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[Dub]

Hey all from NJ. No stranger to bikes. Been riding since I was a kid and am now, well, older.        Dirt/Street, love em all. However, I just picked up my first Yamaha ever and it is an 89 FJ1200. 23K miles.  Showed up on local Craigslist yesterday afternoon with no details and a pretty decent price. I went and looked at it and picked it up today for an even better price. Definitely needs some TLC, but bodywork is solid. Only found a small crack on the chin scoop near the rear fastener that I am pretty sure I can fix. Had a dead battery so didnt hear it run. For the price I paid, I am ok with it for now.

Pretty happy I found this site. Looks to be a great resource. Spent last night digging through some threads.

I think I would rather do a restore than mods.

Came with:
Original seat (mint condition) and windshield (VG shape)
Corbin seat and targa windshield
Tank bag, tail bag and saddle bags
Clymer manual and owners manual
Intact Tool kit


Will be going through it this winter.
Already know it is going to need:
Corbin seat recover (Seam separated)
Front calipers rebuild and stainless lines
Battery
Rear sprocket and chain
Tires
Tank cleaned out. Tank was drained but there is fine rust (like pin heads) around the filler rim and a small amount of rust on the center hump inside the tank.
Carb rebuilds.
Throttle cable
Fluids all the way around.  
The foam inside of the side panels crumbles when you touch it. Will need to figure something out for that.  

The list will grow as I get deeper into her.

So here she is prior to unloading into the garage.

[ZOA NOM]

23k, she's just getting warmed up. Welcome to the best resource in the world for the FJ, aside from maybe the factory (I'll bet nobody there remembers them). You should seriously consider some of the suspension mods that are available. They can transform these bikes in a very effective way. Good luck, and welcome aboard!

[Waiex191]

Welcome to the forum!  That's the best year and best looking color scheme!  The rebirth of my FJ was documented in the projects area and there are many good threads over there.
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=19343.0

[Millietant]

Welcome aboard, that looks like a very nice basis for a restoration, already looking pretty good before you really get started. The exhaust in particular looks great.

Before you get into all things FJ, just a thought if you’re ever going to trailer the FJ again - get a set of handlebar straps for holding the front end. Using the fork lowers you run the risk of damaging the front fender and getting a good original replacement is getting very difficult. They also mean you don’t have to use the rear grab handles to secure the bike, so the straps don’t mark the black finish on them (you can just put a towel round the wheel to protect it and strap around that).

Once it’s done you’ll have great fun riding it where you live. My wife’s family lived in Chester NJ back in the 1990’s and I loved the roads around there - rode my brother-in-law’s CBR 600 a couple of times when visiting them. 

[Dub]

Thanks all.

@Rick - 23K. Hope she is sound. PO had no maint. records or info. In fact. He was not even present. His brother managed the sale and had little info and was not a bike guy. He said his brother rode it to his house and parked it there 2 years ago so I bought it knowing it hasn't run in a while. Not too worried, I bought my Beemer in similiar circumstances except that hadnt run in 12 years. Had it running within a day of possession. The PO of that had drained the tanks and carbs so it made it fairly easy. The PO of the FJ left the tank empty so I am hoping he ran the fuel out of the carbs as well, but won't know till I dig in. Outside of some surface rust here and there, it is pretty clean. The exhaust is pristine. Hoping for the best, but always prepared for the worst.

@Waiex191 - Thanks. Actually, your thread was the one I was "digging" through the night before I went to get her and used it as a basis for what I was looking at. Thanks for the thread.
Just curious, what plane are ya building? I wanted to build an RV when I was a bit younger. I was in our local EAA for 2 years, the Del Val CAF for 2 years and have a degree in AV Science though I am not working in the industry or putting it to use ATM. Have a few hours of flight in but not sure I want to invest in PPL due to some very minor health stuff. I do love me some Warbirds though and frequent the local circuit throughout the summer months. (Not far from Reading where they host the big WW2 event every June.)

@Millietant -  Agree all the way around. The exhaust is spotless with zero rust so a huge plus. Rest of the bike will clean up nice I believe. Also agree on the trailer situation. The wheel chock locks it in and the front strap was fairly loose due to having the same thoughts you expressed. The back straps were just taught enough to keep it vertical and I have a 2x6 as a wheel block behind the rear tire. I do agree, I did not want to do it that way and was slightly unprepared but fortunately the bike was literally 10 minutes from my house and no damage was inflicted. Hopefully, she will never see a trailer again and will be ridden everywhere she goes.   

Chester is 15 minutes north of me and yes, there are many roads in central NJ/Eastern PA that are great for Sunday afternoon rips and look forward to tapping into my inner Kookaloo, LOL. There are also gravel roads that run the length of the state which slightly satisfies the need for some uneven pavement as well and the Pine Barrens about an hour south for some sand road traversing. You can usually get a fix for whatever surface you are longing for. 

[Waiex191]

@Waiex191 - Thanks. Actually, your thread was the one I was "digging" through the night before I went to get her and used it as a basis for what I was looking at. Thanks for the thread.
Just curious, what plane are ya building? I wanted to build an RV when I was a bit younger. I was in our local EAA for 2 years, the Del Val CAF for 2 years and have a degree in AV Science though I am not working in the industry or putting it to use ATM. Have a few hours of flight in but not sure I want to invest in PPL due to some very minor health stuff. I do love me some Warbirds though and frequent the local circuit throughout the summer months. (Not far from Reading where they host the big WW2 event every June.)

I'm building a Sonex Waiex.  It's a light sport so no medical required. I did the new basic med at my last annual physical.  I built an RV4 tail, later gave it to a friend. Marriage and kids got in the way of that project, partly due to going single income while raising kids. I've also built most of a Hummelbird and will finish it after the Waiex. I restored a C140 at my former EAA Chapter.

[Dub]

Thats pretty sharp. I like the V-Tail.  I love polished aluminum on aircraft, especially on the Mustangs, Trojans, T-6's and P-47's. It looks great on homebuilts as well.  How close is she to maiden? 

[Waiex191]

Thats pretty sharp. I like the V-Tail.  I love polished aluminum on aircraft, especially on the Mustangs, Trojans, T-6's and P-47's. It looks great on homebuilts as well.  How close is she to maiden? 

Thanks!  Our goal is to fly it to Oshkosh this year.














... same goal as the last 5 years!

[Millietant]

FJ's and flying.....a match made in heaven.

Not a fixed wing pilot though, rotary is more my style.

In my baby



The hired one I enjoyed flying the most

[giantkiller]

Thats pretty sharp. I like the V-Tail.  I love polished aluminum on aircraft, especially on the Mustangs, Trojans, T-6's and P-47's. It looks great on homebuilts as well.  How close is she to maiden? 

Thanks!  Our goal is to fly it to Oshkosh this year.














... same goal as the last 5 years!

36 miles from my house. Was 16 miles from the old house.

[Cat Cracker]

Hey Dub,
I'm originally from Ireland , now living in Colonia NJ. I have an '85 FJ 1100 with 13k miles.  Currently doing my winter upgrades/ service etc. Be great to ride sometime or even share info.

Regards
Barry

[aviationfred]

Welcome to the forum


Fred

[FJ Flyer]

Thats pretty sharp. I like the V-Tail.  I love polished aluminum on aircraft, especially on the Mustangs, Trojans, T-6's and P-47's. It looks great on homebuilts as well.  How close is she to maiden? 

Thanks!  Our goal is to fly it to Oshkosh this year.


Nice! I hope Oshkosh can go on this year.  I flew there in '98 in my Cherokee and camped by the plane.  I also worked the show five or six times for my previous organization.   











... same goal as the last 5 years!

[Pat Conlon]

Welcome Dub!