FJR1300 Thread

[richarddacat]

Originally Posted by Lee Harvey

Picking up a FJR is not a big deal for one person if they do it right. Squat down, put your butt against the seat, place one hand on the handlebar that is closest to the ground, put your other hand under the back seat's hardpoint(the place you grab to put it up on its centerstand) and legpress/walk it back upright. This works on big heavy cruisers, sport bikes, dualsports, ect. I know this from experience.

+1

I've done this and I've seen a little lady at a rally do it with a Goldwing.

[dceggert]

Originally Posted by richarddacat

+1

I've done this and I've seen a little lady at a rally do it with a Goldwing.

Yea, pretty ingenious of her and a wow during the demonstration, but she cheats with a bottle jack!

[Wlfman]

Originally Posted by Lee Harvey

Picking up a FJR is not a big deal for one person if they do it right. Squat down, put your butt against the seat, place one hand on the handlebar that is closest to the ground, put your other hand under the back seat's hardpoint(the place you grab to put it up on its centerstand) and legpress/walk it back upright. This works on big heavy cruisers, sport bikes, dualsports, ect. I know this from experience.

Yep, works great. I once saw a small short (5'1") lady pick up a Gold Wing that way.

[Jud]

Originally Posted by ptc05ADV

Hey guys, we are talking about the FJR...

But some of the Yamaha line IS getting a little STALE! Time for a refresh? Venture? HELL YES!!
FJR? Maybe. Improvements could start with:

1. A few more points of compression on the motor - squeeze out a few more ponies and better fuel economy at the same time.
2. Lose 10 to 20 pounds (maybe in that highly understressed lump of a motor?)
3. Cruise Control and/or heated seat options. The cruise would be awesome to have!!
4. A more adjustable rear suspension?

Peter C

As long as they can increase the compression without necessitating the use of 93 octane. I'm not really cheap {although I do like the cheaper fuel costs}, I love the fact that the bike can perk along perfectly fine on 87 octane because I've been to quite a few places where one couldn't get anything higher.

Agree whole heartedly on the weight loss and the cruise. I have an adiovox after market setup on my DL and I love it. They quit selling them though.

[harfooz]

Originally Posted by Jud

As long as they can increase the compression without necessitating the use of 93 octane. I'm not really cheap {although I do like the cheaper fuel costs}, I love the fact that the bike can perk along perfectly fine on 87 octane because I've been to quite a few places where one couldn't get anything higher.

Agree whole heartedly on the weight loss and the cruise. I have an adiovox after market setup on my DL and I love it. They quit selling them though.

I'm also loving the 87 octane fuel the FJR uses.

Is there a suitable replacement option for the Audiovox cruise control? I have always wanted one on mine, but have just put up with the Throttlemeister.

'fooz

[richarddacat]

Originally Posted by harfooz

I'm also loving the 87 octane fuel the FJR uses.

Is there a suitable replacement option for the Audiovox cruise control? I have always wanted one on mine, but have just put up with the Throttlemeister.

'fooz

I don't care much for the throttlemeister either. Options along the manual throttle locks that I've used is a Madco and got fair results with it but removed it and rigged up a cheap Vista cruise that's working for me now.
I've still got the Madco and it's available FS if interested.

The Brakeaway has gotten good comments but I've never tried it.
http://www.customdynamics.com/motorc...maha_FJR_1300_

The electronic Audiovox seems the way to go, just a lot of work.

[Wlfman]

Originally Posted by harfooz

I'm also loving the 87 octane fuel the FJR uses.

Is there a suitable replacement option for the Audiovox cruise control? I have always wanted one on mine, but have just put up with the Throttlemeister.

'fooz

Not cheap, but : http://www.mccruise.com/FJR-Series-motorcycles.html

[B.E. Coyote]

Audiotex cc is being imported under another name.look on eBay they run around $175

[Tom Herold]

You can also find them here:
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/pr...roducts_id=422

[Sticky Throttle]

Originally Posted by Wlfman

Not cheap, but : http://www.mccruise.com/FJR-Series-motorcycles.html

Got one. Expensive. Works well. Is reliable. And the Guymer brothers (in Australia) provide great support (despite being half a world away).

--A happy customer here.

[Sticky Throttle]

Originally Posted by harfooz

I'm also loving the 87 octane fuel the FJR uses.

'fooz

+1.

The fact that the FJR has such a great engine but only needs 87 octane while getting over 40 mpg (46.9 mpg over 40k miles for me) is quite impressive. A great performer for the money, but I'm biased.

[ptc05ADV]

Gents,
Agreed that 87 Octane, CHEAP gas, is a real winning hand for the FJR!!

What I was looking at is that modern car engines are running higher compressions and doing GDI = gas direct injection and running on 87 octane. Amazing stuff.
For the FJR we could probably get to 11.5 to 12 to 1 compression and regular fuel with some minor revamping of injector spray and timing and a smarter, more powerful ECU.
AND the gas mileage is awesome!!

PTC

Originally Posted by Sticky Throttle

+1.

The fact that the FJR has such a great engine but only needs 87 octane while getting over 40 mpg (46.9 mpg over 40k miles for me) is quite impressive. A great performer for the money, but I'm biased.

[Jud]

Originally Posted by Tom Herold

You can also find them here:
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/pr...roducts_id=422

Glad to see they are still available. He was smart to pick up where JC Whitney dropped the ball. It costs slightly more now {I think JC Whitney was selling them for around 120$ but that's completely understandable considering the economies of scale. I just might pick one up for my FJR as the Vista Cruise absolutely sucks compared to the Audiovox cruise on my DL. Plus, the unit has been dead reliable. I hit a deer on the bike, messed it up real bad and let it sit in the weather for a year exsposing the control switch module to rain, baking heat and freezing cold,,,,,, still works perfectly.

[Tom Herold]

I was lucky, a couple of years ago when Audiovox stopped marketing the CC units, the auto parts stores around the nation were dumping them dirt cheap - I picked up two complete and new in the box units for $12 each. That's not a typo, $12 each... I would've bought more but I couldn't find them.

The current CC unit I have on my FJR has been reused on two different bikes now; they're solid, reliable and aren't that difficult to install or uninstall at all. I still have a new unit sitting in the box in case I need it for another bike.

Murphs also sells just the control pad if yours ever goes bad, my experience with the Audiovox unit is that's the most likely culprit if the system ever fails. It's nice to have a parts source!

[Tom Herold]

I have a 2k mile trip coming up, going to ride the Nachez Trace and tour 5 states over the Columbus Day weekend. I had to change out my tires from Perelli Angels to Bridgestone BT023 GT's yesterday and took it out for a spin today.

Even though I bought the ones designed for heavier ST bikes, the Angel's didn't last - the front cupped at 5k, but I squeezed another 3k out of it just because I wanted to feel like I was getting something for my money. I can usually get one front per two rear tires, but not this time.

The rear made it to 8k too. The cords weren't too far from wearing through, it had a large flat spot at 6k and the side walls gave a lot of flex. Initially, I liked the handeling and the wet traction was very reassuring. They wore out quickly, no where near the durability of the Pilot Road 2CT's I've experienced in the past

I won't be going back to the Angels, they didn't suit my needs.

Enter the BT023's; I just ran them for their first 100 miles to scrub them in on the Texas Hill Country roads and have to say I like them a lot. Based on reading other owners experiences I'm running them at 42/42psi to help prevent cupping and noticed a few things right away;

- The steering's a bit heavier, the bike doesn't fall into turns as readily but once positioned on a line, it'll hold confidently all the way through.

- The stiffer sidewall is a welcomed feeling, I know what the bike is doing, how it's responding to the road and my inputs. Very confidence inspiring.

- Later in the ride I started to get aggressive with the braking and the tires stuck very well, bringing with them a nice stability and predictable feel.

- Deep in the lean, a little dragging the peg and center stand on the left, the bike was confident feeling and ready to stand up under hard power. I didn't feel any unwanted traction loss, but admit I didn't push the new tires too hard because this was a break-in run.

The next test will be a high speed slab run from Austin to Little Rock, then more from Little Rock to Nashville before starting the Nachez Trace Parkway to its end in Mississippi. After that, back roads to Austin again. I'll be interested in how the harder compound down the center of the rear holds up.

The bike is a commuter and long distance runner. I'll be happy with at least 10k miles out of the rear - can anyone running these tires tell me if that's a realistic expectation?