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stioc

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Hi all, I just purchased a 2005 Feejr with 9800 miles on it. I'm coming from a 2009 Ninja 650R (mini-sport touring). I would love to say that I love the Feejr over the Ninja but I can't right now. What I really wanted was a ST1300, figuring if it's good enough for the Highway Patrol it should be good enough for me.

OK on to the issues I've noticed in one day of riding:

Throttle: The throttle is funny; if I hold it steady the bike gallops/surges as if you're going over a bumpy road. If I get on the throttle hard it vibrates as if the clutch is slipping, and doesn't accelerate hard. If I somehwat-gradually open the throttle this doesn't happen and the bike pulls hard- much harder than my Ninja. I ran a bottle of Seafoam cleaner and rode the bike around at high rpms. I also adjusted the idle speed to 1100rpm and it's a little bit better but it's still annoying. That's really the main issue that's keeping me from liking this bike and I'm having second thoughts about it.

Seating Position: Surprisingly the seating position is also not suiting me as well as the Ninja. With the Ninja I had to lean forward a bit but I didn't get a pain in my upper shoulder/neck area and I could rest my chest on the tank but maybe that's just my body that needs adjusting to a new bike.

Tires: It needs a front tire ASAP, is the recommended tire a Michelin Pilot Sport? version 2 or 3?

Are there any other 'must-dos' on these bikes that enhance the riding experience? particular suspension setting? tire pressures? farkles etc?

Thanks for any feedback!

 
...OK on to the issues I've noticed in one day of riding:

Throttle: The throttle is funny; if I hold it steady the bike gallops/surges as if you're going over a bumpy road. If I get on the throttle hard it vibrates as if the clutch is slipping, and doesn't accelerate hard. If I somehwat-gradually open the throttle this doesn't happen and the bike pulls hard- much harder than my Ninja. I ran a bottle of Seafoam cleaner and rode the bike around at high rpms. I also adjusted the idle speed to 1100rpm and it's a little bit better but it's still annoying. That's really the main issue that's keeping me from liking this bike and I'm having second thoughts about it.

Seating Position: Surprisingly the seating position is also not suiting me as well as the Ninja. With the Ninja I had to lean forward a bit but I didn't get a pain in my upper shoulder/neck area and I could rest my chest on the tank but maybe that's just my body that needs adjusting to a new bike.

Tires: It needs a front tire ASAP, is the recommended tire a Michelin Pilot Sport? version 2 or 3?

Are there any other 'must-dos' on these bikes that enhance the riding experience? particular suspension setting? tire pressures? farkles etc?

Thanks for any feedback!
Throttle issues: Sounds like you bought a bike that needs a tune-up if not more.

Seating position: You might get used to it or not. Handlebar risers are available and might make it more comfortable for you. Hope you get the issues sorted out, I really like my '05, wouldn't trade it for an ST1300.

 
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Welcome to the forums. You should have read this Bin-O-Facts thread already, and if you haven't, do it now. I ride with ST1300 riders and I think once you get to know the FJR you won't regret the decision. You have a higher power and lower weight on the FJR and as long as you look after a few things, your experience should improve. At just over 9K miles, I would recommend doing some maintenance tasks, especially if you don't know what was done before. Spark plugs and a throttle body sync can smooth things out on surging. Adding Heli-bar risers can put you in a more comfortable ride position, but riding the FJR is different from sport bikes. Learning the ergonomic advantages of the Master Yoda Riding Position should alleviate your problem; and you may need to consider a custom seat. It is really important to tune the suspension. There are lots of articles and posts on the forum with recommendations. Tires are kind of subjective. I have found Michelin Pilot Road 2 give a lot more miles and decent performance. YMMMV and tire threads and oil threads will get this sent to NEPERT.

My experience is buying a 2005 on December 1 2010 at 6477 miles, and currently having over 27K miles on the meter. So one-year over 20K miles. I did some simple things to make the bike fit me and my riding style. I can't imagine a better machine for the variety of roads and touring I do. Good luck as you begin your journey.

 
Acceleration -- check to see if your FJR has a Power Commander installed, it will probably be in the tool tray. Check the CO values, this requires that the Barbarian jumper is installed first. If the jumper is in place someone has probably been fiddling with the settings. If your FJR has a Power Commander you may want to either remove it or run the Zero map to see if it gets better. If any or all the CO values are over 17 they most likely have been offset to this value by a previous owner and need to be reset back to a more normal value.

Many Gen I FJRs have steady throttle surging. A Power Commander with a proper fuel map usually fixes that. Check to see if the O2 sensor is plugged in.

PR2 or PR3 -- fifty cents one way and half a doller the other.

Comfort -- change the spellilng of your Forum name to stoic and pratice it.

 
Hi all, I just purchased a 2005 Feejr with 9800 miles on it. I'm coming from a 2009 Ninja 650R (mini-sport touring).
Congrats. Excellent choice.

OK on to the issues I've noticed in one day of riding:

Throttle: The throttle is funny; if I hold it steady the bike gallops/surges as if you're going over a bumpy road.
Depending on how much "surging" you are getting, this may or may not be "normal". Excessive amounts of surging can be due to problems with ignition or fueling. But in it's stock form, the first gens especially tend to have some detectable "lean" surging that occurs under steady throttle. In my case, to eliminate that surging entirely took installing a PCIII and a custom fuel map. Other people have been able to reduce it enough to where it is tolerable by performing the "Barbarian Jumper" mod and changing the CO programming in the bike's ECU.

If I get on the throttle hard it vibrates as if the clutch is slipping, and doesn't accelerate hard. If I somehwat-gradually open the throttle this doesn't happen and the bike pulls hard- much harder than my Ninja.
If the clutch was slipping you would see the rpms shoot up quickly but have poor acceleration. Is that what is happening? It's possible thatr the PO cooked the clutch, although it does take a lot of abuse to do that.

OTOH, if you are just experiencing slow acceleration but no quick increase in rpms then it isn't the clutch.

Seating Position: Surprisingly the seating position is also not suiting me as well as the Ninja. With the Ninja I had to lean forward a bit but I didn't get a pain in my upper shoulder/neck area and I could rest my chest on the tank but maybe that's just my body that needs adjusting to a new bike.
No two people are shaped exactly the same. What you need to do is experiment around with varied positions and see if you can find one that is more comfortable for you. You can get a sense of what it will be like riding with bar risers by just riding for a while with only your fingers on the bars. That's about how much more you'll be sitting up with a set of risers. You might also want to play around with the position of your butt. Are you pushed way back in the saddle or up close to the tank. This will change your back and neck angles some.

Tires: It needs a front tire ASAP, is the recommended tire a Michelin Pilot Sport? version 2 or 3?
Pilot Road 2 or 3 are the most popular based on forum polls. There are as many opinions on which ST tires are the best as there are choices. Personally I think the PR2s are a good cost / longevity / performance compromise.

Are there any other 'must-dos' on these bikes that enhance the riding experience? particular suspension setting? tire pressures? farkles etc?
Since you mention it, yes. Tire pressure. Forget what the manual says, that is way too low and makes the bike handle like a pig. Start with 40 front and 42 rear for starters and adjust to your personal preference in 1 lb increments. That and a new tire will probably alter how you feel about your bike more than anything.

Oh, and do check out that Bin of Facts

 
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Since you bought used, you really don't know what has been done regarding maintenance or abuse. The suggestion to do the basic maintenance is a good one, so you can have a base line to work from.

Regarding riding comfort, I suggest you put a few thousand miles on the FJR to allow your muscles to get accustomed to the position. If you are still not comfortable after that, then loot at bar risers and aftermarket seats.

The one thing that bothers me most is the 'clutch slipping' vibration. Can you be more specific about the symptoms? Does it happen only in a particular gear, like maybe second?

 
Intolerance of a quick, wide open throttle but normal acceleration at smaller, less rapid openings is a symptom of being too rich. The engine feel of being too rich is just like what the OP describes. This is why I focused on the Power Commander and Barbarian jumper with elevated CO settings.



Also, along with everyone else I agree, do a tune-up. Check or replace the air filter and throw away any mouse nests. Do a throttle body sync.

 
Make sure the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) has been updated. Most 04 FJRs came with a substandard one and Yamaha issued a service bulletin to install a new one. Call a dealer, or Yamaha Corporate and give them your VIN to ensure you have the updated TPS.

You probably don't want a Michelin Pilot SPORT, but the Michelin Pilot ROAD. The Pilot Road III is the most current version out there and seems to be popular so far.

Oh, and ST1300s SUCK. Lots of law enforcement agencies headed away from them due the dangers of the high speed weave and going to the Kawi C14.

 
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wow, thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated.

The bike was well cared for and is completely stock. Doing some searches I found a couple of threads pointing to corrosion on the ECU connector that could cause the weird throttle issues.

I looked up the Barbarian mod, sounds interesting- and until reading it I didn't know about the DIAG function either which will come in handy in the future too.

As for the vibration, the RPMs don't go up, it's almost like the engine is starving of fuel or iginition or something where it's trying to speed up but can't carry the load. If I do it gradually it goes. Maybe if I find an FJR owner near me I can let them ride mine and see if it's normal or just my imagination coming from a twin engine with a good smooth acceleration.

I'll check into the Michelin Pilot Road 2/3 and the maintenance items. Any particular online Yamaha stores you guys suggest that offer reasonable prices on the OEM parts?

 
stioc - PM me. I've had two 2005's because they are so good. :yahoo:

Also I think I live very close to you, if U b in SoCal.

Maybe I can help out. My bike did similar, do what everyone is saying. The TBS was one of the best fixes for my surging issue I had. I also changed the air filter, spark plugs, and did an oil change... just because, not that it would help just sayin'.

My old 2005 did not have a vibration issue, my new one does. It vibrates down low, under heavy acceleration. Not sure what it is, I've thought maybe like the bike's internals etc loading up and has a sonic and metallic vibration going on. Doesn't effect the performance, but it sure is different.

 
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The back/shoulder/neck pain comes from leaning on your arms. Don't.

The reference to Master Yoda riding position is something you should definitely absorb, don't just gloss over and think it's just too weird. It is The Answer.

And why ask about looking for '05 owner's? You got something against people of other colors!!??!?!?!??! :p

 
suggestions for farkles you ask:

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Hi, my name is Mike and I'm a Farkleholic..

 
And why ask about looking for '05 owner's? You got something against people of other colors!!??!?!?!??! :p
I don't like other colors, not even different color blues... Oh yeah and AE's too, regardless of color. :p
There's only one blue galaxy blue. ;)

**EDIT**

I do like all Gen1's. Gen2s', now they stink! :D

Is it Friday?

 
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And why ask about looking for '05 owner's? You got something against people of other colors!!??!?!?!??! :p
I don't like other colors, not even different color blues... Oh yeah and AE's too, regardless of color. :p
There's only one blue galaxy blue. ;)

**EDIT**

I do like all Gen1's. Gen2s', now they stink! :D

Is it Friday?
It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. WE can call the Friday if you can handle it. :yahoo:

 
So I decided to tear into the bike this evening. My gf walked in and said "wow that didn't take even 2 days before you started taking the bike apart" lol

I found some corrosion on the connectors that this (clicky) thread refers to. So I cleaned it but that hasn't made any noticeable improvement. While the bike was warming up I opened the throttle just a mm or two rapidly and it felt like it was stumbling. There was also a lag (during warm up) between when I opened the throttle and by the time the engine revv'd.

While I was in there I removed the right side spark plug and it looked OK. The air filter was also clean. I guess the next step would be TBS. I'm not afraid to do it myself but don't have the sync tool so I may bring it in to the dealer if the price is reasonable- fat chance I know.

Ordered the Road Pro 2 this evening.

If I can get this throttle stumble/surge/lag thing figured out I'd be a really happy guy, hopefully there's a better/cheaper alternative to the PCIII :(

As for the Yoda riding position, wow that was a long read and I'm not sure I get it. It's hard to know without seeing the pics at least. I always try to lean forward a bit and hold my body up by my torso and legs (as opposed to the arms) clamping the gas tank like the Keith Code book/DVD tells you to do. However, when riding 2up (most of the time) that's hard to do or I'm too far forward from my gf. I'm 6ft 155lbs.

 
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