Ain't Scared No More . . .

[VanHarlan]

I finally got sick of paying the dealer for routine maintenance . . . I've always done a majority of my car & truck maintenance . . and a bit of basic stuff on my previous bikes. The FJR was my first new bike and my first in-line four. I've always let the dealer do everything . . mostly because it looked a little tight and somewhat intimidating . . . well in the last 2 days I've changed the oil, bled the clutch, my 10 year old son & I bled all the brakes last night, lubed up some of the pivot points . . . tomorrow I'll be cleaning the air filter. The FJR Forum and Yamaha Service Manual and FJRTech website all make it a lot easier. It's really not as daunting as I thought it might be . . . just requires a little more care for body panels, and patience with delicate parts and torque specs.

BTW . . the clutch operates a lot smoother with fresh fluid and brake fluid shouldn't be a nice amber color like a Sam Adams . . . MityVac made it a lot easier.

May attempt to change my fork oil next and drive shaft lube next

 

[Shane]

Feels good, doesn't it?

Nice job!

Shane

 

[jmdaniel]

I need to do the same. $300 for a routine maintenance stop ain't cutting it. My Carbtune is on it's way, and everything scheduled will be done by me before my CO trip at the end of this month.

 

[VanHarlan]

I need to do the same. $300 for a routine maintenance stop ain't cutting it. My Carbtune is on it's way, and everything scheduled will be done by me before my CO trip at the end of this month.

Got the Morgan CarbTune last year works great . . . took a little trial and error to figure out what I was doing.

Living in Upstate New York I figure I've got from December through March to tackle bigger items if need be. I think the only 'big' thing I may have the stealer do is the valve adjustment.

 

[Fred W]

I need to do the same. $300 for a routine maintenance stop ain't cutting it. My Carbtune is on it's way, and everything scheduled will be done by me before my CO trip at the end of this month.

Got the Morgan CarbTune last year works great . . . took a little trial and error to figure out what I was doing.

Living in Upstate New York I figure I've got from December through March to tackle bigger items if need be. I think the only 'big' thing I may have the stealer do is the valve adjustment.

Harlan,

You should really consider doing your own valve check. It isn't really all that daunting of a task. Just take your time and follow the guides.

If you do discover one or more valves out of spec you could still chicken out and have them do the re-shim. But the odds are very much in your favor that all will be in spec and you will have saved yourself a bundle, as well as becoming just a little bit more intimate with your machine.

 

[VanHarlan]

I need to do the same. $300 for a routine maintenance stop ain't cutting it. My Carbtune is on it's way, and everything scheduled will be done by me before my CO trip at the end of this month.

Got the Morgan CarbTune last year works great . . . took a little trial and error to figure out what I was doing.

Living in Upstate New York I figure I've got from December through March to tackle bigger items if need be. I think the only 'big' thing I may have the stealer do is the valve adjustment.

Harlan,

You should really consider doing your own valve check. It isn't really all that daunting of a task. Just take your time and follow the guides.

If you do discover one or more valves out of spec you could still chicken out and have them do the re-shim. But the odds are very much in your favor that all will be in spec and you will have saved yourself a bundle, as well as becoming just a little bit more intimate with your machine.

I've done valve adjustments on older Toyota and Nissan in-line 4's . . . you're probably right and I should give it a peak on my own . . . love the use of the word "intimate" . . . couple of beers and a rolling tool chest . . . who knows what goes on in the garage after dark . . . :blink:

 

[wnyfjr]

I just recieved the service manual (purchased from a fellow Forumite) for my '06AE, and am hoping to try my hand at a few of the more simple procedures, although I am not at all skilled that way (last time I changed my own oil or plugs on ANY vehicle, it was a '71 Mercury Comet when I was in high school). I'm thinking of doing an oil change first as that seemed to be pretty straightforward, but the two new PR2s I think will have to be done by my dealer for now. I haven't even considered a TBS or anything to do with the brakes or clutch. Eventually I'll get there. Oil change first, before our ride down to WV for the 4th.

I live just down the road from you, so I too have the 'benefit' of the non-riding season to perform some of these chores. I just don't have a heated garage to do them in. <_<

 

[marcusorelius]

welcome to the joy of scraped knuckels, stripped bolts, and murphy's law! It is worth it though and sometimes it goes smooth as butter! Ya get a good feelin of self-satisfaction when yer done! ( oh and an oil change on an FJR is the easyest one of any vechile I have ever owned)

 

[jet mechanic]

Just replaced fork oil, bushings and updated the springs last month.

It was really pretty easy.

Took a couple of extra hours the first time, but learned my lessons and took notes for the next time.

Fork oil change coulld easily be done in a couple of hours if you're not replacing the bushings.

Good luck!

Kevin

 

[ahchiu]

It feels good to do your own work, see if you can get a few local FJR owners together and have a "Tech Meet" it's a lot of fun and you learn a lot from each other.

 

[CAJW]

Isn't that cool?!! With a little initiative, reference help from this website and a few others like FJR Tech, one can work wonders. Group maintenance gatherings are great, just about everyone learns something, even it's only to figure out where on the bike you can open a beer!

 

[CRMH Eagle]

I've done all the maintenance on the bike (except the 25K valve adjustment which I'll let the dealer do). A few weeks ago I learned how EASY it was to pull the forks off so GPSuspension could upgrade them. Next week when the Penske shock arrives I'll be pulling off the oem shock and putting on the new. Scheduled has delayed me from installing tires for the first time but I hope to give that a shot this weekend.

FYI - you do NOT need the mityvac to bleed the clutch/brake fluid. I went to Ace and got a 3/8ID clear plastic hose for $0.45. Much cheaper than a mityvac. And not sweat if the hose gets ruined by the fluid. Thanks to Bustanut for encouraging me to do it this way.

Not a talented mechanic here... I did get a buddy at work to help me install the Heli triple clamp.

The irony is that people like me spend a lot of time on this forum learning how to do a farkle or maintenance item... then once we do it we learn how much easier it was than 1st thought.

 

[VanHarlan]

Isn't that cool?!! With a little initiative, reference help from this website and a few others like FJR Tech, one can work wonders. Group maintenance gatherings are great, just about everyone learns something, even it's only to figure out where on the bike you can open a beer!

So where is the beer opener on the FJR? :read:

 

[snikr]

<snip>
May attempt to change my fork oil next and drive shaft lube next

The fork oil is beyond me, but GP does a good job with those....if you have the money. The drive shaft lube is way easy.

Tom

 

[dustyrains]

And, even you make a mistake, hey, you still learn something. Like...***, I coulda saved a lot of work and time, if I had done B, before A, ya know? Take notes, take pics, cause the next time, you will NOT! remember every detail of what you did, and there ain't much that's more aggravatin' than making the same boo boo twice.

 

[VanHarlan]

<snip>
May attempt to change my fork oil next and drive shaft lube next

The fork oil is beyond me, but GP does a good job with those....if you have the money. The drive shaft lube is way easy.

Tom

Doubt I'll do either prior to Green Mountain / White Mountain ride . . . but would really like to check the drive shaft lube soon . . .

 

[Fred W]

Checking the lube level is very easy. In fact it is the first step of actually changing it:

To be honest, I never check mine. I just change the lube at every (5k) oil change. It's just so darned easy and uses so little gear lube...

Here's the full procedure:

prerequisite: Have a bottle of gear lube (I use Mobil1 synthetic) and a suitable drain pan.

optional: new crush washer. I never replace mine. It never leaks or weeps. YMMV

Remove left side saddle bag (makes the rest easier)

Draining is best (fastest) accomplished after a fairly long ride, so that the gear oil is warm and thin. Some will argue that they do it while cold as it lets the particles settle to the drain plug area. That's why this is listed as optional.

1 ) Remove FD Fill plug first.

(note: this is to ensure you can get it out OK. It would suck to find out it is stuck after you have drained the lube)

2 ) Position drain pan as close to rear tire as possible

(note: draining the FD into an open drain pan without getting any on the wheel / tire is easier if you have the bike on the sidestand before removing the drain plug. )

3 ) Remove FD Drain plug.

4 ) While waiting for the gear lube to drain, clean the metal particles off the drain plug magnet. Don't panic, there will always be some amount of dark metallic "peanut butter" stuck to the magnet. If it is chunky, then it is OK to panic... :blink: I've been getting progressively less metal filings as the miles add up.

5 ) Replace Drain plug. Don't forget the crush(ed) washer. Tighten by hand with 3/8" ratchet (or box wrench) to Good'n Tight.

Using 1/2" drive torque wrenches on drain plugs is just asking for stripped threads.

6 ) Put bike up on centerstand.

7 ) Refill pumpkin until the gear oil is just overflowing (oozing) out of the fill hole. If you have a standard quart size bottle of gear lube with the tapered nozzle, that is fine for the refill. No need for fancy pumps, just shoot the lube in there. (This is the part when it is best to have the side bag off) You will be amazed at how little lube oil it takes.

8 ) Replace fill plug, torque to same Good'n Tight spec as drain plug.

Done!

 

[VanHarlan]

Fred - thanks for the info. Like Mobil 1 Synthetics - always used those in the pumpkins of my trucks.

I really need to grease/lube the spline, etc. . . . and have done some initial digging around . . . that doesn't look all that difficult either.

 

[Fred W]

I really need to grease/lube the spline, etc. . . . and have done some initial digging around . . . that doesn't look all that difficult either.

It's not hard, and is best accomplished when you pull the rear wheel for a tire change, since you're reproducing a lot of the same work.

However, other than for keeping the potential rust off of those splines, greasing them is seriously over-rated. I believe that the perception for needing to do this greasing comes from the BMW shaft drive crowd, where the shaft splines actually move laterally (slide in & out) when the rear suspension articulates. The FJR splines that everyone wants to grease up are at the forward end of the drive shaft, and does not slide at all (except when dismantling). It is held in a constant position by a spring at the rear end of the shaft. The rear shaft spline does move some longitudinally, but it is well lubricated by the gear oil in the pumpkin.