YAMAHA FJ1200 ITX 1188
Build quality
Reliability
Value For Money
YAMAHA FJ1200 ITX 1188
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User Reviews
Build quality
Reliability
Value For Money
I Love This Bike, I Wish I Could Find A New Bike I
I love this bike, I wish I could find a new bike I like as much. I test rode a new Yamaha fz1 and was disapointed, I would rather ride my fj1200 with 35000 miles of abuse on it. If any one can think of a new bike that fills this nitch, post it.
Build quality
Reliability
Value For Money
If You Own A Good One Never Sell It Because Good E
If you own a good one never sell it because good examples are now getting rare and hard to find. I can't find anything in the modern market place to make me trade it in. Twenty years old in 2008 and still a sweetheart machine
Build quality
Reliability
Value For Money
The Best Way To Travel Around Is To Have A Yamaha
The best way to travel around is to have a Yamaha FJ1200 to use. I had mine some twenty years ago now. I decided the bigger the the bike the better
The Yamaha FJ1200 is an air cooled four cylinder machine the most powerful of all the machines that Yamaha made it had some interesting features at the most fasionable end of the market and it was a good choice for me a good looking machine.
It had a red and white fairing and blue display screen on the instrument panel. It had on-off switch, stop clutch/brake leavers, speedo, rev counter etc it does not have a kick starter a locking fuel tank, alloy wheels, helmet lock, indicators, rear seat foot pegs.
The weight came in at over 500lbs, not so light. It could be pushed with great difficulty and can not be picked up should it fall over by anybody but the strongest.
Bought for £2600 twenty years ago it was excellent value. That was the price for a new one. It is not possible to buy a new one now look on e bay the cost is astonishing for a used one.
It was simple to use twenty years ago there were no speed cameras. So it was easy to drive as fast as one liked. It had a light easy gear change and plenty of around town power meant it was a very easy machine to use. It has a 4 stroke engine. Oil which is toped up with a small opening on the enging. It does not use much petrol at 40mpg it is good it will easily do 140mph. The motor is not even trying at 70 mph due to government laws. It is most powerful at a claimed 128hp @ 9000 revolutions per minute when flat out. It has also 85 ft lbs of torque at 5000rpm.
It was highly economical to buy then. But the fact is I used it for 26000 miles with clutch slip all the time. As it was driven without any restriction it was worn out needing a total rebuild. It did 26K miles at great expense to me in petrol and a service at 3K miles. It was not highly durable for me. I would put this down to my riding style flat out every where and also the fact the engine overheated so as to make my petrol tank very hot driving around Central London all day. I was told after 26000 miles that the engine had overheated so badly it needed a rebuild. Tyres last 3000 miles each.
It was a quality product and features were excellent for my mad needs 'WOW' factor was the acceleration 0-100 in 6.5 seconds. A sound and robust machine it has a 'WOW' factor in its top speeed of 163mph. I can recommend the extra feature of a rear top box and carrier by Givi. It is clear and that this machine is a bright addition to any drive way. To ride and rev it is a joy. So handy, so useful I can play on it as well as use it as a street racing machine I pass a Police range Rover at 150 mph they could do nothing. So I am not at all able to complain about anything. It's is then not highly durable or economic to use. I do know it is made Japan so it has a very good reputation for quality if driven at legal speeds.
As it over heated around town it is for motorways or long distance riding! Big and heavy is ok if you are big and heavy other wise it will be a handful.
162 mph and 40mpg 0-100 in 6.5 seconds it is a good product to be of interest to serious long distance tourers and those wanting a big machine. It was excellent at what it did and is recommended by me. Look on ebay for models. I got mine from Flitwick motorcycles in Bedfordshire who offered excellent service.
Doubt if this guy Kelly ever rode any bike!..There is a lot of excelent advice,ect.,on FJ1200,at the fj owners website. HIGHLY RECOMENDED.
Stop telling people to put radials on this bike! How did you not know you had 5 psi in the rear anyway? The rims are too narrow for radials. You need cross-plys. Just get Bridgestone BT45's as anything else is probably a bit rubbish. I bought my Fudge with a cross-ply rear and radial front on it which is illegal and dangerous as it causes the frame to flex and induces a tank slapper. Remember- don't take any advice off the internet. The world is full of morons.
I found this review not helpful because...it's a review of a motorcycle he had 20 years ago which is totally riddled with inaccuracies. This guy is blatently a complete plum and should have his License AND internet connection taken from him immediatly. I do have some mechanical knowledge and an FJ1200. I doubt this person had either.
I have now owned two Yamaha FJ1200 the first you have just read about.
The next one a 1991 model cost me £650 on eBay in 2008 but needed a £100 new tyre as soon as I got it.
The tyre was so badly worn driving it down the motorway from Northampton to London was frightening as at the time they were resurfacing the M1 and the top of the surface had been scraped off. There was also a contra flow in operation. The front tyre was following all the grooves in the road it was all I could do to keep it in a straight line. Next day I went straight to the tyre dealer.
It does use a lot of petrol especially around town and if you use its high performance it can easily drop to 30 mpg.
In 2008 140 was the max I could hit and not to be recommended as the four times it was hit a blow out then took place. I limped home from the M25 to Bermondsey the last time it happened and that was a long journey with a flat tyre at 15 mph all the way.
By 2009 I had covered 5000 miles before selling it back to the guy I bought it off he then scrapped it as no one on eBay wanted it.
It is totally over the top for London and it is even worse now as speed bumps have been put down my street. These get in the way especially as 70 mph is possible in first gear in about 3 seconds and that's with me counting.
The 2008 bike had Krauser 35 litre hard side cases on both sides and a top box. These got in the way when driving around town so I threw them away. Which was a mistake as I purchased smaller ones on eBay and the seller would have swapped the bigger ones for the smaller ones. I also had to drive to Devon to get them and it was quite an experience driving home late at night on the FJ with no winter clothing on. On the move the adrenalin keeps you warm but once slowed down for petrol and could not stop shaking it was that cold in early March by Stone Henge.
The FJ have a very good reputation for reliability with every one but the police. As you would expect I was pulled over. My rear tyre had only 5 LBS of air in it. Although about to do something about it a ranting traffic copper told me these bikes are to old to be on the road as they could have any number of things wrong with them. He then proceeded to take my Mot away and said push the bike home! This was as he found the fork seals had gone. Then I had to spend £100 getting them replaced and having the bike serviced. I could not tell any difference but the changing of the engine oil made the engine seem a lot smoother. The previous owner must then have thrashed it which explains the front tyre wear.
Don't you feel sorry for the police? Having to drive around on BMW's when the FJ1200 is the perfect police bike? They feel sorry for themselves.
When the fork seals went again after 5000 miles I knew it would not pass its Mot. As it turned out the front disc brakes also needed replacing. It was time to say good bye to the FJ 1200.
Ps when the fuses had kept blowing it turned out to be a fault with the ABS so I told it all off and threw it in the bin.
Summary: Makes you want to got out riding
New back tyre was also £100 fitted an Avon Azzaro it pays to shop around.
New speedo cable £13 quite expensive and very difficult to put on if you do not have a small hand that can get into back of the fairing. Had a blow out at 140mph all the nails in the old tyre meant it was worn before its time. These bike are so nice to ride at high speed they are more comfortable the faster you go.
Build quality
Reliability
Value For Money
My Yamaha Fj1200 Itx 1188 Motorbike... What Can I
MY YAMAHA FJ1200 ITX 1188 MOTORBIKE... WHAT CAN I SAY? IT IS FANTASTIC! I HAVE HAD THIS BIKE FOR 13 YEARS, AND SHE HAS BEEN ALL OVER EUROPE WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE DONE MOST OF THE MODS (REAR SHOCK UPGRADE, FRONT SPRINGS BRAIDED HOSES ETC...) SHE CAN STILL HOLD HER OWN WITH MORE MODERN SPORTS TOURERS (IF THEY CAN KEEP UP). THE ENGINE SEEMS TO BE GETTING STRONGER PULLS NOW AT 65000, AS IT DID AT 13000. THE TANK RANGE IS NOT BAD... 150 TO 180 BEFORE RESERVE, AND THE RESERVE IS A GALLON!! THE RED & WHITE ONE IS THE PRETTY ONE (I MIGHT BE BIASED).
THE HANDLING IS PRETTY GOOD FOR A BIKE DESIGNED IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES. IT IS SHARP ON THE TURNS (16 IN WHEELS), SMOOTH ON THE STRAIGHTS, AND WELL BALANCED. THE UNDER BRAKING RIDE HEIGHT IS A BIT LOW, BUT CAN BE CURED WITH AN UPRATED REAR SHOCK
THE LIGHTS ARE JUST ABOUT OK-ISH, AND THE SPOT LAMPS CURED THAT ONE.
WIND PROTECTION IS OK, BUT A FLIP SCREEN IS A MUST OVER 70 MPH.
ALL IN ALL, A VERY HARD BIKE TO REPLACE!
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