fr8dog

My son came over to borrow the pressure washer. Showed him the tail tidy. He noticed the license plate light wasn't working. Hmm. I crossed a couple of wires. Not sure how that happened. They're color coded. Stupid. Switched them and still no luck. Connected the old light. Still no luck. Maybe a fuse? Took me 30 minutes to find the fuse. Blown. Stuck in a new one and we got lights! Had to go for a 3 hour test ride. Sad part is I rode Wednesday without brake lights and didn't realize it. Lucky I didn't get rear ended.

Those pumpkins seem like they're growing. Kit also includes two brackets for aftermarket lights. Not sure how they mount, but they're a lot smaller than the ones I used. Price was reasonable. I had my eye on the one from Yoshimura. That was over $100.00. This was half the cost and it's well made. I've seen some where the blinkers are integrated with the taillight.

Installed the tail tidy my son gave me for xmas. It's a clean look. Came from motodynamics.com. Also went for a spin. Clear low to mid 50's.

About the same here. A little warmer during the day. Heated grips work great. The hand guards are my problem. I have the KTM, but some cold still gets through on the top by my thumbs. Maybe Vstrom guards or better gloves?

I go around Pope Canyon. Seem to always make the wrong turns. Too many roads with the word Pope in it. Trying to get up to Middletown and then head back down. This time I'll write down the names of the roads.

Drained and replaced the antifreeze and reinstalled the KTM handguards. Thanks to Nathan for his video. I have a shop manual, but a video always helps out. Went for a short ride along the river. Maybe Lake Berryessa and wine country tomorrow.

Adjusted mine yesterday. Ended up with 13/97 and 12/97. Huge difference. Stock STD was really snatchy at low end and coming out of corners. "A" mode was unrideable. Now STD is smooth and A is rideable and fun. Should have did this a year ago. Looking at Piotreks picture it looks like the two bolts are side by side. Mine were on top and bottom. Maybe the angle of the picture or changed from 15 to 16. Thanks @Piotrek for the write up. I have a service manual, but pics and real life experience helps. Dan

Adjusted the APS yesterday. Stock closed throttle - 14/17 15/16. Didn't write down the wide open throttle numbers. Now - 14 - 13/97 15 - 12/97 Stock - STD was snatchy coming out of corners. Really had to watch the throttle. "A" mode was unrideable. No fun at all. Now - STD is smooth and A is fun. Should have did this a year ago.

I like to explore. Sometimes the fj probably isn't the ideal bike. For 90% of my riding it's perfect. Like the MRR thing. I'm curious if I'll run out of road trying to get over to Wentworth. If so, I don't mind as long as I'm something that can handle the dirt. I'd been to Foresthill a few times and saw a sign that said Colfax 15 miles. One day I took the turn and ran out of pavement in a couple of miles. Took me 45 minutes to get to Colfax. Was never so happy to see pavement. FJ's not made for that road. It was cool. Took me down to the river where people pan for gold and then back up to Colfax. Maybe I need another bike!!

Been up to berryessa a couple of times. Great area. Rode Amador a lot in the 80's. Been up that way a few times recently. Few weeks ago I went up to markleeville then over ebbets pass down into arnold and then 49 towards home. Great ride.

Citrus Heights

I've gotten some ride ideas from scr. Never have done a group ride. Used to ride with a friend when I was younger. He doesn't ride much anymore. I'll let you know if I run out of pavement. Hopefully not. Don't want to have to go back mrr.

@redfjniner and @koth442 I have been on Wentworth and lower Ice House a few times and have done Ice House up to Loon Lake where it ends or runs into Rubicon Rd. Nice road, not great, but fun. Loon Lake is awesome, nice to stop and have a picnic on the edge of the lake. I have been up to Hell Hole Res/Dam and again nice but not great, but fun. I want a report on Mosquito Ridge Rd. cause I haven't done that one yet. Maybe next June. Rode up to Loon Lake on Saturday. Flew by the turn and ran out of road. Came back down and made the left turn to the lake. Nice and peaceful up there. Lots of 4 wheelers up there heading to the Rubicon. Might do MRR again this weekend. Last time I took it to French Meadows Reservoir, took a break and headed back the same way. Don't have GPS and didn't know which road to take to get me towards familiar ground. Looks like from French Meadows I can get to Wentworth to Icehouse or Wentworth back to Georgetown. Either way a great ride. MRR is very scenic. Tough to enjoy the scenery when that road takes ALL of your attention. Some roads on the straights or long sweeping turns I can take in the sights. Might have to stop a few times and enjoy. Also has lots of pine needles on the road. Nerve wracking when the rear tire gets a little loose and sideways. On Sunday I took a short ride to Foresthill. From there over to Georgetown and Lotus and back home through Folsom to Citrus Heights.

Do the bar ends need any mods to install? I have the OEM heated grips. I've noticed a lot more bar buzz since I installed the KTM handguards.

I don't disagree. Just don't like the looks of them. Maybe they look better in person. Same as the windshield. The taller ones work better, but not into that look. I was amazed how quiet it was with a taller screen. Calsci said they would make any size I wanted. Maybe something between the medium and the shorty would work. I haven't been on any several hundred mile trips on it yet. I use it to commute and try to get some riding in on the weekend. I'm sure some longer rides this spring will sway me to make a move on the seat. I haven't ridden in 30 years so I've attributed the seat problem to my butt not being in riding shape!

The FJ-09 certainly has a few shortcomings. The engine is crazy good so to me it's worth making this bike a little more comfortable. The stock windscreen is useless. For me it created a lot of mayhem. I tried one from Calsci. I think it was the medium. It was great. Not ready for that look though. If I'm going on a long trip I'll get one. I bought the Calsci TS. Looks and performs better than stock. Installed OEM heated grips. First bike I've had with heated grips. Nice. Installed KTM Handguards. They actually work compared to stock. The seat. For me, it's rough after a couple of hours. Don't really like the look of aftermarket seats. Same as the screen. If I go on a long trip I'll probably spring for one. Calsci has a kit with memory foam that you install on your seat. Don't know about cutting a section out of my seat. Anybody do this? Thoughts?

Which KTM hand guards did you install? Im new to the fj09 and have read about the KTM hand guards, but haven't seen which ones their using. I have a set for the 990 SMT that i was goin to install on my multistrada but going to sell that bike and would like to use them on yhe fj. NEW KTM HANDGUARDS 2015 690 1190 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE ABS ENDURO 6030217910030

That’s it... I’ve got to give the CalSci shorty a try. I’ve been alternating between the stock screen and nothing at all, trying to figure out which way to go. @fr8dog - may I ask how tall you are? I’m 6’1” and run the seat in the tall position, with the stock handlebars in the forward orientation. I'm 5-11 seat in tall position bars are in stock position. I rode the bike less than a minute and realized a huge difference. Easy decision. They're close by and let me test ride a taller screen and the shorty. Also said they would modify the taller screen if i wanted. Hope this helps.

That’s it... I’ve got to give the CalSci shorty a try. I’ve been alternating between the stock screen and nothing at all, trying to figure out which way to go. @fr8dog - may I ask how tall you are? I’m 6’1” and run the seat in the tall position, with the stock handlebars in the forward orientation.

Installed a calsci tinted shorty this morning. Huge difference. Smooth air coming off it vs chaos from the oem shield. Been a good week. Heated grips ktm handguards and the wind screen. Pics to follow.

Installed the OEM heated grips yesterday. They work great! Also ordered KTM hand guards.

One other note, the stock handguards are useless at blocking wind on the back of your hands, personally I use hand shields from a DL-650, $60+s&h on Amazon. They offer complete protection from wind and rocks, but not intended for crash protection. Thanks for the tip! How do the handguards from the DL-650 install? Use my hardware or the DL's?

The install actually isn't too bad, the most difficult part for me was getting the wire "looped" correctly inside the new throttle housing. A word of caution, these grips get HOT... DO NOT set the heat level to 10. Try a mid range setting for lo-mid-hi of something like 3/5/7 to start and adjust up from there if needed. I have ridden in temps as low as 30F and have never needed higher that level 5. One other note, the stock handguards are useless at blocking wind on the back of your hands, personally I use hand shields from a DL-650, $60+s&h on Amazon. They offer complete protection from wind and rocks, but not intended for crash protection.

Picked up my OEM heated grips from the dealer today. Will install this weekend. Dealer says 1.5 hours to install, so it should take me about 8.

Citrus Heights, CA