As I recall, there is a foil-lined heat shield on the bottom of the tank on all models. If it looks "factory" (substantial and well-molded to the bottom of the tank), it's probably stock; otherwise it might be something extra someone has added. There was no "heat shield retrofit" from Yamaha.... just the major revisions done in 2006 to improve heat control and airflow management (that don't retrofit to the Gen 1 bikes). There are a lot of homebrew solutions out there though, especially for the Gen 1 bikes. Most were centered on re-directing the airflow through left side of the fairing and reducing the blast furnace effect on one's left calf. BTW, if you're lubing the splines where the wheel attaches to the final drive, it won't hurt anything, but its also completely unnecessary. It is a good idea to lube the splines on both ends of the drive shaft now and then, but if you get in there every 2nd or 3rd tire change, you're doing fine. I think a lot of BMW paranoia infects FJR owners about spline lubing - in reality, there have been almost no issues with the FJR's splines. - Mark
I've seen some photos (can't find them at the moment though) of FJR owners who ziptie hardware cloth or screen door material over the air box opening to keep the mice out. If you don't have cats where you live, and do have mice, that mesh cover should prevent them from setting up shop in your airbox. While you have the tank up, cut some firewall material to shape and put it under the tank to help keep the heat down. I have some material that I picked up from another FJR owner, but have never bothered to put it under the tank on my '05. I ride with full gear, and ride in the winter, so the heat doesn't bother me. When it's below freezing outside, I would welcome some additional heat! In the summer, keep the tank from getting too low, and the heat may not be an issue for you either. When it's above 100F, and the tank is near empty...that's when I've noticed the heat! So while you have the tank up, it's a good time to put a heat blanket under there. Google for "cromeit heat fix" to see some of the other heat fixes that are available to control the heat coming off the engine. People have varying sensitivity to a bike's heat. For me, it's a non-issue. I wear gear and that's an effective barrier against the engine heat in the summer and the cold in the winter. I also have an air-cooled v-twin. Let me tell ya: in the 100F+ heat, and after we sit at a few stoplights in traffic, I'm reminded about how nice the FJR is! There is one more change I did to mine that I wish I had done a long time ago: Install the V-Strom handguards! I finally did that when I had a discount card at one of the mailorder places, and I really like that mod a lot, and would highly recommend that to all FJR owners. Be sure to Loc-tite (blue 242) the screws for the locks on the saddlebags. I forgot about that in my earlier post. They are security torx style screws and they fall out. Mine got really loose, and I got lucky noticing before they fell all the way out. This is covered in the Bin-o-facts at the FJR forum. I replaced mine with standard (non-security torx) screws and loc-tited them in place. Hope this helps, 'fooz
Anybody ever make pannier racks for aftermarket panniers on a Gen2 ? I'd love to put e-41s on my bike. Apparently there is hard to find givi pannier racks for Gen1 but not Gen2.
I picked this up in Naples on Friday, and rode it home 900 miles to Baton Rouge on Saturday and Sunday. It's a 2007 AE. Loving it big time, two left hand surgeries had me looking for relief and the AE is just the ticket.
Very nice! I can see why those surgeries would welcome a break from squeezing a clutch lever. I got caught in a horrible traffic jam back in June in West Virginia and wished I had the AE model.
Getting the 2003 sorted-picked it up last week. Changed the oil, air filter, front tire and upgraded fork springs. Q: It appears the cam chain tensioner is failing-I am hearing intermittent flop. If I cannot locate one tomorrow, is it safe for a ride to Fla? Sounds fine at anything other than idle. Q: I just got off a 2002 Triumph Trophy which fit me ergonomically perfect. I am getting some lower back pain and between the shoulder pain on the FJR. The prior owner put some short risers on it-I suspect that is part of the problem. I also suspect the sweep of the bars is a bit more than I like. What is a bloke to do? Thanks guys! SE
may want to check out this product http://www.mv-motorrad.de/lshop,showdetail,136280242930855,de,1362802429-30855,1254303433.1331054885,901440-03,1,,.htm and this thread for reviews and install http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/146408-my-impressions-of-the-mv-motorrad-bar-riser/
I bought an 08 with 33k in May. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ohwcfGBrx4w/UR7J5hgNVqI/AAAAAAAAATg/bwuVAFisIW4/s1600/003.JPG It now has over 43k, I love it!
80K miles on my 04,,,,, stock tensioner. Don't worry about it. The bars are the only thing that I don't like. I tried some risers that move the bars up and rotate them out but still no cigar. I don't think the 2nd gens have enough adjustability either. I really wish manufaturers would just put real andle bars on the things so we ould change the ergos easily.
I picked up a 2008 and curious about filling the fuel tank. Top it off to the level of the interior "screen" and it's not full. Keep adding fuel and it runs to the top but wait a few seconds and watch it lower. I haven't yet watched how much I'm adding to get the tank full but I will the next time. Is this normal?
My 2008 behaves that way. I think you can get a bit more gas in if you refuel on the centerstand. The low fuel indication comes up pretty early. I've driven up to about 35 miles with the fuel indicator flashing and never put in more than about 5.8 gallons.
Getting on it on the center stand w/ bags on is always fun. It's one of those fun things w/ any bike is learning how much fuel you can put in it and where the reserve kicks in. The first time I filled it by topping off the first time but not watching it, the fuel gate was one tick below full. So I knew something was up. Almost want to carry a gallon of fuel in a can and run it out just to see when it is bone dry. Thanks for the info.
Yes, this is normal - filling the air space above the recessed neck in the tank is often called "burping" the bike full of fuel. Yamaha says not to do it - this air space provides expansion volume. On a 49-state bike without a canister, the only consequence of an overfill is that you might spill raw fuel out the overflow line to the ground, but if you have a CA emissions bike (don't recall whether FJR's are sold as two models with a separate CA model) you can fill the canister with raw fuel and essentially plug it which, in addition to rendering the canister non-functional, might also cause tank venting issues. If your bike has the canister, I wouldn't burp the tank, or if you do it, don't be very aggressive about it. With some bikes, you can drill out the filler neck which allows the air to escape and allows faster filling of this air space. Yamaha says that you get the full tank capacity by filling to the bottom of the neck. I used to have a FJR and don't recall if this was true or not; on my current Super Tenere, it is not as the tank is under-full about 1/4 a gallon if you stop at the filler neck. - Mark
Hey All, Got my brand new AE last September and just finished getting it ready for this year. It was great stock but needed lots of things IMO. I put a Penske on the rear, Rich's saddle, Cee Bailey +0+2+MRA Vario, and lots of other cool stuff. I just finished reading this entire thread and one thing I don't see mention a whole lot is how important it is to sync the throttle plates. Not the throttle body sync per the manual, but actually adjusting the plates. Lots of info of FJRforum. When I got mine, I was disgusted with the vibration, at 75 it was the worst I-4 I've owned, I actually thought about selling it. After the job, it's now as smooth as my old blackbird at 75 and smoother at speeds below that. I think this is why you see so many people mention vibration and get flamed for it...some of them really do vibrate, alot. Anyway, if you are thinking about getting an FJR and your gut tells you it might be the bike for you, DO IT. They aren't for everyone but the guy claiming the RT is superior in every way was good for a laugh. RT has it's strengths but it's way too expensive for me and that boxer is just plain sillly. Felt like a lawnmower off idle.
Yeah, if I stopped filling it when it first appears full, the gauge doesn't render full. So not filling the additional space isn't ideal. I will try it on a center stand to see if it makes much of a difference. One time I filled it I was sitting on the bike so basically the same thing although I didn't pay much attention to the difference of filling it that way vs on the side stand. Mine is a CA model so has all the emissions items. Since I usually fill it and then ride, the bike isn't going to sit in the hot sun and need to vent. The throttle takes care of that!
nice FJR CO Rider.. like the color. What saddle is on your bike and for that matter what accessories did you ad? How do you think the throttle plates go out of sych?
The seat is from Rich's saddles in Oregon. I added the Givi stuff, framesliders, that's a heated hear controller on top of the brake fluid, plus the handguards and some hand control things. Very strange but the throttle plates were bad from the factory as are many FJR's. It's just the luck of the draw, which is why one guy will complain about vibration and another will tell him it's an I-4, get used to it. I've never heard of anything like it but we're talking a light and day difference. http://www.fjrforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23101
