03 typical behavior

[RookieRider]

As most of you know, this fjr is my first street bike ever. It's also my first fuel injected bike as well. I just have some questions about normal behaviors since I have now put over 1000 miles on her.

I got the bike almost a month ago with 4800 miles on the odo. It's at right about 5900 now. It's an 03 with the standard 5 speed manual.

First item, I think it's normal. But, when first riding, and more noticeable from a "cold start" she likes to crackle and pop quite a bit, especially when off throttle and clutch engaged. I think it's just the exhaust. Sound normal?

Secondly, also worse from cold start, when you first engage first gear, there is a noticeable clunk. And it can be pretty harsh.

Third, sometimes when coming to a stop at a long light, I'll put it in neutral but will continue holding in the clutch through the stop. Then when it's time to move, I try to click down to first and she won't take gear. The lever moves down, there is no grinding or odd noise, just nothing. Then I'll let the clutch out, pull it back in and it will take first no problem.

Fourth and finally, sometimes at low speed she will buck a bit. Say 10 mph and below. Clutch is fully engaged and under light throttle it feels like the clutch is coming off and then re-engaging.

Fjr is new to me and so I'm just trying to learn what quarks are unique to my bike, potential problems and what are common across the board. Thanks folks!

Edit: sorry for the triple post, had some Internet issues at home! Don't ban me lol! Maybe I should change my username to forumrookie

 

[SacramentoMike]

Secondly, also worse from cold start, when you first engage first gear, there is a noticeable clunk. And it can be pretty harsh.

This sounds serious. See if you can get your money back from the seller.

On the crackle and pop, don't worry unless it starts to snap too. The rest of it, no sweat. Leave the bike in gear if you're holding the clutch in anyway. Too late to change your name, BTW. Too bad, 'cuz in ten years you'll feel pretty silly.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

That harsh clunk is because the wet clutch plate is spinning even though you have the lever pulled in. Sometimes if you rev the motor a bit before you engage first it will break the thin oil film and the clunk noise will be reduced. All that is pretty normal.

BTW, I am only going to answer this one time, not all three times you posted it.

You might ask the admins to delete your other two duplicate posts.

 

[fjrob1300]

Item 1 normal ... forget about it.

Item 2 normal... forget about it

Item 3 let out clutch then pull it in ... engage gear. forget about it.

Item 4 lag time between rear spline and gears all engaging at the same time. Forget about it.

Item 5 I have almost 200,000kms on my '03. all is normal. don't try and read something into every little thing. It starts and runs... ride it.

Some of the others will be along to chime in with their 2c worth. Read info provided carefully.

Rob

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Uncle Hud]

1st: stock exhaust or something else? Did (any of) the previous owner(s) do anything to soup up the engine? Maybe spark plugs? (I am NOT a mechanic.)

2nd: normal, and normal for most street bikes.

3rd: normal, I think. Mine does that occasionally. If she's in neutral, why squeeze the clutch? Makes my hand tired.

4th: FJRs hate going slow. Feather the clutch, use the rear brake gently, and get more sensitive with your throttle control. (In other words, normal.)

Last: It's a badass bike, and a lot to handle for your first street bike. Take it easy. Calm and gentle technique, coordinating the throttle and clutch. Google "The Pace" and a few threads here about leaning in turns. Asphalt is not dirt and shouldn't be ridden the same way.

ATGATT, no ****, no compromises, no exceptions.

 

[HotRodZilla]

All very good responses. Even from from that dork fjrob...I'd agree with all of them.

 

[beemerdons]

All very good responses. Even from from that dork fjrob...I'd agree with all of them.

You're right AJ, Rob did a good job! However he failed to mention the #1 problem with the 2003, their ability to wheelie any time it feels like it eh! JSNS!

 

[fjrob1300]

All very good responses. Even from from that dork fjrob...I'd agree with all of them.

You're right AJ, Rob did a good job! However he failed to mention the #1 problem with the 2003, their ability to wheelie any time it feels like it eh! JSNS!

Don I believe you meant they have the ability to wheelie at will.

 

[RookieRider]

I've not attempted that yet! No wheelies for the rookie here. Maybe one day

 

[Bounce]

It likes to be shifted into 1st with at least a little movement. So, in combination with what most riders training teaches (for quick getaways) shift into first while approaching a stop light/sign and use the foot brake to hole it in place with the clutch in. It's drop from 2nd into 1st very easy as you are nearing a full stop and avoid any hassles of trying to do it when needing to pull away.

Clunk: Normal but can be reduced (when cold) by pulling in the clutch and waiting for a short count for all those magical fluid dynamics that happen in the transmission. The gears are cut for strength and so give away a little in the "snicker/snack" department.

My '03 only pops when chopping the throttle after being on it hard and then only with the after market cans on it.

The EFI does hunt around a bit under low speed, low load conditions. That was the only real thing I've noticed with mind that I consider anything near to a "flaw". My take is that it's at the cusp between 2 parts of the fuel map and is jumping back and forth between them. Down shift and up the revs and it goes away.

 

[fjrob1300]

I've not attempted that yet! No wheelies for the rookie here. Maybe one day

Wheelies are for professionals. I've been riding 36years on street bikes and still have not mastered the wheelie like some people. Leave it to the trained pros... no good can come out of a failed wheelie.

 

[wfooshee]

1. Crackle and pop off-throttle when cold is an emissions system. Air is injected into the exhaust stream right where the headers meet the cylinder head, allowing unburned fuel to burn in the exhaust pipe rather than make its way out to our breathing air as actual gasoline droplets. You hear it as little tiny backfires.

2. FJRs are well-known for clunk going into first.

3. No reason to hold the clutch if you're in neutral. What's happening is the input shaft of the transmission coasts down to no rotation, and when you try to get first, the dogs can't engage. You can't shift a moto trans without moving parts in the gearbox.

4. 10 mph is WAY to slow for clutch all the way out! The bucking is driveline lash, and a little bit of that cush-drive mechanism on the middle shaft.

Stop babying the bike. 1200 RPM is no place to be running it! We'll take it away from you if that continues, ya hear??!?????!


If you don't know what a cush drive is, don't worry about it. There was a time when I didn't know, either. Usually it's a set of rubber bumpers in the rear wheel, between the sprocket and the wheel. The sprocket applies drive force to the wheel through that rubber bumper, and when you let off the throttle, the wheel applies drive force to the sprocket, chain, and motor through the other side of the rubber bumper. It's softens the blows of the driveline slack being taken up hard. In the FJR, there's a weird-looking spring-loaded cam thingie on the shaft between the transmission and the bevel gear that drives the shaft to the wheel. That spring-loaded cam thingie serves that function for our bike, and with a hard driveline hit, that cam will rotate on that shaft, compressing the spring, and soaking up some of that whack that would otherwise go right out to the wheel, or back into the transmission, depending on which side of the driveline is being loaded.

I'd seen that mechanism as drawings in the shop manual but never understood its purpose until I actually met mine face to face and held it in my hands: in the picture that big gear in the middle is driven by the transmission but is not splined to that shaft. It drives the shaft through that u-shaped notch on the big pin, with the pin being pressed in by the spring. That piece with the big pin is splined to the shaft. A hard driveline hit, like dumping the clutch, will be softened just a bit by that gear turning a few degrees around the shaft and being re-centered by spring pressure. your 10-mph bucking probably gives that a workout, too.

OK, I got carried away with number 4. Sue me....

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^^^^^^ tranny ****!

 

[RookieRider]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="wfooshee" data-cid="1261639" data-time="1443495861"><p><br />

1. Crackle and pop off-throttle when cold is an emissions system. Air is injected into the exhaust stream right where the headers meet the cylinder head, allowing unburned fuel to burn in the exhaust pipe rather than make its way out to our breathing air as actual gasoline droplets. You hear it as little tiny backfires.<br /><br />

<br /><br />

2. FJRs are well-known for clunk going into first.<br /><br />

<br /><br />

3. No reason to hold the clutch if you're in neutral. What's happening is the input shaft of the transmission coasts down to no rotation, and when you try to get first, the dogs can't engage. You can't shift a moto trans without moving parts in the gearbox.<br /><br />

<br /><br />

4. 10 mph is WAY to slow for clutch all the way out! The bucking is driveline lash, and a little bit of that cush-drive mechanism on the middle shaft.<br /><br />

<br /><br />

Stop babying the bike. 1200 RPM is no place to be running it! We'll take it away from you if that continues, ya hear??!?????!<br /><br />

<br /><br />

<br /><br />

If you don't know what a cush drive is, don't worry about it. There was a time when I didn't know, either. Usually it's a set of rubber bumpers in the rear wheel, between the sprocket and the wheel. The sprocket applies drive force to the wheel through that rubber bumper, and when you let off the throttle, the wheel applies drive force to the sprocket, chain, and motor through the other side of the rubber bumper. It's softens the blows of the driveline slack being taken up hard. In the FJR, there's a weird-looking spring-loaded cam thingie on the shaft between the transmission and the bevel gear that drives the shaft to the wheel. That spring-loaded cam thingie serves that function for our bike, and with a hard driveline hit, that cam will rotate on that shaft, compressing the spring, and soaking up some of that whack that would otherwise go right out to the wheel, or back into the transmission, depending on which side of the driveline is being loaded. <br /><br />

<br /><br />

I'd seen that mechanism as drawings in the shop manual but never understood its purpose until I actually met mine face to face and held it in my hands: in the picture that big gear in the middle is driven by the transmission but is not splined to that shaft. It drives the shaft through that u-shaped notch on the big pin, with the pin being pressed in by the spring. That piece with the big pin <em class='bbc'>is</em> splined to the shaft. A hard driveline hit, like dumping the clutch, will be softened just a bit by that gear turning a few degrees around the shaft and being re-centered by spring pressure. your 10-mph bucking probably gives that a workout, too.<br /><br />

<br /><br />

OK, I got carried away with number 4. Sue me....<br /><br />

<br /><br />

<span rel='lightbox'><img src='<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gjwfThRDwcY/VA0FWkfBW8I/AAAAAAAAOhg/0oKbvyjRQCY/s1024-Ic42/20140906_161031.jpg'>https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gjwfThRDwcY/VA0FWkfBW8I/AAAAAAAAOhg/0oKbvyjRQCY/s1024-Ic42/20140906_161031.jpg</a>' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /></span></p></blockquote><br />

<br />

I appreciate the info! I'm an ASE certified auto technician so I enjoy intense tech lessons! It makes sense now!

 

[fjrob1300]

I hope that clears up all your questions.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Put a power commander on the FI and all your problems will ride away. Welcome to the fastest of any FJR's group.

 

[Big Sky]

Your big problem is a 12-year-old bike with under 6,000 miles. Sure, don't endanger yourself, but give that thing some throttle from time to time and let it climb to red line. I think these benefit from some exercise. Get the combustion chambers, valves and ports heated up, hopefully get rid of some carbon or fuel varnish. Run some Ring-Free or Seafoam through it. My first FJR surged when new at steady throttle at lower speeds - 25-35 mph - and it seems a throttle-body sync cured that, though I have been "corrected" that TBS only affects running at idle. Check your air filter and box, too. I have had three Gen Is and none has had an actual fueling issue, none needed a Power Commander. These are known to only go 200-300K and maybe more - they go long time. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[RookieRider]

Believe me, after I got comfortable with her, I have given it plenty of wot pulls. She pulls hard and strong. Makes me grin every time. Bike runs like a champ!

 

[odot]

Whoa, wait a second....these bikes are fuel injected?