JungleBiker's FJ45
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- #62
It's funny--the man who gave that FJ45 to me was here just today and asking how it was going. So far I'll have to just say that it is going sloooow. Part of the problem is that I have to finish up a motorcycle project to sell to help finance the FJ45 project.
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- Thread starter
- #63
Found these inspirational photos, though:
#28 Border Carpentry - Cliffhanger 2015 | SS Photography
of a FJ45 on a mid length chassis in the Cobar Cliffhanger--this one has been converted to coil springs, but I won't hold that against him.
#28 Border Carpentry - Cliffhanger 2015 | SS Photography
of a FJ45 on a mid length chassis in the Cobar Cliffhanger--this one has been converted to coil springs, but I won't hold that against him.
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Pics Jungle or it didn't happen 
- Thread starter
- #65
Pics of what? Here's a pic of me on the bike I am currently rebuilding to sell:
This was taken maybe 10 years ago back when I was still single and was on a Christmas road trip to Madang. The big knife in my boot and the hatchet on the back were mostly for show...mostly. There are bandits on the road here and I subscribe to the "hard target" philosophy.
Anyway, the old bike didn't belong to me back then, I was working on it for a customer here and he told me to road test it for him. Later I bought it from him with the idea of using it as a parts bike. Eventually the engine got used up and I Was left with a pretty decent rolling chassis. THen a wrecked 2006 XR650L came my way and I decided to resurrect the 1987 XL600R with the XR650L engine. Anyway, it's all going well, but there were a couple of unexpected problems with the XR650L engine and right now I am waiting on parts. Everything takes forever to ship to PNG...
This was taken maybe 10 years ago back when I was still single and was on a Christmas road trip to Madang. The big knife in my boot and the hatchet on the back were mostly for show...mostly. There are bandits on the road here and I subscribe to the "hard target" philosophy.
Anyway, the old bike didn't belong to me back then, I was working on it for a customer here and he told me to road test it for him. Later I bought it from him with the idea of using it as a parts bike. Eventually the engine got used up and I Was left with a pretty decent rolling chassis. THen a wrecked 2006 XR650L came my way and I decided to resurrect the 1987 XL600R with the XR650L engine. Anyway, it's all going well, but there were a couple of unexpected problems with the XR650L engine and right now I am waiting on parts. Everything takes forever to ship to PNG...
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Pics of the 45 mate 
Junglebiker
I'm thinking of buying a XL600 OR 650 instead of loading my 800 lb Harley bagger when touring around OZ. How much lighter are the XR bikes compared to the XL650 as I will need to conserve on as much weight as possible.
I'm thinking of buying a XL600 OR 650 instead of loading my 800 lb Harley bagger when touring around OZ. How much lighter are the XR bikes compared to the XL650 as I will need to conserve on as much weight as possible.
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- #68
The XL600R was made between 1983 and 1987. It's kick-start only, so weighs a bit less than an XR650L as it has no starter/starter clutch/solenoid, etc. and can be run with a capacitor in place of the battery. Figure around 300 lbs. / 135 kg. The biggest problem with XL600R's now is just that they are all so old now. Nevertheless, they are well supported by the aftermarket, and can still be made reliable with updated electrics and a later model oil pump. Although the bore and stroke are different, lot of engine parts from the XR600 will interchange. They also come with a dual, progressive carburetors that are more complicated than the single big carbie on the XR650L, though they do work very well when properly set up and maintained.
The XR650L came out in about 1991-1992 and has been in production with few changes ever since. They weigh a bit more than the XL's as they have a heavy starter, starter clutch, big battery, etc. so figure around 350 lbs. / 158 kg. They are electric start only and must have a battery to run as the DC CDI (Capacitor Discharge Ignition) module is battery supported. The ignition system on these is not as reliable as the AC powered CDI on the old XL/XR600's. An XR650L can be fitted with a kickstarter (but it's a BIG job as the output shaft of the transmission needs to be replaced, so the engine has to come completely apart), and can be modified to run an XL/XR AC powered CDI, but that's a big job, too. I have seen stock XR650L's with over 80,000 miles / 130,000 km on them and still on the original piston and rings, though admittedly these were bikes used for long distance touring in the US by a couple of old guys who decided to ride from the eastern end of Tennessee all the way to Alaska and back.
The NX650 Dominator is related to these bikes--it has more in common with the XR650L than it does with the XL600R, though it has a better transmission than either of these (better spacing than the XR650L and wider ratio than the XL600R). I have one of these engines that I have fitted with a kickstarter and an XR600R aftermarket 230watt stator and ignition system for the ultimate in big bore Honda user friendliness and reliability. It's also been bored out to 675cc and will be going back into it's original NX frame once I am through modifying it into a retro scrambler looking thing. A stock Dommie weighs around 154 kg. so pretty much the same as an XR650L.
XR600R's are the lightest of the bunch (282 lbs / 128 kg.), kick start only, no battery and in the US not street legal, though most Aussie spec XR's I have seen are street legal. The most common complaint about XR600's is that they are a pain to start, but once you get the procedure down for your particular bike, they really aren't that bad. I have a highly modified 1985 model with the 11:1, 628cc HRC piston that Honda used to use in their Baja race bikes and I can usually start it on the second kick wether cold or hot. The early XR600's had dual progressive carbs and a cable activted automatic decompressor (as well as a manual one), but the later ones (1988 and later, I believe) were equipped with an internal decompressor that is easier to use and needs less maintenance. 1988 also saw the switch to the simpler single carbie. XR's are mighty beasts that are very difficult to kill. If you were going for one of these, I'd go for one of the single carb models with a rear disc brake, as they are easier to support. The single carb models are very well supported by the aftermarket.
Large capacity fuel tanks are still available for all of these--I have a 5 gallon / 20 litre one for my XR628. Control cables, brake shoes/pads, seat covers, sprockets, exhaust systems, pistons, rings, valves, gaskets, bearings, etc. all of this stuff is pretty easy to get for most of these bikes, but especially for the XR650L and the XR600R. With a little bit of research it is easy to discover what engine parts will interchange, too. I have an XR650L head on my XR628, for example, (though I had to convert to single carb to be able to use it). I have another XR650L head on my NX engine. I use the 650L heads not because there is anything special about them, but just because they are easiest to find and usually the cheapest.
A lot of XL's, XR's, and NX's are being customised these days--there are some pretty nice looking scramblers being made out of them, especially in Europe.
If weight is a big concern, you might also want to consider an XR400--they are quite a bit lighter than any of the 600's, and I reckon that the power-to-weight ratio of the 400 has got to be close to that of a 600. Not as good for long distance maybe, but definitely easier to ride than a 600 and a lot of fun, too. They do tend to be more expensive than 600's though.
The XR650L came out in about 1991-1992 and has been in production with few changes ever since. They weigh a bit more than the XL's as they have a heavy starter, starter clutch, big battery, etc. so figure around 350 lbs. / 158 kg. They are electric start only and must have a battery to run as the DC CDI (Capacitor Discharge Ignition) module is battery supported. The ignition system on these is not as reliable as the AC powered CDI on the old XL/XR600's. An XR650L can be fitted with a kickstarter (but it's a BIG job as the output shaft of the transmission needs to be replaced, so the engine has to come completely apart), and can be modified to run an XL/XR AC powered CDI, but that's a big job, too. I have seen stock XR650L's with over 80,000 miles / 130,000 km on them and still on the original piston and rings, though admittedly these were bikes used for long distance touring in the US by a couple of old guys who decided to ride from the eastern end of Tennessee all the way to Alaska and back.
The NX650 Dominator is related to these bikes--it has more in common with the XR650L than it does with the XL600R, though it has a better transmission than either of these (better spacing than the XR650L and wider ratio than the XL600R). I have one of these engines that I have fitted with a kickstarter and an XR600R aftermarket 230watt stator and ignition system for the ultimate in big bore Honda user friendliness and reliability. It's also been bored out to 675cc and will be going back into it's original NX frame once I am through modifying it into a retro scrambler looking thing. A stock Dommie weighs around 154 kg. so pretty much the same as an XR650L.
XR600R's are the lightest of the bunch (282 lbs / 128 kg.), kick start only, no battery and in the US not street legal, though most Aussie spec XR's I have seen are street legal. The most common complaint about XR600's is that they are a pain to start, but once you get the procedure down for your particular bike, they really aren't that bad. I have a highly modified 1985 model with the 11:1, 628cc HRC piston that Honda used to use in their Baja race bikes and I can usually start it on the second kick wether cold or hot. The early XR600's had dual progressive carbs and a cable activted automatic decompressor (as well as a manual one), but the later ones (1988 and later, I believe) were equipped with an internal decompressor that is easier to use and needs less maintenance. 1988 also saw the switch to the simpler single carbie. XR's are mighty beasts that are very difficult to kill. If you were going for one of these, I'd go for one of the single carb models with a rear disc brake, as they are easier to support. The single carb models are very well supported by the aftermarket.
Large capacity fuel tanks are still available for all of these--I have a 5 gallon / 20 litre one for my XR628. Control cables, brake shoes/pads, seat covers, sprockets, exhaust systems, pistons, rings, valves, gaskets, bearings, etc. all of this stuff is pretty easy to get for most of these bikes, but especially for the XR650L and the XR600R. With a little bit of research it is easy to discover what engine parts will interchange, too. I have an XR650L head on my XR628, for example, (though I had to convert to single carb to be able to use it). I have another XR650L head on my NX engine. I use the 650L heads not because there is anything special about them, but just because they are easiest to find and usually the cheapest.
A lot of XL's, XR's, and NX's are being customised these days--there are some pretty nice looking scramblers being made out of them, especially in Europe.
If weight is a big concern, you might also want to consider an XR400--they are quite a bit lighter than any of the 600's, and I reckon that the power-to-weight ratio of the 400 has got to be close to that of a 600. Not as good for long distance maybe, but definitely easier to ride than a 600 and a lot of fun, too. They do tend to be more expensive than 600's though.
I came here looking for a 45 build thread! Not chatter about XR's!
Just playing around. I have a 91 XR600 that is also bored to 628 and also has the high compression piston. I have a square slide Mikuni that is epic. So much fun to ride.
It's funny to see peoples reaction when you say you are kicking over a 600cc bike. Like you said, once you figure out what your specific bike wants, they aren't that hard to start. I laughed watching my, much larger and stronger, brother-in-law try to start it. He almost broke his leg when it kicked back. I have the street legal kit on mine and just have a switch for the ignition as no one is really able to start it. It's like a free security system.
If I hadn't just moved across the country, I would probably have my 85 (last year) XR350 riding around by now. But, like most of my projects, it just sits and waits.
Just playing around. I have a 91 XR600 that is also bored to 628 and also has the high compression piston. I have a square slide Mikuni that is epic. So much fun to ride.
It's funny to see peoples reaction when you say you are kicking over a 600cc bike. Like you said, once you figure out what your specific bike wants, they aren't that hard to start. I laughed watching my, much larger and stronger, brother-in-law try to start it. He almost broke his leg when it kicked back. I have the street legal kit on mine and just have a switch for the ignition as no one is really able to start it. It's like a free security system.
If I hadn't just moved across the country, I would probably have my 85 (last year) XR350 riding around by now. But, like most of my projects, it just sits and waits.
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- #71
I knew somebody would "complain" sooner or later! I'll try to stay on topic. I think the wheels and tires I got from another MUD member are in country now, so hopefully I'll have some more photos in a few days.
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- #72
Well! The wheels and tires I bought from tedzap finally arrived about a week ago (it takes a long time for stuff to get here from the US by ship). They look great to me, and really transform the way the truck looks. I imagine it will look even better once I get a new set of springs on!
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- #73
Had to rebuild the right front hub--in the couple of months that it has been sitting, the bearings had frozen up. Of course, it didn't help that they were completely free of grease. Me and one of the guys here who runs our parts store had a bit of a rummage and found that bearings for a Hilux LN106 are the same, as are the ones for a 75 series LC, and we have supported a lot of both of those trucks, so we just happened to have what I needed in stock and ready to go. Nice! Otherwise I would have had to wait a month for them to get here from Oz or wait until the next time I was in Lae or Goroka to pick up a set.
We also found that the front springs from a 75 series ute are about the same length as the original 45 springs! That was encouraging because 75 series springs are really easy to get here. Anybody else tried 75 series springs on a 45? Obviously I'll have to make my own shackles, but is there anything else to look out for?
We also found that the front springs from a 75 series ute are about the same length as the original 45 springs! That was encouraging because 75 series springs are really easy to get here. Anybody else tried 75 series springs on a 45? Obviously I'll have to make my own shackles, but is there anything else to look out for?
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- #75
A little slow--I was really hung up on what to do about the springs--I was all set to buy an EFS kit from Oz, but it was going to pretty much devastate me financially to do so, especially as affordable shipping was hopelessly complicated. Then a mate of mine here told me that we could get HZJ75 springs cheaply here, so I ended up getting a set of HZJ75 front springs, bushes, shackles and pins for US $275 (or thereabouts). Don't know why I didn't think of those earlier!! So far now I've decided to keep the original FJ45 frame and save the FJ45V one out in the junkyard for a possible future project that is cooking in the back of my mind (eventually I would really like to resurrect that one as an FJ45V).
Anyway, decision made to use the 75 springs, I naturally had to fabricate new spring mounts. It's funny the things that end up directing your path when you are short of resources, I didn't have any round stock or even pipe of the right size for 75 bushings (35mm outside diameter), but we did have 79 bushes in stock (40mm), and I did have some nice seamless steel pipe salvaged from a chinese tuk-tuk front fork that I could make to fit the 40mm bushes so I made my front spring frame mounts to use those. Here's photos of the process:
First time using the shops new plasma arc cutter, wow, that was a revelation:
Used rust converter on them before painting, unfortunately the rust converter seems to be a lousy primer, so I may strip all this back off--crappy paint will do the job for now:
Here's the new bushings in place on the shackles, in the back ground you can see the mounts again, the matchbox desert racer truck is "borrowed" from my son for inspiration :
New rear mounts made up, once I see what these look like with the springs on, I may do some more shaping on them. Engineering these to use the Toyota style pins was a pain, but I paid good money for the pins, so I'm gonna use 'em, dang it! I had to use the milling machine to make sure that my holes all lined up properly. Still not 100% perfect, but probably perfect enough, all things considered. Planning to add triangular gussets to these once they are installed on the frame:
On those rear mounts you can see here where I added some material to the mount in the area where the threaded part of the pin fits through the mount--I felt like more bearing surface was really needed there, the 5mm thickness of the steel just didn't seem like enough, and since the steel I used was 5mm wider than the bushing, I went ahead and machined a couple of 5mm thick washers out of an old shaft we had laying around, not sure what that shaft was made out of, but it was hard! I was well pleased with those washers when I was done with them, and also happy with the final result once welded into place--now I've got 10mm of bearing surface on that side, instead of just 5mm, and a nice tight fit on the threads, too. No idea how much bearing surface there is on the original hangers, but given the length of the threads, it seems like it can't be much more/less than 10mm:
Anyway, decision made to use the 75 springs, I naturally had to fabricate new spring mounts. It's funny the things that end up directing your path when you are short of resources, I didn't have any round stock or even pipe of the right size for 75 bushings (35mm outside diameter), but we did have 79 bushes in stock (40mm), and I did have some nice seamless steel pipe salvaged from a chinese tuk-tuk front fork that I could make to fit the 40mm bushes so I made my front spring frame mounts to use those. Here's photos of the process:
First time using the shops new plasma arc cutter, wow, that was a revelation:
Used rust converter on them before painting, unfortunately the rust converter seems to be a lousy primer, so I may strip all this back off--crappy paint will do the job for now:
Here's the new bushings in place on the shackles, in the back ground you can see the mounts again, the matchbox desert racer truck is "borrowed" from my son for inspiration
:
New rear mounts made up, once I see what these look like with the springs on, I may do some more shaping on them. Engineering these to use the Toyota style pins was a pain, but I paid good money for the pins, so I'm gonna use 'em, dang it! I had to use the milling machine to make sure that my holes all lined up properly. Still not 100% perfect, but probably perfect enough, all things considered. Planning to add triangular gussets to these once they are installed on the frame:
On those rear mounts you can see here where I added some material to the mount in the area where the threaded part of the pin fits through the mount--I felt like more bearing surface was really needed there, the 5mm thickness of the steel just didn't seem like enough, and since the steel I used was 5mm wider than the bushing, I went ahead and machined a couple of 5mm thick washers out of an old shaft we had laying around, not sure what that shaft was made out of, but it was hard! I was well pleased with those washers when I was done with them, and also happy with the final result once welded into place--now I've got 10mm of bearing surface on that side, instead of just 5mm, and a nice tight fit on the threads, too. No idea how much bearing surface there is on the original hangers, but given the length of the threads, it seems like it can't be much more/less than 10mm:
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- #76
So now I am just looking for a couple days' time where I can put the truck on a lift and leave it there while I modify the front suspension. Need a holiday to do it, since I usually don't come down to the shop on Sundays. Need a holiday, but the next gazetted one in PNG isn't till Good Friday. I may just have to take a Friday off and do it, I'll have to check with the shop foreman and see how busy we are. (The shop I work at here works on all kinds of stuff, I usually only do the motorcycle/small engine stuff, so I don't always know what's going on in the automotive side of the shop.)
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- #77
Forgot to mention that the 79 bushings I used were rear frame bushings, so they were longer than 75 bushings. I turns an old motorcycle axle down to a little bigger than 18mm, then slid the bushings over it, clamped the axle in the lathe and used a cut-off tool to shorten the 79 bushings to 75 length. In one of my pics you can see a modified set of bushings already installed on the shackle and an unmodified set sitting next to it for comparison.
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- #78
Trial fitted the bushings, hangers, etc. All systems nominal, we are "go" for install.
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- #80
Well, I've got a complete and running F135 with good compression that I think I will put in for now, this will give me time to do a proper rebuild on the 2F, though honestly the 2F's cylinder walls are good, no ridges at the top, etc., I think all it's going to need will be rings, bearings, and gaskets, but the whole thing will have to be stripped down first because of the amount of crud that I found in the sump--sitting with the oil cap off for all those years did not do the engine any favours!!
Bike in the background is a Kawasaki KZ750 twin engine in a frame I built myself out of pieces of flat iron! I was building it for an online bike build-off, and was going for something of a vintage flat track look and wanted to do something different by making my frame out of all self-fabricated I-beams with big speed holes drilled in them, but life got too busy and I never have completed it. Plus I find that while I really like the look of a rigid framed bike, they are too painful to ride here, where all of the roads I usually ride on are just dirt. An hour of riding around on dirt roads on my other hard tail leaves me with lower back pain for 3 days. I need to redesign it to have some sort of suspension in the rear and improve the front suspension, then I'll be able to ride it.