'86 Yammy FJ1200

[IanDMacDonald]

Looking at an '86 FJ1200. Guy put new chain, sprockets, and rubber on it last year. Claims front cowl is broken from a pheasant strike. 33k on the clock. The only thing that bothers me is in the CL as he said the cowl broke from a parking lot mishap, and in the email he says a pheasant flew into the cowl from a ditch on the road.

Always wanted one, and a grand seems like a great deal of the bike is in good condition. I read-up on all the faults (not many except 2nd gear issue). However, with all my other bikes, etc., I question whether I even need one. I really would like to ride it and see what kind of power it has.

[phatts27]

Bikez.com says the '86 has 130hp @9000, 9.7:1, 1188cc, 571lbs wet with a 5 speed and chain drive. It sounds like it goes like stink.

Is this motor anything like our's? It looks pretty similar from the pics I've seen but I guess all I4 dohc motors will look like our's.

[jetmechmarty]

Is this motor anything like our's?

Nope! I believe it has 16 valves. It's the next generation.

[IanDMacDonald]

Decided on passing on the FJ. There is a broken cowl intake duct, and they're harder to find than Standard side covers. Good price for it, but it takes a lot of work & modifications to convert the bike to being naked.

[Mathh]

Decided on passing on the FJ. There is a broken cowl intake duct, and they're harder to find than Standard side covers. Good price for it, but it takes a lot of work & modifications to convert the bike to being naked.

It doesn't even look good naked as the frame continues in front of the headstock..

[Schming]

Ian, you've sparked my interest so I've been looking at these FJ engines, and I'm wondering if they could be a transplant for the Eleven ?

[jetmechmarty]

Ian, you've sparked my interest so I've been looking at these FJ engines, and I'm wondering if they could be a transplant for the Eleven ?

You'd really be better off with an FJ. A lot more than the engine is upgraded. I say enjoy the XS1100 for the wonderful machine that it is. There are some good buys on FJ's out there. They enjoyed a long run.

[IanDMacDonald]

It doesn't even look good naked as the frame continues in front of the headstock..

Ehh, it looks okay. The problem arises trying to mount gauges, headlight, etc., as the fairing support also is utilized for mounts for said above.

[Mathh]

Ian, you've sparked my interest so I've been looking at these FJ engines, and I'm wondering if they could be a transplant for the Eleven ?

It's a lot smaller than the engine of the XS, so you'll end up with a lot of space left leaving you with header issues or distance - front sprocket to swingarm issues.

[Schming]

You'd really be better off with an FJ. A lot more than the engine is upgraded. I say enjoy the XS1100 for the wonderful machine that it is. There are some good buys on FJ's out there. They enjoyed a long run.

I was just thinking if someone wanted a high performance larger engine with chain drive a transplant instead of all the cost and work to a stock XS engine might be possible with some fabrication.
Someday one will probably fall into my lap like the rest did, and I wouldn't think of modifying my two Elevens this extensively, but when I see these high performance bikes with the engines covered up with all the plastic, for me, it's not very appealling. I wanna see a machine and what makes it work, which is why I bought my SF 'cause all the work I did to the '80G is covered by the fairing and hard bags.

It's a lot smaller than the engine of the XS, so you'll end up with a lot of space left leaving you with header issues or distance - front sprocket to swingarm issues.

The FJ engine resembles my XJ 750 in how the alternator is up behind the jugs, wonder if it would fit better in the XJ 750 frame instead of the Elevens.

[Bonz]

I have a real soft spot for the looks of the FJ1100/1200. The 130 HP figure is at the crankshaft, not the rear wheel. Rear wheel HP from stuff found on the internet shows the FJ around 102-108 at the rear wheel. Just like our XS is rated at 95 HP. That is at the crank too, with about 80-ish making it to the rear wheel from the few dyno charts and info on the Internet.

[IanDMacDonald]

Does a Dyno run report HP at the wheel, or engine output? Thinking of AussieG's 107hp dyno run . . .

[DiverRay]

I think a Dyno reports what the machine is making at the rear wheel. It is usually tested in third or fourth gear, to try and get a 1:1 from engine through transmission.

[jetmechmarty]

There are engine dynos and chassis dynos. A chassis dyno (you put the whole car or bike on it) measures hp and tq being put to the ground.

[Bonz]

A dyno gives rear wheel horsepower, after going through the tranny, driveshaft, gears or chain/sprockets. Dyno's will vary from one to the other and day-to-day based on temperature, humidity, the consistency of the operator, especially when checking A/F.

Bike manufacturers always rate it at the crankshaft to give the highest reading possible, and guys like us tuning our bikes use a dyno to see the power we are making, for ego's of course, but also to have the A/F ratio done for carb tuning.

107 RWHP out of an XS1100, even when corrected for sea level conditions, is a modified bike, or the dyno is very optimistic. NO WAY to get that on a stock bike, as Yamaha only saw 95 at the crankshaft.

The FJ 1200 put down 102 Hp in a period motorcycle mag test, and with 4 valve heads, more displacement, you get the picuture that an XS1100 could never compete in that league in anywhere near stock form, or maybe at all.

I have done dyno runs on 3 bikes over the years.

-A Bandit 1200S which put down 104 Hp/72 ft/lbs torque while running pig rich at 10.5:1 A/F (shows the value for tuning purposes).

-VStrom 1000 put down 86hp/62 ft/lbs at 13:1 A/F (very good tune with the fuel injection controller I installed)

-ZRX 1200, 120 Hp/78 ft/lbs running almost 15:1 A/F ratio across the rpm range.

I opened up the airbox on the Bandit 1200 to add some air and really cleaned it up by the butt dyno.

V Strom was spot on.

I have since gone to larger carbs from a ZZR1200 on the ZRX 1200 and it has a whole butt dyno worth of more stomp, and should be pushing 130 hp and 85-87 ft/lbs of torque if my results match what others have seen. That is with a totally internally stock motor on the ZRX. Stock Hp is in the 110 range with torque in the 80 ft/lb neighborhood. And I get 50-52 mpg with these CVK40 carbs from the ZZR1200.

It's a bummer the XS1100 wouldn't respond well to tuning with headers and such, but it is refreshing in a retro way that they didn't leave much on the table when they designed it.