Jump to content
  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 44 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

How is FJ-09 at high altitudes?


Recommended Posts

15 FJ-09 stock except Vcyclenut flash.

I am in Houston, TX USA (elevation about 3ft) and am about to trailer my bike to SW Colorado to ride the lower Rockies...some at 11,000ft near Silverton.

Can I expect any issues with the bike at that elevation?

35 years ago, My 1975 Chevy Blazer didn't run so well at high altitudes :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Supporting Member
59 minutes ago, Brian said:

15 FJ-09 stock except Vcyclenut flash.

I am in Houston, TX USA (elevation about 3ft) and am about to trailer my bike to SW Colorado to ride the lower Rockies...some at 11,000ft near Silverton.

Can I expect any issues with the bike at that elevation?

35 years ago, My 1975 Chevy Blazer didn't run so well at high altitudes :)

I have ridden all of the Sierra Passes in California, almost 10,000 ft, Beartooth Pass in Montana/Wyoming, almost 11,000 ft and several in Colorado just over 11,000 ft without any issues.  The bike's throttle response didn't feel quite as snappy as riding at sea level but it had plenty of power and I never had any concerns in any of my travels while riding at elevation.

BTW, if it is your first time riding the Colorado Rockies, you are going to LOVE it. 

  • Thumbsup 1

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuel injection compensates just fine.

Total power will of course be down at higher elevation, but the FI will manage things so that the "drivability" will not really be affected. You may notice the throttle response is a tad softer.

There's a big, BIG difference between underpowered carbureted vehicles and FI motorcycles with plenty of "surplus" power...

  • Thumbsup 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Brian said:

15 FJ-09 stock except Vcyclenut flash.

I am in Houston, TX USA (elevation about 3ft) and am about to trailer my bike to SW Colorado to ride the lower Rockies...some at 11,000ft near Silverton.

Can I expect any issues with the bike at that elevation?

35 years ago, My 1975 Chevy Blazer didn't run so well at high altitudes :)

Hey Brian, I did this trip last year, you can read about it somewhere in a post here. Altho I'm not a sea level 3, I'm at sea level 200, should be comparable.  

In summary, I had zero problems with throttle, power, feel. 

’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09.  Bold = current

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/22/2023 at 6:04 PM, Brian said:

15 FJ-09 stock except Vcyclenut flash.

I am in Houston, TX USA (elevation about 3ft) and am about to trailer my bike to SW Colorado to ride the lower Rockies...some at 11,000ft near Silverton.

Can I expect any issues with the bike at that elevation?

35 years ago, My 1975 Chevy Blazer didn't run so well at high altitudes :)

I'm in Calgary, so I'm starting from 3425ft ASL, but frequently ride up into the Rockies here (I want to say 4500ft ASL) which while not 11k, is still pretty damn high, as well as down to the coast.  In that 0-4500ft range, there's really not an appreciable difference at all.  

As @bwringer said, EFI != carbs.  Your ECU will adjust fueling for altitude.  Sure, there's less oxygen to work with, but it won't bog down and get really rich like you would with a carb.  You just gradually lose a little oomph which is pretty negligible when considering ~120hp.  It's not like the old days of taking a 40hp carbureted bike up a mountain 😃

  • Thumbsup 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took a road trip from Minnesota, through the Rockies last year.  Although down on power, there was still plenty available and I didn't feel a need for more (the secenery, spectacular, was taking priorty over spirited riding).  Fueling was perfect.  I didn't notice any difference from my normal 1,000' elevation rides - started and ran perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×