DaPuff
Member
So after purchasing my 2008 FJR from another member on this forum on Easter Sunday, I knew I'd have to do two things:
So I thought I'd tell you guys about my first few experiences with my new bike.
600 Mile Maintenance
I'm pretty handy with tools and motorcycles, so I figured I'd be able to do this without a problem. I've fixed up a couple of old Yamahas that were no longer running by cleaning the carbs, installing new fork seals, etc. I started with an oil change. I read on this forum about using tin foil to make the job a little easier, but I still managed to make a huge mess. Oh, well, nothing that some shop rags can't clean up. I did manage to change the final drive oil with a lot less drama.
Then I moved on to lubing the drive shaft. Again, some good reading on this forum made me feel very prepared for this. I bought some Honda Moly 60, as recommended, and went to town. Here's what things looked like after ~700 miles on the odometer:
Yeah, doesn't seem like too much on there. Some WD-40 and many Q-Tips later, they looked all shiny:
Then I worked on getting the U-joint out of there to clean it. I managed to break the little plastic clip holding the dust cover on. Stupid little part. But I did get it out, then cleaned it all up:
Reinstallation was a piece of cake. I went on to complete a throttle body sync (sorry, no pics). They were a little bit off, but not bad. It took me a while and a trip back to this forum to figure out how to get to them though! It felt good to get the maintenance done so I could enjoy riding the bike!
Buy Farkles!
Thankfully my wife is a good sport, and realized that I would want to outfit my new bike right away. So I bought most of them in the first week, and a few more this week.
Install Farkles!
Techmount GPS Stem Mount: I wanted to have the GPS centered on the bike, and in a more permanent installation than I had on my old bike. This seemed to fit the bill nicely, and I got the 3.5" extension bar after reading through the forums. After I installed it on the bike, I think I probably would have been happy with the 2.5" extension, because the GPS was blocking my view of the speedometer. I fixed that by swapping around how I mounted the GPS to the stem mount. I have yet to try it with the tank bag, so maybe I will need a little extra length.
Motovation Sliders: I think every "new guy" post has someone in it telling them to get sliders. So I took your advice and got some. Now hopefully I never use them!
GIVI E55 Tech Trunk, with Admore lighting and backrest, on SR357 rack: I really wanted to put on a trunk so my wife would feel comfortable riding on the back, and I love the blacked-out look of this trunk. This thing is huge! It will really serve me well on trips. The Admore lighting is awesome too. I feel safer having some additional lights back there. Question for you guys: How did you route the wire back to the trunk? I have it sticking out the back of the passenger seat, and it goes into the trunk on the bottom (I bought the extensions from Admore).
So that's all the farkles that are installed. Others on order or yet to be installed include:
I'm really enjoying my new FJR. Thanks to everyone for providing a great forum with lots of helpful information. It's served me well so far, it can only get better!
- 600 mile maintanence
- Buy farkles
- Install farkles!
So I thought I'd tell you guys about my first few experiences with my new bike.
600 Mile Maintenance
I'm pretty handy with tools and motorcycles, so I figured I'd be able to do this without a problem. I've fixed up a couple of old Yamahas that were no longer running by cleaning the carbs, installing new fork seals, etc. I started with an oil change. I read on this forum about using tin foil to make the job a little easier, but I still managed to make a huge mess. Oh, well, nothing that some shop rags can't clean up. I did manage to change the final drive oil with a lot less drama.
Then I moved on to lubing the drive shaft. Again, some good reading on this forum made me feel very prepared for this. I bought some Honda Moly 60, as recommended, and went to town. Here's what things looked like after ~700 miles on the odometer:
Yeah, doesn't seem like too much on there. Some WD-40 and many Q-Tips later, they looked all shiny:
Then I worked on getting the U-joint out of there to clean it. I managed to break the little plastic clip holding the dust cover on. Stupid little part. But I did get it out, then cleaned it all up:
Reinstallation was a piece of cake. I went on to complete a throttle body sync (sorry, no pics). They were a little bit off, but not bad. It took me a while and a trip back to this forum to figure out how to get to them though! It felt good to get the maintenance done so I could enjoy riding the bike!
Buy Farkles!
Thankfully my wife is a good sport, and realized that I would want to outfit my new bike right away. So I bought most of them in the first week, and a few more this week.
Install Farkles!
Techmount GPS Stem Mount: I wanted to have the GPS centered on the bike, and in a more permanent installation than I had on my old bike. This seemed to fit the bill nicely, and I got the 3.5" extension bar after reading through the forums. After I installed it on the bike, I think I probably would have been happy with the 2.5" extension, because the GPS was blocking my view of the speedometer. I fixed that by swapping around how I mounted the GPS to the stem mount. I have yet to try it with the tank bag, so maybe I will need a little extra length.
Motovation Sliders: I think every "new guy" post has someone in it telling them to get sliders. So I took your advice and got some. Now hopefully I never use them!
GIVI E55 Tech Trunk, with Admore lighting and backrest, on SR357 rack: I really wanted to put on a trunk so my wife would feel comfortable riding on the back, and I love the blacked-out look of this trunk. This thing is huge! It will really serve me well on trips. The Admore lighting is awesome too. I feel safer having some additional lights back there. Question for you guys: How did you route the wire back to the trunk? I have it sticking out the back of the passenger seat, and it goes into the trunk on the bottom (I bought the extensions from Admore).
So that's all the farkles that are installed. Others on order or yet to be installed include:
- Helmet locks and brackets from TownsendsFJR1300
- Spider ground harness from Brodie
- Bags Connection Engage tank bag
- Graphics kit
I'm really enjoying my new FJR. Thanks to everyone for providing a great forum with lots of helpful information. It's served me well so far, it can only get better!
