Something All FJR Owners Should Know

[SouthernCruizer]

I just turned 71K on my '04, and nary a problem yet. Valve check was fine, but didnt do compression check. I use the Rotella 15W-40 since 2,000 miles. Hope mine doesnt succumb to the same fate as yours. Good luck

Jay

'04 FJR 1300

 

[LDRydr]

Just an idea - no guarantees..

Thanks for the input. I have done some de-carbonizing routines on other vehicles in the past. Might give it a try on the FeeJer. Might be too late though. Carboned up rings will wear faster too. <_<

EV, I'm available tomorrow to go help you flog "de-carbonize" both your feejer and mine. Think an LEO would accept it as an excuse? :lol:

 

[weekend rider]

That nasty stuff DC carter is talking about that the shop puts in works. The Mechanic at the shop where I live has used it on 3 FJR;s and has worked for him, expensive but does a good job.

I do not believe that Yahama made a throw away engine. I would try the the stuff DC mentioned.

If you need some one to ride your bike hard, I will do that nasty job of going fast or you.

Keep us informed as to what the out come is. good luck on your :bike:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Sorry OCFJR to hear that the beloved feej is having issues. I hope it is as simple as carbon buildup...that would be fantastic if that is the case. The miles seem too low for an engine problem for sure.

I use WOT to pass multiple car blockers...who knew it was good for the feej as well as being fun.

 

[user 213]

EV, I'm available tomorrow to go help you "de-carbonize" both your feejer and mine. Think an LEO would accept it as an excuse? :lol:

Ahh, no, I'm pretty sure no PacNorWet LEO will accept that as justification for excessive speed. The trick is to get the rpms up and try not to get too wild on the speeds while still using WOT in the lower gears.

Sort of like trying to look inconspicous while bedding in break pads. :lol:

FWIW - I don't baby the bike. And I didn't baby it on break in either. I did a moto man run the day I picked it up, actually did so with a couple other FJRs that day, including our own Warchild riding someone else's new FJR at their request. While I do accept the possibility that the compression was low prior to this, I don't believe it was so all along. This bike was lifting the front wheel on accel alone for a long time, even after 60k. The decline in power, if present, hasn't been noticeable to me. The low readings certainly do suggest it's down on power though.

What bothers me most about this situation is that it's so far below the spec. I expect more from a modern bike motor. Had I been told I was at the bottom of the spec or a little below it, I'd not have been surprised so much. To be 40 psi below otoh, seems excessive to me, even at 88k.

The biggest reason I started this thread is to raise awareness. Information is good. Knowing what your compression is at different stages of your bike's life will help you to see if you are experiencing normal, gradual wear, or a sudden drop that might indicate carbon build up or some other significant issue that needs attention.

As said, I will try a decarbonizing routine with some good nasty cleaning agent and some wot runs after it sits for a couple of days to loosen up the crud. And thanks for the offer Weekend Rider, but I'm no stranger to doing that myself. Maybe just need to do it more often than I have in the past, gas consumption be damned!

wheatonFJR - On the back road two lanes, I use WOT and a double down shift to pass the blockers. Warps time and space and I'm suddenly 10 miles away in clear air. :yahoo: Gots to be careful not to loft the front wheel though.

I hope that has answered the previous poster's questions for the moment. Heading out to the garage this morning to pull the wheels for new rubber, and yank plugs, air filter and do some preventive maintenance as well as possibly squirt in some nasty decarbonizing juice if I can score some at the NAPA or other local auto parts store.

And thank you to everyone for your advice and comments. :good:

 

[200cs]

I am not trying to incite a riot or pick a fight but, I personally think you are taking this a bit far....

It is normal for engines to wear a little over time and this could be related to rings that did not seat or vlaves that are not sealing due to build up. A compression test is an early warning indicator to the condition of the internals of an engine. It is not a 100% litmus test however. Consider this: Play in the chain causes improper overlap in the valve train which does not allow the engine to completely build compression. As a trouble shooting rule, repair the things you find wrong as you go and see where you end up.

An engine with major mechanical problems generally will let you know by a number of methods not limited to: Smoking excessively, knocking, overheating, poor performance, etc. etc....

If this were my bike, I would ride it like I always do: hard and fast showing no mercy then I would start making plans when I started seeing true signs of major problems like the ones I mentioned above. At that point I would start looking at major overhaul or replacement. I am not sure if anyone makes oversized pistons and rings for the FJR yet but I do know Wiseco makes them for the FJ1200.

Finally, I have found Japenese engines, especially in-line four cylinders to be well made and almost bullet proof. I still believe the FJR to be one of the better made bikes currently manufactured.

After the cam chain is fixed I would be curious to what the compression test read at that time.

Good luck, keep us informed...

 

[user 213]

I am not trying to incite a riot or pick a fight but, I personally think you are taking this a bit far....<snip>

Finally, I have found Japenese engines, especially in-line four cylinders to be well made and almost bullet proof. I still believe the FJR to be one of the better made bikes currently manufactured.

After the cam chain is fixed I would be curious to what the compression test read at that time.

Good luck, keep us informed...

Your POV is noted. I too shared the opinion that the FJR motor, and most Japanese inline fours are well made and almost bullet proof, until Yamaha and two five star techs that I trust repeatedly told me my motor was "compeltely shot and worn out". I still find that hard to believe, considering the lack of other indicators. Nevertheless, it's not a good feeling to be told to f*%k off by Yamaha.

The cam chain slop at present is very minimal. Because I had a previous failure, I'm very aware of minor cam chain noise, as I know it will only get worse over time/miles. Due to a 5k LD rally, the first one went longer than intended prior to getting in for the replacement.

I've been here for a while, the forums/lists/community. I've seen the jumps to conclusions, the angry posts on tickers, etc. I haven't posted anything on this before because I was waiting and hoping to discover some more reasonable alternative to what I was being told.

I have nothing to lose by trying the decarbonizing solution and riding the bike hard. I'll listen to any suggestions with an open mind, as I said, information is good. If I can verify improvements, be certain that I will post what I did and what the results were. I'll post a follow up either way and what I've done.

Keep the suggestions coming if you have anything new to offer up folks. I do NOT want to give up on this bike. Do consider checking your own compression to have a bench mark, regardless of your mileage.

 

[tcostner]

First, very sorry about your problem. Don't like to hear this as a new FJR owner, but have just learned it is not good to baby the bike. Need to improve my riding skills quickly..

I'm certainly not an experty like man of you guys, but I would give Yamaha "Ring Free" a try first at the shock treatment dosage. Yamaha recommends the "Ring Free" for all 2 and 4-stroke outboards to prevent or remedy carbon buildup. Evidently this is common with outboard motors that spend a good bit of time at idle and lower RPM's...and not enough time at WOT. Run it religiously in my 2-stoke 50hp motor and 4-storke 250hp motor.

Good luck!

 

[monk69]

I had a Yamaha triple back in the 70's,I put ove a 100k on no problems.I'd be willing to bet Yamaha has made improvements since then.....

 

[FJRBluesman]

Sorry to hear of the issues with your FeeJ.

It doesn't burn or blow oil at this point and seems fine, except for the cam chain noise and some erratic idle issues still present.

I focused in on this one IMHO critical part. Your bike doesn't use oil. If there was that much blow by past the rings, you'd be burning oil. I read what dcarver & jestal said, that sounds plausible too.

It's great you're getting a new cam chain tensioner, and I hope you get many more miles out of your FeeJ.

Good luck.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

This is not the first time for this sort of issue to be aired. Many engines, especially nice (collectable-type) motorcycle engines are 'killed by kindness' (not saying that's your case 'OCfjr' -- just sayin'). Nice bikes a few years old and using oil -- inside, they often look like new to the casual observer. Another scenario is the bike that's always been ridden around town with no issues and then when the first long trip is attempted -- it's an oil user.

It had a good friend agonize through this a few years ago. He had a well-used single cylinder air-cooled dual-sport bike that (for some reason?) he felt needed looking into, engine-wise. He ran compression and leakdown tests and decided there was something wrong -- he even went so far as to verify the accuracy of the gauges (he's an engineer). Several of us riding buddies were interested in his findings because we were un-aware of any issues with his bike. Ultimately, when quizzed about the 'problem' and its sources -- he offered that he couldn't find anything out-of-spec. It was re-assembled with new gaskets, seals, etc. and ridden as-is.

I saw him last month on that very same motorcycle -- it was running fine, no smoke -- not a new bike by any means -- but, certainly a good functioning older trail-bike.

 

[shredder]

Well, if ur lofting the front wheel easily enough to concern you when passing, at speed I'm assuming, then I cant buy into a bad leak down problem. My 06 has 6k on it and it will not loft the front wheel on it's own. I'm aware of the wheel base / gear change on Gen II, however, a power wheelie goes hand in hand with power. Seems to me there is more than meets the eye with this compression loss. If you are at an loss of 25 % on one slug.. and nearly as much on the others... you would feel MAJOR power loss. I would almost go as far as saying you were nearing catastrophic engine failure with your reported leak down prob. Not a bike that power wheelies with no blue smoke visable. For the sake of the good of the order, I very much hope your bike has been mis diagnosed.

 

[SkooterG]

My 06 has 6k on it and it will not loft the front wheel on it's own.

I bet yours will power wheelie. At least the 08 I test rode would. Try this: In 1st gear take your FJR casually up to 6500 rpm. Now, quickly shut throttle all the way off, and then instantly get it full on again.

Oh yeah, hang on.

 

[Danno]

My last bike was a 2001 Vulcan 800 V-twin. I was on the VROC forum and one thing everyone did was use Seafoam in the gas once in a while and run 'em up to the rev limiter once in a while also. This was supposed to keep the carbon from building up. Does anyone use seafoam in their FJR?

 

[ngarider]

Run the wee out of it first, then report back. Also, Seafoam isn't really a bad idea after the aforementioned, if you still have problems. Not sure how it plays with the cats, but, what's the worst thing that could happen?

My 05 would pull the front wheel up WOT in 1st gear, without closing the throttle. The 08 will not.

Both bikes are more than capable of a 2nd gear power on wheelie, exactly as Skooter described. 3rd gear takes the clutch to get it up.

 

[Netstarrider]

I run Seafoam as an injector cleaner in my 08 FJR, and have used it in the past to unstick lifters in a 94 Buick. Good stuff. Also helped clean out the carbs on an 83 Kawasaki 440. Cat safe also. Also use it on my 99 Suburban and 08 Malibu. Just my $0.02 worth.

Dan

 

[Shadow]

The FJR motor should be good for at least 200,000 kilometers, the highest I know about here is 147,000 without problems other than normal servicing.

Hell, even my old 1980 XS1100 had 176,000 klms on it when I sold it, it still ran fine and didn't use oil.

The FJR has a lot of torque and I guess the bike is ridden taking advantage of that, not revved high very often.

Don't baby the motor, rev it up and clean it out.....

 

[Fred W]

So just to get this straight, your initial complaint was that you heard some cam chain noise. In the process of investigating this the local Yamaha techs that you hold in high esteem noted low compression and high leakdown values.

But your bike runs fine except for the cam chain noise?

I'd fix the (real) chain tensioner problem and stop worrying about the nonsense they are making up at the dealership. You do NOT need a new engine now.

 

[Low Level FJR Pilot]

When it's gone, it's gone. Ride it like you stole it and don't worry about the rest if it still runs great. B)

 

[HuskyRider]

I’ve been riding Japanese bikes for 35 years and never knew the engines were junk. Got to love the Internet.