betoney

I had mine checked/adjusted at 23k, -tight exhaust valves like everyone else has reported. (At the same time I had the plugs replaced and throttle bodies synced, both for the first time. Plugs still looked great and TB's didn't need adjusting.) I asked my mechanic the same question as to what is a good interval for adjustment, he said they were tight at 23k but not alarmingly so, his recommendation was to keep doing the valve check, spark plug replacement and throttle body sync as one scheduled maintenance but set the interval to every 20k.

Well, once you do it a few time and feel comfortable with splicing and crimping, its fairly easy to do. I have added different rear signals, license plate light, flush mount front signals, daytime running lights, hardwired my GPS etc. they all required minor wiring modifications with different connectors. Try it a few times with some scrap wire, I think you might be surprised at how easy it is.

If you have no electrical knowledge whatsoever or experience working with wiring or connectors, I would highly recommend you NOT teach yourself while working on your bike. Check out You Tube for Motorcycle Wiring videos. Buy a few feet of cable, various types of connectors and practice stripping wires, installing and crimping connectors, using a heat gun on heat shrink etc. BEFORE touching your bike. Everybody has to learn somewhere but it is far cheaper to learn on scrap wiring than on your bikes wiring harness.

Have you looked into a custom seat? I tried a few different aftermarket seat options that did not work for me before finally going to a custom seat shop and having one built just for me. I have a buddy who also owns an FJ and he got a custom seat built as well and the difference is night and day, no more sloping down into the tank and measured and fit specifically to your anatomy.

At least from the picture it looks like you did a good job. Nothing I can see to complain about.

Yikes!! um, yeah, no thank you.

Death Valley in August?... On purpose? Last Summer we rode back and forth across Sacramento Valley @ 110-113F and that was too hot for me. Raising my face shield was like opening the oven door, the heat was almost suffocating.

I'm always open to another coffee mug or even a pint glass. An FJ-09 T-shirt would be cool too.

And if you are into sportier type riding, maybe try a 15 Tooth (-1) sprocket for a little more zip! For $25 its a fun way to enhance the gearing (quicker), if you hate it, just switch back to stock.

BOTH front and rear rims have speed rings for ABS and or traction control. The FJ has had ABS since its release in '15, I am not sure what year the FZ got ABS. The easiest thing to do is check an online parts fiche and cross reference part numbers between the FJ, FZ and XSR.

I really like that idea. It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of that” type of ideas.

I have used the Spidi XP3 Boot for several years with no problems and find them very comfortable to ride and walk in. They are vented and in the summer you can feel air flow but surprisingly in the cold weather my feet have never gotten cold. If you are the type that chooses to commute in the rain, they would not be your first choice.

You can change the Lo-Med-Hi values to anything you want. Be warned though, on the higher settings, they get HOT, like "burn-your-hand" hot. I believe I have mine set to 3-5-7 or 4-6-8 and normally only use low, on a very rare occasion I might switch it to Medium for a short duration but have never used High.

That is a GREAT price on the GT-Air. I have had mine for a few years and really like it. One thing to note, you can fine tune the fit with different thickness Cheek Pads if you have chubby cheeks or a slim jaw.

I had not heard about the new Bridgestone S22, that is great news. I have used several sets of S21 and it is my everyday tire, hot or cold, dry or wet, it is a great tire. I haven't used it on longer road trips as I suspect it will square-off quicker than a sport-tour tire, for road trips I use the Pirelli Angel GT. Rocky Mountain MC currently has the Bridgestone Battlax S21 for $186 a set!! I just put a new set on my bike and have a spare set in the garage but at that price I might pick up another set for summer.

I have used this EBay Vendor a few times. He can get you different colors and different dimensions. After doing the wheel stripes, I had him make me a sheet of 1/4" (6mm) wide X 24" long stripes. If I remember correctly, 8x stripes were about $8-9, email him with your request. When I installed the stripe along that curve, I did it very slowly following the curve and went over it with a heat gun.

I appreciate your concern as well as your suggestion. I will look at this project again in the near future and see if I can incorporate your ideas. Much appreciated.

@olddawg - I feel good knowing that with proper maintenance, this motor will last a LOOONG time!

@vic - You must be using the light theme for the page. You can switch at the bottom of the page, use the "theme" drop down. I have to use the dark theme, the light is too hard on my eyes.

@wordsmith - I did mine on a warm sunny day, they dried quickly in the sun after the water was squeegee'd dry. As I said previously, I did mine when the wheels were off the bike for a tire change. I put the wheel on a Dirt Bike tire changing stand, completed one side than let it dry for a few minutes in the sun, then flipped it over and did the opposite side of the rim.

Way to go @olddawg, you might win the prize for top mileage on an FJ. 🏆 I only manage an average of 15k a year.

I am 6'-1" and sit fairly upright. When I made the hood deep enough to block some glare the indicators could no longer be seen, I kept trimming it back until I could see them and soon the hood was completely ineffective.

@wordsmith - Very nice work. I tried fabricating something similar but every design obstructed the view of the turn indicators on top of the display (maybe I'm too tall?). I still haven't found a solution that works for me.

The map link is at the top of the page, look for the tab that says "Member Map".

The ones I bought were indeed "stickers" with an adhesive backing. However the instructions that came with them suggested using soap and water to be able to "locate" the sticker in place before patting it dry in its final position.