New Member-Fly n' Ride Mini Ride Report

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

THR-Thumper

Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2011
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Location
Houston, Texas
Hello, everyone. I figured a quick ride report was in order after joining the site. I apologize in advance for the crappy phone pictures and crummy writing.

IMG_4557.jpg


You all know how it starts; a casual phone conversation with a good friend, “Man, we should take a long bike trip. Yeah,someday we should do that. Well, how about this summer?” Those kinds of conversations have a way of snowballing. Pretty soon, it gets to be a very expensive discussion. Oh well, it’s only money, right? We decide to take a couple of weeks off and travel vaguely northwest. There’s some mention of Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. We need new bikes!

He’s an enduro guy. I like a little more comfort. He’s convinced that the new KLR is the perfect bike for traveling. I argue and it gets heated. He ends the argument by going to his Kawasaki dealer and paying cash for a brand new KLR with Givi bags. Now I HAVE to buy a new bike. My VTX1800 is fun, but I have the sport-touring bug and it must be taken care of.

Now begins the agonizingly glorious research period. Do I want the FJR? The Connie C14? Do I want an ST1300? Man, that BMW 1200GT is a pretty bike, as well. I lurk on all the boards. I spend hours on craigslist. I finally settle on the FJR. There’s a dude in McAllen, Texas with a nicely farkled black 2008 with 14,000 miles on her. I give him a call. He agrees to pick me up at the McAllen airport the next Saturday.

Saturday dawned bright and clear in Houston…a balmy 23 degrees. Checking the weather, I thought “It’s got to be warmer in McAllen, right?” Yep, it’s 24. Here’s my truck the day before:

ColdTruck.jpg


Oh well…I stuffed my riding gear in my old army duffel along with a Glock 19 (I’m not flying to Almost, Mexico with 8 grand unarmed). A friend dropped me off at the airport. I checked my stuff and boarded a wind-up toy of an airplane. Check out my lonely seat:

Seat.jpg


A quick ‘plane hop had me in the McAllen International Airshack. It’s a very small airport, with people greeting new arrivals right in the baggage claim area. My duffel was the first on the conveyer, so I grabbed it, found a restroom, loaded up the sidearm, and went out to find the seller, Ricardo. We located each other and jumped in his car for a quick ride across town. He pointed out the border crossing as we drove back to his house. Ricardo proved to be a very nice guy. Not at all the drug-lord, bike money thief that my family was afraid I’d encounter. After a few pictures, paperwork signing, and money counting, he helped me get packed up and on my way. Thanks, Ricardo! Here’s me as I was getting ready to leave:

Bike.jpg


I was on the road by 3:00 PM with just over 350 miles to go to get home. The temperature had climbed all day and it was a pleasant 55 degrees as I left Ricardo’s. I’m terribly dependant on GPS, so I was a little lost as I left his house. I had no idea where I was, but hey…new bike. I figured I’d just ride around a bit and get a feel for the motorcycle. I had a handheld GPS in my bag, but I just used the mapping feature on the iPhone to find 281 North. Entering the freeway was when I fell in love with this bike. Wow! I got on the throttle in 3rd and was immediately going 90. I was actually slowing down as I jumped up to an appropriate gear. The last semi-sport bike I owned was an ’02 Interceptor. I thought that bike was fast, but it was a slowpoke compared to this one. I actually yelled “WOOHOO” inside my helmet! After riding a bit and getting acquainted with the motorcycle, I stopped at one of the fruit stands that line the freeway in the Valley. Oranges are delicious:

FruitStand.jpg


I rode north on 281 through the Border Patrol Checkpoint (“Yes sir, I’m a citizen), and stopped in Alice for a Whataburger. For those of you who aren’t blessed with Whataburgers in your area, I’m sincerely sorry. The area from Falfurrias to Alice is absolutely empty. The roads are great, but almost completely devoid of traffic. They’re also very straight. My GPS recorded my top speed, but I think it was probably lying. I turned east towards Robstown at Alice. I needed to get over to Hwy 77. Traffic picked up a little through this area. By the time I hit Refugio, it had gotten dark. I decided to stop for coffee and to put the liners in my gear. I got out my phone and found that it needed a charge. I had forgotten to bring a car charger with me, so I got to sit around the Refugio Burger King drinking coffee, warming up, and surfing this site on my iPad while my phone charged. When I finally got in touch with my Fiancé, she was a little concerned. I was using the Google Latitude application because I’m too cheap to buy a Spot tracker. My location hadn’t changed since the phone had lost power so she thought something bad had happened. Anyway, I got her calmed down, got the gear back on, and got gas for the first time:

IMG_4560.jpg


With the sun long gone, the temperature was dropping fast. My Olympia gear performed great, though. I never got truly cold. The lowest temp indicated on the bike was 35 degrees, but I was snug as I got back out on the road. The area between Refugio and Victoria was completely inundated with hundreds of deer lining the roadway. Ricardo had installed HID lights on the bike, however, so I had plenty of warning. I highly recommend these lights. This bike does NOT like to ride along at 60, by the way. It was hard to run that slowly. Finally the deer disappeared as I got on 59 North in Victoria. It was a straight shot from here, with a great freeway and few other drivers on the road. I really enjoyed this section of the ride, even though I was still a little on edge scanning for deer. I stopped in Wharton to call and let everyone know I’d be home soon, but they were again tracking me on Google Latitude. I finally pulled into my subdivision at 9:30 PM. My Fiancé and her toddler were shivering in the cold waiting in front of the house for me. That was nice. I got the bike bedded down in the garage and went inside to hot chocolate and fresh made cookies. All in all, a pretty good day. The Corbin seat made the ride easy. I was never uncomfortable or cramped. It was great.

So, I have a couple of questions for the board:

• I need a GPS and mount. There’s a RAM mount on the bike already, so I just need the cradle. Does anybody just use the glove box socket for power or do I need to wire the GPS directly into a lead somewhere?

• Why is the centerstand so hard to operate? I’m a fairly muscular guy, but I think I might be doing it wrong.

Thanks for reading and thanks for a great forum. See you all around…

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thumper, excellent report. You've got the FJR bug for sure. It will keep you happy and on the road for years to come. Glad your first journey was safe one. those deer stories scare me. so unpredictable they are.

Centerstand. All technique. Apply most of your weight on the ball of your right foot thats pushing down the c'stand pedal. Right hand gently lifting up the finger grab rail. And left hand firmly pulling rearward on the left handlebar. The bike will pop right up. And I'm no big strong guy. I did wrestle Kawasaki C10 Concours' up on centerstands for years though. FJR is easy compared to those.

Looks like you are already well on your way to a gratifying FJR owership experience. Good luck.

 
Well, if that's what we have to look forward to for a ride report...welcome to the board! That was good!

And so, the bug has bitten! Don't forget to plan on attending SW-FOG, SOG, EOM, CFJR and all the others.

However, you do need more trip pics! If there's no pic it didn't happen.

Welcome to the board!

My GPS is wired direct to the battery (with fuse), but I'm moving to a fuseblock soon.

 
Thumper,

What a Terric Intro/Pictures ! Now that you know what this bike can do... it gets better when it Warms up. The FJR adjustable windshield can cure a many of weather ills in not so favorable weather.

To feel like you are at an appropriate speed on the Highway...leave it in 3rd gear...

Many more Happy Miles & Smiles to ya...

 
Wowsa! What an excellent introduction/first ride report! Reminds me how much I love the FJR. Glad you had a good fly-n-ride with your new FJR.

As for your questions, I would hardwire the GPS and the C-stand is all technique.

 
Most excellent intro-with Ride report sharing.

Welcome to the forum, and to the Rave-nous 08' owners group.

Just did a drive and ride for my 08' a few weeks ago.

You have just begun to tap into the FJR experience, it is awesome.

I am on my second one.

Well, if you see another 08' buzzing around town, chances are it'll

be me.

Congrats!

RR

 
Nice report, congrats on the new bike.

+1 on the center stand is technique.

GPS: just about any option is better than the glovebox. I chose to place a Powerlet on the front right panel (just above the battery. I take down the GPS except when in use. The outlet powers my tankbag. Also gives me direct access to charge battery

(god forbid it even sits long enough to need a trickle charger).

Check out GPS City, they will have everything you need (then some). Good prices and customer service.

Again, Welcome and thanks for sharing the report.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice ride report. I love it when people actually ride the bike back home instead of shipping it. Much more interesting, and gives you a chance to experience the bike.

Don't take this wrong, but I always wince when people mention in their posts about carrying a concealed weapon. Usually not something you want to broadcast, especially if traveling and crossing state lines. Lots of odd differences from state to state about how to store, whether you can carry it loaded/concealed, etc. I get why you wanted to carry, but you might want to keep that info on the lowdown. Only you and God need to know you are packing.

For the centerstand, its all about position and leverage. You don't wan't to be muscling the bike, and all the action is in the legs, not the arms. For me, I face the side of the bike, put my foot on the centerstand, lean slightly inwards towards the bike, and let my legs do the work of pushing down and letting the bike roll onto the stand, while my hands just guide the bike gently.

Welcome to the forum and hope you have many great rides ahead!

 
Hello, everyone. I figured a quick ride report was in order after joining the site. I apologize in advance for the crappy phone pictures and crummy writing.
Maybe it's just me but I thought you did pretty dang fine on both accounts! B)

EDIT: Although that big ass smile on your face probably could have told the abbreviated version of the story! ;)

IMG_4557.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
I rode north on 281 through the Border Patrol Checkpoint (“Yes sir, I’m a citizen), and stopped in Alice for a Whataburger. For those of you who aren’t blessed with Whataburgers in your area, I’m sincerely sorry.

Good report and Good find there Thumper;

I grew up in Texas on Whataburgers. Idaho is home now so the mountains have taken their place. However, whenever I get back down to Texas there are three things on my list; BBQ, TexMex and Whataburgers!

Congrats on your new ride!

Regards,

-Paul

 
As some said CS is technique versus strength. Make sure both feet of the CS are touching. If you have only the left one touching then it is muscle. With both firmly on the ground a simple press on the CS it will pop right up. Someone mentioned the C10 Concours and how tough that was compared to the FJR. Technique was the key there. When feeling for both pegs touching the ground on the CS it will feel like you are pushing the bike past it center and over to the right. With you foot on the CS you will feel the spot where the furthest leg touches the ground.

I use 2720 and 2610 GPS's and the socket in the glove box, hence my is not hard wired and I use the Garmin adaptor. I plug one of those extenders in and let one of the socket sit outside the compartment. With a dremel tool I carved out a small section of the lip toward the inside of the bike, that enables me to shut the compartment lid without putting an stress on the lid itself. I put velcro on the speaker of the adaptor and the left side dash and simply use this to attach the adaptor. One pain is the GPS shuts off with the bike. My bikes stay outside in the riding season, so my GPS has to come off the bike when not in use.

Very nice ride report btw

Willie

 
Thumper,

Welcome to the forum. 'grats on the new ride. And great ride report too!

With re the center stand, it is definitely technique. Being a 120 lb weakling, I can get the bike up no problems. In fact, I have to control myself so that I don't over do it - as in the front wheel jumps off the ground.

Enjoy the ride and ride safe always!

Nik.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice report and those are pretty good "camera" pics. Warm (which there isn't muck of around here)welcome to ya. Agree with all that was said about the center stand. I think the mistake I was making at first was not quite letting it lean enough away from me to hit both legs. Many happy,safe miles to ya. Nice choice by the way. :yahoo:

 
Welcome to the forum & nice ride report. I did the fly and ride myself when I bought my FJR. It is a lot of fun having an adventure like that right off the bat with your new scoot. I didn't think to take a camera to get some nice pics like you did though.

@ Hudson - If you read his post, he didn't leave his home state to get the bike. I'm sure Thumper, like myself, is well aware of all the laws governing his concealed carry when he does travel from state to state. Like I had to be when I took my Glock 27 with me when I flew to get my bike. Oops, there I go broadcasting it again. Sorry if I made you wince.

Congrats on the new bike Thumper & ride safe,

-Paul

 
Nice report. And nice bike, you'll love it. I have one just like it.

I use a Techmount for my GPS, they make one specific to the FJR, they supply a replacement nut for the top of the triple clamp that has a mounting point for their system. It works very well. I connected the power to the left front turn signal supply voltage wire. The GPS draws very little power, so that's not a problem, and this circuit is switched through the ignition so it is "on" only when the ignition is on.

Here is a link: https://www.techmounts.com/products/index.php?page_function=detail&product_id=7

Speaking of ignition, there was a recall for the ignition switch, it's very important that your bike has this recall done, check on it. The failure mode was wires would come loose due to current induced heat and the bike would be stranded. It's been discussed in thousands of messages here.

 
Great report. Did the same on mine a few months back. Always a fun way to get to know your bike. I ran into thundershowers and a little lightning to add to the fun but still a great day. Glad you made it home safe. They are a great bike, this is my second after a 3 year absence. Good to be back.

 
Top