From Rust to Restoration: YAMAHA FJ1200 Custom

Webike's Opinion

Here is a "YAMAHA FJ1200" custom by Webike community user "Hiro". The owner used to ride a Katana, but as a second bike, he bought a broken down FJ1200 at a bargain price, since it was a model that he had admired in his younger days. While restoring it he also added some custom touches, and is proud of how beautifully it has been revived. He is now riding this FJ as his main bike and has promoted the Katana to a "family heirloom".

First of all, he needed to restore it from its completely immobile state, so he started overhauling and was surprised to see how badly rusted the stock parts were. He decided to replace brake related parts with rust-resistant stainless steel ones, and chose DAYTONA's Special Air Bleeder and Stainless Steel Pad Pin Set, K-CON's Stainless Steel Rotor Bolts, and PMC's Banjo Bolt and Washer Set. In addition to superior rust resistance, the unique shine of stainless steel adds an accent to the bike, which the owner considers a subtle fashion statement.

The carburetor also had severe overflow and afterfire problems, so an overhaul was attempted, but a simple solution did not fit the bill, and the owner decided to replace all the jets using a Carburetor Fuel Adjustment Kit from KEYSTER. He highly recommends this kit to overhaul the carburetor because it is less expensive than buying stock parts and comes complete with a variety of jet sizes.

Along the road to restoration, the suspension has also been customized. The left side of the front forks had a worn out spring, so he installed HYPERPRO Front Springs. The forks felt slightly stiff and bounced a little on rough corners, but at high speeds, they absorbed shocks well, so he was satisfied with the choice. For the rear, he installed Ohlins shocks made for the ZZR1100, changing the spring rate and shock internals to work for the FJ, and used a Moriyama Engineering Ride Height Adjustment Kit to get just the right ride quality.

Continuing to customize the bike according to his riding style and preferences, he has changed to clear lenses for the turn signals, a POSH Clutch Master Cylinder Cap for a little bit of dress-up, and tried out two different exhausts, bringing this machine to a finish he is pleased with. Since it's an old bike, there aren't many custom parts available, so he doesn't have plans to customize it further, but if the engine goes out, he's thinking about replacing it with one from an XJR1300, showing his dedication to riding this beloved bike for years to come.

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