New 2015 FJ-09 owner in Icebound Indy

[bwringer]

Greetings, all!

Just trailered this tasty 2015 home Saturday, February 6 2021. Had an extremely fun time (not) getting it up my icy driveway and safely tucked into the garage.

Very experienced rider and wrencher here. This is my first bike with ABS, and will mostly be a lighter, faster, shinier replacement for my 2002 V-Strom DL1000.

The long-range forecast is typical February in Indiana dismal, so it's going to be WAAAAAAY too long before the roads are remotely rideable hereabouts.

I'm really, REALLY super excited here.

The first order of business will be engine guards and hard luggage, so I'll be prowling for answers there. My firm philosophy is that a bike that can't handle getting knocked over in a hotel parking lot isn't one you can trust further than Uber distance from home. That radiator looks mighty crunchable, but I'll be creeping old threads and asking questions to determine the best system.

Holler if you're in central Indiana!

[Waldo Jeffers]

Welcome to the club

[knyte]

Hey, welcome!

I came from an '02 DL1000 as well.  You're going to LOVE the FJ over the V-Strom.  Lighter, power delivery far more linear, far more agile.  I think it's the smaller front wheel that made the difference for me.

I found the rear brake on the FJ less responsive than the V-Strom, but it's just perception.  The FJ brakes just fine.

Also, current consensus seems to be the colour you chose happens to be the fastest...

How many miles on the odo ?

[banderso]

Hi bwringer,

Welcome!

I'm in Washington IN 

I have a 15 black FJ09. I purposely got the slower color model to prove that it's rider skill shining through......🙄 

See ya 

bill

 

[betoney]

4 hours ago, bwringer said:

The first order of business will be engine guards and hard luggage, so I'll be prowling for answers there. My firm philosophy is that a bike that can't handle getting knocked over in a hotel parking lot isn't one you can trust further than Uber distance from home. That radiator looks mighty crunchable, but I'll be creeping old threads and asking questions to determine the best system.

Welcome and congratulations on the new-to-you bike.  A radiator guard is highly recommended, many options to chose from, the Evotech is highly regarded, but any brand is better than nothing.

Evotech Performance Radiator Guard Yamaha FJ-09 / Tracer 900 / GT

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The Evotech Performance Radiator Guard is what you need to keep the...

As far as hand guards, I use the plastic guards from a DL650 (maybe DL1000 as well?) because of how well they wrap around and block wind.  (the stock hand guards are useless).   These are a universal fit so I modified them slightly with a Dremel.  I don't have any use for the metal backbone style hand guard (just need protection from cold wind in winter and knuckle protection from flying rocks) so for my needs, these work great.

Hand Guard Set 2004-2011 DL650 V-Strom OEM Genuine Suzuki (See Notes) #V01

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Ing hardware. This is a Genuine Suzuki kit with instructions for the DL650...

 

[bwringer]

Thanks for the info! Good to know.

The bike is already wearing a radiator guard, so we're good there. I'll see if I can decipher which one it is.

 

It's also wearing a very nice JNi shock, and has had the front end looked after by good suspension shop (not sure what's in there exactly) and the ECU flashed. So those are the big nits, already picked. I took the Madstad windshield off for the trailer ride home, and dang, it looks pretty good naked...

 

I have a frankly unbelievable pile of V-Strom DL1000 parts, among which (believe it or not) is a new set of those "knuckle guards".

In any case, I'll have at least a few more weeks to ponder this and other mysteries before the glaciers recede enough to go around the block. Of course, I can tell already that it's a LOT lighter than the Vee.

I'm prepping the V-Strom for sale soon. Someone's going to get a super-reliable and well set-up traveling bike dirt cheap.

 

Bill, I'm out riding the twisties in southern Indiana quite a lot. Hope to see you sometime! If you see two or three KLRs out plonking around looking for dirt roads, that might be me too.

 

The Fj-09 has 21,000 miles on the odo. I bought it from the original owner. I do plan to check the valve clearances ans generally tweak and twiddle things to my liking as soon as my manual shows up; the whole process looks perfectly straightforward compared to other bikes with shim under bucket valves. I already have a 7.48mm shim kit, which I believe is the size needed. I'll also eyeball the chain and sprockets more closely, change the coolant, flush the brakes, and generally spend some quality time getting intimate.

Edited February 8, 2021 by bwringer

[peteinpa]

Welcome, don't forget the oil pan drain bolt mod.

[Ride365]

Hey.....I know you!!!!  Had no idea you were going the FJ9/Tracer route, I KNOW you are going to like your new toy, and welcome to the forum!

[bwringer]

16 hours ago, peteinpa said:

Welcome, don't forget the oil pan drain bolt mod.

Looks like it's wearing a low-profile plug with an 8mm hex, but the fin is still there. Is the settled consensus to grind down the fin?

 

Also, looks like it's wearing an "R&G" brand radiator screen guard. Looks like a nice piece.

 

 

1 hour ago, Ride365 said:

Hey.....I know you!!!!  Had no idea you were going the FJ9/Tracer route, I KNOW you are going to like your new toy, and welcome to the forum!

Howdy yourself! No idea who you are yet, but I know several folks in Ohio. I use the same username everywhere to make more brain space for other things.

To be honest, I had no idea I'd end up with an FJ-09 either.

I was actually saving and shopping for a 2015-2019 Triumph Tiger 800 XR (the road version; I have a KLR for dual-sporting).

But good gravy Triumphs are crazy expensive, and the XR is extremely rare; almost everyone bought the XC dual-sport version. Then I learned about a sportier Yamaha triple with more power and much more reasonable pricing...

I also considered an MT-09, too; I've never once met a windshield I liked (one of my personal quirks as a rider).

My FJ-09 was wearing a Madstad windshield and the former owner (2" taller  than me) reports that it works well. I took it off for the trailer ride home so it wouldn't flap around too much in the confused air behind my van, and... man, that looks good. Odds are I won't re-install it.

With the Madstad bracket removed and the stock mounting plate in place, the bike looks quite natural, and pretty clean if I plug the screen mounting holes. There's also a company that makes a more sanitary metal plate for this area. Obviously, a final verdict on the degree of nudity will have to wait until some extended test riding is possible.

On my V-Strom, I ended up removing the windscreen entirely, and later on I cut down a stock windscreen to almost nothing just to sort of fill in the transition in the fairing and make it look a little better.

Buying a bike I've never ridden or sat on was a significant leap of faith, but that's how I bought my V-Strom and my current KLR, and I wasn't disappointed. The biggest unknown was ergonomics; I knew once I sat on the FJ-09 the first time that the seating position would work out fine for me.

Edited February 9, 2021 by bwringer

[knyte]

58 minutes ago, bwringer said:

grind down the fin?

I did.  It's just aluminum, so it ground off quickly and easily.  In so doing, the lowest point is no longer this 'guard', but the catalytic converter.  I'd much rather a scratch on something I can't see over a cracked pan in the middle of nowhere!!  Just ask @Clegg78...

I also bought my FJ without a test ride...it was too late in the season (snow outside) but my g/f pointed it out in the showroom, and it had a 'big bike' presence which at first was a bit intimidating, but felt pretty good when I sat on it.  You're right, it's a HUGE leap of faith...turned out to be a winner when spring rolled around and we went riding.  No regrets!

[Clegg78]

1 hour ago, knyte said:

I did.  It's just aluminum, so it ground off quickly and easily.  In so doing, the lowest point is no longer this 'guard', but the catalytic converter.  I'd much rather a scratch on something I can't see over a cracked pan in the middle of nowhere!!  Just ask @Clegg78...

I also bought my FJ without a test ride...it was too late in the season (snow outside) but my g/f pointed it out in the showroom, and it had a 'big bike' presence which at first was a bit intimidating, but felt pretty good when I sat on it.  You're right, it's a HUGE leap of faith...turned out to be a winner when spring rolled around and we went riding.  No regrets!

HA, yup, even with the more clean oil pan that they have on the later models... and a sump guard... stuff can still getcha in the middle of nowhere!

Although I do have the smashed oil pan on the wall in my garage now : 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Clegg78

[bwringer]

Yep, I'm strongly considering a belly pan. An awful lot of crap has loudly clanged off my V-Strom's skid plate on paved roads.

That said, it's also true that problems on skid-plate-less bikes are fairly rare despite the similar exposed oil filter and such at the front of the engine.

Interesting to see that the FJ has an oil pan. On Suzukis, you're in for a whole set of cases.

[Ride365]

You know who I am good or bad...., "BigB" from Stromtrooper ring a bell?

[bwringer]

41 minutes ago, Ride365 said:

You know who I am good or bad...., "BigB" from Stromtrooper ring a bell?

LOL, Your thoughts were one of the big reasons I jumped into the FJ-09 world!

It really helped me place the FJ-09 in context with the bikes I know.

[Ride365]

Awesome.....great folks here as well, not nearly the traffic as Trooper, seriously not much goes wrong with these bikes to be quite honest.  Sounds like you are pretty happy with your decision already, and some good accessories for these bikes as well. 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Ride365