an FJ-09. Yep, 14mm front wheel, 12 for the grips.... Ty

In the past week or so, i've installed Yamaha soft bags on my bike. These are the promo bags when you bought your bike in Canada last winter. ( thx deerslayer! ) A little small, but expandable, perfect size for a few days trip up the California coast I have planned soon. Also installed red tape stripe in the groove below the tank, looks like it should have been there from the factory! The bag's piping reflects like the wheel tape, i'll feel safer at night. Also, though I don't need them quite yet, thinking ahead, I ordered Michelin Pilot Road 4's. $305 to my door from Rockymountainatv.com. Ready for winter. And last of all, ordered a radiator guard from ebay. $56.80 total from china. Looks to be good quality, even has a nice Yamaha Fj-09 logo... sweet! Just need to install the guard, ( OEM heated grips already on ) and i'm about good to go. Their will be pics of the trip eventually. Ty

Loving mine also, ended up taking my homemade baffle out and leaving it that way for now. Nice to have the choice, and fun to experiment! BTW: I've now done 3 FJ-09's now, everyone happy with the sound and notice the power increase too! I believe leaving the cat in mellows the sound, and leaves just enough back pressure to not kill the bottom end, as your dyno results showed. Cheers, Ty

Wow, we have an expert! Looking forward to your results! Ty

What did you do, drink it? Ty

Heated grips are technically not a "mod", they are a factory option/accessory. And I just installed mine also! Red side stripe too. Ty

At *least* 2 months. I'm more than three and a half months into my wait for the things to show up. It was a joke that I might not have them by fall when the first two backorder dates passed without any grips. Now it's not a joke anymore, it's ridiculous. I don't know how much longer I'm willing to wait before I order a non-Yamaha set (which would be about 70% less expensive!). I would really like them now, please. That really sucks, I've seen them on ebay a lot ( none currently, but was a couple last week ), also seems to be in stock here link. I'd tell your dealer he isnt trying hard enough, get your money back if he owes you, and shop around. Ty

Went to the dealer today to grab an oil filter and to inquire about the availability of heated grips. To my surprise, he had one set in stock! Otherwise, he said it was a 2 month backorder.... Guess i'll be ready for fall/winter in plenty of time. Ty

Purolator ML16817 That's what i'm currently using. A little longer than stock, but no fitment issues. Ty

It took a while, but I finally received my Red Rim stripes !!! While I was waiting, I rode my FJ in an hotel corridors constantly repeating : Red Rims! Red Rims! That was scary... So Today, I cleaned the bike and installed them. In the sun, they are orangish, but they look neat anyhow. Not a perfect color match. Hopefully someone will produre reflective burgundy wheel stripes, and ill replace them... Looks good! Mine are a little orangey also. Ulewz found some burgundy stripes that match the paint better, BUT ask him what he thinks of them... :-/ Ty

Ya, I have to say I don't get the current trend of "beaks" on the front of adventure bikes nowadays. Do they serve any purpose at all? Ty