Substitute Bikes for FJR

[cterry66]

I have an 05 FJR which my wife and I ride on weekends for mostly short distances, 1 to 2 hrs max. I would like to get a lighter bike with a lower C of G , I'm 5'7" and not long in the leg. I was thinking about these choices, 02-04 Triumph 955 Sprint (newer Sprint 1050 looks too radical for passenger), Aprilia Futura, BMW R1200 ST (fairly rare and pricey but probably my top choice),BMW R1200r (still too expensive for me and passenger seat suposedly poor),maybe Suzuki Bandit 1250. I have not riden any of these bikes yet.

Could members offer any opinons about these or other choices. I have had several BMW's before, the last being the R1100s which was a nice bike but too tall for me.

Thanks

 

[FJRay]

Have you considered lowering the FJR???? It is easy and would be far cheaper than replacing it.

 

[marcusorelius]

Accept no substitites! Just kidding ya might want to look at some of the light weight cruizers. (kawi 900, yamaha 950)

 

[cterry66]

Have you considered lowering the FJR???? It is easy and would be far cheaper than replacing it.

I already slid the fork tubes up 1/2". Had thought about the lowering links. I think the least you can lower it is 3/4" with the links. Really though I would like to try a lighter bike though, however I know that it is not easy to find all the features of the FJR in a smaller bike.

 

[Franko]

Have you considered lowering the FJR???? It is easy and would be far cheaper than replacing it.

I already slid the fork tubes up 1/2". Had thought about the lowering links. I think the least you can lower it is 3/4" with the links. Really though I would like to try a lighter bike though, however I know that it is not easy to find all the features of the FJR in a smaller bike.

That probably depends on what your favorite features are. If an electric adjustable windshield that can actually put you in quiet air is one of your favorites... nope, there isn't anything else lighter.

My second "lighter bike" is a 2008 Yamaha FZ1. A very comfortable good performing upright ergo bike that weighs under 500 pounds.

 

[Old Bear]

check out an fz6r...nice middleweight

 

[cterry66]

Have you considered lowering the FJR???? It is easy and would be far cheaper than replacing it.

I already slid the fork tubes up 1/2". Had thought about the lowering links. I think the least you can lower it is 3/4" with the links. Really though I would like to try a lighter bike though, however I know that it is not easy to find all the features of the FJR in a smaller bike.

That probably depends on what your favorite features are. If an electric adjustable windshield that can actually put you in quiet air is one of your favorites... nope, there isn't anything else lighter.

My second "lighter bike" is a 2008 Yamaha FZ1. A very comfortable good performing upright ergo bike that weighs under 500 pounds.

The FZ1 Gen 1 would also warrant consideration. I have ridden one before and it has plenty of go if you rev it.

 

[user 6393]

FZ6....plenty of ponies. LOTS 'o fun!

I'm 5'6" and have had to make NO mods to make the bike fit/work for me. Seats are like bricks, but that's easily dealt with.

 

[madmike2]

The BMW 800 ST is supposed to be friendly for those who are inseam challenged.

One of the local riders who is your height put Koubalinks on his FJR and it made all the difference in the world for him. He's much more secure at stop signs and signals. He's not super aggressive in the corners so the loss of ground clearance didn't matter to him though he is careful on parking lot speed bumps.

 

[FJRBluesman]

If I couldn't have an FJR I'd go back to Duc's.... One 1098 to go please.

 

[Fred W]

+1 Yeah lower the FJR. There are no twisties in FL anyway, and since you only ride a few hours I'm guessing that you never leave your home state.

I would not expect a 600 would have enough grunt for regular 2-up duty. THey are typically tuned for liots of high end HP, and lack the low rpm torque of the larger engines. The FZ1 OTOH is a decent suggestion.

The BMW R bikes would not be my first choice for an only bike. You can try to find an style old Triumph Sprint 955, but I don't think they have a very low saddle height. Still worth a look.

You also might want top look at one of my favorite bikes, the Honda Interceptor VFR800. Best ones are '98 - '02. Enough giddyup for 2 (with 2 smaller people), relatively comfy and lots of comfort mods available, aftermarket hard bags are available (if that's important to you) and a lower center of gravity and much lighter than a Feejer.

 

[DailyCommuter]

The new FZ6-R got a very nice write up in the May 2009 edition of Rider Magezine.

 

[cterry66]

The new FZ6-R got a very nice write up in the May 2009 edition of Rider Magezine.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think an older VFR800 might be a good fit for us. I like and am use to horsepower so a 600 is not going to work for me especially 2 up.

I have ridden an older 93 VFR 750 several years ago . It was nice and I agree the an up to 02 800 might offer a good compromise.

 

[oldryder]

I just lowered my FJR (I'm 5'8" 29" inseam). KOuba links and 1/2" in front. I like the bike better lowered.

An nice alternative is an SV650 Suzuki. They're not expensive, very popular so you can get virtually any farkle, they handle great, are MUCH lighter than the FJR, and have enough zip for the highway and spirited touring.

 

[Fred W]

The new FZ6-R got a very nice write up in the May 2009 edition of Rider Magezine.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think an older VFR800 might be a good fit for us. I like and am use to horsepower so a 600 is not going to work for me especially 2 up.

I have ridden an older 93 VFR 750 several years ago . It was nice and I agree the an up to 02 800 might offer a good compromise.

The 600's are probably not lacking much in the horsepower, but they make that power at a high rpm, not conducive to anything approaching sedate street riding, especially 2-up. What they would lack is torque in the usable lower rpm ranges. You know, like in the old adage, "There is no replacement for displacement."

Again, I'm not sure that you would need or want to outfit yours with hard bags since you seem to do more day riding, but here's what my '98 looks like in touring trim. Givi rack and E36 side bags, Bestem T-Box trunk, Heli riser Bars, Sargent Worldsport seat, Y2k Mirrors, Staintune high mount exhaust pipe. I also have a Givi Touring (taller) windshield and good sized Nelson Rigg tank bag for it (not shown).

One nice thing is that in about 20 minutes I can have all the luggage and side racks removed and the bike in a day riding mode.

In the 4 model years that make up the 5th gen VFRs ('98-'02), they came only in 2 colors. Yellow was the only color available in Y2k. Red was the only color in the other three years. Not much choice, but how can you improve on those colors?

 

[MojaveFJR]

At least keep in the family.

May want to get a backrest if you like your wife but here is what ya need.

:dribble:

 

[Fred W]

At least keep in the family.
May want to get a backrest if you like your wife but here is what ya need.

Huh? :blink: Did you read the OP's first post with what he was looking for? Are you seriously proposing that a Vmax is some sort of a smaller, lighter substitute for an FJR?

And I'm sorry, but that video advertisement was just sad. When the entire promo is situated at a drag strip and shows some guy doing burnouts... well, c'mon, what is the message here? Are they trying to let us know that the bike can't corner? Other than smoking up a $200 tire, what the hell is the point of the burnouts? If you really want to accelerate fast you'd be much better off not lighting it up...

And with an MSRP of $18k, it is much more expensive than an FJR.

 

[Potential]

The smallest lightest bike with an electrically-adjustable windshield is a BMW R1200RT. You can get a factory seat that's just 30.7", enough for me (5'6) to flat-foot or nearly flat-foot, and the dealer can swap them in 10 seconds if you want to test-sit or test-ride with that seat on, and it weighs 505 lbs dry vs the ~580 of the FJR. However it is air-cooled with a dry clutch, costs $18k, and suffers from widespread rear wheel-bearing failures (which the factory replaces, but it's still a PITA). I test-rode the RT before looking at the FJR and did not really like it, but you might feel different, and all the BMW dealers around here have tons of used bikes they're itching to sell so maybe you can find a used one. Probably worth checking out in any case.

Otherwise you will have to forfeit the adjustable windshield. It's my favorite feature of the FJR but only very heavy bikes have it. For fixed windshields, the FZ1 or Bandit 1250S are probably your best bet. Both are tourers and are designed to cope with being ridden two-up with luggage (especially the 1250S), they're both inline-4s, they're both identical in price, and while the 1250S is 60 lbs heavier, it has a lower seat and much more torque.

 

[stevec677]

I rode my 2002 Bandit 1200S for a few years before getting an FJR and it is a great bike, but it does have some flaws. It will have plenty of power for two up riding, but it fails in the wind protection category. I'm not sure if the 1250 is any better. I did add a laminar lip and that made a huge difference. If you limit the time on the bike (250 mile was my max.) and stay off slabs as much as possible you will be ok. It is a much lighter bike and alot less expensive. If you can stay out of the throttle is gets decent gas mileage, but it is hard to stay out of the throttle. It's a lot of fun.