202K "service" Parts source ?

[gazelle]

Middle of Winter, going on a road trip (auto) this weekend so I decided to get a little check up. Per my trustworthy mechanic I need to replace the radiator and all the coolant hoses. 2 valves are a "little tight" so this will be 1st adjustment to them EVER. Going to replace cam chain (just a little loose..cheap, might as well replace it). Any ideas as to where to source parts ? Is there a silicone hose "kit" available for the FJR ? Anyone have experience with an aftermarrket radiator ? Any ideas/thoughts would be appreciated. Bike still runs great, uses no oil, same MPG as ever, etc. Considering the miles I don't want to put a "bundle" into it at this point but would hope to ride it to 250K...maybe more if it doesn't blow up. Bike has had a rough life...lots of miles on wet roads in East TN & Western NC that get heavily salted this time of year. Plus I rode through a flash flood locally this summer...about 30" of moving water...had to remove gravel from both horns..

Thanks !

 

[PhilJet09]

I'm not familiar with any silicone hose kit available for this bike (I'll be watching this thread), but at 200+ thousand miles, the OEM stuff has served you well. For that stuff, I usually use places like Partshark and Babbitts. Same for the chain and while you're at it, maybe you want to do the chain tensioner? Also, see what your "trusty mechanic" is offering for parts markups. Sometimes it's worth it keeping those kind of guys happy spending a bit more going through them.

Edit - lots of respect for putting that many miles on two wheels.

 

[SkooterG]

Awesome to hear about the 200k miles! Are you sure you need a new radiator? That seems kind of extreme. If you do, I would say ebay is your best bet but I don't think they come along undamaged very often. There is no hose 'kit' available. You just have to buy each separately. Sure those need to be replaced?

For discount parts prices, price shop between Stadium Yamaha, PartsShark, and cyclepartswarehouse.com

 

[gazelle]

I don't doubt that the radiator is at the very least "questionable", especially for someone who rides to the Left Coast from SC and back and burns 4 days of vacation (2 weekends, + Labor Day) every year. Just from my visual inspection on the bike I'm amazed it doesn't leak already. Lots of salty and nasty roads, plus I got lazy and never installed a "FendaExtenda". Mechanic says he's used aftermarket radiators with no issues in the past. Looks like about $180 for that and last time I looked the hoses may be $150. Probably cheap insurance compared to renting a U-Haul in Oregon or extending a vacation whoknows how long to make repairs. Total cost with cam chain, gaskets, etc i'm guessing maybe $700 based upon the mechanic's labor estimate. The local Yamha dealer charges him list price as he views him as competition. I can buy from my local dealer at probably a 30% discount from what the shops pays locally. I DO but a LOT of tires from them at about 40K/year and average 5-6K per set. Seems they appreciate my business.

Thanks for the responses ? More are welcome !!

 

[rushes]

Trustworthy mechanics are priceless.

 

[dcarver]

"I looked the hoses may be $150."

Ouch. Really? ..and congrats on 202k... that's impressive.

 

[Twigg]

"I looked the hoses may be $150."

Doesn't surprise me at all. You can easily spend $100 just replacing the o-rings and small seals in the cooling system of the V4 engine on the Ventures.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Awesome to hear about the 200k miles! Are you sure you need a new radiator? That seems kind of extreme. If you do, I would say ebay is your best bet but I don't think they come along undamaged very often. There is no hose 'kit' available. You just have to buy each separately. Sure those need to be replaced?
For discount parts prices, price shop between Stadium Yamaha, PartsShark, and cyclepartswarehouse.com

Great parts sources listed here...

Congrats on 200K, most excellent achievement!

--G

 

[gazelle]

Well, I got some good news and some bad news today. My local guy met the best prices I could find..good news. bad news is that 5 of 20 parts are backordered by Yamaha and 4 others would ship direct from Japan. Availability date (West coast) is late FEB. I've dealt with manufacturers for MANY years...late Feb migh end up as late MARCH. Apologized to my mechanic and asked him to button it up as being without a bike for an extended period for me was not an option. So...I just bought an '05 ABS with 39K on it 30 miles from where I live. Cosed the deal about 30 minutes befpre his E-Bay auction was to end and paid less than his reserve.

Anybody interested in a "pristine" (hah !) '04 with low miles ? (low 200's that is) Not really interested in parting it out....runs great...uses no oil, same MPG as 50K on it (avg 44), "decent" PR2's. Any ithoughts what to ask for it ? I'd "like" $2300-2400 but that may be unrealistic ??

Thanks for any input !!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Going to be a tough sell with 200K. The bike is worth more as parts than whole, so I'd guess in the $1500 range.

Good luck with the "new" '05!

--G

 

[RossKean]

What parts are you unable to find?

Unless the radiator and hoses are really bad (i.e. severe cracks and/or leaking), I wouldn't replace them. Never heard of a cam chain breaking but they are cheap and at your mileage I would likely replace it along with the cam chain tensioner (which is more important IMO).

The valve re-shim is fairly trivial and should be done.

With a "new" '05 in the stable, I guess my reply is no longer relevant. Keep it for parts or give it to somebody in need of a bike? Not going to get much for a bike with this mileage. By this time next year, my '07 should be well over 150,000 miles and I recently considered what I would do with it once my banker (wife) releases funds for a replacement. I decided I would get more pleasure out of giving it to a relative who, for various reasons, is currently bikeless. Beats the crap out of trying to sell it for a decent price and beats the hassle of trying to sell off non-wear items and getting rid of the carcass.

 

[gazelle]

RossKean, etal,

Your input is appreciated and relevant. The parts bike option is no go... 3 bikes, 2 cars, 2 bicycles, etc in a slightly larger than standard 2 car garage now. I just got the bike home and got a call from the former owner. He wants 1st shot at my old one. We discussed price, accessories, etc and he's in the $1500-2K range. But of course he hasn't SEEN my old bike. He's interested siimply because he'd like to have a bike cheaply to ride maybe 1K a year. At $1500 it would be like a $2850 net in the new bike (cost $4350).

Regarding not replacing some of the parts it basically came down to " I'd rather replace everything questionable rather than break down 3000 miles from home and need a $7 part that takes a month or more to get." If all my riding was local I'd replace only what HAD to be replaced. If I had the space to store a 4th bike I'd keep it, ride it locally 30K/yr and take the low miles bike cross country. Unfortunately I don't have that luxury and iinsurance would cost half the value of the bike per year.

Thanks again to all !

 

[SkooterG]

Sell him the bike for $1500. Or less. That is it's value. And it's a win-win situation for you both!

 

[flars]

Ship it to Europe. Store it in Ireland or Deutschland for $300 per year. The let me borrow it.