knyte

Because I travel a LOT between BC (dad is there) and Alberta (where I live), I've always wanted a small dual sport I can load onto a carrier, if I drive, and just drop it and ride some trail if I want. There are SO many trails and forestry roads along the way, it's astounding. Hinton and Valemount especially, but there are plenty other areas. Even with the right tires, I'm leery of taking the FJ on some of those roads. I don't anticipate any supermans or tabletops for awhile...nothing too extreme. I mean, I have more than one cage for different types of driving, and so now with riding, too. It's just fun learning new things and building skill.

Fair enough, I'm just feeling the Covid Waistline lately and am hoping a more dirt-biased bike will help motivate me a bit towards better health. Dirt riding takes considerably more energy than street - at least, the kind of dirt riding I want to do

Thanks. Been looking for something like this for over a year. Finally found one that's not-too-new, but new enough - and the right price range.

Yep, I completely procrastinated my way into a corner But hey it gets me a second bike. A second set of rims would be fantastic! Fresh tires; always ready.

Quick update on this project. After much messing about with no results, I finally ordered a bare head and valves. The BBR kit already has everything else; springs, keepers, seals, cam - so I hope to wrap this up this summer. The hardest part(s) to find are plastics, specifically the side shields. Very hard to find.

Yikes, that is perfect timing.

My FJ is overdue for TB sync and valves...while it's in for that I hope to have something else to ride (just have to close the deal on a CRF250). During riding season there is no such thing as a fast shop here. I expect the FJ to be away from home for several weeks. This is maintenance I will learn, but this spring/summer is shaping up to be a bit too hectic to take the time.

2016 Honda CRF250L. Guess I gotta start hitting the gym now...

UPDATE: I can't believe I haven't had the tires off until now. Installed the ABS rings last night, complete with an obligatory Cambodian Tire #25 Torx fail - the tool seemed soft, and rounded out the )_^&&* fastener. Thankfully an EZ Out did the trick. Anyway, on the ride to work this AM, at 50 km/h (GPS reading) the speedo reads 51 km/h. @ 40 it reads 38. That's deadly accurate! Sure happy to be able to read the large-font dash instead of the microscopic GPS eye-test.

NICE!! Those look great.

Looking good; I like those red accents! Looks like it's farkled up very well

Now you can enjoy that wonderful lil powerplant

Speaking from experience, I no longer hang my helmet on the exhaust side, such as the rider has in that 1st photo. I'll let you fill in the blanks, but it rhymes with felmet felted.

Looking good! Why do I feel like I should know what those tires are. What, 60/40 or something?

I found the SW Motech to be an easy install and it's easy to remove for oil changes. It seems to strike the balance between adequate protection, cost, and utility.

Apparently there is a factory lowered / comfort seat - drops the seat height 1"

Well, my g/f sat on one yesterday and liked it. The upright riding position, seat height etc all seemed to work well for her. I think the biggest concern might be the lack of a centre stand & heated grips (but heated grips are available, as @jthayer09 eluded to) - neither is a deal breaker. Factory bags add ~a bit less than a grand, installed, taxes, all-in, but they're sizable at least. Not much room under the seat. 2-year warranty; unlimited mileage. Maint intervals are every 10,000 km's, valves every 20k. Michelin Road 5's from the factory, which is a nice touch. The fuel gauge has DTE (~300 kms per tank can be expected). Adjustable windscreen. If she sells her Ninja & F650 GS this spring/summer that should easily cover most of the cost. From the looks of it, and in chatting with the sales guy, they're nearly the same as our bikes in every way except they're Triumph and just a wee bit smaller. Same clutch cable / hydraulic brakes, ABS, TCC (TCC can be disabled). The front suspension isn't adjustable without replacement springs etc, but the rear has a remote preload adjust. We'll see what happens, but so far it's a strong contender...

I've an '83 Nighthawk 550c that needs a bit of help - I think the cam chain guides need replacing - but when it runs, OMG it has torque for days in any gear.

Another member did a complete teardown / rebuild of his side bags here - maybe something in his write-up will help:

Nice! Now you can enjoy that ride.

Looking great!

well that didn't last long ...glad to hear these bikes are holding some value.

cringes Wildlife is my BIGGEST fear, above all else - easily the most unpredictable hazard out there, imho.

Well, it's good (increased security) but also bad (increased cost!). I wonder if you can program your own PATS key if you have two of them like I can with a couple of my cars.

I'd bet on the gasket!