tracerben

Blue!

The issue of buffeting was another reason I started down this road. I used to ride with the shield cracked open to get some extra air. If I have the shield closed it fogs up every time I stop at a stop light. Anyway, on the FJ the bike's windshield isn't high enough to get the airflow over the top of my head. And when the helmet shield is cracked open I get buffeted like crazy. I close the shield and the buffeting is 90% gone, but then I have to deal with fogging. So I drilled enough vent holes to let me ride with the shield down all the time. And that seems to be working great. My first idea was a little too much; all I really need is a few holes. I wish some of the helmet shield mfrs would sell vented versions of some of the shields....

I tried this a different way: drilling some small holes above the chin vent. Not as effective but probably a better way of doing it....

I did the shield first, and also added sidecases and a rack. Then mirror extenders, a less wimpy horn and tail light, and rubber foot pegs. If I had a 2015, I'd do the ECU flash. I have a later model so I just did a throttle tamer.

I think the Throttle Tamer is a good addition for a later model FJ. I have a 2018. The fueling is fine. I don't think there is a need for a re flash. But the throttle still is a little snatchy. I notice it at lower rpm, especially on a bumpy road. And the Throttle Tamer helps with that. I got one for $50 at OEMCYCLE; it was easy to install. I think it was money well spent....

Spend a summer in Florida and you will understand why someone would run a drill through the vent holes and cut a hole in the visor. The result may look like hell but it works like stink. I wish they sold a visor like this so you wouldn't have to pop it up to get air when its hot and humid....

Nice shield. It looks like it would provide decent protection without being too much of a shower door. Is that the Ermax?

I am 6' 260 lbs. I'm more of a sport touring rider than a racer wannabe. I found the rear shock to be under sprung, so I moved up two notches on both the spring and the damping. The front shock seemed o.k. to me. I no expert on this but my impression is the rear shock is more effected by your weight (and the weight of whatever you have with you) while the front shock seems to be more effected by the way you ride (if you are more aggressive with the brakes you will want a stiffer front end). I say sag schmag. If you are heavier than the average Japanese man, don't worry about it. The bike can handle almost 400 lbs. Just jack up the rear and off you go....

I don't mean to complain about engine noise. It is not a problem with this bike, and it wasn't a problem on my Triumph either. I just noticed some oils seems to really quiet my 3 cylinder Triumph engine down, and I guess I liked that effect. I also noticed some oils seem to run better in a 4 cylinder than a 2 cylinder, for example. And I'm not sure what would run best in a 3 cylinder, except, again, I really liked the Castrol synthetic in my Triumph. P.S. I also don't mean to start another annoying oil thread. I'm not looking for anyone's opinion on the "best" motorcycle oil (synthetic v. conventional, expensive v. cheap, 10w40 v. 20 w 50, car v. motorcycle, etc.). I'm just curious if anyone noticed a difference in how a specific oil performed in this 3 cylinder engine v. a different engine. That may or may not make sense, and this could all just be my imagination. I'll probably just try Castrol in my FJ since I had a good experience with it in the Triumph. I just thought I'd ask around first....

Has anyone noticed the engine runs quieter with one oil over another? I used to use Mobil 1 in my ST1300, and the bike ran super smooth with that oil. I subsequently tried it on a Triumph Explorer and the triple seemed to hate it. Among other things, the engine was noisy as hell. I switched to Castrol and that alone made a big difference. The engine ran much quieter with a different oil. I also noticed the synthetic Yamalube is marketed as reducing engine noise.

Factory Saddlebags, Factory Rear Rack, VStream Sport Tour Screen, Grip Puppies, Mirror Extenders, Footpegs. Switched from full face helmet with shield to dirt bike helmet and goggles. Now I like having the wind in my face. I live in Florida and it keeps me nice and cool.

Here is a comparo of the Sport Tour and Madstad 22":

I wonder if the picture of the Parabellum is the low, medium or tall. Calsci does the same thing. Seems like a lot of the windshield mfrs do it. They post pictures of screens without saying which is which. I can't stand that!

Here it is with the VStream Sport Tour (coverage is not as good, but it looks much better).

Here she is fully farkled. Madstad 22" screen, OEM saddlebags and rack. Grip puppies and footpegs.

Hah! I bought those too. Amazon has them. And there is a video with a guy installing them on an FJ 09 on YouTube.

Another way to avoid the conehead like appearance of the tall shields is to go for something like the Madstad that has an adjustable bracket. If you get that type of bracket, you can get a smaller shield and push it up higher or angle it so it works as effectively as a tall shield....

So it's probably the bracket that makes the 20 inch Madstad work better than the 20 inch V stream. I guess if the 22 inch is more than I need, I can cut it down. Better yet I think Madstad let's you exchange them. Thanks again.

Interesting. I am six feet, I have the same bike (mine is even blue) and have been deciding between the same two screens. I think the Madstad actually looks better on your bike, and I guess it works better too. I ordered the 22" based on Madstad's recommendation (the site lists 22" as the recommended height if you are six feet), so I'm surprised the 20" works for you. Maybe the difference is the Corbin seat. Do think the Corbin is higher or lower than stock? Is it installed at the high setting or the low one? Also, where is the wind hitting you with the 20" screen? Is it going over the top of the helmet or is your helmet in fresh air?

Is that the VStream Sport Tour in the picture? What did you switch to?