Canadian Root Beer for the holiday season

It didn’t really seem like Christmas this year, unusually warm, no snow, rather quiet, but I did go for a 100 mile ride on Christmas day. A little too grumpy can get you a lump of coal in your stocking, and I had the itch for something to brighten up the season before New Year’s Day. Go bike and accessory shopping. Have some root beer! Arguably better than Kool-Aid!

https://www.rootbeer.com/history/

OK, truth is I’ve been shopping for quite a while, keeping my eyes open for a decent deal. Got an itch when I saw some real good prices recently. I let it stew for two or three weeks. A couple of days before Christmas, I decided to get serious. After two or three rounds of negotiating over a few days, it was clear there was going to be no common ground on any trades, and I walked out to think about it over the weekend. We ended up finishing the deal over the phone. Incentives were good until Dec. 31, and, well, now's the time and the price was right on this one.

So here we have it, a nice brand new root beer FJR. Canadian 2014A. Rare, as I’m finding out. There’s only one other known on the road in the province of Ontario, now to be two. The only other one I know of belongs to mcatrophy across the pond, although his is an AS. I did contact three other dealers who can get one, there’s a couple of leftovers at Yamaha Canada (along with unsold 2015's everywhere), but the prices were up there what they were asking for '15's.

The farkling strategy has begun! The bike is staying at the dealer for a month or two while I make room in the shop and finish up a job or two on my list......

Congrats Ray!

That Root Beer doesn't photograph well, but is STUNNING in person.

I'm going to be getting serious about what I'm doing with my bikes over the next month. Line and I are moving in the spring, and the new place doesn't have a garage, with no access to add one. So all my shit is gonna have to fit in a 10x10 shed. At least one of the bikes will be sold (likely the CX650e). However, consolidating all the bikes into one is also an option. Time'll tell.

NICE!!

Vury nize, vury nize indeed. Congratulations! Can't wait to see you and your avatar riding it.

Very pretty. Damn shame we can't get that color here in the US.

Nice grab Ray! Congrats and welcome to the 3rd Generation.

You'll be the only guy at NERDS with a brown bike next year (if you come).

Happy for you Ray. She's a beauty! Let the farkling begin. Can't wait to see it in person. Oh, and you too.

I accidentally double posted. Chewing that damned Doublemint gum does it every time.

BTW - was there any specific factor that led to you an A instead of an ES?

Just curious.

I'm guessing Ray will be moving his dialed in suspension from the Cherry Cola to the Root Beer?

BikerGeek99 said:

BTW - was there any specific factor that led to you an A instead of an ES?
Just curious.

Click to expand...

That's easy Andy. He's going to add the upside down forks, electronic suspension, a slipper clutch, and a sixth gear. duh!

Thanks, guys. I'm liking that it is quite unique, and yes it will look much better in the sunshine than in the photos. It's a toss-up which is better, Dark Cherry cola or Rootie Beer. I think Root Beer is definitely the fastest colour regardless of suspension flavour. I first saw it at a local dealer and wondered why they used Root Beer for the A and black for the ES in 2014. Shoulda been the other way around, but regardless, '14's never sold well here and I suspect the '15's weren't all that popular either.

I've been in the non-ES camp, and that preference (for me) just gets firmer as I read more about ES experiences. I think after all these years, I finally understood how to dial in my suspension last season, and I now have it so it works quite nicely in the vast majority of conditions with comfort, with only a minor tweak of preload if two-up. I am truly OK without ES and I'm sure as we all learn more, there will be more discussion another day. In the interest of science and knowledge, I'm may ride the stock shock for a bit, but yes, I'm going to swap in the RaceTech G3 eventually, but we'll see in April. What I was really after was the fly-by-wire........ and it may be the last bike I buy in my old age.......

LOL on the slipper clutch, etc....... 2016's are the slower blue colour and I don't need no stinkin' six speed..........

Happy New Year!!

Bring that fooker to the tech day so we can let ALL of the smoke and steam out of it!!!

Congrats!

Wayne

Now with all honest you can call Bill's bike a POS gen2 Congrats on the new bike! Haven't worn my Gen 1 out. but I do likey the fly by wire

Geek wrote -

BikerGeek99 said:

BTW - was there any specific factor that led to you an A instead of an ES?

Click to expand...

What ARE you? A goddamned detective?



(HappyNewYear.)

Good lookin' bike, Ray.

Go Leafs.

Looks great! Congratulations!

RaYzerman19 said:

It didn’t really seem like Christmas this year, unusually warm, no snow, rather quiet, but I did go for a 100 mile ride on Christmas day. A little too grumpy can get you a lump of coal in your stocking, and I had the itch for something to brighten up the season before New Year’s Day. Go bike and accessory shopping. Have some root beer! Arguably better than Kool-Aid!https://www.rootbeer.com/history/

OK, truth is I’ve been shopping for quite a while, keeping my eyes open for a decent deal. Got an itch when I saw some real good prices recently. I let it stew for two or three weeks. A couple of days before Christmas, I decided to get serious. After two or three rounds of negotiating over a few days, it was clear there was going to be no common ground on any trades, and I walked out to think about it over the weekend. We ended up finishing the deal over the phone. Incentives were good until Dec. 31, and, well, now's the time and the price was right on this one.

So here we have it, a nice brand new root beer FJR. Canadian 2014A. Rare, as I’m finding out. There’s only one other known on the road in the province of Ontario, now to be two. The only other one I know of belongs to mcatrophy across the pond, although his is an AS. I did contact three other dealers who can get one, there’s a couple of leftovers at Yamaha Canada (along with unsold 2015's everywhere), but the prices were up there what they were asking for '15's.

The farkling strategy has begun! The bike is staying at the dealer for a month or two while I make room in the shop and finish up a job or two on my list......

Click to expand...

If you are going to leave the bike at the dealer for a while, I would make sure they cover the bike and not allow customers to get on and off the bike. Make sure you pick up the hard bags otherwise you run a good chance they will get damages from moving the bike around. Most dealerships are very crowded and they move bikes around daily.

Nice Ray!! I know when that color came out, some balked at it, but I think it's awesome! Super pretty bike. Congratulations!

So you bought a bike with zero kilos and already it's an antique. How can you possibly pass anything when you don't have that sixth gear warp drive? Being as old as you are I guess you are OK with five granny gears so that might work OK for someone like you in their twilight years.

I'm understanding where you are coming from about the ES suspension. To my knowledge nobody has figured out what the costs are to do a rear shock overhaul on an ES or whether the shock is even rebuildable which makes a rebuildable aftermarket shock far more desirable IMHO.

Congrats on the new ride by the way.