farkle essentials

[el camino kid]

Bought a new '08 and I think it's pretty dang incredible right out of the box. I don't want to mess with a good thing, but I was wondering what the basic up-grades should be and the order in which I should get them. I figure frame sliders would be the number one addition. Then a factory service manual (are there more than one?). I'll see how the seat works out and either replace it with one from Rich's in Kingston WA or leave it alone. Then a taller windshield (I'm 6'4"). Any advice on brand, size & shape? Anything else that would be appropriate?

Paul

 

[Braenen]

No specific order. Links are suggestions and do not indicate best price or recommended vendor. I am not affiliated with any of these vendors.

Motovation Sliders

Reflective bag decals

Helibar risers (due to your height)

Starcom1 if you use music, phone and/or bike-to-bike

A navigation system of some sort, preferably one designed for motorcycles. The Garmin Zumo 550 seems to be very popular.

If you use an IPod/IPhone, a remote control is a very nice addition.

Again, if you listen to music on the road, a good set of earphones is a must.

A hydration system is very useful.

An emergency tool kit with a Slime Pump and tire plug kit

With all this electrical stuff, a fuse block may be useful.

A cruise control unit may be useful Audiovox CCS-100 and MC Cruise Control are very popular on this board

 

[SLK50]

The list above is quite good but the one item I simply could not give up would be my Cal Sci windshield ( or eq. )

This has had the greatest impact on my overall comfort.

 

[Braenen]

I didnt mention the windshields because I havent researched them. For me and for right now, the stock one works well enough.

 

[buf2phx]

Bought a new '08 and I think it's pretty dang incredible right out of the box. I don't want to mess with a good thing, but I was wondering what the basic up-grades should be and the order in which I should get them. I figure frame sliders would be the number one addition. Then a factory service manual (are there more than one?). I'll see how the seat works out and either replace it with one from Rich's in Kingston WA or leave it alone. Then a taller windshield (I'm 6'4"). Any advice on brand, size & shape? Anything else that would be appropriate?
Paul

Welcome to the forum. I agree with you,the Feej doens't really need any improvement. The Cee Bailey windshileds are also quite popular,if your height requires one. I'm 5'11", and quite happy with the stock unit. I have OES sliders,they have received good reviews here on the forum,and they're pretty reasonable. The only disagreement I have with the list of links above is the reflective bag decals. I went with these Clicky. The owner,Alex, is a forum member, and this is the only place I've found them with the printed logos.

I like the factory seat,too. Many here like the Russel Day Long seats,if you do a lot of long distance riding. A tank protector of some sort is probably a good idea as well. Don't want to scratch up your nice paint job. Enjoy the bike! :yahoo:

Mike

 

[Hudson]

Paul, your best bet is to wait about 6 weeks and attend the PNW Tech meet at Auburn FJR's, in Auburn of course, on Oct 24th.

You'll see all manner of farkles and get everyone's perspective. Plus you can meet a group of terrific local FJR owners and learn what you need to know about essential tech stuff.

Linky to invite

 

[Rogue]

Most of the FJR Farkles are subjective.

Some would never ride any bike without an aftermarket exhaust and some would never replace the stock!

Sliders are one of the musts, a lot of new owners fall over the day before they scheduled to put the sliders on. :lol:

At 6'4" you are probably heavier than average, the stock shock will only last 10-15,000 miles and is not rebuild-able so you may want to keep a eye out for the next suspension group buy.

If you add heated gear, aux lights, etc you will need a volt meter- the Datel is the most common.

After you put a couple thousand miles on it you can see about Risers, windshield & seat upgrades.

Then you can look at GPS, radar detector, 2-way radio..........

 

[RadioHowie]

Something I and many others consider a "required" farkle are these:

90 degree valve stems from Bike Effects-dot-com

Nothing you "must do" now, but have a set in hand, cause in about 6-8 thousand miles, when your tires are toast, it'll be nice to have a set to replace your stockers when you tires are toast.

Won't make your bike one iota faster, handle better, or be worth more, but every time you check and air your tires, you'll be glad you spent the $30.

 

[Patriot]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

<now get busy... >

 

[RadioHowie]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

 

[Patriot]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

that too... <sigh> :dribble:

 

[DaJudge]

+1 on the bag decals from Alex at Realtime. Very nice with the emblems. +1 on sliders as well (my first farkle).

At your height (you have 2 inches on me big guy), you are gonna want a larger screen for long trips/cooler weather. I have the stock on right now, but once it cools off, the CalSci +4 (+1 on each side) will go on.

I just got done adding a GPS (in anticipation of a 4-day ride in the Ozarks in October). Instead of the $700 Zumo 550, after much research I opted for the $169 (at Walmart.com) Garmin Nuvi 750 and mounted it in the spare mirror hole on the left side. It's not waterproof like the Zumo, but it does store up to 10 custom routes which you can make on your PC (using MapSource) and import to the unit. With a 5-hour lithium battery, I use it in the car as well.

You'll later want to do something about the stock saddle. The less-expensive route is to send it off to get the Spencer's Seat Mod (with the gel) done. If you add an Alaska Sheepskin cover on top of it, you'll have a decently coomfy combo.

Welcome and enjoy your new ride. :yahoo:

 

[el camino kid]

Holy Bee-Jeezes...some of you guys are out of control! But there's some really good ideas here too! I appreciate them all! I'll start a wish list and add some of these thing to it right away. For now, I settle for the frame sliders & a shop manual...I'll ride thru next summer and re-evaluate the seat, windshield & reflective decals at that time. The slime tire kits and 90 degree valve stems will be on my Xmas list this year! And I'm goin' to the tech meet on the 24th too!

Paul

 

[mingo]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

What are we looking at here exactly? What's wrong with the head?

 

[Patriot]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

What are we looking at here exactly? What's wrong with the head?

well, first of all, it works better and engines tend to run more efficiently with working valves or opening/closing valves at all

the story is that the CCT (cam chain tensioner) failed allowing the chain to jump teeth so outta time that the pistons hit the valves...bent valves in the head and possible catastrophic head damage itself

 

[buf2phx]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

What are we looking at here exactly? What's wrong with the head?

well, first of all, it works better and engines tend to run more efficiently with working valves or opening/closing valves at all

the story is that the CCT (cam chain tensioner) failed allowing the chain to jump teeth so outta time that the pistons hit the valves...bent valves in the head and possible catastrophic head damage itself

Yeah,the valve thing is obvious,but what are the arrows pointing at?

Mike

 

[RadioHowie]

all estentials shown below :blink: :

C'mon Mike...you KNOW all he really needs is a spare one of these:

What are we looking at here exactly? What's wrong with the head?

well, first of all, it works better and engines tend to run more efficiently with working valves or opening/closing valves at all

the story is that the CCT (cam chain tensioner) failed allowing the chain to jump teeth so outta time that the pistons hit the valves...bent valves in the head and possible catastrophic head damage itself

Yeah,the valve thing is obvious,but what are the arrows pointing at?

Mike

I "borrowed" the picture from an earlier post, which was stolen from an even earlier post.

The two yellow arrows are pointing to two 5mm hex bolts that are, for all practical purposes, nearly impossible to remove while the motor is in the frame. Unfortunately, those two bolts must be removed to remove the head from the motor. I used those arrows, as i said, in a different thread and just didn't bother editing out the arrows. In context with THIS post, those arrows are meaningless.

'Howie

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Many good pieces of advice above. I like grip puppies for a cheap way to get the buzz out and to make the grips softer and bigger for my mitts. My GPS was a cheap car unit and went tits up this year during WFO. The 90 degree valve stems are worth every penny -- get the bike effects models which are first class. Some get highway pegs, though I have not. Garauld on the forum (and several other makers) does custom paint, powdercoating and makes beautiful racks you can actually use -- universally hailed as an artisan with steel and welds. auxilliary lights are pricy and many have their favorites, and on my wishlist to avoid deer at dusk. I don't know if the '08's have clutch pull problems, but between pazzo adjustable levers and a GEN I clutch master slave cylinder, I have no problems now. I LOVE the sense of security a SPOT device gives me and friends follow my rides too online. Cool stuff. So much more to spend your money on! Oh yeah, I love my XM radio for long rides and use it in the truck when caging instead of riding. My last farkle was a KJLR650 so I could ride in mud and save the FJR for pavement. You will never run out of options -- like LED running and tail lights, an FJR engraved whiskey flask for the end of the day, etc. etc. Save up for a FJR rally too.

Have to mention freeway blaster horns to replace the stockers -- saved my bacon this summer, and a forum member ?Brodie makes a plug and play harness for them as well. good luck...

EDIT: The best farkle was the aftermarket suspension upgrade during a GP Suspension group buy. Pricey but worth it.

 

[SnowAviation]

all estentials shown below :blink: :<now get busy... >

Do you need authorization from NASA to operate that thing on Earth?