The FJR can't cruise

[BrunDog]

I honestly did not at all mean to sound like I was knocking HDs. They are not "my bag, baby", but I certainly respect what the company has done and the following they have. And I have always agreed that there is no better motor character than a twin, HD or otherwise.

My point is that is how those bikes ride - slow, lumbering, easy. That is why they are "cruisers". Not a bad thing at all, unless you are on a feej, which is like a hormone saturated 14 year old in comparison.

Yes, there are some who can hustle them along, but that is not the majority, and certainly not what my buds do. Shit, I live in South FL where the roads are straight, flat, and boring. Going fast takes no effort here, so even they can do it easily. All I am saying is for me, the bike is herky jerky at slow speeds. I have a PCIII with Wally onboard, but still the smallest throttle inputs have a major impact on velocity, and the tranny hates to be lazily shifted.

-BD

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I honestly did not at all mean to sound like I was knocking HDs. They are not "my bag, baby", but I certainly respect what the company has done and the following they have. And I have always agreed that there is no better motor character than a twin, HD or otherwise.
My point is that is how those bikes ride - slow, lumbering, easy. That is why they are "cruisers". Not a bad thing at all, unless you are on a feej, which is like a hormone saturated 14 year old in comparison.

Yes, there are some who can hustle them along, but that is not the majority, and certainly not what my buds do. Shit, I live in South FL where the roads are straight, flat, and boring. Going fast takes no effort here, so even they can do it easily. All I am saying is for me, the bike is herky jerky at slow speeds. I have a PCIII with Wally onboard, but still the smallest throttle inputs have a major impact on velocity, and the tranny hates to be lazily shifted.

-BD

It takes practice to get used to the power and torque of that in line 4. Wait another couple of years, you'll get used to it after say...8k miles

 

[khrome]

Having never ridden a Harley I guess I'll never understand how those folks get enjoyment from those lumbering, ugly, slow examples of 1930's technology. And their snobbery... sheesh! Most of 'em are just poseurs anyways!

ditto

khrome

 

[C&C]

Having never ridden a Harley I guess I'll never understand how those folks get enjoyment from those lumbering, ugly, slow examples of 1930's technology. And their snobbery... sheesh! Most of 'em are just poseurs anyways!

ditto

khrome

Having never had ridden a Harley, how can you make that statement. Some of those Harley guys are hard core bikers (and have been for over fifty years). All I'm saying is that they have there place; you, on the otherhand, have chosen a different place. What Harleys are built to do, they do pretty darn well.

 

[MikeYork5]

Having never ridden a Harley I guess I'll never understand how those folks get enjoyment from those lumbering, ugly, slow examples of 1930's technology. And their snobbery... sheesh! Most of 'em are just poseurs anyways!

ditto

khrome

Having never had ridden a Harley, how can you make that statement. Some of those Harley guys are hard core bikers (and have been for over fifty years). All I'm saying is that they have there place; you, on the otherhand, have chosen a different place. What Harleys are built to do, they do pretty darn well.

Exactly....Well said brother -

 

[painman]

Been ridin HD's for over 30 years and still have one. Some like to cruise and some like to go 100 plus everywhere they go. Depends on who's behind the handlebars. But now with the FJR it can do the cruise mode with no problems with my buds but really it is quite boring. Now when on the FJ I just make the HD's ride in the back...lol. PM. <><

 

[Jetmaker737]

Having never had ridden a Harley, how can you make that statement. Some of those Harley guys are hard core bikers (and have been for over fifty years). All I'm saying is that they have there place; you, on the otherhand, have chosen a different place. What Harleys are built to do, they do pretty darn well.

Well, I guess I can make that statement based on my observations that Harleys are slow, lumbering, and ugly. And let's add in offendingly loud while were at it. But hey, you're right, to each his own. I got no problem with that.

I do take exception to their holier-than-thou attitude, especially from the posers. We've all been there... we all wave to each other on the road. But you know that most Harley riders will ignore you as they pass by (very slowly in their lane). I mean WTF? What's with the attitude? Are they offended by my "Jap" bike? Anyways, I don't wave at HD riders unless they wave first.

Sorry if I offended anyone!

 

[odot]

Well, that just snatches me bald headed. :sarcasm:

 

[SkooterG]

I do take exception to their holier-than-thou attitude,

You mean the same one you are displaying?

 

[kmkirlin]

Don't worry, brun. Once you break that sucker in, she'll cruise along very nicely.

I'm just turning over 35,000 kilometers on my 06, most days 40% urban traffic 60% state limit (100Kms/H), and I'm STILL waiting for the day slow traffic riding gets smooth !! Dealer and his henchman (The Mech) are not really interested. They keep telling me "It just wants to go fast". Changing dealership for servicing has not helped. After spending as much as we did on our FJRs we should be able to do any speed we want to without feeling like the machiine's in charge instead of it's owner.I know I could go out and spend more money and time and eventually get some help (Power Commander etc. ) but why should I need to? If anyone has an answer or an idea that won't cost me next months salary I'd be very greatful.

Don't worry, brun. Once you break that sucker in, she'll cruise along very nicely.

I'm just turning over 35,000 kilometers on my 06, most days 40% urban traffic 60% state limit (100Kms/H), and I'm STILL waiting for the day slow traffic riding gets smooth !! Dealer and his henchman (The Mech) are not really interested. They keep telling me "It just wants to go fast". Changing dealership for servicing has not helped. After spending as much as we did on our FJRs we should be able to do any speed we want to without feeling like the machiine's in charge instead of it's owner.I know I could go out and spend more money and time and eventually get some help (Power Commander etc. ) but why should I need to? If anyone has an answer or an idea that won't cost me next months salary I'd be very greatful.

Relax your throttle spring, do the barberian jumper mod and modify your oxygen settings for each cylinder and you will see a huge improvement in throttle smoothness of the 06 FJR, especially at low speeds. The throttle spring modification is a bit of a pain to do, but well worth it. If you do these and still thinks the throttle is too abrupt, THEN talk about a PCIII. But I have no need for it. The three mods listed above make it a very manageable bike; don't cost a dime; and can be done by anyone who takes the time to read the tech articles.

 

[Scythian]

I mean WTF? What's with the attitude? Are they offended by my "Jap" bike?

Yes.... Yes they are: I wanted to join the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Riders (yeah, I spent a year patrolling the DMZ in Korea), but the rule is "V-Twins Only".

So fuck them.

It's a generational thing. I never see a white guy under 50 on a Harley here in New Mexico.....

 

[sprint_st]

Having never ridden a Harley I guess I'll never understand how those folks get enjoyment from those lumbering, ugly, slow examples of 1930's technology. And their snobbery... sheesh! Most of 'em are just poseurs anyways!

Having never had ridden a Harley, how can you make that statement. Some of those Harley guys are hard core bikers (and have been for over fifty years). All I'm saying is that they have there place; you, on the otherhand, have chosen a different place. What Harleys are built to do, they do pretty darn well.

I started riding in 1965 on a Honda CL160 when the XLCH was king. The HD "bikers" of that time gave any Jap bike owner a complete ration of sh-- until things like the Z1 and CB750 came along. Now, what comes around has gone around. Harleys do "what" pretty darn well??? Go bar to bar??? Clog up perfectly good bike roads with rolling road blocks? Mechanically the HD is an OK bike for the Barcalounger on wheels crowd, but technologically it is maybe mid-80's tech. What's with this "bad ass wannabee" mentality???

The HD motorcycle isn't a motorcycle, it is just a social icon for a group of people to hang their hats on. Let's look at it this way, an FJR can cruise but can most HD's ST???

 

[ceddec]

I have really worked on my throttle control of late and finally built up the riding technique to ride in a cruiser formation. Having said that, I think the geometry of the FJR is much more agile and the riding style much different than the geometry of a cruiser. The cruiser is designed to go in a straight line and long sweeping curves. The FJR seems happiest (and this rider) picking a good line and not really staying in a tight formation for long periods. I like my lane space, particularly in curves.

 

[Jetmaker737]

I do take exception to their holier-than-thou attitude,

You mean the same one you are displaying?

Nice try but... no. :glare: I just don't care for most HD riders' attitudes and I don't understand where they get it based on their ride. Guess I don't get the "Harley Mystique". But hey, I respect everyone else on two wheels. Heck, I even wave to scooter riders. B)

 

[quietguy]

I do take exception to their holier-than-thou attitude,

You mean the same one you are displaying?

Nice try but... no. :glare: I just don't care for most HD riders' attitudes and I don't understand where they get it based on their ride. Guess I don't get the "Harley Mystique". But hey, I respect everyone else on two wheels. Heck, I even wave to scooter riders. B)

Not only am I a Harley rider, I'm also a MOTORCYCLE enthusiast. Do I have an attitude? Heck yeah, a good one :dribble:

Me... I'll ride with anyone, slow or fast, metric or not, so long as they can ride safe and they enjoy two wheels.

I leave it to God to judge.. I simply wanna scoot.

 

[Niehart]

I ride with a bunch of HD guys, Indains, V Stroms, etc. The HD guys are standup guys and have been riding for ever. And they always have my back.

Niehart

 

[C&C]

As most have alluded; it's not the bike, it's the rider. Stereotypes exist because of general trends, but keep an open mind and don't be too quick to judge.

 

[keithaba]

As most have alluded; it's not the bike, it's the rider. Stereotypes exist because of general trends, but keep an open mind and don't be too quick to judge.

It's kinda like saying all FJR riders crash.

 

[antvq]

Normally, when I ride by myself, the bike feels great. No hesitation, no herky-jerkyness, just smooth buttery goodness. Go, stop, it is all just so easy. But when I ride with my Hardley Ableson buds, the ride seems less smooth, less easy, less... I dunno... fun!

I noticed that too. Seems that when I ride with a bunch of Harley guys the FJR just seems to lack the power that I'm used to. Of course once the Harley I'm towing is dropped off, that feeling of power returns right away.

 

[Tim05fjr]

When I ride w/ my Harley Buds, I take the Buell. This way I can hear the engine, and it's fun to lose them in the twisties.

The other night we were out and when we pullen into a local hang out, some poser on a cookie cutter chopper commented to my friends, " how can you guys ride with that Jap bike?"

I had to shut him up by showing the ass*** the Manufacterer plackard on the frame.

Tim