Technical manual

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fitrx

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Maybe it's me. Maybe it's alzeheimers. Maybe it's my eyes. But...maybe it's the manual.

Now having my new, to me, 2005 FJR, I find it time to do the usual maintenance stuff: Oil, brake fluid change, coolant change, yada, yada. The previous owner was nice enough to include Yamaha's service manual with the purchase. I just find the manual to be the most difficult and least helpful of what must by now be a dozen service manuals for cars and bikes I have used over my lifetime. Example: with he Honda Aero manual's extensive descriptions and illustrations, I feel I could practically build a Honda from the wheels up, had I the machine tools, dies, lathes, etc. and ability.

I love how for a proceedure they give you the order of items to remove, an exploded illustration that is far from lucid, and sometimes a referral to another part of the manual for the removal of one of the items, which is described the same, list of what to remove in order of removal and an unintelligable exploded view of the area. All the manuals I have ever had had photos of certain aspects of proceedure, detailed descriptions of each step...anyway you get the idea.

Do I have the wrong manual, is there an aftermarket manual that is better, any opinions would be helpful...or just flame me as having slid down the evolutionary tree to where I have the intellect of a vole and I will make an appointment with my doctor to see what new breakthroughs have occured in the treatment of alzheimers.

So, while on this, less than helpful manual. The plastics: Do you guys generally take only the particular cowling panel off that is absolutely necessary to get to a part, or do you take more extensive plastic off to make it easier and/ or less likely to damage the plastics? I put a small scratch on the top of the lower right cowling trying to reinstall it after accessing the coolant recovery bottle. While trying to get it into the proper position at the rear of the upper cowling, got under the upper cowling's edge catching one of the metal threaded tabs leaving a small scratch. Too bad they don't dye the plastics all the way through the same color as the paint. Nice, bright white scratches even a 1/4" show up quite easily on the galaxy blue.

What do you call one of those plastic fasteners that you push the center in to remove and reinstall by pushing the pin in from the front. Yeah, I lost one, don't ask me how. I was placing every fastener in a coffee can as it came off, yeah, another vote for alzeheimers. I will go and buy a few extra at the dealer, unless someone knows they can be bought at Pep Boys or elsewhere. Reminds me of socks, there is always one.

 
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And all this time I thought it was my mechanicaly-challenged brain...

I bought a service manual (w/ ABS supplement) for my '05. Some things I just cannot find there...although I'm sure it's in there somewhere. It has not been overly helpful for me.

I have not seen an aftermarket service manual.

 
You need to go here.

fjrtech.com

This will give you the info you need AND pictures.

Mac

 
What do you call one of those plastic fasteners that you push the center in to remove and reinstall by pushing the pin in from the front.
Yamaha part#, 90269-07076-00, RIVET

Go here, the Yamaha Parts Catalog is your friend. In fact, the exploded views of the parts catalog can be helpful.

Then you can contact University Motors, your other new friend, and order a collection of the different fasteners like I did. An amazingly helpful safety net for people like me--pre-Alzheimer's and clumsy.

 
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You need to go here.
fjrtech.com

This will give you the info you need AND pictures.

Mac
BTDT, and though very helpful and my greatest appreciation and respect to Warchild (and I thought I was anal :umnik: ) for his Above and Beyond, it is not the end all and be all for everything JFR. There is just too much to this bike (they have become quite complicated since the '70s haven't they?) to get it all into a blog...thus the need for a good tech manual whose pages become black with greasy fingerprints and spotted with bike fluids.

 
...thus the need for a good tech manual whose pages become black with greasy fingerprints and spotted with bike fluids.
I agree that the service manual isn't as "user friendly" or as simple as the instructions in the Clymer and svc. manual I have for my XS1100. There is plenty of information in the FJR manual but its not arranged the way "I" would have done it.

OTH, other than routine maintenance (incl. Throttle Body Synch, Brakes, tires, etc.), I've not had to do much to my bike, nor have others who have up to 100K miles on theirs.

 
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Yamaha part#, 90269-07076-00, RIVET

Go here, the Yamaha Parts Catalog is your friend. In fact, the exploded views of the parts catalog can be helpful.

Then you can contact University Motors, your other new friend, and order a collection of the different fasteners like I did. An amazingly helpful safety net for people like me--pre-Alzheimer's and clumsy.

Thanks, more helpful than the service manual ones, at least all the parts are listed on the exploded views. I just need some duct tape to wrap my head in to keep it from exploding when I try to interpret them.

 
Be aware there are different rivets, depending on location, for instance, the joint where B&C dash panels intersect.

 
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Be aware there are different rivets, depending on location, for instance, the joint where B&C dash panels intersect.
Gunny!

3 different metal and 3 different plastic rivets for connecting plastic together. Not to mention frame connection bolts tend to look alike but have differing dimensions as well :glare: .

 
I agree with your thoughts.

This manual is the most unhelpful one I have ever used

 
Guys, IMHO. This manual is not written for an average Joe. They do not want justannyone to start tooling around the bike. If they would have created a manual for dummy it would have cost MUCH more. Is it missing or confusing at times, sure. But if you decide to tinker by yourself you should be able to fill in the gaps.

I saw clymer and other manuals and really did not like them. I think yamaha did a decent job on it. Oh and lets not forget that they have no incentives to make it so easy that even monkey can do it :)

 
Let's face it, it's not 1975 anymore. Technical manuals are well, a lot more technical than they used to be and subsequently infinitely more complex to assemble. I do agree that it's not the best I've ever seen, but on the on the other hand, there sure is a lot of information tucked between the pages (just harder to assimulate these days).

 
Guys, IMHO. This manual is not written for an average Joe. They do not want justannyone to start tooling around the bike. If they would have created a manual for dummy it would have cost MUCH more. Is it missing or confusing at times, sure. But if you decide to tinker by yourself you should be able to fill in the gaps.
I saw clymer and other manuals and really did not like them. I think yamaha did a decent job on it. Oh and lets not forget that they have no incentives to make it so easy that even monkey can do it :)
I have bought service manuals for Fords (Mustang, Taurus SHO and standard), Buicks, Mazdas (Diesel pickup, gas pickup, RX2, Protege5), Toyota MR2, Hondas (both Accord car and Aero cruiser) and they are not Clymer's or Chilton's or any shade-tree wantabes--the ones you refer to as manuals for dummies--those are the cheap ones, but the actual manufacturer's service manuals the techs use (some damn expesive, none found at your local Pep Boys), and this one is the most primitive and most useless, less user friendly, and not by just a little bit, than any of the others I have owned from 1976 to only last year when I bought the Honda one for my Aero. I have never seen anything as half-assed. Not that I have strong feelings one way or the other.

And as for monkeys doing it, it appears from all the distrust this site has expressed considering dealership techs, sounds like the monkeys are the one that are supposed to be using these.

 
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I have never seen anything as half-assed. Not that I have strong feelings one way or the other.
And as for monkeys doing it, it appears from all the distrust this site has expressed considering dealership techs, sounds like the monkeys are the one that are supposed to be using these.
Great. Another negative personality..... :blink:

Just wants me to jump right up and answer your slew of questions.....NOT.

......Sugar my friend....not vinegar. ;)

Funny, I find the service manual detailed and adequate an aid in all the servicing functions I need to do on what is now a 70,000 mile '05. Takes a bit to get used to the organization, but it's about similar to the three others I've owned over the years. Throw in this forum and FJRTech.com and the amount of net resources for this bike are incredible.

 
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Funny, I find the service manual detailed and adequate an aid in all the servicing functions I need to do on what is now a 70,000 mile '05. Takes a bit to get used to the organization, but it's about similar to the three others I've owned over the years. Throw in this forum and FJRTech.com and the amount of net resources for this bike are incredible.
Greaaaaat. Another happy-happy- glass is 'half full' kind of 'tard. Iggy, you need to go back for some more elctro-shock therapy and attitude re-adjustment therapy. This 'kinder, gentler' version of you, well......sucks moist ass cheese. :****:

FJR service manual sucks moist ass cheese too, no doubt about it. LAME-O.

But, whatcha gonna do? Crappy it may be, but it is still the best, and only, resource out there for technical work. (Not including web stuff)

 
FJR service manual sucks moist ass cheese too, no doubt about it. LAME-O.
There you go! You just found yourself a new job. Move over Clymer.......forget you Chilton..........it's Skooter Manuals. With your spare time eatin bon-bons and sneakin' in Oprah each afternoon it's time you upped Yamaha at their own game.

An entry could look like this:

The thermostat is a bitch to get to. While you're in there be sure to apply copious amounts of KY Jelly and 25 :****: -pounds of torque.
Wow, I like this new, new me!

 
I like the way the Goldwing manual & discs are layed out, Wish we had something like that !

EDIT: I found out the discs are aftermarket, from our FRED H !

 
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