Nate
Well-known member
I brought my '08 FJR in to get inspected this spring and it failed. When I bought the bike I decided to have all the maintenance and repairs taken care by them, the dealership, the experts! I had been having some ongoing issues with the rear brake and mentioned it to them again before the inspection. Last year they bled the brake but I had a suspicion, for whatever reason, they failed to realize it was a linked brake system.
I politely mentioned this to the front desk guy and asked if they wouldn't mind bleeding the rear brakes again. The mechanic came out and said he remembered my bike and said after he bled the rear line he could tell I needed a new master cylinder. I thought this was a bit odd but he's the expert and he must know something I don't. I was told that a new master cylinder would cost approximately $400.+ and by the way one of the fork seals was leaking and that would be $600.
It was time for me to start researching some of this crap for myself. When I got home I did notice a very small amount of oil on one of the forks. I called another nearby dealer and they quoted me $300. to replace the fork seals. I came across that Seal Mate video and decided to try cleaning the forks and follow what the video showed. It actually worked. I've been riding for 2 months since and there is no sign of any fork oil leakage.
After some research on replacing the rear master cylinder I decided this is something I can do myself. Just for fun though I bled the rear brakes and sure enough a ton of air was in the front line. It was so ridiculously easy I changed out the front brakes and clutch fluid too. The brakes were like new and after riding 2 months they still feel perfect.
So how is it that a non mechanical dude like myself, armed only with FJR Forum knowledge, can fix $1000.+ worth of repairs for practically nothing and do it in just a few minutes?
From now on I've decided just to do all the maintenance and repair work myself. It obviously can save a ton of money and it's extremely gratifying to gain some understanding of the FJR. After a tip over "incident" I replaced a fairing, the right blinker, the right mirror, and refinished the right side saddlebag and everything looks like new! I actually enjoyed doing the work. If you were like me and thought owning a motorcycle was only about the ride, I suggest doing some of the easier maintenance stuff yourself. I'm gaining a new appreciation for this motorcycle.
Thanks guys.
I politely mentioned this to the front desk guy and asked if they wouldn't mind bleeding the rear brakes again. The mechanic came out and said he remembered my bike and said after he bled the rear line he could tell I needed a new master cylinder. I thought this was a bit odd but he's the expert and he must know something I don't. I was told that a new master cylinder would cost approximately $400.+ and by the way one of the fork seals was leaking and that would be $600.
It was time for me to start researching some of this crap for myself. When I got home I did notice a very small amount of oil on one of the forks. I called another nearby dealer and they quoted me $300. to replace the fork seals. I came across that Seal Mate video and decided to try cleaning the forks and follow what the video showed. It actually worked. I've been riding for 2 months since and there is no sign of any fork oil leakage.
After some research on replacing the rear master cylinder I decided this is something I can do myself. Just for fun though I bled the rear brakes and sure enough a ton of air was in the front line. It was so ridiculously easy I changed out the front brakes and clutch fluid too. The brakes were like new and after riding 2 months they still feel perfect.
So how is it that a non mechanical dude like myself, armed only with FJR Forum knowledge, can fix $1000.+ worth of repairs for practically nothing and do it in just a few minutes?
From now on I've decided just to do all the maintenance and repair work myself. It obviously can save a ton of money and it's extremely gratifying to gain some understanding of the FJR. After a tip over "incident" I replaced a fairing, the right blinker, the right mirror, and refinished the right side saddlebag and everything looks like new! I actually enjoyed doing the work. If you were like me and thought owning a motorcycle was only about the ride, I suggest doing some of the easier maintenance stuff yourself. I'm gaining a new appreciation for this motorcycle.
Thanks guys.
