I remember riding a FJ1200 in college. What a rush that bike was! My Brothers blue FJ1200 was a rush too. I decided I wanted a FJ1200, Ninja 900 or GPZ 1000. Something in the sport tour vein. I started checking www.cycletrader.com every other day with a profile. I found a 91 FJ1200 for cheap needing TLC the second week. Almost got that one but did not get their in time. Kept checking the trader and EBay Motors for bikes. Found a Ninja 900 but the price went too high. Then saw a 1 line free ad for a 1986 FJ1200 in Stratford , WI on cycletrader.com . Where is Stratford I wonder, 180 miles away my trusty Yahoo Maps shows me. Wow. I wonder how good of shape it is in. I call the guy to find out. Well he says has 26k on it, he is the third owner. It has a bunch of great stuff on it already; Supertrapp stainless 4-1 (RARE), Goodridge brake lines on front, Tele Flex fork brace. Except 2nd gear is starting to jump out of gear. Ouch. Well how much will you reduce your price, I ask. Well $$$ (classifed;) is his answer. I?ll think about it. I tell him as calmly as I can and hang up. Wow 86 FJ with 26k on it for $$$ (classifed;)Ok lets add up again how much I have in the bank account right now. Just enough to get it, ok now its time to talk to the wife once again. We have a good talk about me owning a bike again, with topics of me always wearing my helmet, gloves and jacket covered.
Now for anyone who says man he is really whipped. No my wife just wants to see me around for a long time. Plus my brothers have told her about all my car (5) and bike (4) accidents.
Jerks.
Anyway, on a pre-dawn Saturday morning hitched up the trailer to the van and drove 180 miles into the middle of rural Wisconsin. Excited yet scared. What happens if I drive 360 miles for nothing? A uneventful morning watching the sun come up to kiss the land awake ends as I pull up to Rob?s house. It is sitting his garage poised and ready to spring. Well the tires are a little more worn than I thought they would be but everything else is in pretty good shape. Missing one mirror from dumping it in the grass he says. I can see some scratches on the lower fairing and front fender but light ones. I start it up. Ahhhh that sounds good. Rob has removed the plates off the Supertrapp as he liked the raspy sound. Too loud daddy says my 4-year-old son as he covers his ears. There is nothing like the sound of a big bore bike. I need to tape it and put it on the website. Take if for a test drive? Says Rob. Sure I will as my hands start to sweat. Helmet on, gloves on, gingerly pull it out on to the road. Short shift it to 60 mph. getting used to the rasp of that Supertrapp exhaust. Roll on the throttle as I feel her start to pull hard. Ok enough play lets see what she will do. Downshift two gears to third and nail the throttle.
At 6,000 rpm it was like God took his little finger and snapped me forward.
What a rush! I had forgotten that this bike has one of the fastest 3rd gear roll on?s in the industry. Only bike faster is the V-Max. Still I think. I yell with delight as I seek to put more weight on the front wheel to prevent it from pulling a wheelie at 60 mph. I pull back into the driveway. I cannot stop grinning in my helmet. I talk to Rob for a little bit more. I am able to take another $40 off the price. So I load it on the trailer for $$$ (classifed;) a very happy man.
It does need a little bit of work. I need to drop the motor, split the cases and send off the gears to get undercut. A new mirror and some new tires are needed.
However, I can still ride it for a little bit. After another 55-hour week in the office there is nothing better to clear out the cobwebs.
Try Masters Mircle Soap to really get rejuvenated plus to detoxify your body.
