2012 FJR Maintenance catch up.

[Gospel Rider]

Please advise on a maintenance plan in order of priority for a new to me 2012 FJR.
It only has 8k mi, has been garaged in northern calif, in like new condition. The 2nd owner I purchased it from had an engine oil, gear oil, and filter change just before I bought it. As soon as I got it home I changed the tires, checked the brake pads, cleaned the brakes, and lubed the driveshaft.
I intend to systematically catch up on all of the maintenance.
I bought an OEM service manual, owners manual, decent torque wrench, and a few other tools, planning to do as much of the maintenance myself as possible.
Looking forward to your input.
Thank you!

 

[Whooshka]

Fresh flush/bleed brake and clutch lines. Including cycling the ABS pump. Change the rear drive fluid. Clean and grease the bronze bushing in the clutch lever. Clean and lube shift and brake pedal assemblies. A squirt of ACF-50 in every electrical connection couldn't hurt either.

Good luck with your new ride.

 

[Gospel Rider]

Fresh flush/bleed brake and clutch lines. Including cycling the ABS pump. Change the rear drive fluid. Clean and grease the bronze bushing in the clutch lever. Clean and lube shift and brake pedal assemblies. A squirt of ACF-50 in every electrical connection couldn't hurt either.

Good luck with your new ride.

Thank you Whooshka for your time and concern to reply. Seems like a practical and very doable list.

 

[Panman]

Most importantly RIDE IT. Grease the drive shaft splines, change the coolant. Lube the levers both side (brass bushing on clutch side is very important. There is lots of folks here that can help with all the this and that's. A lot of the little gremlin's were worked out of the Gen II FJR's by the time the 12's came out so ride it!

 

[Gospel Rider]

Great word!
It is an exhilarating machine.
Thank you!

 

[Whooshka]

Thank you Whooshka for your time and concern to reply. Seems like a practical and very doable list.

Vey doable. No special talent or tools needed. The most complicated thing is bleeding the brakes. There's a procedure that should be followed for best results. There's a search button in the upper right corner of the screen. Loads of helpful people and info here.

 

[mcatrophy]

Include the rear brake pedal bearing in your lubrication, well known for sticking, which at best seems to upset the ABS system, at worst to the brake binding.

 

[RossKean]

Include the rear brake pedal bearing in your lubrication, well known for sticking, which at best seems to upset the ABS system, at worst to the brake binding.

I do that at least annually. I usually remove, clean and lube the shift linkage on the other side at the same time. The brake and clutch levers are part of the same maintenance cycle.

Note on the hydraulic fluid flush as recommended by others. I usually start with the clutch - this fluid usually looks the worst.
Next, do the left front brake caliper, followed by the right front caliper using the top bleeder of the two on the right caliper (left caliper top piston pair on the right bled via brake lever and handlebar reservoir). Next comes the bottom piston pair (lower bleeder) on the right caliper which is bled using the rear brake pedal (and rear reservoir) - part of the FJR linked brake system. Finally, the rear brake caliper is bled using the brake pedal and rear reservoir. Some people seem to love Speed Bleeders, but I never found them to be necessary or a major time saver on an FJR. (I do hydraulic fluid every two years.)

It is convenient to replace coolant at the same time as you do a valve clearance check since the coolant needs to be drained anyway. I do sparkplugs at the same time. Remember to use new o-rings on the coolant pipe! (Good time for throttle body synchronization (TBS), too!

 

[Trailrider57]

Here's a how to video on doing the brake system flush. It may not be necessary for you since it sounds as if you have some mechanical skills but I found it helpful if for no other reason than making a jumper to purge the ABS module. He has many other videos as well. They're all done on a 2014 but a lot is the same for the 2012 and I believe this one is the same. I had a 2012 before my 2014. Loved it but I really love the factory cruise control on the 2014.

 

[Gospel Rider]

Include the rear brake pedal bearing in your lubrication, well known for sticking, which at best seems to upset the ABS system, at worst to the brake binding.

I've made note of that and will take your advice. Thank you!

 

[Gospel Rider]

Here's a how to video on doing the brake system flush. It may not be necessary for you since it sounds as if you have some mechanical skills but I found it helpful if for no other reason than making a jumper to purge the ABS module. He has many other videos as well. They're all done on a 2014 but a lot is the same for the 2012 and I believe this one is the same. I had a 2012 before my 2014. Loved it but I really love the factory cruise control on the 2014.

I'll check that video out. Looks very helpful. Thank you!
GR

 

[Whooshka]

I do that at least annually. I usually remove, clean and lube the shift linkage on the other side at the same time. The brake and clutch levers are part of the same maintenance cycle.

Note on the hydraulic fluid flush as recommended by others. I usually start with the clutch - this fluid usually looks the worst.
Next, do the left front brake caliper, followed by the right front caliper using the top bleeder of the two on the right caliper (left caliper top piston pair on the right bled via brake lever and handlebar reservoir). Next comes the bottom piston pair (lower bleeder) on the right caliper which is bled using the rear brake pedal (and rear reservoir) - part of the FJR linked brake system. Finally, the rear brake caliper is bled using the brake pedal and rear reservoir. Some people seem to love Speed Bleeders, but I never found them to be necessary or a major time saver on an FJR. (I do hydraulic fluid every two years.)

It is convenient to replace coolant at the same time as you do a valve clearance check since the coolant needs to be drained anyway. I do sparkplugs at the same time. Remember to use new o-rings on the coolant pipe! (Good time for throttle body synchronization (TBS), too!

No mention of activating the ABS pump. Here is a quickie write up of the procedure...

1) Left front caliper
2) Right front top bleeder
3) Rear caliper
4) Right front bottom bleeder
5) Exercise the ABS pump by
a) bike on center stand
b) jumper the light blue and black wires on the connector up under the dash panel near the battery
c) Side stand down
d) hold the starter button for 4 seconds
e) turn on key
f) pull lever and step on pedal at the same time and hold (you'll feel it cycle/pulsate from lever to pedal to lever again until it stops)
e) turn off key
6) Repeat ABS pump again if you want
7) Repeat steps 3 & 4.

 

[RossKean]

No mention of activating the ABS pump. Here is a quickie write up of the procedure...

I have probably done brake fluid flush 20+ times on bikes with ABS and only the last two times have I used the jumper to activate the ABS pump to (hopefully) move that fluid along. I do, however, make a point to exercise the ABS from time-to-time while riding. Practice makes perfect - good to be comfortable with the ABS so you aren't taken by surprise in a real life situation. Asphalt or concrete parking lot with sand on the surface is ideal. Also prevents stagnant fluid in the ABS unit and gives the rider assurance that the system is working as it should under controlled conditions. (This is especially important with Gen I ABS bikes and early Gen II - early version prone to failure if not used regularly) Do it whether or not you use the jumper during fluid change.

I agree that it is a good idea to do the jumper method but probably not critical if you take steps to make sure that fluid within the ABS gets refreshed from time to time.

 

[Whooshka]

Good point. I've got my FJR 3 years now and have never activated the ABS, other than when bleeding. Gotta remember to give it a shot next ride.

 

[rbentnail]

https://www.fjr-tips.org/maint/ujoint/uj.html
U-joint spline procedure is different than driveshaft splines maintenance. Do both.

 

[RossKean]

1) Left front caliper
2) Right front top bleeder
3) Rear caliper
4) Right front bottom bleeder

I reverse 3 and 4 (right front lower before rear). Generally do the bleeder furthest from the master cylinder first, at least in my experience. (Although I don't recall specific instructions.) Perhaps I have been doing it "wrong", but have never ended out with a mushy rear brake.
FSM:


A fugitive bubble in the front circuit is often responsible for rear brake issues, but probably because the front part wasn't bled at all.

 

[fastpappy]

From the FSM.
Left Front
Right Upper
Right Lower
Rear.

 

[Panman]

I never use the jumper on the 07, just find a local gravel road be fore and after each bleed.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I never use the jumper on the 07, just find a local gravel road be fore and after each bleed.

Never an issue for you and Pops with your gravel road exploits! ;-)

~G

 

[vzhq16]

https://www.fjr-tips.org/maint/ujoint/uj.html
U-joint spline procedure is different than driveshaft splines maintenance. Do both.

Since the Honda Moly60 is no longer produced, I've been using Loctite LB 8012. I see though, Loctite no longer offers LB 8012. What're you recommending?