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FJ-09 Photo Thread


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Maybe not a great entry for the Photo Thread, but an interesting side trip.  I was looking at Google Maps images and noticed a row of commercial aircraft at an airfield in the middle of nowhere in the Mississippi Delta.  The fleet is marked with Viva Air out of Colombia and Peru.  The other insignia might be a Canadian maple leaf?  It's located at the Greenwood Leflore Airport which itself has an interesting history.

 

0205211705~2.jpg

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Got only one so far and nothing fancy. It was a middle of October last year when I first rode FJ09 ever (after 13 V Stroms in last 10 years). In fact it was a test ride and I picked her up 2 days later. Despite the fact that I managed to put on her 5000 km in next 5 weeks never got another picture. So here she is. My first (2017) FJ 09.EA53E683-383F-4B00-8C8E-99A3A727CB02.thumb.jpeg.c989195dce23cbb091e49148df2a7eb7.jpeg

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Got only one so far and nothing fancy. It was a middle of October last year when I first rode FJ09 ever (after 13 V Stroms in last 10 years). In fact it was a test ride and I picked her up 2 days later. Despite the fact that I managed to put on her 5000 km in next 5 weeks never got another picture. So here she is. My first (2017) FJ 09.EA53E683-383F-4B00-8C8E-99A3A727CB02.thumb.jpeg.c989195dce23cbb091e49148df2a7eb7.jpeg

42161CF3-3208-4869-9A76-48A41919DA50.pngAnd one more. OEM panniers gone and replaced with Givi quick release mounting racks to use with my Kappa 22l (when running local area and weekends) and Givi E360 (for touring) or Wolfman Expedition soft dry bags (when riding off road). Heed crash bars with bags installed as well as windscreen spoiler/lip, headlights guards and GPS hooked up along with Oxford heated grips.

Edited by Rick123
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The glaciers covering Indianapolis finally receded just enough to haul my FJ-09 to the BMV and get legal Tuesday morning (for some damfool reason they need to look at the VIN in person for an out of state purchase, and the cops won't do this stupid "inspection" in the city).

Anyway, that pain is over, and I've put on a couple hundred miles in the last few days.

So far I'm impressed...

I added the Givi racks last week for a set of E21 bags I had lying around. And today I just received a Givi top case rack and engine guard setup. A Givi top case should get here in a few more days.

You can't really see it in this photo, but the PO let a drunk orangutan apply reflective tape to the wheels and in a stripe in that black "waist" fairing bit. Apparently that stuff uses some kind of nuclear space glue because I can't get it to budge under attack from heat or chemicals. Makes me a little crazy whenever I look at the bike, but I'll need to find a safe way to get that crap out of there.

I'm also very well pleased with how well the bike works stark raving naked. Nice smooth flow of air at all speeds. (Yes, I'm a weirdo who positively detests windshields.) It came with a Madstad I removed for the turbulent trailer ride home, but I sincerely doubt I'm ever going to re-install it.

IMG_20210224_132508667_HDR.jpg

Edited by bwringer
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1 hour ago, bwringer said:

The glaciers covering Indianapolis finally receded just enough to haul my FJ-09 to the BMV and get legal Tuesday morning (for some damfool reason they need to look at the VIN in person for an out of state purchase, and the cops won't do this stupid "inspection" in the city).

Anyway, that pain is over, and I've put on a couple hundred miles in the last few days.

So far I'm impressed...

I added the Givi racks last week for a set of E21 bags I had lying around. And today I just received a Givi top case rack and engine guard setup. A Givi top case should get here in a few more days.

You can't really see it in this photo, but the PO let a drunk orangutan apply reflective tape to the wheels and in a stripe in that black "waist" fairing bit. Apparently that stuff uses some kind of nuclear space glue because I can't get it to budge under attack from heat or chemicals. Makes me a little crazy whenever I look at the bike, but I'll need to find a safe way to get that crap out of there.

I'm also very well pleased with how well the bike works stark raving naked. Nice smooth flow of air at all speeds. (Yes, I'm a weirdo who positively detests windshields.) It came with a Madstad I removed for the turbulent trailer ride home, but I sincerely doubt I'm ever going to re-install it.

IMG_20210224_132508667_HDR.jpg

 If you want to sell the Madstad let me know but how many inches is it?

 I also have the fastest red 15, beautiful but now you get to spend some more money on it like for front suspension, as you have a AM shock (can't tell maker), and a saddle, plus bigger rotors, HH+ pads, lines, radial master cylinder,  XSR slip-assist clutch, McCruise, the list gones on...

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12 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

If you want to sell the Madstad let me know but how many inches is it?

🤣@2and3cylinders is asking how long a guy's... windshield is.

14 hours ago, bwringer said:

I'm also very well pleased with how well the bike works stark raving naked.

It works a lot better naked than with the stock windshield.  If the Madstad is the right height, it would probably work very well for touring.

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19 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

 If you want to sell the Madstad let me know but how many inches is it?

 I also have the fastest red 15, beautiful but now you get to spend some more money on it like for front suspension, as you have a AM shock (can't tell maker), and a saddle, plus bigger rotors, HH+ pads, lines, radial master cylinder,  XSR slip-assist clutch, McCruise, the list gones on...

It measures a little over 21 inches, but on Madstad's site these windshields come in 20", 22", and 24". The previous owner bought the bike new and he's about 6'3", so I'm thinking it's a 22".

The front suspension has been modified by a suspension shop, but the PO didn't really know what had been done, and I didn't get any receipts in the pile o' stuff that came with the bike. It obviously has firmer fork springs, but I don't know what kind are in there, or what other modifications there might be.

Out back, it's wearing a JRi shock with a remote reservoir. The shock was badly maladjusted for a truly punishing ride, but I just yesterday discovered a tricksy hidden damping adjuster ring on the shock body. This has about 60 clicks, and it was at about 55. I backed it to about 45 and things are much better. I'll probably end up backing it down quite a bit more.

I'm a little heavier than the PO, but sag at both ends seems to be in the ballpark. It'll take a little more experimentation, but I think I have enough adjustment range to make things work well for me. There's still too much crap on the roads and it's still too cold to really play around with the handling, but I think I'll be able to get it dialed in eventually.

As far as the saddle, I only have about 200 miles on the bike, but the saddle seems fine to me. Much better than many of the stock saddles I've happily tolerated for years. I guess my butt isn't that picky.

I did eventually put Seat Concepts kits on my V-Strom and KLR because the squishy stock foam was flaccid and worn out after 50-70,000 miles. I may eventually go that route again if this seat bugs me, or try the various spacer tricks to tilt the seat back if that seems to be a problem. It is much firmer, nicer foam than a V-Strom or KLR and I think it'll be fine for a while.

The brakes are fine, too. I'll eventually drop in a Spiegler brake line kit, but that can wait. I'm used to vintage bikes, KLRs, V-Stroms, etc. and the FJ's stock brakes seem like science fiction. They're fine.

Now cruise control does sound nice.... but the price is pants-on-head ridiculous.

I just installed Givi crash bars and a Givi top case mount last night, and a top case is on the way. I think I'll enjoy the bike for a while before dropping any more huge wads of cash.

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A buddy and I had our first all weekend ride planned siince COVID hit. Unfortunately the Weather Channel showed a new band of thunderstorms coming through twice a day all weekend. We'll reschedule. 

When I told my wife, f*** it I'll just get stuck working all day on a vacation day, she said, you knew you were going to ride in the rain some of the time so go ride. 

So I burned a tank of gas this afternoon. The storms are coming out of the Gulf so the temperature is perfect. Some roads are still dirty and torn up from the winter storm. Actually got to use B mode on those. Waterproof gear from neck to toe seems to have done it's job. Rain X on the helmet visor seemed to work, on the windscreen not so much - probably because of the weird aerodynamics of the FJ. I did find one fun new road that will go in my rotation of local roads. 

 

Wet field

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Coffee Stop

0226211538_HDR~2.jpg

Weather in N Mississippi

Screenshot 2021-02-26 113257.jpg

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14 minutes ago, Waldo Jeffers said:

50!? You must be down in the banana belt. 44 up north where I am. 😊

 

8 minutes ago, 1moreroad said:

A buddy and I had our first all weekend ride planned siince COVID hit. Unfortunately the Weather Channel showed a new band of thunderstorms coming through twice a day all weekend. We'll reschedule. 

When I told my wife, f*** it I'll just get stuck working all day on a vacation day, she said, you knew you were going to ride in the rain some of the time so go ride. 

So I burned a tank of gas this afternoon. The storms are coming out of the Gulf so the temperature is perfect. Some roads are still dirty and torn up from the winter storm. Actually got to use B mode on those. Waterproof gear from neck to toe seems to have done it's job. Rain X on the helmet visor seemed to work, on the windscreen not so much - probably because of the weird aerodynamics of the FJ. I did find one fun new road that will go in my rotation of local roads.

2 weeks ago we had over a foot of snow...  about 15 minutes after I took this photo in the sunshine, I got stuck in a downpour and a half hour after that I was eating lunch outside in the sunshine again... crazy weather shifts.

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

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1 hour ago, bwringer said:

It measures a little over 21 inches, but on Madstad's site these windshields come in 20", 22", and 24". The previous owner bought the bike new and he's about 6'3", so I'm thinking it's a 22".

The front suspension has been modified by a suspension shop, but the PO didn't really know what had been done, and I didn't get any receipts in the pile o' stuff that came with the bike. It obviously has firmer fork springs, but I don't know what kind are in there, or what other modifications there might be.

Out back, it's wearing a JRi shock with a remote reservoir. The shock was badly maladjusted for a truly punishing ride, but I just yesterday discovered a tricksy hidden damping adjuster ring on the shock body. This has about 60 clicks, and it was at about 55. I backed it to about 45 and things are much better. I'll probably end up backing it down quite a bit more.

I'm a little heavier than the PO, but sag at both ends seems to be in the ballpark. It'll take a little more experimentation, but I think I have enough adjustment range to make things work well for me. There's still too much crap on the roads and it's still too cold to really play around with the handling, but I think I'll be able to get it dialed in eventually.

As far as the saddle, I only have about 200 miles on the bike, but the saddle seems fine to me. Much better than many of the stock saddles I've happily tolerated for years. I guess my butt isn't that picky.

I did eventually put Seat Concepts kits on my V-Strom and KLR because the squishy stock foam was flaccid and worn out after 50-70,000 miles. I may eventually go that route again if this seat bugs me, or try the various spacer tricks to tilt the seat back if that seems to be a problem. It is much firmer, nicer foam than a V-Strom or KLR and I think it'll be fine for a while.

The brakes are fine, too. I'll eventually drop in a Spiegler brake line kit, but that can wait. I'm used to vintage bikes, KLRs, V-Stroms, etc. and the FJ's stock brakes seem like science fiction. They're fine.

Now cruise control does sound nice.... but the price is pants-on-head ridiculous.

I just installed Givi crash bars and a Givi top case mount last night, and a top case is on the way. I think I'll enjoy the bike for a while before dropping any more huge wads of cash.

The saddle for me was a killer, as was the screen, ao I had a custom Sargent made which is very good; it took them an extra try to get it to my liking but in 2016 it was only $300 WITH shipping!  I also have the Givi case guards, and they make a great place to mount driving lights and highway pegs.

Along with the Spiegler lines, or even before, try some EBC HH+ pads in front; I found the stock brakes just average and wooden.  I always play with rotors and master cylinders and ended up with 2014 R1 320 mm rotors and its master.  Now they're 2-finger with more travel and much more feel the way I like them since my racing days.

I really wanted the 24" Madsted but if you make me an offer I can't refuse... 

I have the Givi barn door tour with the MRW Tour bolt-on spoiler, a OEM size Chinese double-bubble with a smaller spoiler, both clear, and an almost opaque black pc bikini screen.  I can swap the screens in 15 minutes, so I change them based on weather, the ride and my mood.  Kind of like a pair of shoes.

My mother's family is from Indy (I was born northwest of town) but sadly the last time I was down there was in 15 for the final MotoGp (I also attended the first in 08 and a couple in between).  So I used to know my way around a bit.  With the pandemic, I did not go to the MotoAmerica races last August and it's not on this year's schedule.  I don't know how old you are, as my grandfather closed it in 68 but you or your older family members (if local) may recall Kraft's Southside Bakery (commercial) and their little corner retail shop called Kraft's Deluxe Bakery.

LMK if you need any input for your 15, though this forum is packed solid with great data.  Maybe we can meet up halfway this summer.  There's another Hoosier on your east border who wants to meet up.

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7 minutes ago, betoney said:

 

2 weeks ago we had over a foot of snow...  about 15 minutes after I took this photo in the sunshine, I got stuck in a downpour and a half hour after that I was eating lunch outside in the sunshine again... crazy weather shifts.

We've been having a warm snap, low 40s but mid 40s this weekend.  The snow and ice is slowly receding but there's still 1.5 feet in the yards; maybe a bit less.

I wish I still had my VF500F rat bike so I could ride but there's still a ton of salt on the roads which usually does not wash away until May... 😞 

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