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Is age an issue for FJR's?

4K views 20 replies 21 participants last post by  bounce 
#1 ·
I'm looking at a garaged '08 in great shape. I'd like to have the piece of mind that it will still be reliable when it's 20 years old, in case I keep it that long. Thoughts?
 
#3 ·
wow when I saw the title I thought you meant for no longer riding, in which case I think I'm getting there lol

The FJR's have a pretty decent reliability record. If it has low miles (under 50K), I wouldn't worry too much about it for the next 8 years (at which point it would be 20 years old) as long as you take care of it. Unless you rack up a ton of miles..25K a year for the next 8 years would be 200K on top of whatever it already has. At that point reliability might be iffy.
 
#4 ·
Ditch,

Lots can happen in 20 years, and some of it may have happened already.

If the engine is in good shape, by compression and leak-down testing, then I would expect it to get to 20 years old with just regular maintenance,with maybe a few minor failures along the way. Seals and switches can fail, but much of the FJR is the same (other than cosmetics) for years at a time. You may need eBay or aftermarket stuff, but that is true of almost anything that you buy used. The first issue probably should be tires. I believe that a tire is done, for the strong and heavy FJR, after about five to eight years. Tread depth is not a consideration, with aged tires. Click the link, and scroll down:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
.
 
#5 ·
I have an '05 with 108K miles. If it has been normally maintained, the only thing I'd double check is the cam chain tensioner. I think the "good" CCT came out several years after your bike was made. There were a few iterations. I believe you want a blue dot on the top of the CCT.
 
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#7 ·
The '08 should have the new design tensioner (came out late '07), but it may not have a dot. Ditch didn't say what mileage it has.....
If you're worried about a 20 year old bike, I just bought a 1999 VFR800 with 106k kms (65k miles)..... got it all stripped apart inspecting rad and brake hoses, they look fine. They would be on the top of the list.

I ordered a set of silicone coolant hoses, as some connections/thermostat are buried deep in the V of the engine below the throttle bodies... and some VFR guys recommended new hoses under there and a thermostat change.
Will inspect calipers to see if they need rebuilding (old age tends to harden seals). Definitely keep brake/clutch bled and flushed every year, should be trouble free.


Basically, do all the normal maintenance and ride it til it dies.
 
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#10 ·
Just to add that in the UK the Metropolitan Police use FJRs as part off their fleet (along with BMWs) I doubt this would be the case if long term reliability were a concern.


Biggest area of concern would be how well the bike has been looked after, and then it's ongoing maintenance under your ownership.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Ditch, buy it, ride it, enjoy it,,,,,,,, so long as the maintenance has been done you have no worries.

You will have normal wear items like brakes, tires & fluid changes and I would suggest a rainy/cold weekend of cleaning & lubing pivot points, brake pins, suspension & front & rear drive splines but I do that at tire changes on all my shaft drive bikes using Moly grease.

Keep it moving and she’ll keep you happy.
 
#12 ·
I have bought all of my motorcycles and most of my cars used.

2005 FJR with 15K on the odo. The 2003 Gold Wing with 18K on the odo. These are well-made Japanese bikes that mainly need routine maintenance year over year. Tires, oil changes, tune ups.

Some of us ride and drive our vehicles until the wheels drop off!
1998 Toyota 4runner with 221K miles
2000 Toyota Land Cruiser with 165K miles
1995 VW Jetta with 289K miles

If you're like me and you'd like to customize or replace tires but no broken final drives or busted motors, then the FJR is about the top of the pile for reliability.

Check out the Iron Butt Rallies for the past 45 years - and you'll see FJR finishers frequently. A BMW motorcycle mechanic finished in top place IIRC on an 2005 FJR.

Reliable - yes - don't worry!

And in 20 years, will you still be riding that particular FJR?
 
#20 ·
Check out the Iron Butt Rallies for the past 45 years - and you'll see FJR finishers frequently. A BMW motorcycle mechanic finished in top place IIRC on an 2005 FJR.
2013 IBR, 2005 and 2006 FJRs took five of the top six places (1, 2, 3, 5, and 6). Average distance covered about 12,000 miles in 11 days. That was the final point in my 2014 decision to buy an FJR.
 
#13 ·
I’ve had this conversation with a friend of mine. I’ve been on quite a few motorcycle forums and have never been on a forum that has so many new members joining when they buy a used version with 60...70...80,000 miles on them. The FJR has a reputation for having bulletproof major components.
 
#14 · (Edited)
The thing for me is to look for keys about the bike's history and maintenance.
Just as an example: a year and a half ago the Missus saw a 2000 ZRX1100 on Craigslist at a moderate price. It appealed to her so we went up to look at it.
The seller wasn't impressive. He talked a better game than he actually spoke, if you get what I mean. The bike didn't start really well or run particularly right. The seller had some off-center notions about its condition and upgrades. Sample: the snatchy clutch (an extreme rarity on this Kawasaki engine series) was a Barnett, that was why it grabbed.
Anyway, it was rideable and the price was almost within reason for the condition. (ZRXs hold a higher value in many markets than might seem appropriate.)
What I saw, though, was Michelin PR4s, all Galfer hydraulic lines, a high-end steering damper and fork brace, and so forth. In other words, really good mods obviously done by a caring past owner (not our guy!).
So we bought it. Yeah, the clutch was a worn-out stocker, the starter chain tensioner needed the Kwick upgrade badly, and the carbs needed a fair amount of attention. In the end, though, the bike's been fine and the past owner's care paid off. I've put about 7000 miles on it and gotten home in good shape every time. I wouldn't hesitate to take it to Pittsburgh in the morning (if the weather was tolerable, of course).
This was all much the same for the FJR- numerous quality mods and signs of maintenance. So far, 20K miles later, not a worry to be had apart from more maintenance.
So if the previous owner spent money and time on the bike and there's nothing else obviously wrong, those are what I'm looking for.
 
#15 ·
To the Original Poster. As said the miles and years are not an issue to a well maintained FJR. But in my case, my bike is getting heaver each year that goes buy. Runs like new but has gained a bit of weight. If you keep yours for 20 years you will also find that your bike will get heaver also. Not sure why.:laugh::wink2::smile2::grin2: Might have to put my 2014 up for sale in the near future.
 
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#16 ·
I got twenny two bucks burnin' a hole in my pocket. Lemme know!! :grin2:
 
#17 ·
I'm still riding a 47-year-old Honda. Keep up with maintenance and you should be fine.
 
#19 ·
I have a 2006 FJR that I have owned since new. Don’t be impressed, it only has 45k miles on it. It has required no repairs of any consequence in that time. It’s garaged and still looks good.

It has been in the shop for the various recalls and TSBs, most (all?) of which do not apply to an ‘08. I still have the original brake lines (which concerns me a bit, based on my experience with older cars) and coolant lines, have not had any ground spider issues, and still have the original headlight bulbs.

I have had the customary fiddly maintenance items such as sticking rear brake pedal, leaking fork seals, and by 10 years of age the rear shock was totally dead. I am starting to see some more minor annoyances. For example, a few weeks ago I pulled the bike out for a quick 800 mile jaunt down to South Padre island and during TCLOCKS discovered the high beams did not function. A quick shot of contact cleaner into the switch fixed things right up. Last fall the front brake wasn’t fully returning. The solution (from this forum) is to flush out the master cylinder where the pin pushes with wd40. Both 5 minute fixes, but you have to be alert to these minor issues, then research and apply the fix.

I would expect that even a well kept low miles 08 would need a complete suspension rebuild by now, which is a variable, but substantial sum of money.
 
#21 ·
Agreeing with them. Age is less important on an FJR than how well it was taken care of. That's why a SMH when I see the not-infrequent posts about how to avoid maintenance.

Without a Maint Log (of some form) you're taking a stranger's word as they are taking your money.

Do a visual and a riding test (that might take a purchase with agreement to "buy back" in 30 minutes). Then look at their maintenance folder. It should have:

1. Receipts for everything done
2. Dates & ODO reading of when everything was done (hand noted on the receipts is often a good thing since it can show "events over time" and be less subject to pencil whipping than something like a spreadsheet).
3. Receipts (w/dates and ODO readings) for all accessories installed.
 
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