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Hi from Cape Town

Started by Malone, July 25, 2016, 04:10:29 AM

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Malone

well guys, the weekend draws near and i'm beginning to fear the worst. i've not heard anything back from the FJ owner at all, just dead silence ever since last weekend.
numerous emails and missed calls later, nada..... oh dear...
well, i can still schedule to look at another similar FJ this weekend, it actually has less issues, such as none, the only difference being this one has a much higher mileage, i think around the 70-80K mile mark.
if mileage isn't necessarily such an issue, then maybe i will go for that one - it certainly seems to almost be in better nick than the first one.
as a third option, i have always found something about the Suzuki RF900R that fascinated me. How does that stack up against the FJ?
anyone have any experience on it?
at the risk of being stoned out of the forum for the sacrilege of even mentioning a Suzuki, lol  :D

FJmonkey

That Suzuki RF900R seems like a nice bike. I am not sure about rider position for longer distance rides, it seems like more sport than the FJ. If you plan to put bags on it for longer rides then research what is offered. Otherwise you might be stuck with soft bags. If you don't plan on many long rides then bags are less of an issue. Not sure how easy it is to maintain, I know the FJ is quite easy to maintain and that reduces my ownership cost. Make sure you ride it and see how if feels to you. And no stones for mentioning other bikes/brands, some members here also don't have FJs. Perhaps someone here has owned/ridden one and can offer a good comparison to the FJ.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Tuneforkfreak

Sometimes things happen that are out of the control of people. Years ago I sold a 145hp Continental aircraft engine to a guy in the Netherlands for near $5000.00, he sent me the funds, I crated the engine awaiting shipment arrangements. One month, two, three, months go by with no reply from many attempts of trying to reach him.  Later he contacted me, him and his son had been in a serious car accident, both lived but had been in rehab. He asked if i still had the engine and I said of course I do and I'm glad you guys are OK.
Yamahas from my past,
IT465, IT200, YZ80. 350Warrior, Kodiak400, Kodiak450,
Various others include
XR600, KX500, KDX200, ATC250R, ATC350X, ATC 200S
Currently ride
FJ 1200 , DRZ400, Yamaha Viking, Suzuki Samurai dirt mobile

markmartin

Good luck with your continued search.  When I was looking to get back into street riding, I found an FJ that I liked the looks of and read up on it.  The FJ seemed to be a great bike so I made an offer.  The owner wanted to fix the clutch slave before the sale so I was of course willing to let him do this.  When I did not hear back from him, I called to find out that the mechanic he had fix the slave bought the bike !!.

I went back  to searching and couldn't find anything that I liked as well as the FJ in my price range and time passed. 3 months went by and I saw what appeared to be an identical FJ for sale in the same general area as the first one.  It turned out to be the same bike.  Long story short, I'm glad I waited instead of buying a different bike.  The FJ meets all my needs and as it has been mentioned, (with the help of this forum) the FJ is easy to work on, parts are available, and it can be modified with up-dated components with results that rival newer bikes.  It has turned into a great solo bike that handles and performs beautifully, and with the addition of a good 2-up seat, rear footrests, and some hard bags, a great touring bike for my wife and I.

I'd keep looking.  

Malone

thanks for the support, guys - really appreciate it, and a great bunch of folk in this forum, it seems  :good2:
now preparing to go and see the other FJ over the weekend, and the guy has posted a few pics, only one being of some concern to me:


             

he says he bought the bike like this, with electronic clocks on it?
he says the only damage is the visible crack. this is obviously my primary concern - what would you guys think has happened here?
should this be a deal-breaker, if the rest of the bike is top-notch?
thanks again for any tips.

FJmonkey

Deal breaker? Not sure, if the only issue is the lens damage and the rest of the bike is good then it is worth consideration. More pics and inspection of general condition will help. Others have fitted aftermarket gauges with success so that gauge might fit into the dash. A new lens and all is good again. 
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Malone

alright, here's the other pics i got from him.
he says he's owned it since 2003, and has had no problems whatsoever, just doesn't find the time for it anymore.




will try to take some more when i get there to inspect it. anything in particular i should focus on? for benefit of those here in the know...

FJmonkey

It looks like he cared for the bike. It has been repainted but it looks like a good job. Aftermarket exhaust. The lower fairing is hard to see but seems to be there. Handlebars changed. Not sure what is going on with the fins sticking down under the head lamp. Seat lowered, might be a guy with short legs. When do you get to see it, test ride it?
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Malone

i'm going to see it and take it for a spin tomorrow, unless the weather plays tricks again, or possibly Sunday.
I'm  looking at an RF900 on Sunday as well, just to keep things interesting...  :yes:
oh, on the RF subject - i came across a picture a few days ago (online, but darned if i can find that same pic again now) showing an RF with side and top pannier set, and i must say, it looked pretty sweet.
let's see where the weekend heads...

FJmonkey

Quote from: Malone on July 29, 2016, 11:46:29 AM
I'm  looking at an RF900 on Sunday as well, just to keep things interesting...  :yes:
let's see where the weekend heads...
If you go with the RF and find that the Suzuki forum sucks (hopefully not), you are welcome to hang out here with Dan and his GSXR.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

rktmanfj

Randy T
Indy

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.
Psalms 144:1

'89 FJ1200
'90 FJ1200
'78 XT500
'88 XT350


Malone

here's a few showing it with a top box as well -




right, let my weekend of bike-hunting commence ... ;)

Bones

Take the middle fairing off and very similar to an FJ, even down to the headlight of the later model.
93 fj1200
79 suzuki gt250x7


Too young to be old but old enough to know better.

Tuneforkfreak

Its one thing to happen upon a deal and another to spend too much on an old bike. If I had a choice between the Yamaha and the Suzuki I'd be thinking this.... Do they both ride decent? Are they both generally noted as trust worthy? A big concern is parts availability, which one has better sourcing of parts? While we can still obtain certain things for our FJ's many things have become almost impossible to source. That 89/90 fairing/turn signal lenses/ air scoops on that bike are making me drool, Ive been on the hunt for some of those parts looking for something better than what I have and I'm still running patchwork because its rare to see come up for sale.
Yamahas from my past,
IT465, IT200, YZ80. 350Warrior, Kodiak400, Kodiak450,
Various others include
XR600, KX500, KDX200, ATC250R, ATC350X, ATC 200S
Currently ride
FJ 1200 , DRZ400, Yamaha Viking, Suzuki Samurai dirt mobile

Malone

okay, so the FJ was a little disappointing - it was going to cost me a little over my budget, as i didn't much care for the paint job, and that was just a tad uncomfortable for my pocket - for an initial layout, anyway.
the RF900, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise - well maintained, and basically stock, unfortunate for the silly stickers the lady (that's right, lady owner) stuck all over the tank, but that's no biggie.
so, i'll be taking delivery of this baby on Friday...  :good2: