The 2025 Calendar Voting is now live! Click here to vote!

Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Talk about issues and questions specific to the FJR here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Hppants
Contributor
I post more than I ride
Posts: 7007
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 9:22 pm
FJRModel: 2021ES
x 13815
x 12791

Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Post by Hppants »

Got the motor back together Sunday after a valve check on Saturday. It took me virtually all day Saturday to do what many of you can do in an hour, but I'm a parts changer not a mechanic and as such, I've got to take it very slow, double (and triple) checking every single step to make sure I'm doing it right.

On Monday, I put the throttle cables together ( :evil: ), propped the tank up, filled her up with coolant, and fired her up. Of course, she comes to life instantly and we just stood there listening to her fast idle slowly and automatically reduce as she comes to running temperature. Like any biker worth his salt, I simply cannot resist the temptation to blip the throttle on occasion. I know that there is no logical reason for me doing so, except that I like hearing the sound through the exhaust. I would never do this at a stop light, but in the privacy of my workshop, it's just too tempting to resist.

With the motor still in full view, I can hear the internals moving round and round, up and down. I don't smell fuel out of the exhaust. I really like this about the FJR. I follow many other riders on other bikes and many of them, especially the ones with aftermarket exhaust, are running rich as I can smell fuel even keeping a 2-second following distance in open air. But not my bike. She's running very clean. The pitch is perfect and in tune, with not even a peep of knock, clatter, ping, or anything of the sort. There is hardly any vibration to be felt.

She's purring like a kitten with a full belly.

We check for any sign of a leak, and finding none, we shut her down to cool off just a little so we can top off the coolant and hook up the manometers for the T/B sync.

The Yamaha FJR1300 is one smooth machine, man.
Steel_Gin, Full House, wheatonFJR and 3 others loved this
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living. Or get busy dying."
- Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption

Image
User avatar
bigjohnsd
Contributor
I post more than I ride
Posts: 6043
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 4:28 pm
FJRModel: 2021 BMW R1250GSA "Gray Ghost II"
Location: Black Hills, SD I-90 Exit 14
x 10185
x 9558

Re: Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Post by bigjohnsd »

You saved more than enough doing this maintenance to pay for the Phone Call to England. JSNS
Steel_Gin and BkerChuck loved this
"The only Dumb Question is the unasked Question " - Anonymous
Eat every Sandwich like it is your last!
User avatar
ionbeam
Contributor
Veteran
Posts: 2988
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:14 am
FJRModel: '15ES in Low-Viz Assfault Gray
Location: Sandown, NH
x 534
x 5425

Re: Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Post by ionbeam »

Congratulations on getting 'er done -- correctly. It is a project to access the valves, it is a project to remove the cam(s) and change shims and it is a project to get it all put back together -- correctly. I think you just became a one percenter, the number of riders which do their own shimmed valve adjustments. Take your right hand, extend it out, reach over your left shoulder and give yourself a well earned pat on the back :)
Hppants wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:31 am ...With the motor still in full view, I can hear the internals moving round and round, up and down...
Find a long metal rod, very long screwdriver or even a length of COPPER pipe (must be metal), then with the engine running, place it against the engine, side covers or the exhaust headers, close to the engine. Put your ear on the other end of the rod/pipe and listen. What you hear with your new found "mechanic's stethoscope" will be amazing; you can hear the cams spin, valves operate and gears all turning, whirring and churning. It's interesting and educational. No mystery noise or vibration can hide from you any more.

DON'T listen to sparkplug area like this, if a plug cap is loose or the plug wire is cracked you may get the shock of your life!!!
Hppants and wheatonFJR loved this
User avatar
bungie4
I post more than I ride
Posts: 6978
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:43 pm
FJRModel: 2013 FJR 1300
x 3767
x 6388

Re: Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Post by bungie4 »

ionbeam wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:21 am DON'T listen to sparkplug area like this, if a plug cap is loose or the plug wire is cracked you may get the shock of your life!!!
A garden variety coil will make you feel like Bill the Cat. Don't ask me how I know.
Image
HotRodZilla and Hppants loved this
WWPD.
#SnowMexican
Choo choo mf'r.
D.F.I.U.N.
User avatar
Uncle Hud
Veteran
Posts: 3575
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 1:52 pm
FJRModel: 2015 ES, with new fairings!
Location: Smyrna, metro Atlanta
x 7246
x 2758

Re: Man, she purrs like a kitten with a full belly

Post by Uncle Hud »

NIce, Bungie; you stayed with the "purring like a kitten" metaphor!
HotRodZilla loved this
*** You can't get into trouble in second gear. ***
IBA 62517
Post Reply