RC65
Well-known member
At the risk of redundancy, since I also just posted this at the Other Forum, I wanted to post this here as well since
everything holds true here as well (2-yr. forum membership) and, I know there's a large contingent of Puget Sound folks here, and, in fact, several were generous enough to let me sit on their riser-equipped FJRs on the way to the last Tech Meet to make sure the altered ergonomics worked for me. Thanks to that kind gesture and, as well, all the knowledge gained here, I've finally -- finally -- joined your ranks.
So, that said, this is less an introduction than an update, given that I’ve been a member of this forum for two years, since March of 2015, in order to discuss and learn more about the FJR.
It was in 2015 that it became clear to me that a change of bike was in the cards, that my cruiser – a 2012 Triumph Thunderbird 1600 – that had served me well for several years wasn’t destined for prolonged ownership. Lower back issues, in particular, drove the need for change to something less upright-and-feet-forward, but a desire also for something more suited to longer hauls, for hard panniers, for something more nimble and sporty with a few more bells and whistles, etc. all entered into the equation. After looking into the Trophy, the Concours, and a few other bikes that were all quickly dismissed, my focus locked onto the FJR1300 in late ’14 / early ’15. That beautiful red color, the perfect styling, the glowing stats and reviews – it all came together to create a lust for the FJR that’s lasted now for two-and-a-half years.
Each spring I’d look at the leftover FJRs – the ’14 reds in ’15, the ’15 liquid graphites in ’16 – and just couldn’t quite pull the trigger on the change of bike. My TBird was serving me well enough, generally speaking, and the five-speed gearbox of the FJR concerned me (rightly or not) as I’d already sold a bike because the revs were too high on the highway. A demo event test ride in the summer of ’15 suggested perhaps 5th as a top gear wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t seem ideal. So, while I had to keep an eagle eye out for bumps and lean forward on my TBird if I caught them in time, I was relatively content with my bike. Until this spring.
This spring I knew I couldn’t do another season on the cruiser. I’d only put around 500 miles on it in 2016…yes, I had some family issues that kept me occupied much of the riding season, but I also knew that had I really *wanted* to make time, I could have – but I didn’t. Too much of the thrill had dissipated in a fog of lower back pain jolts from the road and, okay, boredom. Something had to give.
Coincidentally, this was also the leftover season for the ‘16s with the six-speed transmission. Some of you may chalk that change up to more a marketing gimmick than a substantive change, and while I’ll grant you it’s just a couple hundred RPMs lowering in sixth, it was enough a change (for me) to push me over the edge that I was already teetering upon.
So, last Friday I traded in my TBird and became the owner of a beautiful 2016 FJR – the A model as I’m a more set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy, and the roads I tend to ride on are relatively uniform. I’m thrilled to finally have this bike in my garage, and it’s thus far everything I’d hoped it be. Riding this nimble sportbike-in-a-tuxedo after a decade-plus of cruisers is almost a revelation and reminds me why I enjoy riding so much to begin with...and, most importantly, it's slight-forward-lean-with-legs-tucked-beneath-you stance makes the ergonomics much friendlier to those of with lower back issues. I'm thrilled beyond words to finally have this in my garage, but I need to remember to behave myself on this nimble sport tourer...my Thunderbird 1600 cruiser had heavier handling that inherently kept me in check. I’m still learning to trust the lean potential of the FJR (and breaking in slick new tires isn’t helping)…old habits are hard to break.
The only farkling I’ve done to my ’16 A thus far is a touring windshield (as seen in the photo below), and have also put in an order for GenMar risers that are on their way to me from GenMar as we speak (need forward lean, but not this much lean)…will probably have the dealer install at the 600-mile first service…no torque wrench, and anything beyond the mechanical complexity of the windshield installation tends to give me the nervous sweats.
Also plan to pick up a Sargent seat in the very near future – took a while to decide after reading dozens of threads on various seats (e.g. Laam, Corbin, Yamaha Comfort Seat, et al), but I’ve decided that’s the one for me for a host of reasons.
So after two years as a member of this forum, I’m glad to finally be One of You…it took a while – more than two years, in fact – but it was definitely worth the wait.
And since since such threads are worthless without pics, here's mine, just a few days old:
...and its virgin odometer on delivery day:
Speaking of delivery, there were a few issues with the bike on that day, but Ride Motorsports in Woodinville wasted no time in stepping up to the plate immediately and demonstrating excellent customer service by making sure that all was made right. I would recommend this outstanding dealership and my salesperson, Bill, to other Puget Sound folks without reservation.
everything holds true here as well (2-yr. forum membership) and, I know there's a large contingent of Puget Sound folks here, and, in fact, several were generous enough to let me sit on their riser-equipped FJRs on the way to the last Tech Meet to make sure the altered ergonomics worked for me. Thanks to that kind gesture and, as well, all the knowledge gained here, I've finally -- finally -- joined your ranks.
So, that said, this is less an introduction than an update, given that I’ve been a member of this forum for two years, since March of 2015, in order to discuss and learn more about the FJR.
It was in 2015 that it became clear to me that a change of bike was in the cards, that my cruiser – a 2012 Triumph Thunderbird 1600 – that had served me well for several years wasn’t destined for prolonged ownership. Lower back issues, in particular, drove the need for change to something less upright-and-feet-forward, but a desire also for something more suited to longer hauls, for hard panniers, for something more nimble and sporty with a few more bells and whistles, etc. all entered into the equation. After looking into the Trophy, the Concours, and a few other bikes that were all quickly dismissed, my focus locked onto the FJR1300 in late ’14 / early ’15. That beautiful red color, the perfect styling, the glowing stats and reviews – it all came together to create a lust for the FJR that’s lasted now for two-and-a-half years.
Each spring I’d look at the leftover FJRs – the ’14 reds in ’15, the ’15 liquid graphites in ’16 – and just couldn’t quite pull the trigger on the change of bike. My TBird was serving me well enough, generally speaking, and the five-speed gearbox of the FJR concerned me (rightly or not) as I’d already sold a bike because the revs were too high on the highway. A demo event test ride in the summer of ’15 suggested perhaps 5th as a top gear wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t seem ideal. So, while I had to keep an eagle eye out for bumps and lean forward on my TBird if I caught them in time, I was relatively content with my bike. Until this spring.
This spring I knew I couldn’t do another season on the cruiser. I’d only put around 500 miles on it in 2016…yes, I had some family issues that kept me occupied much of the riding season, but I also knew that had I really *wanted* to make time, I could have – but I didn’t. Too much of the thrill had dissipated in a fog of lower back pain jolts from the road and, okay, boredom. Something had to give.
Coincidentally, this was also the leftover season for the ‘16s with the six-speed transmission. Some of you may chalk that change up to more a marketing gimmick than a substantive change, and while I’ll grant you it’s just a couple hundred RPMs lowering in sixth, it was enough a change (for me) to push me over the edge that I was already teetering upon.
So, last Friday I traded in my TBird and became the owner of a beautiful 2016 FJR – the A model as I’m a more set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy, and the roads I tend to ride on are relatively uniform. I’m thrilled to finally have this bike in my garage, and it’s thus far everything I’d hoped it be. Riding this nimble sportbike-in-a-tuxedo after a decade-plus of cruisers is almost a revelation and reminds me why I enjoy riding so much to begin with...and, most importantly, it's slight-forward-lean-with-legs-tucked-beneath-you stance makes the ergonomics much friendlier to those of with lower back issues. I'm thrilled beyond words to finally have this in my garage, but I need to remember to behave myself on this nimble sport tourer...my Thunderbird 1600 cruiser had heavier handling that inherently kept me in check. I’m still learning to trust the lean potential of the FJR (and breaking in slick new tires isn’t helping)…old habits are hard to break.
The only farkling I’ve done to my ’16 A thus far is a touring windshield (as seen in the photo below), and have also put in an order for GenMar risers that are on their way to me from GenMar as we speak (need forward lean, but not this much lean)…will probably have the dealer install at the 600-mile first service…no torque wrench, and anything beyond the mechanical complexity of the windshield installation tends to give me the nervous sweats.
So after two years as a member of this forum, I’m glad to finally be One of You…it took a while – more than two years, in fact – but it was definitely worth the wait.
And since since such threads are worthless without pics, here's mine, just a few days old:
...and its virgin odometer on delivery day:
Speaking of delivery, there were a few issues with the bike on that day, but Ride Motorsports in Woodinville wasted no time in stepping up to the plate immediately and demonstrating excellent customer service by making sure that all was made right. I would recommend this outstanding dealership and my salesperson, Bill, to other Puget Sound folks without reservation.
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