Just about every vehicle I own eventually ends up under the title “restomod”. I just can’t leave well enough alone, but rather than go crazy building something, I tend to follow the original style/theme of whatever I’m working on and just enhance or refine what is already there. My 1989 FJ1200 is no different....
back in 1984, I was still in high school. Being a typical canadian teenager, I was into motorcycles (as well as machines i general). I raced rd350/400’s out at Shubie and in 1983 I had managed to scrape upenough cash to buy a VF750F Interceptor. In 1983, the 750 Honda Interceptor was top of the “wunderbike” pile. It was all conquering. So much so that literbikes had to be worried about that “little” 750.
well, that was a great year! I had the big dog on the streets and no one dared mess with it.
it was great, until 1984 when Yamaha let loose the FJ1100.
It immediately dominated the drag strip and the street. It was the top of the heap, period and I wanted one....badly.
sadly, it never worked out. I just coukdn’t get the 6+ grand together to buy one, even if I sold the VF. The FJ went on to my bucket list and fadded into my past.
fast forward to age 45. Always looking for the next project, I ran across a 1983 Yamaha Venture. Big old touring bike, which I thought would be better for my rapidly declining health. I had to go to PEI to pick it up.
While browsing PEI kijiji, I ran across an FJ1200. It was old, it was beat and it was 800 bucks! A couple phone calls reveals the Venture and the FJ were only about 20 mins apart. I talk with the missus and she knew how long I’d been vetching for an FJ. She looks at me and says “buy both”.
well, I didn’t even stop to question it. That weekend, we hooked up the trailer and off we went. Came hone the next day and:
the Venture was a 25,000 km one owner bike. Garage kept and pretty much mint for a 1983:
but the FJ was in sad shape. It had gone through several uncaring owners. The current owner had it stored in a shed that was literally 30 feet from the Atlantic ocean. He took it on trade fron a guy in quebec and it had sat for several years. He wasn’t a bike guy. It looked like this when I picked it up:
Pics make it look better than it was. Literally every panel was cracked, battery was stone dead, multiple switches and modules were dead and the paint was, well....lets just say it wasn’t good and leave it at that. But I jump started it and it actually started on the couple year old gas. No smoke and once warmed, it ran and sounded pretty good. The odo said 66,000, but I coukd tell it was probably actually 166,000. Especially since I found an old add from quebec where mileage was listed as 89,000. But, it ran, no smoke, no noises and it sounded healthy.
sold! I finally had my FJ!
to be continued....
back in 1984, I was still in high school. Being a typical canadian teenager, I was into motorcycles (as well as machines i general). I raced rd350/400’s out at Shubie and in 1983 I had managed to scrape upenough cash to buy a VF750F Interceptor. In 1983, the 750 Honda Interceptor was top of the “wunderbike” pile. It was all conquering. So much so that literbikes had to be worried about that “little” 750.
well, that was a great year! I had the big dog on the streets and no one dared mess with it.
it was great, until 1984 when Yamaha let loose the FJ1100.
It immediately dominated the drag strip and the street. It was the top of the heap, period and I wanted one....badly.
sadly, it never worked out. I just coukdn’t get the 6+ grand together to buy one, even if I sold the VF. The FJ went on to my bucket list and fadded into my past.
fast forward to age 45. Always looking for the next project, I ran across a 1983 Yamaha Venture. Big old touring bike, which I thought would be better for my rapidly declining health. I had to go to PEI to pick it up.
While browsing PEI kijiji, I ran across an FJ1200. It was old, it was beat and it was 800 bucks! A couple phone calls reveals the Venture and the FJ were only about 20 mins apart. I talk with the missus and she knew how long I’d been vetching for an FJ. She looks at me and says “buy both”.
well, I didn’t even stop to question it. That weekend, we hooked up the trailer and off we went. Came hone the next day and:
the Venture was a 25,000 km one owner bike. Garage kept and pretty much mint for a 1983:
but the FJ was in sad shape. It had gone through several uncaring owners. The current owner had it stored in a shed that was literally 30 feet from the Atlantic ocean. He took it on trade fron a guy in quebec and it had sat for several years. He wasn’t a bike guy. It looked like this when I picked it up:
Pics make it look better than it was. Literally every panel was cracked, battery was stone dead, multiple switches and modules were dead and the paint was, well....lets just say it wasn’t good and leave it at that. But I jump started it and it actually started on the couple year old gas. No smoke and once warmed, it ran and sounded pretty good. The odo said 66,000, but I coukd tell it was probably actually 166,000. Especially since I found an old add from quebec where mileage was listed as 89,000. But, it ran, no smoke, no noises and it sounded healthy.
sold! I finally had my FJ!
to be continued....