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Jeff.patriceh

My friends call me Ffej.
FJR Supporter
Joined
May 27, 2023
Messages
23
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Location
Missouri, Wentzville
Hello all, love the forum. Recently bought an 09 FJR 1300A. Love the bike and exactly the Change I wanted from the many cruisers ine had, Vstar 1300 and others.

Fixing issues. Like no rear brake function. Bled the front rt caliper first, then the rear and its magic. Found the advise on this or other forum. Previous owner had taken the bike to a motorcycle mechanic and they did not fix it after bleeding and flushed rear fluids. I fixed and now have firm rear pedal.

New problem is very rough idle. I believe due to my modifications of stock exhaust. I drilled the baffles to provide more flow. Maybe not a good idea. Could be rough idle due to something else like vacuum leak. I've run fuel cleaner and 93 octane for the 3 weeks I've owned the FJR1300.

IM also wanting to dress up this black 09 with some body decals. But here she is.
 

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New problem is very rough idle. I believe due to my modifications of stock exhaust. I drilled the baffles to provide more flow. Maybe not a good idea.
While I doubt that drilling baffles for "more flow" has had a major impact on idle, I would not expect to see any performance increase either - other than making more noise.
Can you describe your "rough idle" a bit more - or possibly post an audio/video (YouTube) file?

I would certainly look for a vacuum leak. Might not hurt to do a TBS (Throttle Body Synchronization).
Where is your idle set? 1100 is a good spot.

When were sparkplugs changed? How many miles on it?
Are you due for a valve clearance check? (unlikely to cause rough idle unless something was far off.)

Dirty or malfunctioning injector? - There are places that will clean, replace the inlet filters and test for flow pattern and match between injectors.

I assume no rust or dirt inside the tank impeding fuel pickup? Of course, you can get into bad fuel pumps or fuel pressure regulators but these are not common.
The higher octane fuel probably won't help - FJR runs perfectly fine on regular. What fuel system cleaners have you been running? Lots of people seem to like Seafoam but I'm not a huge fan. I use Yamaha Ring Free from time-to-time, but not every tank. Might go through a small bottle per year.
 
Appreciate the reply RossKean. .
Bike has 16 k miles, and I've put only 500 of those. No rust issues in the tank.

Before the rough idle it was low, about 800rpm.
Rough idle stumbles at no throttle, not smooth. Then is affecting acceleration from a stop, once above 2500 rpm or so, normal power.

I used valvoline fuel treatment to remove any water possible. No seafoam or yamaha fuel treatments yet. All other maintenance, plugs, valve adjustment I have no information on, but I doubt it.

Next is for tank removal and closer inspection of vacuum hoses, port plugs, charcoal filter, and fuel pick-up check. Soon will be Ivan's ECU reflash, any recommendations on that idea?

Thanks again and best regards.
 
Welcome. Just to clear up a point, did it run fine before you touched the exhaust? Can you say that was the point when things changed? Thinking of the Last Thing You Screwed With theory to narrow things down.
I agree with the "Last Thing" postulate, but I haven't heard that opening up the exhaust made much difference in operation unless something else happened concurrently. This goes back to the days when the "Trooper Mod" was done by a few (and ultimately regretted by most). (Haven't heard about that for a while.)

I would definitely check into the 800 rpm idle and adjust to 1100 or so. (If it can't be adjusted, it points to other possible issues - notably TBS or vacuum leak. Worth checking to make sure the rubber caps are present on the four TBS adjustment ports...
 
Welcome from metro Seattle!

Opening the exhaust won't give you any idle problems. As mentioned, raise the idle to 1100 +/- rpm and the bike behavior will settle down...both stalling tendencies and shifting quality. If you're out of idle adjustment then you'll need to start from scratch with proper TBS. There's a few threads regarding how to address.

Good luck!

~G
 
Welcome and like everyone else, I think the idle speed issue should be taken care of first. As suggested, check for the Throttle Body rubber caps are still intact and not cracked or leaking. Once you have the idle set properly then ride the bike and get used to the performance and characteristics of the FJR. The Ivan Flash is IMO the best thing that can be done to the FJR for rideability and performance. However, gone will be engine braking as there will no longer be a fuel shut off when you roll off the throttle. Some like it, some don't. Don't expect an increase in fuel mileage and 89 octane is now necessary. Hope this helps and good luck.
 
Hello all, love the forum. Recently bought an 09 FJR 1300A. Love the bike and exactly the Change I wanted from the many cruisers ine had, Vstar 1300 and others.

Fixing issues. Like no rear brake function. Bled the front rt caliper first, then the rear and its magic. Found the advise on this or other forum. Previous owner had taken the bike to a motorcycle mechanic and they did not fix it after bleeding and flushed rear fluids. I fixed and now have firm rear pedal.

New problem is very rough idle. I believe due to my modifications of stock exhaust. I drilled the baffles to provide more flow. Maybe not a good idea. Could be rough idle due to something else like vacuum leak. I've run fuel cleaner and 93 octane for the 3 weeks I've owned the FJR1300.

IM also wanting to dress up this black 09 with some body decals. But here she is.
Nice bike congrats. Thank god it’s not blue. I think blue is Yamahas default color for the fjr.
 
Update on my new to me black 2009. Thanks to this forum members and especially RossKean, my stumble on idle and launch is corrected.

Spent a few hours, siphoned most of tank, and removed it. Inspection of hoses and caps found no obvious problems. Cleaned the air filter. And raised the idle like recommended. Seems I am at the limit of idle adjustment and 1100rpm warm idle is most I can get. I don't want to force the adjustment any higher.

Not tps adjustment yet. But no need since it is running so strong. Also, there was a stumble upon heavy load higher rpm acceleration but that is corrected.

Much thanks, but help me understand why idle is so significant? Seems like the ECU has memory and once the idle is higher it adjusts all the parameters?
 
In a Gen II, the idle adjustment range is dependent upon the throttle body synchronization. Most people focus on getting them all the same without regard to the actual vacuum. This is fine, except that if they are not open enough (or too much) you may find problems getting the idle set where you want using the adjuster. You are OK at 1100, but you may want to double check the TBS (perhaps after you do the next valve clearance check). If I am checking and don't have idle issues, I use a homemade four column manometer that allows me to balance all four channels and adjust until they are all the same as each other. If thing are way off or if I have idle adjust problems, I close all four throttle body synch screws to lightly seated and open each about 1/2 to 3/4 turns before I hook up the hoses. An actual pressure measurement might be better but this has always worked for me. Note: Do the TBS when the engine is fully warmed up. If things are still a bit rough, it wouldn't hurt to do the TBS. Pretty easy if you have seen it done before and some sort of manometer or gauge.
 
Again Ross, you are awesome for the time you spend to help all of us.

I have watched videos w the manometer and know that it is within my skill range. I love learning new skills. As of now it's running perfectly and will cross that bridge if needed. I did also price manometers and are reasonable.

Thanks again. Loving the FJR1300.
 
Update on this thread on rough running. Spent a few weeks sporadically working on the 09 Gen II due to vacations and other interruptions. Had the fuel tank on and off many times.

Magnifying glasses look at all the vacuum hoses and replaced one cap that was cracking. Replaced vacuum sensor as I had sprayed carb cleaner into the nozzle. Did not find any residue black goo like others had in the vacuum hoses. Non California model. After close look one of the caps I replaced it looked like surface cracks.

Ultimate fix I suspect was credit to Ross, Tps screws, soft close all, then 3/4 turn CCW TO balance all 4 TPS SCREWS, and added another 1/4 turn. I was assuming additional open of the screw causes richer fuel mixture. Correct me on this.

Idles and runs fantastic, no stumbling as it was doing.

Next week getting the electrical wiring harness recalls done that were not completed yet.

Thanks for all the help from the threads.
 
TBS is the throttle body synchronization.
(TPS normally stands for throttle position sensor...)

If you start with all four 3/4 turns out from lightly seated and fine tune from there with a manometer, you will probably be OK. If they are out much further than that, you MIGHT have a problem getting the idle set at 1100 rpm. Otherwise, it doesn't matter a lot.
Replaced vacuum sensor as I had sprayed carb cleaner into the nozzle
OOPS! The vacuum sensor wouldn't like that very much! A fairly costly mistake (but still cheaper than getting a shop to diagnose and "fix" an elusive issue like rough running).

Glad you got it running acceptably.
 
You have stuff in a number of threads relating to your running issues. You were obviously posting in threads believed to be relevant, but responses diverged somewhat diluting the effectiveness of those threads as technical resources. Also has the effect of making it difficult to track your series of problems and what has (and hasn't) been tried. While it is great to continue an existing thread that specifically deals with your issue rather than recreating a new and redundant one, in the absence of knowing the likely culprit it probably works better to start a new thread and refer to other targets (like the canister thread or the spider bite thread)
My Spider Bite Story - Post 50+
Sudden 2014 FJR1300A starting, running problem. Canister issue? - Post 23+

Your last post in the Spider Bite thread mentioned battery.
"But the comments and replies by all have been helpful to me sort this out. Ross mentioned Battery parasitic drain, and this morning after 12hrs of sitting the battery puked. My earlier voltage checks were good w 13.6v while running. Didn't do a load check, but a new battery is in order."
A bad battery (or bad connection) can certainly cause rough running issues. Best to have the battery fully charged and take it somewhere to be load tested. It goes without saying that terminal connections need to be clean and tight.
"Parasitic drain (or draw)" is the current that is being drawn from the battery with ignition (and accessories) turned off. In an FJR with healthy electrics, this should be a small fraction of a milliamp measured with an ammeter in series (with the ignition off). Parasitic draw should not contribute significantly to battery drain - even over a period of weeks or months.
Other battery-related factors include capacity, CCA (cold cranking amps) and self-discharge rate.
The load test will provide CCA data and gives a good idea of battery health.
You can get an idea of self-discharge rate by charging the battery, letting it sit (disconnected) for a period of days or longer and checking the load test (or even just the resting voltage) again. It should be noted that a healthy AGM battery will have a self-discharge rate of no more than a few percent per month - certainly shouldn't die in a few days. Both parasitic draw and self-discharge should be low enough that the bike should be able to sit idle for months (without a tender) and still retain enough power to start. I never use a battery tender but do a top-up charge once or twice over my 4-5 month winter layoff. (Current OEM battery is 12 years and over 100,000 miles)
Capacity is less important as long as the battery has enough power to start the bike and voltage is maintained at the appropriate level during operation of the bike.

Why not plan to keep further running-related issues in this thread? Or perhaps better to start a new one in the technical area rather than this introduction section (copying the relevant posts from this and the other threads into some coherent framework).

Perhaps the battery will be the final answer and an end to this part of the discussion...

FJRs are among the most reliable motorcycles out there. I think it is unlikely that yours has a serious problem - just a matter of diagnosis.
 

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