What did you do to your FJR today?

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I sold a whole bunch of farkles off or my old bike so I could by new farkles for the FJR. I will have a lot to add on the FJR in the next week or so. In the meantime, I will just enjoy the ride as it is.

On the incoming list:

Fuse block (Centech AP-2)

Heated gear controller

Heated grips

Canyon Cages and bag guards

highway pegs

GPS mount

I'll be busy...

 
I started it up for the first time since last December!!

It has sat, since then, in my unheated attached garage in the frigid northeast. Since I planned on replacing the battery this year (10 years old and 163,800 miles), I didn't have it on a tender (never use one anyway) all winter and did not do my customary every-two-months top-up trickle charge. Battery was connected to the bike the whole time so there would still be a (very small) parasitic draw to keep the clock and computer alive. This is in addition to the natural self-discharge for any AGM battery. Just for fun, I thought I would see if there was ANY juice in the battery after almost four months of unattended cold storage. Turn key, dash lights up, needles sweep. It cranked a little slower and longer than I would generally prefer but it fired up after maybe 5 seconds!! I'll have it on the trickle charger for a few hours tonight.The use of battery tenders is way overrated!! Never understood why people seem to think the bike has to be plugged in after every ride (or even if they aren't riding for a week). More likely to damage the battery by overcharge if you are not using a temperature-compensated charger or if voltage calibration and cut-off voltage are not correct. (Does anyone check theirs regularly???)

I am still going to swap out this battery this year. The old one can produce the volts OK while cranking but I suspect that the ampere-hour capacity is well down from new. I wouldn't want to get stranded somewhere remote (I do a lot of motorcycle camping) and have a starting problem. (Will probably pick up one of the Lithium emergency starter batteries in case of primary battery problems and to charge electronics - cell phone, tablet, Bluetooth speaker, Sena etc.)
Something different about the batteries that were put in the '07s. I'm still on my original, too! Only time I used a Battery Tender was a little last winter and about two days before bringing it out last month. I have a MotoBatt waiting to go in and an XP3 under the seat, just in case.
Now that you mention it, I had my '07's battery in my bike for 6 years. I think the only reason it started to crash was because I think I cooked it with a trickle charger. This forum had me all paranoid about my battery dying and I was using something I wasn't sure how to use. Lol.

Maybe it would still be going, maybe not, I'll never know. What I do know, is the battery I replaced it with is still going strong, and it was that super cheap one a bunch of us jumped on. I can't even remember what brand it is. Lol...
I'm pretty sure it was an AC Delco someone found at a stupid low price and which is still sitting on my shelf. I had that lined up to be my next battery but when the time came I decided to go with an OEM instead. I think it was how they packaged it that convinced me. It came all nicely wrapped in Liquid Graphite plastic.
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Rode it to the post office to drop some packages and then later to get a haircut. What a day. They don't come along like this to often.

Dave

 
Switched back to the Cee Bailey barn door. Kills the buffeting caused by a combination of helis and laam (before laam, top of helmet was still low enough to be in the pocket), and I have to admit it allows plenty of air all the way down. Got new rubber put in the R75. Son and I are riding to SC in a couple of days.

 
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Well we kept busy on the 2015 prepping it for the season. Much more to go.

Made a specific board spacer for the back tire. I drilled a hole in it later and hung it on the pegboard.

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Finished up the reflective rim stripes. Had to pull the tires to do a proper job. If your thinking about doing this your best off doing it during a tire change. That would be the best time. Plan on spending several hours to get this done. You have to cut the dam things out from a sheet. GRRRRR.

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With Flash

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Painted the breather cap because in a year it will look like total ass. Had to mask it all off.

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That's it for now. More boxes arriving Monday. Yahoooooooooo!!!!

 
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Edit: WTF? That was weird.

Your stripes look good Dave. I did mine off the bike, and they were also a PITA. Lol...

 
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Maybe the title should read what didn't I do to my feejer today.

Why did I have this feeling that this was going to happen? Common sense no longer exists anymore. Who in their right mind would toss a steel rack on top of a plastic case and expect it to get to its destination unscathed. GEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ

UPS at their finest.
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Duh, you think, Really!
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So now I have to go through hassle of sending it back and waiting another 2 weeks. GRRRRRRRRR!
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Already called the vendor and they are sending me a shipping label to return it. This **** shouldn't even happen. I will report on how this goes since I just got off the phone with the folks. I have to fill out a form and send pictures now.

Dave

 
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I rode it home from storage, took off the silver Canadian Tire motorcycle cover and rode it to the local "Bring Cash" B.C Insurance Agency. $610.00 for six months coverage. I will wash and wax it tomorrow; I am happy enough to just have it home again. I re-read all my trip diaries yesterday and look forward to hitting the road and seeing all my old friends again; so many in my age bracket (not telling :) have given up their motorcycles for whatever reason but I will ride another season and maybe call it quits while I still have that choice. My '03 has 165997km. of happy riding.

Cheers all

Kasey

 
Maybe the title should read what didn't I do to my feejer today.
Why did I have this feeling that this was going to happen? Common sense no longer exists anymore. Who in their right mind would toss a steel rack on top of a plastic case and expect it to get to its destination unscathed. GEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ

UPS at their finest.

DSCN0679_zpsom34wn37.jpg


Duh, you think, Really!

DSCN0680_zpsstnjlmyc.jpg


So now I have to go through hassle of sending it back and waiting another 2 weeks. GRRRRRRRRR!

DSCN0684_zpsmfcgrrvd.jpg


Already called the vendor and they are sending me a shipping label to return it. This **** shouldn't even happen. I will report on how this goes since I just got off the phone with the folks. I have to fill out a form and send pictures now.

Dave
Very surprised, Dave. I had always received excellent service from Revzilla in the past.

Then again, most of that was before their big merger with Cycle Gear. 'Nuff said.

 
Adding U5 spot
So, I start by setting up the components:
Bistable switch on the handlebars!


The lights on the mudguard screws

And of course the relay under the right side cover:



For the lights, I put them each a different connectors, like that, its will be simpler if I have to change one, or if it does not synchronize in modes.


Then I install a fusible door between the battery and the power part of the relay.
Welding:

Then thermo sheath to protect

And I made the "Y" which allows to connect the two lamps

The neighbor came to see!
The mass of the "Y" will go to the mass of my assembly (and thus of the motorcycle), the more will be connected downstream of the relay, on the power part.
I add a fuse (3 amp), and at this time I can do a first test. Indeed everything is connected with the exception of the control part. I can simulate it by putting the relay pin at +12.

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Winter (Summer) is coming so I flushed the coolant. cleaned the radiator, changed the oil and washed the bike. Funny thing: I always thought that triangle right below the radiator is black just like the radiator cover, now I discovered it is actually silver like the rest of the fairing!

 
I rode my other bike to work since the FJR was stripped down. I checked valve clearances (a little tight at 42k miles, but not enough to make me want to move cams), replaced spark plugs, and changed out the coolant. Next I'll be adding electrical goodies.

The NC700 felt like a dirtbike compared to the FJR, but I remembered how light and fun it is to flick around. It just isn't as fun on longer stretches of road, or if you need to pass someone at freeway speeds!
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