New Member

[MotoMike]

Hello, established members. I am new to this forum. I had been riding a 2004 ST1300A that was totaled in a "SMIDSY" event about six weeks ago. Luckily, I got away almost totally uscathed. I have since acquired a 2007 FJR1300A and I am in the process of 1) doing all the required maintenance (fluid changes, brake bleeds, etc) that I doubt the previous owner did and 2) tweeking the bike to fit me (finding suitable bar risers, a touring windscreen, etc). I have discovered that while the ST was a touring bike that can get sporty, the FJR is a sport bike that you can use for touring!

 

[owsley]

Welcome. Enjoy the bike and the Forum.

 

[Steel_Gin]

Welcome!!  Congrats on the "new" purchase and glad to read you are back on two wheels again.  A lot of knowledge here and on fjriders.com.  This bike is pretty easy to work on, if I can do it you can too.

 

[bgross]

Dontch just hate those SMIDSEYs?!

Glad you escaped with minimal injury, sorry about the ST.

Welcome!

 

[RossKean]

Hi Mike

Welcome to the forum.  Lots of good information here on the care and feeding of FJRs.

Where on the East Coast?

I am in Fredericton NB and I used to have a 2007 - I think the best colour.  I sold it in 2018 with 295,000 km on it after I bought a 2011 (from a guy in BC).   In non-COVID times, I get pretty much everywhere but (unfortunately) currently confined to NB.  Hoping that interprovincial travel opens up before long!

 

[Bounce]

Hey! Great to see you made it.

 

[MotoMike]

Hi Mike

Welcome to the forum.  Lots of good information here on the care and feeding of FJRs.

Where on the East Coast?

I am in Fredericton NB and I used to have a 2007 - I think the best colour.  I sold it in 2018 with 295,000 km on it after I bought a 2011 (from a guy in BC).   In non-COVID times, I get pretty much everywhere but (unfortunately) currently confined to NB.  Hoping that interprovincial travel opens up before long!

I am in Moncton. I bought mine from a fellow in Saint Antoine, NB. He had bought himself a Harley and could not justify running 2 bikes. His loss!

 

[MotoMike]

Hey! Great to see you made it.

Thanks!

 

[MotoMike]

Dontch just hate those SMIDSEYs?!

Glad you escaped with minimal injury, sorry about the ST.

Welcome!

Thanks!

 

[MotoMike]

Welcome!!  Congrats on the "new" purchase and glad to read you are back on two wheels again.  A lot of knowledge here and on fjriders.com.  This bike is pretty easy to work on, if I can do it you can too.

Thanks!

 

[MotoMike]

Hey! Great to see you made it.

Thanks!

 

[RossKean]

I am in Moncton.

Send me a PM if you are going to be in Freddy Beach.  I would like to see your '07.  Happy to lend a hand or offer suggestions if you encounter "issues" with the bike.  Pretty easy to work on and probably the most reliable piece of machinery I have ever owned.  Dealer performed the three recalls for my 07.  I brought the wheel in and they changed a set of front wheel bearings and replaced fork seals for me when I didn't have time.  Other than that, my '07 did not have anything go wrong that I couldn't handle.  I think you will be happy with that bike.  Watch out for electrical gremlins, there have been some problems with grounding. 

 

[MotoMike]

Send me a PM if you are going to be in Freddy Beach.  I would like to see your '07.  Happy to lend a hand or offer suggestions if you encounter "issues" with the bike.  Pretty easy to work on and probably the most reliable piece of machinery I have ever owned.  Dealer performed the three recalls for my 07.  I brought the wheel in and they changed a set of front wheel bearings and replaced fork seals for me when I didn't have time.  Other than that, my '07 did not have anything go wrong that I couldn't handle.  I think you will be happy with that bike.  Watch out for electrical gremlins, there have been some problems with grounding. 

So the recalls were....front wheel bearings, fork seals and ? The fellow I purchased the bike from was the second owner and had obviously not done much more than wash the bike and change the engine oil. I did develop a leaky fork seal about 2 weeks after purchase. I temporarily fixed that using a home-made "Seal Mate" tool. Unless it becomes a problem again, I will leave replacing the seals until next winter. I have also done clutch and brake fluid replacements, both of which were badly needed, and a radiator coolant replacement. Is there any way that you know of that I can check if any of the recalls have been done on my bike?

 

[RossKean]

Nope.  Those were things that I had to do to the bike beyond what was included in the recalls.

There was a recall for the ignition switch (replacement). A recall for the so-called S4 grounding "spider" - added a supplemental harness.  There was also an ECU recall.  Early versions had a problem updating fueling conditions with a large altitude change.  Not an issue unless you are doing a lot of riding in the mountains and only if you are not varying throttle significantly.

You should be able to verify that the recalls were done by Yamaha - there should be a record associated with the VIN.  Check with Yamaha Canada.

Clean and lubricate the rear brake pivot.  Clean and lubricate the shifter linkage and pivot.  Clean and lubricate the clutch lever - make sure you do the brass bushing that pushes the plunger (do the front brake lever too).

Check for noises on the right hand side of the engine - marbles in a can sound.  Cam chain tensioners were a known problem with some '07 and all earlier FJRs.  If no noise, wait until your first valve check and replace the CCT at the same time, if it hasn't been done.  If noisy, do it now - a slipped cam chain can effectively destroy the engine.  They changed the CCT in late '07 and the newer version should have a blue or green dot on the side.  Don't know if you could see it without some disassembly.

I usually do plugs and coolant at the same time I do a valve clearance check/adjustment.

 

[Canadian FJR]

Welcome from Nova Scotia. 

Canadian FJR