FJRiders.com

extrememarine wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 8:57 pm I rest my case.

Imagine having to do some sort of fork service in that hotel parking lot?

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:51 pm

extrememarine wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:38 pm easy from the perspective of they are not easy to fix or adjust along side the road in Nevada or Utah, 2000+ miles from home.

No shit, it's even inconvenient at a hotel!

Fork work (usually seals and bushings) is definitely a shop job but nine times out of ten, a Seal Mate or reasonable facsimile will stop a leak - I wouldn't change seals preemptively.

Steering head bearings are unlikely to strand you - worst case scenario is they get notchy and can make it harder to hold a straight line. Bearings too tight are worse than too loose.
Wheel bearings, on the other hand, will ruin your whole day if they self-destruct. FJR is pretty good for bearings but a number of people have had to replace them - front especially. I always check anytime I have a wheel off. Bearings are readily available and changing isn't rocket science if you have the tools and knowhow. My BMW F700GS is known to be harder on wheel bearings and I might carry a spare set on a long trip, just in case. Cheap insurance...

No substitute for regular maintenance and inspection!

extrememarine wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 8:57 pm I rest my case.

Imagine having to do some sort of fork service in that hotel parking lot?

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:51 pm

extrememarine wrote: ↑Fri Jan 27, 2023 2:38 pm easy from the perspective of they are not easy to fix or adjust along side the road in Nevada or Utah, 2000+ miles from home.

No shit, it's even inconvenient at a hotel!

Don't forget that hotel was like 112F in the shade.

It was just that big funky top nut that came loose under my MV Motorrad, but while I had it apart I checked the bearings too.

If the steering head bearings aren't causing you any issues, I'd leave them.... extremely unlikely to strand you.... provided you have checked once in a while they aren't too loose (usually a few hundred miles after brand new).

Rode it to a funeral. Got in a traffic jam on I-10 and just sat on the interstate without moving for over half an hour. It seems to me that it should not be legal to completely shut down an interstate highway.

Got my new GPS. So I will mount it and put a pig tail on the bike tomorrow while it rains outside.

Redfish wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:58 am Rode it to a funeral. Got in a traffic jam on I-10 and just sat on the interstate without moving for over half an hour. It seems to me that it should not be legal to completely shut down an interstate highway.

Carry a spray can of white spray paint. To entertain yourself while waiting, paint outlines of dead bodies on the road.

N4HHE wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:15 pm

Redfish wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:58 am Rode it to a funeral. Got in a traffic jam on I-10 and just sat on the interstate without moving for over half an hour. It seems to me that it should not be legal to completely shut down an interstate highway.

Carry a spray can of white spray paint. To entertain yourself while waiting, paint outlines of dead bodies on the road.

Because no good story starts with, "So I had a salad..."

JSNS

..... and ends with "When we ride, we RIDE!!"

or


..... "stay thirsty, my friends...."

Redfish wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:58 am Rode it to a funeral. Got in a traffic jam on I-10 and just sat on the interstate without moving for over half an hour. It seems to me that it should not be legal to completely shut down an interstate highway.

...

That's why filtering is so useful. One of the reasons I choose the bike over a car when shopping.

Last time out I noticed that over bumps my GPS power kept cutting out. Need to solve this but it's complicated. Works fine when sitting in the garage, but it's coming from my fuse box and the GPS is currently my only device connected to the fuse box. Thus, I made up this little RAM mount project box with a voltmeter installed.

I recommend you occasionally work contact cleaner into the pins on the mount and clean the contacts on the GPS with a pencil eraser.... I do this once or twice a year..... old habit from the Garmin 550 and when my 595 would act up. May not be your power source at all.

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 4:56 pm Last time out I noticed that over bumps my GPS power kept cutting out. Need to solve this but it's complicated. Works fine when sitting in the garage, but it's coming from my fuse box and the GPS is currently my only device connected to the fuse box. Thus, I made up this little RAM mount project box with a voltmeter installed.

I had problems twice with my XT. First time was from not tightening the connection to the fuseblock sufficiently. The second time was a stuck pin in the cradle - didn’t pop out to make contact properly. I usually work a bit of dielectric grease into them once or twice per year but hadn't before that trip. Lubricates and keeps moisture out.

Put a pigtail and a GPS harness and mount for the Zumo XT. I will test it out tomorrow.

I still have some tech spec tank pads to install. Package says install when above 80f. Ha. That might be awhile.
I also have some of the Real Time reflective stickers for the bags. I love those things. They really light up!

Pulled the bike out of mothballs. Stopped riding several years back due to work/life imbalance. Now a new job is allowing me to get some of my life back.

So, replaced the rear master brake cyl since it failed from sitting, flushed all the fluids, slapped a new battery in and brought her back to life. New tires will be next before any real seat time, though I took a short and easy test ride to make sure everything was in working order. Will be nice to be back on 2 again.

It was nice today. Sun shining and around 60f. I rode the last few miles before the 600 mile service.

Service scheduled for Thursday morning.

Got side bags, GPS and 600 mile service I will be ready to travel!

Nice day today here in the northeast so I dropped the triple tree 24mm and went for a ride. the bike seems to fall into the corners now. Of coarse the ride was just around the neighborhood. It felt good to get rust off the rotors.

Yesterday I went and got the 600 mile service. I rode the other day and had about 550. So I knew that was about right to be close to 600 when I got to the dealer.

Pulled in the parking lot and had to laugh. I had exactly 600 miles on the bike.

The Mgr mentioned giving me the first service free since the bags were not in when I got the bike. They did in fact do it for free while I waited.

So far I am liking this dealership.

Sales knows nothing about an FJR, but service and parts do.

Nice day yesterday - severe clear and about 70 degrees. So a buddy and I zoom zoom'd around the back roads for about 150 miles. We may or may not have seen triple digits along the levee road.





Stay thirsty, my friends....

Boston wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:47 pm Nice day today here in the northeast so I dropped the triple tree 24mm and went for a ride. the bike seems to fall into the corners now.

Boston,

Check your tire pressures. Front tire may be low, or maybe just low for the new set-up. You might try adding a few PSI there and see how that goes in the corners.

I walked past it to get the snowblower out for the half foot of new snow last night...