Long Term Preventative Maintenance

[natehawk750]

I have an unusual request.

I know that the FJR is rock solid reliable and accumulated High mileage well. I also know that for an FJR I've yet to Reach High mileage. With being a Long Distance rider who is on the verge of of becoming very competitive and an Aircraft Mechanic that it overly preventative in maintenance mind set, I know that nothing goes un touched for ever and everything has wear eventually

With that in mind. I'm fast approaching 100k sometime within the next year. Like I said before I know in most circumstances that's nothing on these bikes. I'm looking for recommendations on known wear items on these bikes. Sat somethings that will probably need attending to within the next 100k.

I'm looking at this from a competitive stand point. I prefer to replace or rebuild before it's an Oh crap factor on the side of the road and I'm very capable of heavy maintenance in my garage.

Things I've thought of are wheel bearings, fuel pumps water pumps, coolant lines, radiator, drive shaft ujoints, final drive seals, cam chain, injectors, throttle body issues, break/clutch lines and cylinders, clutch.

I think of these things for a few reasons.
1. From a competitive standpoint if something as simple as these things listed put me out of a rally I'd be pissed.
2.With Work and Family Obligations time is limited for me... if I get a weekend free to knock out a fee thousand miles then theoretically I could be in Arizona on a Saturday and back home Sunday evening in time for work Monday morning... thats not Good.

So think preventative maintenance that's a step or two above oils and spark plugs.

[gixxerjasen]

Wheel bearings seems like one I'd look at that doesn't cost too much and is easy to do at a tire change.

[wheatonFJR]

Wheel bearings seems like one I'd look at that doesn't cost too much and is easy to do at a tire change.

???Forks???

[extrememarine]

a ground spider failure is the only thing that has left me stranded, but that's not been an issue on the Gen 3 and new bikes from what I recall.

That said, beyond wheel bearings, I'd keep an eye on brake pads - that is something easily serviced at home, but out on the road can cause significant issues if you run one down to metal on metal. You could carry spare pads though.

[Cav47]

I did have a wheel bearing go out and it was essentially a show stopper. It was reasonable for me to fix it, so for you with your background, it will be minor.

Kick Stand switch could make a dent in your time while you trouble shot it to bypass it.

NOT Lubing the pivot point on your levers can cause a clutch issue that would not be fixable on the side of the road.

My Halle has 73K on her and really has been great. I am not a person who really looks forward selling her.

[Panman]

Thought from the pee brain.
All fluids, Oil and filter every 3,500 to 4,000, I usually do the Final Drive every time I do the oil as it just doesn't cost that much. Coolant every other year, Brake and Clutch fluid every other year (every year if pushing tight corners a lot), find a gravel road and cycle the ABS pump a couple of times front and back before changing the fluid (I can't remeber ever using my ABS system on my 07 in an emergency but good skills practice and good for the pump) I do that a couple of times a year. At 120,00 plus I like the wheel bearing idea and it's something that has been nagging my pee brain for a while. Coolant hoses have also been something I want to at least inspect, at least to feel how they feel either to soft or to hard I would think replace. I do a fork flush every other time I change tires, bushings last a lot longer and give a better feel going down the road. Rear shock the same if you have a rebuildable one.
FJR or the Tenere I've had a change or two that was close to 7,000 miles but I like the 3,500 to 4,000 better.

[BkerChuck]

Relay arm service is often skipped or overlooked and while uncommon having one or both dog-bones break could have catastrophic consequences. Modify your relay arm for zerk fittings or buy a modified one and swap it out.

[raYzerman]

Just my opinion....... Only thinking what I would do if I just bought a 100k FJR, what would keep me up at night or what could break down on a trip of 5000 miles or before tire change time.....

There is preventative maintenance at tire change time you should do.... remove/clean brake pads/replace as necessary. With caliper off, pads still in, pump the brakes until pads together to expose caliper pistons. Clean with toothbrush or an old shoe lace using brake fluid (we know that's compatible with seals). Then clean with Simple Green and rinse down with isopropanol. If you use brake cleaner, keep it away from seals. Clean pad pins/dab of silicone brake grease. While ABS sensors out, clean the hole and sensor, and lightly coat with silicone grease to prevent aluminum corrosion (from bridging the sensor and creating ABS lights or error codes). Repeat this every tire change.

Disassemble (partly) rear brake pedal and grease the pivot, you don't want a sticky brake pedal. Clean/grease the rear caliper slide bolts.

Flush bleed clutch fluid annually, brakes too while you're at it, but you can leave brakes 2 years. Check brass bushing in clutch lever and replace if oval/scored, lube with anti-seize or silicone grease that won't wash out.

Not much of anything to do with the engine..... if you're into a valve check (and likely never have to do another one) re-shim all the valves to 70% of max and uniform as possible to each other. Engine will run smoother as well. TB sync after that, since that changes with valve clearance changes. Quarter size Pro-X shims available at RockyMountainATV.

Nobody I know has broken a cam chain in all the years on 3 forums and I know some pretty high milers.... however, it's $60. You need to do this when at least one cam is out and you have to remove the ignition trigger wheel at the crankshaft. New guides if you want, can pull then and inspect. Gen3 CCT is the latest, I'd leave it... do what makes you sleep at night.

Fuel injectors... at 100k, I'd send them out to an injector clean service and get flow test results...

Put in a good long life coolant and leave it 5 years. Can always check then with a voltmeter to determine if corrosion inhibitors have been used up (not likely). Look at the hoses, but I'd leave them if they look good. Check your coolant overflow bottle isn't embrittled by age and heat, replace it if needed, put some foil duct tape on the engine side. Now, can you see through the rad? Fins loose anywhere? Give it a clean with some air conditioner foam cleaner....

Definitely lube that rear suspension pivot. Once done, it will be good for a long time, however check it in two years, likely still OK.

If forks have 30k or more, time for new bushings and seals as the bushings likely showing wear. New oil of course on an A. Consider leaving the middle bushing out. Some recent folks have had their cartridge compression valve break when done by themselves or dealers.... use a cartridge holding tool to disassemble, put the air impact gun away (my new rule). Cartridges for 2013-15 have been unobtanium for a couple of years now, so don't break it.

Wheel bearings..... rears don't ever seem to fail. The odd front does.... why not replace the fronts at 100k. Of course we all check them at tire changes...... I'd use OEM bearings.

Take pumpkin off, lube U-joint (both ends) and driveshaft splines, not high maintenance, if they aren't rusty, these don't really wear because they are forced into full engagement by the spring-loaded driveshaft. No need to change rear drive fluid any more than once a year. You can always inspect in the fill hole and if clear not milky (from water), it's good.

Remove left footpeg stay and lube the shifter pivot, maybe even squirt a little into the heim joints.

At least once, lube throttle cables at the handlebar end, using a lube that runs down and you see it at the TB end. McCruise recommends a light oil like sewing machine oil.....

Steering head bearings.... remove top one, jack under the headers, lift a bit until lower one drops enough so you can coat it with grease... reassemble, final torque upper 15-18 ft. lbs. (IMHO 13 is too light).

I'll leave it up to you for oil/filter, air filter, spark plugs.....

Electrical - not much as most are waterproof connectors.... check starter relay 4-way connector is clean/no corrosion. Now what about the starter relay, it's been cycled how many times?.... you could carry a cheap Chinese one to get you home, but they don't last by all reports....

Not much else I can think of at the moment.....

[Hppants]

I like Ray's post - covers all of the bases in a systematic and logical way.

I would emphasize the relay arm service. At 50K, mine was dry and I replaced the bearings to be safe. At 86K, I just took it down again and everything was in terrific shape (all clean, plenty of grease, etc).

A failed relay arm bearing on the road will leave you if you are lucky, the unthinkable will happen if you are not.

[FJRoss]

Ray's post is (unsurprisingly) detailed and covers all of the bases.
Much of it is what I would consider "normal" maintenance. In terms of longer term preventative stuff, I would emphasize:
Relay arm
Wheel bearings (front)

The other stuff is unlikely to leave you stranded but should definitely not be neglected.
Don't know if I would do a cam chain replacement or not. I suppose it couldn't hurt but would certainly wait until I was over 100,000 miles (my 2011 is about there now...) I have a "spare" set of low mileage fuel injectors (+ rail). Tempted to see if they make any difference.

(I'm not convinced that the "voltmeter method" provides a suitable measure of the condition of coolant. I change it when I check valves and call it good.)

[raYzerman]

Coolant is the least of anyone's worries. Most are "lifetime" or high mileage coolants these days... as long as the system is full and reservoir to the full mark, you're good until valve check time.

Clutch and brake fluid are important..... anybody with brake or clutch problems neglected to flush/bleed beyond the recommended intervals. ABS cycling is more important with '07 and earlier ABS, especially the rear.

[El Toro Joe]

holy crap, Ray...I guess my bike needs some maintenance.

[FJRoss]

Coolant is the least of anyone's worries. Most are "lifetime" or high mileage coolants these days... as long as the system is full and reservoir to the full mark, you're good until valve check time.

Clutch and brake fluid are important..... anybody with brake or clutch problems neglected to flush/bleed beyond the recommended intervals. ABS cycling is more important with '07 and earlier ABS, especially the rear.

Agree on the coolant. Probably no need to change it at all except it has to be drained for a valve check anyway. Easy to do and makes me feel good to have fresh coolant. I usually do sparkplugs at the same time if I am doing valve check according to Yamaha's schedule - this is longer than recommended but I think Yamaha is far too conservative with respect to plug lifetime. I tend to exceed Yamaha's valve check interval once I have done a check and set to 70% so I might do conventional plugs sometime in between or use iridium plugs for longer life.

Also agree on clutch and brake fluid - part of what I would call scheduled maintenance rather than "preventative".

[Auburn]

Wheel bearings seems like one I'd look at that doesn't cost too much and is easy to do at a tire change.

Agreed. I started carrying a set or front wheel bearings and seals for Alaska trips and left them in the tool kit. For rally mode, it could save your rally by having them with you. I did have a bearing failure about a 1000 miles after a tire change even though the bearings felt normal while chaing the tires. I also carry the tools to change them on the side of the road if I had to. Or I can go to the nearest shop with a press and have then do it. Here is a compact kit [https://www.amazon.com/Pit-Posse-Motorc ... &psc=1/url], that you can take the size you need and the bar, plus a hammer to drive the bearing out. I also carry a bearing driver https://www.amazon.com/BTSHUB-Bearing-B ... 28&sr=8-52 for the bearing/seal size to install the new ones.

[PhilJet09]

I started my career as an aircraft mechanic, so I understand the mindset. Combine that with a strong case of OCD and a fair amount of free time and I tend to go way overboard on the maintenance of my bikes.

Just off the top of my head, here are the things I can remember doing to the FJR in the 175k miles I’ve put on it. BTW, it’s never left me stranded.

Headlight bulbs. The first one went out somewhere north of 100k, so I changed both. They’re not real easy to get to and once one goes out, the other isn’t far behind, typically.

Steering head bearing lube. Honestly, mine are still the original OEM and I’ve never felt the need to replace them with the tapered ones that guys rave about. In fact, I only check mine every few years and the grease is always perfect and so are the bearings. Maybe it’s because I torque them correctly. Maybe I’m just lucky.

Replaced all coolant hoses at >150k. The ones that go to and from the thermostat really got beat up over the years. I’ve also replaced the thermostat and the plastic part of the housing to get it to stop leaking. The plastic part warped and dribbled just a bit, which drove me crazy.

I’ve taken the radiator completely off the bike a couple times and straightened the tiny fins and cleaned all the pebbles out from between them. Mine picks up tiny stones, just a bit larger than large sand grains. It takes a lot of patience and a careful hand to clean them out.

Brake pads as needed, of course, but I’ve also replaced the pins that they slide on in the front calipers. For some reason, mine rusted pretty quick and I got tired of cleaning them up with scotch brite every time. Replace the brake and clutch fluid every other year.

I’ve had to rebuild the water pump twice due to it dripping out the weep hole. I know people that live with that condition for many miles, but I’m always afraid it’ll totally fail a thousand miles from home and she’ll overheat. The first time, getting parts was cheap and easy and fast. The second time, not so much and I wish I had just ordered a whole new pump.

Somewhere around 100k, my starter got pretty weak. Initially I blamed the battery and replaced that…oops. Since I had to remove the intake manifold to get to the starter, I took the opportunity to do a thorough cleaning of that and it’s butterflies. Since then, I’ve removed the intake manifold again to clean.

I agree that the injectors should be cleaned at some interval. I pulled mine around 130k, but not wanting the bike to be down for too long, cleaned them myself. I know, I know. I call it “hillbilly cleaning”, which includes a self-built wire harness, some spray cleaner with a straw, a 9v battery and a push button switch. I don’t recommend this method as it doesn’t really ensure proper cleaning and absolutely doesn’t check proper spray and flow matching. I did it anyway.

All the required valve checks and adjustments when needed.

Replaced the cam chain tensioner with the latest unit, just because.

Replaced the clutch with OEM parts, don’t remember the mileage.

Employed a couple types of ground spider failure mitigations…probably only a Gen2 issue.

Lubed the drive train universal joints a couple times, most importantly when the bike was new.

Pulled and installed new seals in the final drive. That was several years ago after a trip out west where the bike “was operated well into triple digits for extended periods” - by somebody…. As far as I can remember, I replaced everything that didn’t require very accurate measuring and very precise shimming.

Full chassis clean, inspect and lube every year. Some pivot points I clean and lube a couple times a year, depending on usage. I pay particular attention to the rear suspension link points, rear brake pedal pivot point, shift linkage pivots and throttle sleeve. I also have replaced the clutch and brake lever bushings….pretty sure.

I think I replaced the throttle cables once, but don’t remember exactly why.

I think that’s it. Everything else is normal maintenance. Lots of valve checks, a few adjustments. Lots of filters, spark plugs, oil.

Interestingly, I’ve not replaced any wheel bearings, but I do run 2 sets of wheels. They are both fully built up with bearings, seals, rotors, everything. I have noticed that several of the front rotors are getting pretty thin. That’s understandable considering how I operate. I go through pads probably quicker than most. Nature of always swapping different wheels. It takes a bit every time to grind things back together.

I’m sure I missed some things, but it’s getting late and I’m too lazy to paw through my maintenance records….which thinking about it now would have saved me some time trying to remember all this stuff. Oh well.

[Panman]

This has been a great post and feel good about the things I've added and also all the things others have added most of that I do and some I don't. Wish I was a spread sheet guy, I'm close to 71 and a reminder by the lift would be great!
Thanks everyone, Pan.

[CollingsBob]

My bike has about 75,000km on it. I’ve flushed the brake & clutch fluids yearly, so I think the brake caliper pistons should be ok…but I’ve been lazy/neglectful about cleaning the crud off the pistons when I’ve had the wheels off for tire changes.
It will be too cold to work on the bike until mid-march (unheated garage) but I thought that I might order brake pads and wheel bearings before then so that I don’t waste any precious time come spring waiting for parts.
Does anyone have the part numbers for:
- front wheel bearings
and a recommendation regarding brake pads frt/rear.

[FJRoss]

I've had good luck with EBC HH pads. Half the price of OEM. I swap the fronts around at tire changes which extends lifetime.

In 450,000 km on two FJRs, I have replaced exactly one set of front wheel bearings. Don't know if I would change them "just because". Bearings should be available from a local bearing shop but would have to search for specifications. Probably not a long lead time if you need them.

[raYzerman]

I'd leave the wheel bearings until they get rough, which you check at each tire change. If you do replace them, just go with OEM. The bearing numbers are stamped on them if you want aftermarket equivalent.

As for brake pads, some like to stick with OEM (more money) or get EBC HH.

Next time calipers are off, leave the pads in and pump the pistons out until the pads go together, that should expose enough piston to clean. Remove pads and clean with brake fluid and a toothbrush or shoe lace. Simple Green works for the rest. Rinse down with isopropanol. I don't usually use brake cleaner unless it's mild and won't harden caliper seals. Avoid any brake cleaner with MEK in it.

[dcarver]

My .02? Spare starter relay. Small, easy to replace. I've had two go bad on my 255k 2006.