What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[keithu]

28 minutes ago, piotrek said:

 

I suppose the adjustment could be a selling point... that is if you're still selling the FJ. Maybe I had missed something somewhere...

Many thanks for the link!

I am still planning to sell. But I still don't even have a build date from BMW, and with all the parts shortages who knows how long it will be? I need to be able to ride the FJ until my RT comes in, whether that's three months or a year from now.

[PhotoAl]

1 hour ago, piotrek said:

Welcome to the club. Not bad at all... my first check exhaust numbers were mostly in the teens 😱. You can get Pro-X shims in .025 increments here.

I suppose the adjustment could be a selling point... that is if you're still selling the FJ. Maybe I had missed something somewhere...

Any differences in the quality of the valve shims?  Know that some are 0.025" increments, I've got an old HatCams kit that is 0.05" increments.  Wondering if some are soft and may "squish" over time.  I've used my kit on a CBR600RR and a Honda scooter - can't remember if it was the Metropolitan or the Elite 110.

Currently at 18,000 miles and will check in January when weather is not so good (it might even get into the low 20s F.  Block-off plates seem like a good idea, bike is only a year old so looks like I might be doing this on an annual basis.

[piotrek]

1 hour ago, PhotoAl said:

Any differences in the quality of the valve shims?  Know that some are 0.025" increments, I've got an old HatCams kit that is 0.05" increments.  Wondering if some are soft and may "squish" over time.

Couldn't tell you. I picked up on a tip from this post here... so I went with Pro-X.

If I had a reason to pull the cams then I might have checked if the shims pancaked... but all clearances were well within spec, so I call the shims good enough. I liked the .025 increment option... and that I could buy them individually.

 

[keithu]

Both the Hotcams and OEM shims measure within one micron (.001mm) of the marked size according to my digital caliper. This is after 24-46k miles of use. So I don't think pancaking is an issue with either shim type.

[piotrek]

Another year... another steering head bearing check... and it's all good again. Cleaned, packed with grease and re-assembled. 👍

Edited December 3, 2021 by piotrek

[Skidood]

22 hours ago, piotrek said:

Another year... another steering head bearing check... and it's all good again. Cleaned, packed with grease and re-assembled. 👍

Hey bud, I thought all you need to do for that is try to move the front wheel back and forth while on the stand.  I am guessing you like to go the extra mile? 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, Skidood said:

Hey bud, I thought all you need to do for that is try to move the front wheel back and forth while on the stand.  I am guessing you like to go the extra mile? 

That will let you feel if there is a wobble but wont help with periodic lubrication. 😉

[2and3cylinders]

On 12/2/2021 at 7:57 PM, piotrek said:

Another year... another steering head bearing check... and it's all good again. Cleaned, packed with grease and re-assembled. 👍

I presume you first remove the calipers, wheel and forks first. Do you keep the handle bars bolted to the triple clamp?  Kind of a pain if you don't set aside the bars isn't it?

[piotrek]

3 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I presume you first remove the calipers, wheel and forks first. Do you keep the handle bars bolted to the triple clamp?  Kind of a pain if you don't set aside the bars isn't it?

I just move the bar and upper brace to the side. It's a bit unsettled at first, but good an safe once tied off with cords.

Edited December 4, 2021 by piotrek

[piotrek]

15 hours ago, Skidood said:

Hey bud, I thought all you need to do for that is try to move the front wheel back and forth while on the stand.  I am guessing you like to go the extra mile? 

The bike is apart anyway for other service, so this isn't a big deal... and keeps the bearings healthy for a longer period. Checking for play is definitely a good thing, but that's really just to detect a problem that's already occurred.

[piotrek]

Changed suspension oil in the forks and packed the seals with grease. Amazing how junk the oil looks after just one season (photo). It will be time for major service (sliders/bushings/seals) next winter.

[texscottyd]

1 hour ago, piotrek said:

Tell the truth… that’s a shot of Woodford on the right, isn’t it?  😉

[piotrek]

33 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

Tell the truth… that’s a shot of Woodford on the right, isn’t it?  😉

Oh...this thing's been playing mind games with me for two weeks. It's a blend I was testing for separation. I think I might have reached out for it at one point. 😋

[2and3cylinders]

5 hours ago, piotrek said:

Changed suspension oil in the forks and packed the seals with grease. Amazing how junk the oil looks after just one season (photo). It will be time for major service (sliders/bushings/seals) next winter.

Dam you!  It's been two seasons since I did a complete rebuild and had convinced myself I could defer another year.

Now I can't because of you! 🤨  So I'll have to do a flush & fill this winter.

BYW, I use cheap Walmart ATF as a flushing fluid.  I then blend my own damping fluid to 16 cSt @ 40C.

On my fastest red 15 I have Forks by Matt custom cartridges with preload & rebound in each leg (two right fork caps & rebound rods) with compression adjustment in just the left leg; Sonic .95 SR springs; and a K-Tech Razor R shock set up for my mass & style with a sandwiched Torrington thrust bearing under the bottom of the spring that eases preload adjustment. 

See below links I use for reference and calculating fluid mix ratio.

https://www.peterverdone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Suspension_Fluid

https://www.widman.biz/English/Calculators/Mixtures.html

I think last time I used Bel Ray HP 2.5W (9.3 cSt) & Honda Showa SS-7 / 5W (16.44 cSt)

 

[piotrek]

18 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Dam you!  It's been two seasons since I did a complete rebuild and had convinced myself I could defer another year.

Now I can't because of you! 🤨  So I'll have to do a flush & fill this winter.

LOL... you're welcome. Now you have something to do. I use this link to blend to ~13.5 cSt@40. Bel-Ray HVI 3wt used to work, but it's no longer available... so I have to mix.