I have a 1984 Yamaha FJ 600. I've had it 9.5 years, put 39,000 miles it (it has 59,000 total), maintained it carefully (oil changes every 1,000 miles, for example, and I just rebuilt the rear brake) and it's still generally in really good shape. However, I know it's not worth much--probably around $800--and it's developing a few problems that are beyond my ability to troubleshoot. I really love this bike, and I don't want to shell out for a new ride, but I also don't want to sink big bucks into repair work if these are the warning signs of major trouble. Here's what's happening: <> It always starts right up, but it takes about 10 minutes of riding until it's warm enough to idle without stalling (even with the choke on.) <> About half the time, when I pull away the bike sounds throaty and feels anemic and seriously underpowered. Often there are a series of small backfires when accelerating. This goes away once it's warmed up, when it runs fine with no backfiring. <> It's consuming a good deal of oil, about a quart every few hundred miles. This has become noticeably worse over the last year. There's quite a bit of seepage from the head gasket and oil cooler, but never enough to leave more than the occasional drip underneath, so it's apparently just getting by the rings and burning up. <> The mileage has dropped significantly over the past few years, from ~40 to ~25. My limited mechanical knowledge suggests that these are top-end problems that might be solved by a valve adjustment and new rings. But even so, that's work that I'm not prepared to do myself, and I don't want to spend the $$$ unless I feel reasonably confident that it will allow me to get at least 3 more trouble-free years out of the bike. Compounding the problem is the fact that the only San Francisco bike shop I really liked, Scuderia West, is no longer working on old Japanese bikes. (I've had some dealings with Subterranean, and they seem OK.) So I'm not sure where I'd go to have this work done now, even if I decide to do it. Any advice would be welcome. Please feel free to email me off-list at . Thanks for your help-- Ed Ed Batista San Francisco 1984 Yamaha FJ 600
You've only been averaging about 4,000 miles a year on the bike, so you don't seem to have much time to ride anyway. You might be better off selling it to somebody who will fix it up and ride it.[/QUOTE] Holier than thou? So, how many miles/year do I have to ride that you will allow me to keep my bike? 4000 miles/year is way better than 0 miles/year.
Holier than thou? So, how many miles/year do I have to ride that you will allow me to keep my bike? 4000 miles/year is way better than 0 miles/year. [/QUOTE] With a full-time job(+), a new wife, and three sons (two of which are in college), I've been very happy to ride 4000 miles per year! Just getting out on any Saturday morning is great with me! Larry -- ______________________________ '86 GL1200 A '84 XV700 Brain Damaged Dog ~ Retarded Cat ______________________________
allow me to keep my bike? Where do you get "holier than thou" from?[/QUOTE] I probably could have left out the ad hominem part ;-) You had some good advice about possible fixes, but the advice to sell seemed kinda odd... Did you?
Thanks for all the feedback so far. I'm a little daunted by the prospect of taking the head off and working on it myself. I just rebuilt the rear brake and disassembled/reassembled the lower suspension to hunt down a squeak, and that took about all the time I could spend on maintenance and pushed my mechanical knowledge to the limit. But just knowing a little more about the likely culprits will be helpful if I decide to have the work done. And it sounds like there are some potential quick fixes worth trying. RE: the sub-thread on "how many miles does it take to be a serious rider?", as I said in my original post, I've had the bike nearly a decade and put 39,000 miles on it. I used to do a lot of long trips--took this bike up to Canada, out to the East Coast, and down to LA from San Francisco--but these days work has to come first. I still ride it every day, but just to commute. Was I a "serious rider" when I was doing 1,000 mile weekend trips every month? Or am I a "serious rider" now that I dodge 15 miles of San Francisco traffic every day? Seems like a argument that'll never be decided. If you're out there on two wheels, you have my respect, and I hope you're having fun, wherever you're going. Ed
