After spending a whole weekend replacing an O-ring chain that I just knew was going to piss me off again, some mere 7500 miles down the road, I had to get my equanimity back by taking the FJ1100 for a blast down some favourite back roads. I'd found the rear suspension linkages so covered in crud that I just couldn't resist pulling the spindles out to give them a good greasing. Just as well I did, as they were so dry that they were just off seizing up. I expected the back end to respond to this tender loving care by staying rock steady however far I banked the behemoth over.
I knew the roads well, but not so perfectly that I could ignore the limitations of the Yam’s front headlamp, as by the time I'd finished rebuilding the back end the sun had disappeared below the horizon and the country lanes I lived close to were totally devoid of artificial illumination. Main beam was good for 60mph under those circumstances, maybe 70mph if I was willing to take some eye strain and live a little dangerously.
That kind of speed seemed just like ticking over in top gear on the brutish, torque filled FJ motor, itself a development of the infamous XS1100. For a very short period, the FJ had a state of the art, square section, wraparound frame that seemed decades ahead of the old wobbling XS, but even more radical developments on lighter and more powerful rivals soon had the FJ consigned to tourer status.
My 1986 machine was last of the model line, replaced by the FJ1200. When I took the machine over in '89, as the second owner, the clock had 19000 miles and the bike was in generally excellent condition. Five years and 40000 miles later, the Yam still runs well but looks rather tired, even rusty in places.
Just the gentlest of back lane explorations revealed the 550lbs of mass, mostly in the amount of muscle needed to swing it from side to side. Heavy as it is, stability is generally fine unless you do something silly. Like whack open the throttle when banked over in second or third gear; the back end twitches so violently it’s like there’s a sudden earthquake. Just backing off the throttle quietens it down.
The neutrality of the steering means it's not impossible to suddenly lose speed in bends or even change trajectory. All of its stability and neutrality does a runner when the tyres (I usually use Metz’s but their wear is so poor it's too depressing to admit here, maybe later) are down to less than 2mm. Shades of seventies muscle bikes on dodgy suspension come to mind when I recall the couple of times I was forced by circumstances to ride on bald tyres. The front end is by far the worst, with a tendency to slide out from under the bike in corners on anything less than a perfectly smooth and grippy piece of tarmac. I've considered sending the wife out to work as a hooker to keep the bike in prime rubber.
I was once foolish enough to fit a pair of dodgy Michelin tyres that weren't even the correct size. They actually seemed to work quite well in town, making the steering significantly lighter, but once I hit the motorway and 90mph the poor old FJ turned in a massive speed wobble that caused the following cagers to go crazy on their horns and myself to almost lose my dinner simultaneously out of both ends of my shaking body. Somehow I survived the experience by hauling like a lunatic on the front discs. Luckily, the tyres wore out so fast that I didn’t have to wait long to replace them with something better.
On decent rubber, with the suspension (still stock, by the way) turned up high, | was pretty good at hustling the Yamaha through just about every type of country bend. My favourites have some fantastic roller-coaster type roads that really give both my body and the bike a work-out. One of the nicest things about the FJ is that despite its mass, the twin front discs will haul the brute up with extreme effectiveness without any traumas turning up in the chassis.
Anyone who's owned an FJ for a little while will also know that both calipers and the discs don't last for much more than 15000 miles before needing serious, as in expensive, attention. The calipers gum up and the discs go wafer thin after what seems like ridiculously short distances. The best solution is to keep a spare set of everything, I even take the bits with me on long rides as they can go amiss with an alarming suddenness.
By modern standards, the brakes need a lot of pressure but I’m used to that now, would probably end up doing cartwheels on more modern, sophisticated machines. The back disc has always been a bit remote, but despite the amount of gunge thrown up by the wheel it resisted seizing to a much higher degree than the front. Strange but true. As I’ve greased all the suspension linkages with what my friends think is a religious intensity, the back end is still mostly original!
As is most of the rest of the bike, even down to a much patched seat and filled plastic (it eventually cracks around the mounting holes). The former never intruded until more than 250 miles of cruising was accomplished. It’s about due for replacement now but I’ve always had more important things on which to spend my hard won dosh. The amount of water it soaks up is not so amusing.
As a high speed, motorway (er, autobahn, officer...) cruiser the big Yam really comes into its own. With an excellent riding position (better than a Beemer, in my experience) backed up by one of the most useful half fairings around, anything up to 120mph can be maintained with a surprising ease. Top gear roll-ons from 75mph are spine tingling although as little as 30mph can be held, even if acceleration and engine noises are about as graceful as a knackered artic struggling up a steep incline.
The wide spread of torque helps with the gearbox which before 20000 miles was merely acceptable and afterwards the kind of intolerable nastiness that would send any casual thief or rider screaming for the nearest cage. I think it's probably a left-over from coping with the old XS’s shaft drive, but that hardly excuses missed changes or the way the box will suddenly lock into a gear for a few miles. According to FJ lore, I've been exceedingly lucky as complete failure of the gearbox at the kind of mileage I've done is not unknown!
Other engine problems I haven't encountered despite having only a marginal interest in engine maintenance. I once left the valves for all of 20000 miles only to find, after tearing half the bike apart to get at them, that they didn’t actually need any attention. I know people who have had to put a new camchain in after as little as 30000 miles, but mine’s still original with no nasty rattles. People have done over 100000 miles without any serious effort expended on the engine; one guy is still running an FJ1100 with 193000 miles on the clock, looking like he’s going to breach 200000 miles. Tough or what? They share with the later FZR series a hard won reputation for invincibility.
The only real nasty I’ve had to endure was the electrics. At about 52000 miles the battery went dead and shortly after that, with a new replacement fitted, the motor refused to start. Down to a dead ignition module. If you want to amuse breakers phone them up, asking for a working unit; no chance. Luckily, I know the local dealer well and he got me one at trade cost. But not before I'd tracked down the cause of the malaise, a generator that was shorting out. An exchange one and replacement of some dodgy looking wiring soon sorted things. The switch clusters need the odd dose of WD40 in winter, otherwise indicators or horns can go a bit bizarre.
Actual on the road failures have only occurred twice. Once when a carb came adrift and the second time when a chain fell off. The latter happened at only 15mph, so no great damage was done, whilst the former had the engine coughing and spluttering in the 90mph fast lane. I survived the experience by cutting up a couple of cages, at least it woke the drivers from their reveries. The only other thing to upset the engine was holes appearing in the exhaust (it's on the second one); the current one is so patched that it’s about due for replacement (I certainly wouldn't trust it on a trip of more than a 100 miles). Letting the holes grow unchecked causes lots of mid-range flat spots and enough backfiring to get the FJ a backing spot in a punk band. (Remember them? No, well wait around for 20 years, they are bound to make a come-back).
I've killed back Metz's in less than 4000 miles, whilst the front lasts little more than a 1000 miles longer. Heavy speeds gets fuel down to about 35mpg and oil goes out the exhausts and aged gaskets at 200 miles per litre. Pads last a more reasonable 7500 miles (shame about the rest of the braking system).
The tedious hassle involved on the consumable consumption front has to be put against the massive amount of fun I get out of riding the beastie, whether it be the back lanes in the dark or Euro-touring at preposterous speeds. It’s a bit naff in heavy traffic but the sterling reliability and brutal looks more than compensates for that minor quibble.
Dean Harrison