FJR1300 Shakedown.

Sep 19, 2006
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www.chiangmai-xcentre.com
Thursday 21st.
John Gooding had ridden down from Khon Kaen the day before and Traded in His VFR800 in on a Brand New 2008 Yamaha FJR 1300. He rode out of the Shop at 6pm checked in His Hotel and Next Morning was at the X-Centre at 9am so i could take a Look 8)
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The Proud Owner John. At this stage it had 15 Miles on the Clock!!!
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Nice Rear!
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So after Breakfast we decided to take it for a Shakedown Ride. I thought to repeat the Ride i had done a couple of Months ago with Tim on His Tricked out CB1300 so off we went onto the 118 heading North. This Road is Now a Mess :( Where it used to be Construction beside the Road there is Hardly any Tar left, They have ripped up the lot so a Pretty slow and Dusty ride up to where we turned onto the 120. Now this was better and we got some real speed going and some Beautiful cornering on the Hills. Stopped at the Lookout above Pha Yao and the View was ruined by the Smoke :cry: The Burning has started in Ernest already (worse heading to Lampang). Here is the View. Couldn't even see the Lake!
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I tried to get a photo of John on the Move but was either to soon or to late, here is one attempt!
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We carried on down to our Usual GT-Rider Restaurant in Pha Yao for Lunch and Refreshments.
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Afterwards we did the Blast down to Lampang on the 1. Great Ride. As John was just running the FJR in he was restricted on Revs a bit but at 4500rpm he was still doing 130kmh or over according to my Bike when i followed Him. Nice to Watch a New Bike on the Road. He gave it a few Bursts and it really moves out for a Big Bike. Very Quiet and Smooth.
I gave my Tiger a good Run in some Clear Sections. Great Roads for doing it safely up there. Hit 239kmh according to my Maximum Recorded Speed on the Dash Read-out. I doubt now it could do much more as i was pretty close on the Red Line from the Glance i managed to take. Still felt really Stable and smooth at that Speed. I remember doing 240kmh on my FJ1200 in NZ and it was a bit rough at that speed from Memory!!! But Of Course that was 20 Years ago :roll:
Anyway We carried on to Lampang had a break at a Gas Station and Back to Chiang Mai we went. All went well no Traffic & No Drama's. Carried on straight back to the X-Centre where we had to clean up the Bikes after all the Road Works at the Start of our little Trip!
Here is John giving His FJR it's first Soapy :wink:
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I was most impressed with the FJR and Once John gets the Luggage He has ordered for it it will be the Perfect Touring Machine for Eating up the Miles in Comfort. We covered 420kms on this Shakedown Run, No Drama's. Average moving Speed 92.9kmh. I wish John all the Best and Hope to get up to Khon Kaen in the Near Future so He can show me around!!! :p
 
Sep 19, 2006
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Sorry i missed your Report Captain Slash so i could have avoided the 118. Nearer Lampang the Fires are much Worse. The side of the Road and Areas were actually on Fire as we Road pass. Once i Went past some Local Village Idiots setting Fire to the Road Side. I gave them a few Gestures and One Fingered Salute. They seemed Puzzled at what they were doing Wrong?? :? My Sister-In-Law from Lampang claims they Burn everywhere as a Mushroom comes in the regrowth and that is what they are After??? Sounds a bit strange to do so much Damage to get a little Mushroom??? Yes the New FJR is Shaft Drive. Has the Best of Everything on it for Maintenance Free Touring. The Yamaha Shop here had 3 New 2008 FJR1300 arrive this week. All 3 are now Sold, Franz got the Last one Yesterday!!! :wink: How is that!!! If all the Big Manufactures Start selling like Yamaha we will have some Good Deals up. I would love to know the Figures on How many Bikes have been Sold By who. For Sure Yamaha are streaking ahead of the others at the Moment!!!
 
Jun 21, 2006
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Ian great write up and foto's.....

Will be interesting to see what is on show at the motor show next month

currently on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia, today they had an Ironman event on.

3.8km swim, 180km cycle ride, 42 km run, gee you should see some of the competitors, they were looking a bit worse for wear....

An Aussie girl won the womens section, and I think she was 5th overall.
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Now safely back in Khon Kaen, FJR in one piece and just washed again.
Thanks to Ian for the baptism in red dust and clay, but great washing facilities. Ians idea of running a bike in is to make sure that all aspects are properly checked, such as maximum speed, checking of tyre grip right to the edges, and correct functioning of ABS on mud covered roads.
More seriously it was good to follow him as when riding an unfamiliar bike, there is enough to get used to without worrying about where you are going and what speed to take the bend ahead at, he was an excellent guide.
The bike is absolutely great, more than I expected. I did enough Km to detour to Khorat to the Yam dealer there, and have my first service. An interesting experience, with a very helpful willing to learn staff, who had never seen a shaft drive bike, and needed some help, and a call to Japan to find the right oil for the drive. Khorat have all the bikes in stock and I can supply details of location etc to anyone interested.
Bit tired after 1540km total, but very happy. Would welcome any questions on the bike and its performance, but as this is a ride report post, will not go on to add comments here.
 

DavidFL

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John
Congrats on the new bike & making it home nicely with the first service done en route - smart man.
I'm sure you're going to have heaps of good riding with that bike.
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Hi David,
Appreciate your good wishes.
Another 250 km today, around KK area just specking out a ride for 1st March. Will post details in NE section and ride report later.
Today proved that bike very comfortable for pillion passenger as well, partly due to the more upright position feeling safer for the pillion, and the big comfy seat.
All the best
John
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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Super nice looking FJR John. Those black ones are real headturners. When you do the first rear tire change, make sure they remove the 4 nuts, pull the drive and apply some good Honda moly60 grease or equiv on the drive splines in there. Mine were bone dry from the factory as have been many others. The drive can get really hot after extended high speed runs (too hot to touch), so a top grade synth is recommended. Happy touring!

How's expat life in Khon Kaen these days? I had a week of hedonism there in '05, but looks like the Sofitel has doubled in price since. Any good suggestions/values about now?
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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It's an incredible powerful bike, same as John, I'm just waiting for the sidebags form Charoenmotors to be delivered. When I received the bike, the next day I headed all the way down to the Eastern Seaboard without any glitches, only sometimes you have to watch your speedo as you are very quick and easy in the > 200 km/h zone.......Here's some pictures: //i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff170/franz-esie/fjr-2sm.jpg
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FJR I will keep here down east, for Chiang Mai I keep my vintage XJ750Seca, also some pictures:
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Still do not know what to do with the only 6.000kms F650GS, I like her handling and simplicity, maybe I keep her; hasn't even got a tiny scratch....or maybe I get her up to CNX for more fun when riding.....
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Anyway, service of CHAROENMOTORS Chiang Mai, is very good & customer friendly way better than several others.......Cheers, Franz
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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Man, how do you guys keep your stuff so clean? I was up to my eyeballs in dust 99.9% of the time over there. Anyway, if you can ditch the stock cans for some carbons it drops about 30 lbs off of the bike that you can feel. Those SS cans weigh a TON. More radical surgery can get the cats out and opens things up pretty nicely without having to buy an entire header system. Matte black ceramic coating eliminates the tarnish and boot marks with a stealthy look too. Just a few pics of what I did to mine along with the PowerCommander and M409-004 map. Added 7HP to the wheel on the Dynojet. Only a 5-6% gain, but much snappier low-end response and sweet tone up top.

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Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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Feejer, nice looking upgrade of your exhausts! I won't do it as I don't like noisy bikes, more power I don't need as the original setup of 143,5 hp is already more than anyone can safely handle, altough I'll gonna do some touring upgrades soon. Cheers, Franz
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Hi Feejer,
Thanks for the tip about the lubrication of the shaft. Please enlighten me on what the rear transmission oil does, this was changed at 1000km service, contains about 120ml of Hypoid axle oil. I assumed this would lubricate the shaft splines as well?

As far as life in Khon Kaen goes, not sure wether you asking about the hotels or the night life. Sofitel, has some offers from time to time and still is no 1 in KK, however many other reasonable places clean, with good rooms from 500 to 1000 Baht. If you have any dates in mind I can make some enquiries for you.
KK has some Falang bars, a number of Coyote type bars, a few good bars with decent music and food and any number of Karaoke places. Also a couple of not so traditional massage places.
Nothing in your face like well known entertainment areas, but as any Thai town of this size, can find most things if one knows where to look.
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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Franz - Eastern Seaboard wrote: Feejer, nice looking upgrade of your exhausts! I won't do it as I don't like noisy bikes, more power I don't need as the original setup of 143,5 hp is already more than anyone can safely handle, altough I'll gonna do some touring upgrades soon. Cheers, Franz
Franz,

I agree about the factory power being enough. I initially gutted the cats and swapped the exhaust cans to improve the heat issue. The 1st gen bikes would cook you through the fairing and the cats radiated heat over onto my lower legs too, especially in low speed traffic. Getting them out of there and ceramic coating the pipe was a huge improvement. The power increase was just an added bonus.

The Remus cans have the nice feature of having removable baffles. With them in, the sound is almost stock levels, just a deeper tone. With them out, definitely louder, but not obnoxious or raspy either. But if the new bikes have no issue with heat and you're happy, then more money for touring upgrades. :D
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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johngooding wrote: Hi Feejer,
Thanks for the tip about the lubrication of the shaft. Please enlighten me on what the rear transmission oil does, this was changed at 1000km service, contains about 120ml of Hypoid axle oil. I assumed this would lubricate the shaft splines as well?

As far as life in Khon Kaen goes, not sure wether you asking about the hotels or the night life. Sofitel, has some offers from time to time and still is no 1 in KK, however many other reasonable places clean, with good rooms from 500 to 1000 Baht. If you have any dates in mind I can make some enquiries for you.
KK has some Falang bars, a number of Coyote type bars, a few good bars with decent music and food and any number of Karaoke places. Also a couple of not so traditional massage places.
Nothing in your face like well known entertainment areas, but as any Thai town of this size, can find most things if one knows where to look.
Hi John,

The gear oil will only get at the internal gears/bearings etc. Since the FJR is pretty potent and heavy, a good synthetic like Motul 75W/90 or Mobil 1 is recommended to keep things cool and limit wear. The splines are external to the drive and involve 1) The input shaft from the gearbox and 2) The drive-wheel interface. Those need a good moly grease to ward off corrosion and wear. Any competent shop will know to lube the drive-wheel splines when the tire is changed, but using a top grade grease like the Honda moly60 is recommended on these, as things can go south in as little as 50K km (usually in the middle of nowhere) with an inferior grease. The big one that most shops miss are the splines on the input shaft inside the swingarm forward of the drive. They have to pull the drive back to get at those and lube them with grease too. Those are the ones that are usually dry from the factory.

Good to know there are some decent hotel choices still available for 1000 baht or so with my $'s turning to shiet by the day. Won't be around until Oct., but I assume Eric's bar, Zolid, and the hi-tech plaza (Club 182) are still in business?
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Hi Feejer,
Thanks for the detailed reply, I will keep it for future ref.
As far as the heat goes, I think this model is pretty good. There are two movable panels, 2 positions which direct air to the legs or away from them, as needed here. I had to show the Chareon guys how to move them, easy to do, but the little manual with the bike is in English, good for us but not so easy for them and I do not know if Yamaha has provided Thai workshop instructions for them. They are very willing, but short on knowledge.

Erics bar has been joined by three or four similar bars in the same area, Zolid is going strong, not sure about Club 182, seems a bit run down around that area. New club called Harem in basement of Khon Kaen Hotel.

Look forward to seeing you in October.

John
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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Yes, will be nice to finally get to use David's book. Tried to make it over March '07, but the fires/choking smoke kept me home. Oct seems to be the best for me as things are green, just starting to dry out, and not too hot yet. Hoping to meet you and others for some rides during the 3 weeks. Now if I can find a way to rent an FJR around there :lol: If it was even possible, would probably be cheaper to fly mine over.
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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Finally sorted out my bikes, FJR stays at my house in Bowin, F650GS stays at my appartement in CNX, XJ750Seca I gave to a Thai friend of mine who helped me a lot in the past but doesn't have the funds to buy a big bike.......I hope he joins us soon at this forum. FR