Hey Bonz! ZRX qustion

[HalfCentury]

Good stuff to know. I will peruse the thread(s).

My bone stock FJR1300 is 145 HP according to specs. It is scary fast. with a fist full of throttle, about the time I hit 3rd gear, I have run out of legal speed limit just about wherever I am.

The FJR feels about twice as powerful as this ZRX1100. What is amazing about the ZRX is how small it looks compared to the FJR.

[Bonz]

The response of the FJR1300 with fuel injection is more immediate than with carburetors, and definitely gets with the program.

Do you know what gearing your ZRX1100 has? Stock is a 17t up front and a 45t in the rear. You can drop to a 16t sprocket up front or up to a 47t in the rear and get more oomph from the shorter gearing. A lot of guys do that. Actually that is the most cost-effective way to make the bike quicker without doing anything to the exhaust or engine. However, with an FJR 1300 in your garage, which I forgot about, having a nice stock ZRX 1100 in the shape yours is in is a nice thing.

I am sorry to keep harping on the performance upgrades, you already have one that hauls butt. For those times when you really want to...

Stock gearing on the ZRX1200 is 17/42, I run 17/41. Gives about 100 RPM drop at 60 mph.

[HalfCentury]

Right now I am at a hotel waiting for a hauler to show up. Its raining buckets off and on. I was able to get a new battery installed while I had a sunny 30 minutes.

When the ZRX is in my garage, I will check on the sprockets. I have a couple of pictures to post as well. My guess on the sprockets is that they are stock. In 5th gear, road speed is about 50 mph at 3000 RPM. That is just about exactly the speed of the FJR under the same conditions.

[Bonz]

That sounds spot-on for the stock 17/45 gearing.

Run that short of gearing on something with that much power and it will move out! What is your gas mileage out on the road with the FJR?

Yamaha has added a 6th gear that is 10% taller to the current generation.

I am looking forward to an FJR, ST1300 and C14 being at the Colorado Rally in a few weeks. dpotter58 may rent a BMW R1200RT or similar if available and we will have four sport tourers represented.

I hope to offer to swap rides on my ZRX at times so I can try them out. I have ridden all four and had an ST 1300 at one point. With a seat riser kit and peg lowering kit, the ST 1300 was very comfortable for my tall frame. The bike just didn't have a mechanical personality that led me to want to keep it. It was too bland for my tastes. Although the V4 is the most awesome engine I have had under me, nothing beats the smoothness.

The FJR felt small or more compact when I was on it and the C14 seemed pretty good for my tall size. My buddy owns an R1200RT with the short seat option so other than it being a fantastic bike in every aspect, I'd have to put a taller seat on it.

[HalfCentury]

A brief break in the rain allowed me to snap these pictures

[Bonz]

It looks like the rear fender where it extends down below the license plate has not been cut off either. Many guys do that and uncut is a more rare piece to find on a used bike. And the reflectors are on it still! Another nice thing to have on a used bike. Many have been removed over the years.

Definitely a stock header, not that you didn't know that already.

For the fuel gauge not working, check that the wire from the tank is connected to the wire on the bike. To remove the tank that has to be disconnected and maybe it didn't get connected fully or was mistakenly left unconnected. Possibly could have gotten pinched as well and rubbed the wire and it is grounding out.

If all that checks out, you can remove the fuel sending unit fairly easily and check it. Open up the sending unit and take a look at the resistive wire. There's a solder joint that can break. Fixing that would fix your problem.

Otherwise find one on eBay and swap it in. I believe for sending units themselves are the same between 1100 and 1200 however when in doubt get one for the 1100.

[HalfCentury]

The FJR gets from low 40s to high 40s gas mileage. It depends how hard and how fast you ride it.

The ZRX1100 should arrive Saturday morning. I will have a look at the fuel sender wiring to see if that is disconnected.

The owner did make a few changes. He had several items chromed, handlebars, chain guard, gas cap ring. You should be able to see these modified pieces in the pictures.

If I do start down the mods trail, I would start with headers. Can you keep an eye out for used headers? I am more interested in function than show room condition.

[Bonz]

I have a good friend that lives in Colorado Springs who is on the ZRX forum. He has one or two ZRX headers around at any given time. I bought mine from him along with the Muzzy exhaust can when I found it worked better with my carb and cam set up. I borrowed it from him for a trial run to compare to my Holeshot shot header and can.

Being that yours is a stock header, the Yosh can you have in a box probably is a bolt-on, and the mid pipe of whatever header you get would have to have the bolt on flange to match the can.

Otherwise, you could sell the Yosh can on the ZRX forum and use the proceeds for a slip-on can for whatever header you get. Yosh is good stuff and brings good money.

I like the custom chrome stuff that he did. I didn't notice until you said it.

[HalfCentury]

I have a good friend that lives in Colorado Springs who is on the ZRX forum. He has one or two ZRX headers around at any given time. I bought mine from him along with the Muzzy exhaust can when I found it worked better with my carb and cam set up. I borrowed it from him for a trial run to compare to my Holeshot shot header and can.

Being that yours is a stock header, the Yosh can you have in a box probably is a bolt-on, and the mid pipe of whatever header you get would have to have the bolt on flange to match the can.

Otherwise, you could sell the Yosh can on the ZRX forum and use the proceeds for a slip-on can for whatever header you get. Yosh is good stuff and brings good money.

I like the custom chrome stuff that he did. I didn't notice until you said it.

What did he charge for the headers?

[Bonz]

I paid $350 for the Muzzy header, and $125 for the Muzzy can.

[Bonz]

Nice to see you on zrxoa.org!

[HalfCentury]

Its nice to be able to peruse zrxoa.com. I will enjoy the new bike.

The bike is now in my garage. I will ride it some tomorrow. My neighbor is drooling to ride it.

[Bonz]

Look forward to what opinions you come back with once you get some miles on it!

[HalfCentury]

Look forward to what opinions you come back with once you get some miles on it!

My neighbor rode it on Monday. I rode it today. My neighbor was raving the entire trip. He was thrilled to ride it. He did point out some weave in corners.

I rode the bike 70 miles today. I did some of everything. Freeway, twisties, sweepers, 90 mph holeshot. It was a blast.

Two things

1. There is some suspension or frame/fork instability that is evident during cornering. I can see why people modify the forks, swingarm and shocks. Not a big deal for me because of #2.

2. I am 5'8" so my arms are not long enough to "sit up". My neighbor is 6'4"-ish and he sits straight up on the bike. For me, the shoulder pain started to set in at about an hour in the saddle. Better than a stock FJR1300 but still a problem for a long ride. I would have to perform some major handlebar pullback to make the bike comfortable. Even with the pull-back, the hip joint angle cramps my hip the same way that my XJ650 used to cramp my hip.


Long term, I can see riding this bike locally but not on a multi-day touring trip.

I will not be doing the major mods to this bike that I did to my FJR. It would be a shame to butcher the stock setup. The condition of this bike is near mint except where the PO did a scrape when his strength gave out causing him to hang up his motorcycle boots for good.

[Bonz]

Glad you got out for a ride!

Couple things...

On the cornering instability... Check to be sure the upper two frame mount bolts are in place. On the right side frame up behind the radiator shroud there are two big bolts. They historically come out even on the best to maintained ZRX. With the factory radiator shrouds it's harder to see them. Check the lower two bolts which are just behind the right foot peg. The right side frame member comes out so you can remove the engine, FYI. That's why they designed it that way.

The 1100 doesn't have the braced swingarm like the 1200, so there can be some instability from that.

The single biggest thing (along with 1.1 Sonic Sprigs) I did that transformed the front end of the bike was a fork brace. Greg Couch on the forum makes and sells them. I picked up one of his used off of eBay and it is the bomb.

I also had my rear shocks rebuilt by Daugherty motorsports. He takes the stock shocks, re-valves then with valves of his own design and custom springs based on your weight. That transformed the rear of my 1200.

On the shorter arms you possess, there are lots of bar risers that extend back and bars that are taller that can be rotated rearward to gain you that distance.

I have a lot of mods on my bike and with the Muzzy full system, ZZR 1200 pistons/base gasket delete, ZZR 1200 cams, CVK40 carbs, pod filters, +4 ignition rotor along with the ZX11 ignition box and double valve springs to use the 11,500 RPM redline the ZX11 ignition box allows, the bike flat hauls and can keep up with itself in the corners.