Electric fuel switch went on the blink, leading to intermittent fuel starvation until it was disconnected.
Massive torque, great power and good comfort.
It is heavy, but apart from that, there's really nothing to criticize.
The turbulence is more than you'd expect from its reputation, but this can be cured with a custom screen. That done, it's superb.
Keeping up the the latest, greatest 600s is a blast; without the associated back/wrist/wallet pain.
Just ditch the bellypan before you wear through it.
The FJ1200 was and is a phat bike.
The 1TX was the first and best. This engine was king on the drag strip after the GSX1100 and only beaten by the newer oil cooled GSXR engines after that. We now have the Hayabusa engine as king, but the good old FJ will still pop your arms out of their sockets. Mine was stock and after replacing all the frame bearings, rubber, valve shim settings and carb balancing it was like new, even if it still looked rough
A heavy bike to roll in and out of the garage, R1 calipers make better stopping power. Once in feet up mode it is effortless and hyperspace fast. Will eat ANY sports race bike half its size for lunch up to and over the legal speed limit.
The early ones have a 2nd gear problem, it jumps out under hard acceleration, bad ones were factory re calls, but rare.
Get one if it is cheap, but look for warped brake disks up front, they are fabricated and wear unevenly and warp with heat, you will know about it when you feel it through the lever.
Fork seals need a special tool to undo the damper rod from inside (shop job for most) If it runs well and has a ticket, then change the oil and nail it hard, in that order.
Got an '89 FJ1200 for $2000 in 2006, put about $2000 into it to rebuild the carbs, replace the carb-rubbers, plug-wires, fork seals, sparkers, front and rear tires, mirrors, fuel pump and a lot of electricals.
The bad:
It's a whiney, moaning, buzzy, rattling thing that has all kinds of weird sounds that make you think "Yamaheap" when riding it.
The electrical wiring is not up to what you expect from most other Yamahas. There were so many little problems with the wiring on this thing, it was almost death by 1000 paper cuts.
It's the heaviest bike I've ever ridden. A little scary to move around by hand.
The air cooling of such a large engine makes it inappropriate for much stop and go traffic.
The Good:
The noises this machine make are common to all FJ1200s. It's just the way they were the day they rolled out of the factory.
It's ergonomics are spectacular: You can cruise at 125 MPH for hours, it's so comfortable.
The Hayabusa of its day with completely explosive power at lower speeds.
If you use it only to tour, for which it's very well suited, you won't have to worry about its air cooling.
I've had the same 1990 FJ 1200 since 1991 (it's now late 2007) and I've replaced the fuel pump (last year), the chain three times in about 85,000 miles, some wheel bearings, the front brake discs (just worn from years or use), and that's about it.
With regular oil changes and an occasional carb balance and valve clearance check, the thing runs and runs and runs.
It still makes power about like new, it's comfortable, it's decent, though not great, in the twisties, and if you want to pass somebody on the highway at 60 mph, shifting down is not part of the procedure. You just twist and go.
There are faster and better handling bikes, and more comfortable bikes, but for year-in, year-out functionality and pleasure, it's hard to beat an FJ, still.
I have a 1990 FJ and love it. I just celebrated the 39,000 mile mark and feel that the bike is among the best on the road. I feel that it will some day be a collectors item. I love my FJ!
Tyler
Seattle, Washington.
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