I don't think it's cut and dried. Pretty much depends on the rider preferences. I love the FJR which is why I still have it but deemed near every time I go on a long trip, I end up on alot of dirt,even when two up. To me, I'm willing to trade the slightly better on tarmac abilities of the FJR for the much better off tarmac manners of the Tenets even though I would still have the DL.-
Absolutely. I've done the Iron Butt Rally on a LT, RT and twice on a GS Adventure. For me the Adventure is the bike. Add a deflector and the pocket is a quiet as my FJR. I've lived in New England for most of my life and we're lucky that there are plenty of forest roads in VT, NH and Maine. It's easy to have a 300 mile day where if you want 100 of that is on the kind of dirt that would not be fun on a sport touring bike. The other things that tilt me to the GSA is the stock fuel capacity, luggage capacity, the telelever suspension and the way it eats up the frost heaves we get every year. If your idea of dirt is a graded unpaved road to a national forest site then any bike will be fine. The FJR is a great bike. I know where you can get a brandy new example with under three hundred miles cheap!
I did a test ride on the Tenere and didn't care much for it, but that's just my opinion. I was thinking about selling me DL-650 and buying the Yamaha. I did like the smooth shifting and feel of the engine but I was not impressed in other ways. So, I'll be keeping the VStrom and looking at getting that new 2014 FJR I have been drooling over lately. Or perhaps the 2013, I like he color better. Then I can have the best of both worlds - Vstrom for fire roads and FJR for long distance riding. I am doing more and more long distance black top rides and the VStrom is lacking in this department. On a side note, has anyone had the chance to test the new AES suspension on the 2014? Just wondering if it was worth the extra cash?
+1 My thoughts exactly, including liking the 2013 color better! Maybe put a more aggressive tire on my Strom. We'll see if it's in the budget this year... maybe wait until after this riding season is over and look for cash discounts.
After much thinking and retrospect, I'm sticking to the FJR. I was thinking it would be fun to have a woods bike, just for regular gravel forest roads and maybe some nice groomed trails, nothing truly off-road. I've taken the FJR on some pretty gnarly stuff already, and it did fine, the only thing that concerned me was dropping and scratching the crap out of it. So some canyon cages will have to do. That bike will be able to go down into places like Chaco Canyon, as long as I'm careful. If the off-road bug bites, me I'll rent a bike. There is a dude traveling all south-america and this is what he told me: "The FJR is a tank. I have dropped, wrecked, and put her through hell so many times and it still starts right up. I use a car tire for a rear (darkside), but it makes the bumpy gravel, rocky roads a little more challenging. I made this change to save money and time with tire changes, and it has helped tremendously. But if your not on a budget where every penny you spend is a consideration, then keep the rear as is. She doesnt have much clearance but only the pipes and center stand get dinged or damaged. I laughed one time when i enduro adventure rider asked me after i made it to the top of Monte Verde in Costa Rica, if he thought the ride up could be made in the rain. Dont worry at all about how the bike will hold up through the roads, it may not be the most pleasant of all machines to ride on those roads but it will do it." If you're interested in this young man's travels in South America, look up Into the Blue Again on FB. https://www.facebook.com/anthonysantoloci Neat pictures! My favorite picture is the FJR getting loaded onto a Sailboat to Cartagenas. That guy knows adventure!
That is not the way I would do it.I not only have a different bike for the type of riding I like to do. I have sets of wheels to change the type of tire for the types of rides I am planning on a particular bike. It is about having fun. For some it is fun to do it all on one bike. For me it is more fun to have the right tool for the job. FJR1300 XR650L TT600 IT175 XT225
Well, my Laam arrived today, I can't wait to try her out. Tomorrow would be perfect weather, but it's calling for rain on Saturday, may be a Sunday afternoon ride for sure: If anyone is looking, I have a gently loved Corbin for a Gen1 FJR for sale. Let me know if you need pics.
Sorry for the mis-understanding....that picture is of the virgin Laam (laamseats.com).....gentle love means that as far as you know, I have never broken wind in my seat.......my Corbin is for sale and can be seen in this picture:
I get riding the trails, really I do. I think we are talking 2 different things here though. If riding off-road is what you are looking for, then a FJR is not the bike. The FJR is for riding on the roads, all roads, that take you to a place that is much different from what you are used to. Not only to ride those roads, but to thoroughly enjoy them. To get on that on-ramp at break neck speed, and blend into traffic effortlessly. To travel at 85, or 90mph, and get to where you want comfortably, in the least amount of time. To get to those mountain twisties, with the anticipation of a boy on Christmas morning knowing he is getting a mini-bike. To lean that big bike down through a turn, wondering if you have gone too far, but to come out of it unscathed, and feeling like you are Jorge Lorenzo on his final lap holding off Marquez. That lean, oh that lean, that thing that we all want to push a little further each time we ride her, and she holds on for us when we think gravity will have her will....but doesn't. The FJR is a street bike, pure and simple, that some how gives us more than what she is designed for. I, for one, love her with all that I have, and would never, repeat, never leave her for another bitch! There....I said it.
I just asked my wife if I could get a redhead for Christmas! For some unknown reason, she now wants me to sleep in the spare bedroom and won't even look at me!
clocklaw - Is this a "Corbin close" or a standard? My '05 had a "close" on it & I hated it.......went back to OEM. dan - The redhead is gonna SERIOUSLY disrupt my 5-year-get-out-of-debt plan........my gawd, the '14 is a sexy machine!!
Please give us an update on how you like the seat. How was their turn time, customer service, etc.? Also how grippy is the vinyl? I had a Mayer seat on my old V-Strom. It was comfy but every time I touched the brakes, I felt like I was sliding forward.
Hope I get a chance to ride sometime this week, the weather is supposed to be great. The customer service was great, Seth and I spent a good 20 minutes on the phone discussing my riding style and what I was looking for from the seat.....then we spent another 30 to 45 minutes talking motorcycles. My turn around time was a little delayed as FedEx delivered my seat to his door the afternoon before Thanksgiving and then it sat on a UPS truck somewhere in the mid-west during the ice storms / etc. but actual turn around time on Seth's part...he had it in the mail back to me in less than 2 days from laying his hand on it for the first time. Keep in mind that he doesn't check e-mail much, if you need something, call him. I'll say more once I have a chance to put a few miles on it, but I will add that Seth talked me out of the herringbone texture material because it will be too slick. I went with the carbon fiber look and it looks great!