nhchris

Welcome and glad you are with us.

It looks like she's kitted out nicely already: Luggage, big wind screen, driving lights, etc.

I respectfully suggest your main job now is to ride the tires off her until your smile hurts.

May the road rise to meet you and the wind be at your back.

Did a 50-mile ride today to welcome and celebrate the New Year.  My little FJ was  a puppy off the leash as she gobbled up the two-lane and tore around corners.

Dash indicated 37 F degrees ambient for most of the trip so the tires never did heat up.  And I don't think the engine temp broke 160 F the whole way.  But it was a joy to be out in this new year full of new possibilities.

Man, I love this bike.

Hope you all have a healthy and happy 2021.  It's off to a good start here in Cow Hampshire!

I rode!!

I hope to get out later today for a few laps.  High temp will be 36, but roads nicely cleaned up after rain.

Just gotta turn those heated gloves up to 11.

Have a great 2021 everyone.

6 hours ago, pilninggas said:

Went for an Xmas day ride - first dry day in 3 weeks.

After severe flooding the roads were pretty insane. 2 impassable, still deep flooding; loads more where the hills and fields had been washed into the road.

Still enjoyed it though. The Niken was flawless even on icy roads on the plateaus where grip was at a premium.

Your photo made me go into my archives and read the Wordsworth Poem.  Thanks for the inspiration and best of the season to you.

Great stuff.  And I'm sure dear old mom was happy you visited.

I hear Mich Road 5s are just the thing in a flood!

Well done.  cb

On 12/19/2020 at 2:38 PM, peteinpa said:

I also look at a reflash as a good thing. To meet emissions the MFGs must run the engines doomsday lean. Then the new owner puts on a pipe without a reflash and it's even leaner. THIS makes it run stupid lean which kills engines.

I'm never going near a 2021 bike. New regs are way crazy.  I don't get it, out on the road a truck, bus, etc. pukes out a black cloud but my little bike can't pollute. 

I dunno.  I've ridden behind many remapped Harleys that puked unburned fuel out open pipes till my eyes watered.  They do this tune for a few  more HP and to run rich to keep the engine (back cylinder esp.) cooler. Really?

The new Euro standards will be met by all manufacturers (even Harley).  The 2021 Tracer 9 meets them with a few tweaks and addl CCs. No big deal.

WRT diesel engines: I'm not sure if the seen or unseen pollutants from diesels are worse.  In any case, Europe is ahead of the U.S. regarding clean operation of internal combustion engines. Even VW is now complying!

The MSR XGK EX multi-fuel will burn kerosene, diesel and white gas.  No mention is made of leaded fuel.

7 hours ago, mellow said:

Added 2 Dryspec fuel bottle holders to the corners of my Dolomiti bags.

Gives me 1/2 a gallon of emergency fuel.  I only plan on putting them in the mounts on long trips, typically out west.  But still ignoring them while on the trip so I don't try to count on them.

The nice part about these vs the tool tubes is I can take the bottles and straps off and you barely notice the brackets.

Also, I can still mount additional tool tubes to the givi racks if I needed 2 more bottles for some reason but again, I'll still ride like I don't have them and hopefully, this was a waste of money or the best purchase I ever made.  win-win.

 

 

Looks very purposeful  @mellow and a neat look.

Question: Can you attach an MSR camping stove to those bottles?

6 hours ago, mikerbiker said:

Who did the ECU flash?

I know this might sound like heresy to many here,  but IMHO ....

An ECU flash and free flow exhaust radically alter engine dynamics and operating parameters.  The long term effects of which are untested and unknown.  Removed O2 sensors, block off plates, boosters, etc. add to the unknowns.

Like all engine manufacturers,  Yamaha R&D and QA have run the CP3 in stock configuration through thousands of hours and probably millions of miles of torture testing. Certainly more than 50k miles worth.

Maybe some of the stock fuel mapping was designed to cool exhaust valves with a pulse of fuel at certain RPM.  Maybe timing and advance setting were specified not for ultimate HP but for valve train longevity.  We just don't know how the designers and engineers tweaked the motor to be fast but still reliable.  It's always a bit of a trade off.

There's a lot more to engine operation than a maxed out dyno chart.  And I am sure any of the aftermarket ECU flashers will tell you you're own your own if problems occur 50k miles down the road.  Caveat emptor.

(No flames please! 

I am getting lots of emails from Easy Rider rentals offering all sorts of incentives. 

One of my bucket list rides is a BMW rental out of Vegas with return in Flagstaff.  I'd love to tour the south western parks and roads.  Anyone ever done this?

In theory the computer will sense issues created by low octane and alter operating parameters to compensate.  But...

I look at compression ratios as the ultimate indicator of what fuel grade is required.  At 11:1  and above I think 91 octane is indicated.

The Tracer 900 runs about an 11.5 to 1 squeeze.

And then there's this:  I am as cheap as the next guy when it comes to gas prices. But, when filling a tiny four gallon tank in a vehicle that gets 50 MPG I GO BIG and buy the highest octane juice they got!!!  Hey, Life is Short.

On 12/9/2020 at 3:04 PM, keithu said:

@chitown that's an impressive list!

Regarding IOM: Assuming one doesn't have a friend from Texas with a local house, what are the options for accommodations during the TT? Are there plenty of rooms to rent, or do most people camp? I should have included this one on my bucket list.  

When I did a my two week trip to Man in 2011 I used the "couch surfing" website to find a great place for FREE!  I had my own bedroom in Douglas in a flat in a row house,  It was wonderful.  

I worked as a course marshal and could walk to my assignment every day in St. Ninnian's Square at the top of Bray Hill.

I also spent a few nights in a Faulty Towers type guest house on the Douglas Prom, which was a very busy n fun Location.

I like to go to the Isle of Man and ride the race route on Mad Sunday when speed limits are not in effect.

Then on to the Alps for a tour of mountain passes.

And to reinstall them guide the Mount on the bottom of the bag over the bracket and then drop the bag onto the top mounts and push down until fully seated.

Remounting them is a bit tricker than pulling them off!

I find it easier to do with bike on the center stand rather than on an angle on the side stand.

Just got an email from IOM TT organization that the 2021 races are canceled. 

The Isle of Man government has decided that the risks to the local population due to Covid will be too great to allow the influx of 50k people in late May.

This makes two years in a row.  Phuck the virus!

Hey @betoney,  I'm guessing you are all recovered from you shoulder surgery if you are doing rides like that.  Great and let's hear it for modern orthopedic medicine!

Nice work @betoney !!

Do they salt out there?

Another variable in the MPG equation for me ambient temperatures I'm riding in.

With E10 fuel I notice a slight reduction in mileage in cold weather (below 50 deg F.)

Really noticeable with the car when its below 30 deg F for sustained periods.

4 hours ago, Yamagun said:

That's a big improvement. I assume you had to buy a larger chain?  Do you notice less torque in the lower gears with your new setup? 

Nope. Same length as stock FJ at 110 links.

Torque seems all there from 4K rpm up and I’m just dropped down a gear in most situations.

Launch requires more clutch finesse but I’m not at the drag strip very often !!

And You can always put the 16 back on if you don’t like the effect of the 17. Change out takes 20 minutes once you’ve done it.

If you ride lots of high speed roads (70 and above) consider a gear change to improve mileage.  I went to a 17 tooth front and now turn 4200 rpm at 70 mph.

On my FJ gas mileage seems very rpm-related.  Mine increased 10% with this change to around 55 mpg.

Most of my riding is on two-lane twisties between 50 and 70 mph with occasional (unavoidable) runs on interstates at 75-80 mph.

Maybe motorcycle Darwinism at work?

I'm a big fan of chain wax.  Less dirty, adheres well and smells kinda nice actually.

But don't mistakenly put it on the windscreen

Great report @betoney and good news for all us FJ pilots.

My 2016 just rolled past 15k miles and it is the most fun bike I've ever owned.

I call it my smile generator each time I hit an apex, roll on throttle and feel the front wheel lift ever so slightly into the sky.

Be gentle with ABS sensors and tape up and out of the way during entire removal n install procedure.

I use a dab of blue locktite on caliper bolts.  Don’t over torque anything!

helpful to take a few pics pre removal to see where spacers live for reinstall.  (Don’t ask how I know this.)

I put 2x4s under the headers to hold her up.

On reinstall of front loosely put everything back together, pump suspension a few times and then tighten everything up.