SProkai
Member
This is a bit long winded, but I felt complelled to share this with y'all
I have been lurking here for a few months researching the FJR. I learned so much from so many members here. Thank you all.
First, some background.
I used to ride dirt bikes as a kid and after decades of not riding, started riding again this year. Back in early March I bought a 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan cruiser to get my riding chops back up to speed and I took the MFS Beginning Rider Safety Course. That class was absolutely amazing. I quickly became obsessed with riding and was putting hundreds of miles (and sometimes a thousand plus miles) on the bike every week. It didn't take me long to start wanting to over-ride the Vulcan's capabilities. I live in Westchester county New York where there are a lot of twisty roads, so I was occasionally scraping the pegs and worse, when you lean too far right on that bike you scrape one of the bolts on the frame and not the foot peg. It is a fine motorcycle, but I started looking for an upgrade at the end of April. Since I know a few sport touring riders and had been on a few outings with them (bringing up the rear) I naturally started looking at the FJR.
When I first saw the FJR it was "love at first sight." After tons of reading and research I was convinced that not only was it stunning to look at, but it was the best s/t bike out there. I started the hunt. I really wanted one with ABS since one key reason for upgrading from the Vulcan was safety.
Holding out for an '06 with ABS was wholly justified this afternoon when at a busy intersection on an arterial 4 lane road in Danbury CT a "left turner" decided to pull right out into my lane. I was doing about 40 in the 45 mph zone, and there was a car in front of me that peeled off into the left turn only lane. When he went left the oncoming "left turner" started into my lane. I was extremely lucky that they saw me and jammed on their brakes, but I squeezed the front brakes and kicked in the ABS and was able to successfully swerve right to avoid hitting them. I guess I missed the car by about one or two feet.
I am totally convinced that had I been on the Vulcan I would have locked the front wheel and either dumped the bike and or hit the car. No way would that bike have been able to do what I needed it to do to avoid the accident. That was my first real close call on a bike and I am so so so glad it was on an FJR with ABS.
One thing that still amazes me about the experience is that my reaction to the situation was totally automatic. I did not have to think about progressively "squeezing" the front brake to execute the quick stop procedure or the proper swerve technique at all. For that I thank the MFS course and my regular practicing of those techniques in a local parking lot. In fact what I remember thinking when I was performing those maneuvers was "holy shit, this is it. I am going to get taken out by a "left turner!"
Cheers and thanks again to all of the excellent posters on this forum (and other forums). It was in part due to your posts that lead me to go for the ABS model.
I have been lurking here for a few months researching the FJR. I learned so much from so many members here. Thank you all.
First, some background.
I used to ride dirt bikes as a kid and after decades of not riding, started riding again this year. Back in early March I bought a 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan cruiser to get my riding chops back up to speed and I took the MFS Beginning Rider Safety Course. That class was absolutely amazing. I quickly became obsessed with riding and was putting hundreds of miles (and sometimes a thousand plus miles) on the bike every week. It didn't take me long to start wanting to over-ride the Vulcan's capabilities. I live in Westchester county New York where there are a lot of twisty roads, so I was occasionally scraping the pegs and worse, when you lean too far right on that bike you scrape one of the bolts on the frame and not the foot peg. It is a fine motorcycle, but I started looking for an upgrade at the end of April. Since I know a few sport touring riders and had been on a few outings with them (bringing up the rear) I naturally started looking at the FJR.
When I first saw the FJR it was "love at first sight." After tons of reading and research I was convinced that not only was it stunning to look at, but it was the best s/t bike out there. I started the hunt. I really wanted one with ABS since one key reason for upgrading from the Vulcan was safety.
Holding out for an '06 with ABS was wholly justified this afternoon when at a busy intersection on an arterial 4 lane road in Danbury CT a "left turner" decided to pull right out into my lane. I was doing about 40 in the 45 mph zone, and there was a car in front of me that peeled off into the left turn only lane. When he went left the oncoming "left turner" started into my lane. I was extremely lucky that they saw me and jammed on their brakes, but I squeezed the front brakes and kicked in the ABS and was able to successfully swerve right to avoid hitting them. I guess I missed the car by about one or two feet.
I am totally convinced that had I been on the Vulcan I would have locked the front wheel and either dumped the bike and or hit the car. No way would that bike have been able to do what I needed it to do to avoid the accident. That was my first real close call on a bike and I am so so so glad it was on an FJR with ABS.
One thing that still amazes me about the experience is that my reaction to the situation was totally automatic. I did not have to think about progressively "squeezing" the front brake to execute the quick stop procedure or the proper swerve technique at all. For that I thank the MFS course and my regular practicing of those techniques in a local parking lot. In fact what I remember thinking when I was performing those maneuvers was "holy shit, this is it. I am going to get taken out by a "left turner!"
Cheers and thanks again to all of the excellent posters on this forum (and other forums). It was in part due to your posts that lead me to go for the ABS model.
