Memories

Reading the August '08 issue of Superbike and a passage talking about tucking the front on a 1098 reminded me of some fun I used to have. An '85 Yamaha FJ1100.





I actually had more then one at various times, but this last 85 I had the longest and had some good times on it. It had powder coated white wheels and a smoked screen when I got it. By the time I got rid of it, there was Fox and Progressive suspension bits, a Vance & Hines 4-into-1 Megaphone in black (entirely too loud, but cool as hell when you could see flames shooting out of the baffles at night!), braided lines, and a host of other little things that conspired to really make it awesome bike to ride.

But let's remember that it had it's issues. When those bias plies were cold, they gave up no feedback. Nevermind the fact that the bike was long enough to span two country codes.The bike was real slow about rotating in that stealthy manner, only to suprise the hell out of you when it suddenly found traction and lifted your arse a foot or three out of the seat. Interesting that once the tires were hot, throttle steering 2nd gear was as heavenly as it's going to get on a bike!

But it was a trist of the front end that I'm remembering the most. Charging down 152 towards Watsonville in California, I was in my usual aggressive mode. By this time, a lot of things about the bike had been changed so I really liked changing directions. Perhaps I shouldn't have been carrying so much speed into corners, but that's how I was riding the bike in those days.

But one corner made me rethink that policy on the FJ. On a fast downhill left hander that I chucked the bike into when just as I noticed that I was pushing, the front tucks, pushes straight for about 5 feet, then bangs hard on the center stand (there's a reason those don't get put on Sportbikes anymore!) causing the front wheel to regain traction. And good thing too as by the time I was back under a semblance of control (and my buttocks started to release their grip on the seat), I was perilously close to the edge of a road and a 100+ foot drop off.

Yeah, I went back to riding it like a point and shoot bike after that. And even then, it still had me out of the seat on a couple of more occasions before trading it in for an RF600. But in spite of the trade, I had some damn good times on the FJ. I'll never forget my long days riding up the coast from L.A. to Santa Cruz on that bike. Sunny afternoons on Highway 1 from San Luis Obispo to Monterey and those endlessly twisting roads. The bike sounded incredible echoing off the mountains.

But whatever right? Besides, my save talked about above was luck! Skill is below!