Capt_Aubrey: I'm 6"4" with a short 34" inseam and ride the FJR on long trips with only a Sargent seat and a tall shield added. You could have a tall seat built and lower the pegs. Risers are no problem, many have them. The FJR1300 is the first bike I have not added risers or changed the pegs on. I found it to be almost perfect from day one. I rode it for a while not changing anything and my body settled in well. Its been a while, but I think the BMW RT12 is the bike for the really tall folks. I tried one in the past and loved the room but wanted more engine. The Honda ST13 would give a tall rider some knee room, that bike fits me great but, I moved on to the FJR wanting more sport, less heat, less weight etc. With my 34" inseam the Connies flared out fuel tank killed it for me, I would have to lower the pegs. My knees hit the tank all wrong and after lowering the pegs on my past Honda ST I knew I needed to avoid lowering the pegs for the curves. I hate dragging pegs and toes in every "fun" curve, but some of us must lower the pegs. I've learned I rather be a bit cramped and have the lean angle. I do have highway pegs for the interstate. You may want to search this site: http://www.fjriders.com/forum/index.php
This has probably been covered a million times.. What givi bag do most use? I'm thinking about the E55 but haven't read too many reviews about them. What top case does everyone else use?
E52's are very popular, since they swallow two full face helmets or more that a full case of beer I seen V46's as well. Chris
Google: FJRForum.com topcase The 46 and Yamaha topcase are most common. I have a 52 Maxi and call it the Rotodome, but it's the ticket for commuting and swallows everything.
I see your located in Damascus, MD. I'm just outside of Frederick, are they many local riders that you head out with?
I'm already on the Feej every day for 2-3 hours commuting and on errands, so have kinda tapered my local weekend rides to getting out with my son. That said, I do enjoy it now & then, there are several guys in the area, and the weather is warming for the nice-day riders to come out & play. Feel free to pm me if you have plans. btw, Russell Fleming coordinates some really nice rides that become a mix of Connies (both types), FJRs, and others: http://forum.concours.org/index.php?topic=42278.0
Such a great bike. Had to choose between the FJR,GTR1400 and the St1300. Hands down winner even though the Kawa has better warranty and parts avalability in Malaysia. Love it
You have a beautiful area around KL & hopefully some day I'll have more time to explore there! Welcome to the nuthouse & Feej ownership. Sure must be a different ride than your old Ninja.
Got a few questions about the 1300. We have one at our Chevy Dealership Its an 09 with 8400miles on it I can get it for $9000. Is this a good deal and how is the bike I mean performance and reliabilty wise. Thanks
Sounds like a good price to me. What, they're about $15K new? It's not even getting good yet with 8,400 miles. Performance: How much more hp do you need? No reliability issues as far as I know. Just change to oil once and a while and keep a stack of tires in the garage.
If it has the original tires they are probably about gone. Look for 'cupping' (a hump in the center) on the front tire. If it needs new tires you might could get the seller to knock $200 or so towards a new set of Pilot Road 2's. I'd suggest you call Yamaha customer service (800-962-7926). Give them the VIN and ask them to tell you what they can about it, including recalls and warranty status. I found them to be very helpful to me when I bought an '08 'auction bike'. If the bike seems to have been taken care of, and doesn't show signs of having been in an accident then $9K is in the ball park for sure. How much do you care about a warranty? Yamaha has a great extended warranty that only costs $389 from D&H cycles in Alabama. If you're patient you could find a bike from a private seller who could transfer his warranty. I don't think dealers can do that. Edited to add: I came from a Ninja 250. I had no problems handling the higher performance of the FJR. Starting in 2008 they adjusted the throttle system so that it is much more smooth an linear than earlier models. The bike is very stable and predictable. High winds blow me all over the road on my 250, but even in West Texas gusty winds the FJR is barely perturbed at all. I'm pretty short, so adjusting to a taller bike was the hard part for me. Once I got out of the parking lot then I immediately found the FJR to be a joy to ride.
NADA value lists low value at 10.3K, high at 13.5k, I'd say barring any damage, yeah, it's a great deal. As for the other question: Looking at the list of bikes in your sig line, an FJR is gonna be a rocketship. 135-ish RWHP, 100ft/lb torque. Yamaha claims it'll run a 12sec quarter mile at over 110 mph. I know some FJRForum members have taken it to a drag strip and run head to head with 600cc sport bikes and done well. It's fast. Reliability: I had an 03 that I put 78k miles on before a low-side induced total loss. In that time the bike required many many oil changes, many tires, 3 coolant flushes,one battery, one dash bulb, and one taillight bulb. Nothing ever broke. It never left me stranded. I had no plans to sell it. I personally know TWO owners with over 100k on the odo, and one guy with 230+K miles. Yes, two-hundred and thirty thousand miles. He's replaced some stuff, but he's ridden the shit out of it and it never left him stranded either. Mosey on over to FJRForum.com and lurk there, you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about this bike.
Have spent about 9K miles aboard my M109 cruiser and decided it was time for a change that might increase the comfort for my pillion and also improve the handling, braking, acceleration, wind protection and offer luggage capacity. The 2010 FJR1300 has exceded all my expections in the first 600 miles and my pillion finds it much more comfortable. This is truely an expectional pavement missile. If anyone is looking for a 2010, contact me. They are $12.7 new, zero miles with full warranty.
My 04 has been ridden in 49 states, has 70K miles on it, done a good 1K miles of dirt road, has run a best of a 10.80@124mph in the quarter mile, it's ran up around 150mph on the top end and has given many a squid on supersports a hard time in the mountains. That's performance. Reliability? In that 70K miles the front fork seals started leaking around 25K miles and I put new seals, oil and stiffer aftermarket springs in it. The rear shock was replaced with a Wilbers around the same mileage because it started leaking. The valve guides were replaced by Ma Yamaha back in 06 or so and the engine had around 40K miles on it. I really don't think it needed it. I think it was more of a {dealer and mechanic read a service bulletin and decided to make some money at Yamaha's expense. It's been one of my most favorite bikes of all time and I've owned alot but I have started doing too much dirt stuff while touring and decided I needed to get an Adv Touring type bike because places like this aren't really suited to the FJR. Wrong tool for the job- BTW,,, it's for sale.
I took a look through this thread but couldn't find an answer to some of the answers I have. Anyway, I'm thinking about upgrading to something that'll handle longer distance rides with gear/wife. Found a new 09 AE for a decent price from a good dealer. Since I'd also use this bike for general year-round commuting duties, it'd be nice to know how the AE faired in low-speed traffic (2 - 10 mph) for brief distances? How/when does the clutchless system engage/disengage? Is it going to be a handleful at those speeds?
The AE is much easier to ride in low speed traffic than an ordinary bike, because when you release the throttle it engages (i.e. 'pulls in') the clutch automatically. You can't stall it. Just add a little throttle and your rolling, come off the throttle and the clutch will engage at around 1200rpm as you slow down. Your left hand will thank you for your AE every time you get caught in slow speed traffic! The one thing you can't do is sit at a stop light with the transmission in gear and blip the throttle to attract admiring glances from the people around you. Do that, and the people will notice you flying into whatever is in front of you. If you feel the need to blip your throttle while stopped in traffic, put it neutral first!
I've never ridden one, but almost every review I've read says that the low-speed engagement of the AE model can be jerky, and that you have less control than you have with the conventional clutch model. The typical comment is that parking-lot manevuers are a little scary and can lead to the occasional tipover if you're not very careful. This is one of those things were a test ride would be extremely beneficial - this may be a total deal-breaker or a non-issue. - Mark