gt4rcdude
Member
Here's my non-fjrcoolaid drinkers impression of the FJR. (sense of humor required)
Preamble
I'm 46 years old. 170lbs. 5'10". 30 inch waist. Been riding since age 10. Done some endurance racing back in the day. Owned 38 motorcycles. Number 38 is a 2005 FJR1300 non-abs. Used with 8000 miles, top box, Heli extensions, throttlemiester lock and highway pegs. I bought the bike in Houston TX in 108F. I thought my 93 VFR roasted my legs. Never have I ridden a machine that exposed it's rider to this much engine heat. Either Yamaha's test riders were in Antarctica, had artificial legs or were too afraid to tell the engineers they screwed up. Even as I rode the 870 miles back to Atlanta in the dead of night in the 70's did it provide any relief. I was running 80mph average. It would be hard to give an objective evaluation in a pizza oven. Going around corners the bike wants to fall in. Bad. Heavy bar pressure is required to maintain the desired line.
Mods (farkles as I've learned)
First order was the heat problem. Thanks to this site I applied the "cromeit" heat fixes and one of my own. I used transmission tunnel aluminum heat shielding from a racing supply shop under the tank. It's almost 3/16 thick tightly wound self adhesive fiberglass with malleable aluminum on top. After an oil change and some spark plugs a test ride proved the effectiveness of the modifications. Temperatures in the cockpit are now on as good as properly designed fairings. I know I sound harsh, but heat control was ridiculously poor. Second order takes care of another blatant omission, electrical power. A sport touring bike with no means of plugging in a GPS, electric vest or cell phone? Really? Since I had the fairing off for the heat fix I took a close look at the OEM fuse panel. There was a "spare" fuse with contacts in it, but no wires. I carefully removed the wire/pin from each side using a special tool. I also removed the wire/pin from the fused side of the windshield fuse. I soldered a jumper from the windshield wire to one of the spare pins. I pushed back in the windshield fused pin and the "spare" at one end. I then soldered another wire to the other pin and reinstalled. I ran this wire to my GPS mounted on my techmount stem unit. Now for a sub panel. I ran a 10ga wire from the + on the battery terminal to a marine grade 40amp relay mounted under the engine ECU. I tapped the tail light wire for relay tripping. Tapped ground holes were found in the engine/frame so I used those. I installed a 4 fuse sub panel under the seat in front of the tool kit. Using rubber grommets for all wire holes. A simple connector adapted for my Eclipse vest was made. Here's where things get more creative. I like charging my cell when I ride. Especially if you camp. I installed a surface mount, stainless 12v outlet (cig style) in the top box. Because it's double walled it looks OEM. I used a heavy laptop power wire with a 2.5 mm plug outside the box. In the side body panel I installed a 2.5 mm power jack. Works great.
Now for a ride.
Transmission, etc.
I headed north at 5am out of Atlanta toward the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Temps were in the 60's. One up. Probably 35lbs of stuff. The OEM windshield is a good compromise between protection and style. At full low it hits me at high chest level for the most relief of weight on my palms from the slight forward lean. Full forward buffets me uncomfortably. I find a few ticks off the bottom the best. Headlights provide a nice broad beam with good illumination off to the sides. No sharp top cutoff either, but they are a little high which I'll fix. Stoplights proved transmission evaluation. One of the smoothest, progressive, flawless clutches I've ever used. If you can't launch smooth on this bike, buy a Miata. Automatic. Gear selection varies. Sometimes the 1-2 shift is a click, sometimes a clunk. Same with neutral to 1st. I understand they are big gears, but sometimes it's disconcerting. I've gotten into the habit of just flipping the kill switch, select 1st and restart. Who knows... There exists some driveline lash probably due to manufacturing tolerances. But more on that later. Shaft effect is around zero. Running the shaft through the swingarm pivot point was brilliant. BMW, Moto Guzzi et al take note. Overall I give the trans a B+, the clutch an A++ and the shaft an A.
Engine:
Engine fuels very well in the low speed regime. Roll on is available whenever the key is in the ignition. Using regular gas I experienced no knocks, pings or protest from the nuclear power plant between my legs. Top gear 1200 rpm roll ons returned teeth in my helmet as I entered the empty on ramp to my highway slog to the BRP. All is not perfect though. In the 4000's vibration from this monster motor makes itself apparent. Load changes the vibe level but it's always there in this range. 5000rpm puts you nearer to 85mph and the beast goes back into mileage eating mode while returning 40mpg. Nice. Fidgeting begins at the hour mark for the stock seat. Slight movements provide some relief and truthfully it's one of the best stock seats I've experienced. Butt burn afflicts all after being in the saddle long enough. At the two hour mark I stop to fuel before the climb to the top of the BRP. 41mpg.
Colder air greets higher elevation and the electric vest is pulled into duty. If I had an aftermarket (larger) screen I may not need it, but today I do. Running through 1/4 mile fog I observe some aerodynamics as water traces the bike. Quite a bit of moisture crawls up on the bodywork behind the windshield on its way to dripping on the gauge cluster. Water from the mirror hits the hands that wind doesn't seem to. Waterproof gloves will be needed. From 1000msl (mean sea level) to 6000msl the engine proves it's worth. Torque flows seamlessly on demand. Altitude? What altitude? Once again though it's not perfect. To return 40mpg from 1300cc this engine probably runs lean. The o2 sensor probably spends a lot of time commanding closed loop mode and 14.7 afr(air/fuel ratio). Delicate throttle inputs that include mid corner changes occasionally result in chassis disrupting driveline snatch. Going down hill slowly in a high gear and light throttle can produce driveline lurching. Like it's either power or engine braking and in between makes you feel like a tennis ball in a match. Surgical smoothness on the throttle is mandatory, and rewarded, and the throttle return spring will require Popeye forearms.
Chassis, suspension:
Western NC on the BRP throws the FJR all types of pavement. Freshly paved smooth, patched and bumpy and surprising compression dips and launches. The one non variable is twisty. Smooth is where the FJR shines. Using some widely accepted suspension settings I find the bike happiest here. From arcing sweepers to bar pushing motoGP flicks all is good here. Pegs grind away happily. Things begin to fall apart when the road does. The first few bumps I realize the front and rear are at odds with each other. While more preload on the front fixed the fall in issue, now the springs are mis matched front to rear. I remove some compression damping on the front, then some more. In a curve with some heavy compression dip the rear compresses 2 inches more(it seems, I'm hauling arse)than the front and the bike tries to stand up. Hard. Yes, the rear shock is "hard". The hard setting should be labeled "flaccid". OK, this thing doesn't like 8/10ths. The rear shock sucks. Period. The engineers second major failure. I won't even come close to this pace with a passenger with the stock rear shock. I will be looking to the aftermarket soon. That being said the front end is fine. Some tweaking from stock turns it into almost magic. Only high speed compression can be a little rough. I never even think about the rest of the chassis. It's that good. Chassis A, Fork A, rear shock D-.
Brakes:
Smooth engagement to a gentle stop is expected. MotoGP initial bite and fade free haul down power is not, but you get it. Weight distribution encourages rear brake usage for maximum power and chassis stabilizing effect. That rear disc is huge for a reason. Best of all at almost rear wheel lifting force the front fork doesn't give up. Brakes A+.
Bits and pieces:
The pegs start to feel a little close after 5 hours in the saddle and the "highway pegs" have your ankles hitting the fairing lower. The seat could use a tad more area but is well padded although a gel seat would be nice. A smaller trunk lid would be a nice option too over the steamer trunk look. Overall I think Yamaha gave us 90% of what we wanted with the last 10% easily attainable. Yes, the dreaded ticker motor is out there but most have been fixed or found by now. The heat issue takes less than $20 to fix. A high quality rear shock will definitely put a dent in your riding budget but is mandatory unless you live in Kansas and never leave it. But you saved a bunch buying a gen1 didn't you? If you want the power and handling that's 90% R1 and you want to bring stuff, get out there and buy an FJR.
Things to be added. Time for dinner!
Preamble
I'm 46 years old. 170lbs. 5'10". 30 inch waist. Been riding since age 10. Done some endurance racing back in the day. Owned 38 motorcycles. Number 38 is a 2005 FJR1300 non-abs. Used with 8000 miles, top box, Heli extensions, throttlemiester lock and highway pegs. I bought the bike in Houston TX in 108F. I thought my 93 VFR roasted my legs. Never have I ridden a machine that exposed it's rider to this much engine heat. Either Yamaha's test riders were in Antarctica, had artificial legs or were too afraid to tell the engineers they screwed up. Even as I rode the 870 miles back to Atlanta in the dead of night in the 70's did it provide any relief. I was running 80mph average. It would be hard to give an objective evaluation in a pizza oven. Going around corners the bike wants to fall in. Bad. Heavy bar pressure is required to maintain the desired line.
Mods (farkles as I've learned)
First order was the heat problem. Thanks to this site I applied the "cromeit" heat fixes and one of my own. I used transmission tunnel aluminum heat shielding from a racing supply shop under the tank. It's almost 3/16 thick tightly wound self adhesive fiberglass with malleable aluminum on top. After an oil change and some spark plugs a test ride proved the effectiveness of the modifications. Temperatures in the cockpit are now on as good as properly designed fairings. I know I sound harsh, but heat control was ridiculously poor. Second order takes care of another blatant omission, electrical power. A sport touring bike with no means of plugging in a GPS, electric vest or cell phone? Really? Since I had the fairing off for the heat fix I took a close look at the OEM fuse panel. There was a "spare" fuse with contacts in it, but no wires. I carefully removed the wire/pin from each side using a special tool. I also removed the wire/pin from the fused side of the windshield fuse. I soldered a jumper from the windshield wire to one of the spare pins. I pushed back in the windshield fused pin and the "spare" at one end. I then soldered another wire to the other pin and reinstalled. I ran this wire to my GPS mounted on my techmount stem unit. Now for a sub panel. I ran a 10ga wire from the + on the battery terminal to a marine grade 40amp relay mounted under the engine ECU. I tapped the tail light wire for relay tripping. Tapped ground holes were found in the engine/frame so I used those. I installed a 4 fuse sub panel under the seat in front of the tool kit. Using rubber grommets for all wire holes. A simple connector adapted for my Eclipse vest was made. Here's where things get more creative. I like charging my cell when I ride. Especially if you camp. I installed a surface mount, stainless 12v outlet (cig style) in the top box. Because it's double walled it looks OEM. I used a heavy laptop power wire with a 2.5 mm plug outside the box. In the side body panel I installed a 2.5 mm power jack. Works great.
Now for a ride.
Transmission, etc.
I headed north at 5am out of Atlanta toward the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Temps were in the 60's. One up. Probably 35lbs of stuff. The OEM windshield is a good compromise between protection and style. At full low it hits me at high chest level for the most relief of weight on my palms from the slight forward lean. Full forward buffets me uncomfortably. I find a few ticks off the bottom the best. Headlights provide a nice broad beam with good illumination off to the sides. No sharp top cutoff either, but they are a little high which I'll fix. Stoplights proved transmission evaluation. One of the smoothest, progressive, flawless clutches I've ever used. If you can't launch smooth on this bike, buy a Miata. Automatic. Gear selection varies. Sometimes the 1-2 shift is a click, sometimes a clunk. Same with neutral to 1st. I understand they are big gears, but sometimes it's disconcerting. I've gotten into the habit of just flipping the kill switch, select 1st and restart. Who knows... There exists some driveline lash probably due to manufacturing tolerances. But more on that later. Shaft effect is around zero. Running the shaft through the swingarm pivot point was brilliant. BMW, Moto Guzzi et al take note. Overall I give the trans a B+, the clutch an A++ and the shaft an A.
Engine:
Engine fuels very well in the low speed regime. Roll on is available whenever the key is in the ignition. Using regular gas I experienced no knocks, pings or protest from the nuclear power plant between my legs. Top gear 1200 rpm roll ons returned teeth in my helmet as I entered the empty on ramp to my highway slog to the BRP. All is not perfect though. In the 4000's vibration from this monster motor makes itself apparent. Load changes the vibe level but it's always there in this range. 5000rpm puts you nearer to 85mph and the beast goes back into mileage eating mode while returning 40mpg. Nice. Fidgeting begins at the hour mark for the stock seat. Slight movements provide some relief and truthfully it's one of the best stock seats I've experienced. Butt burn afflicts all after being in the saddle long enough. At the two hour mark I stop to fuel before the climb to the top of the BRP. 41mpg.
Colder air greets higher elevation and the electric vest is pulled into duty. If I had an aftermarket (larger) screen I may not need it, but today I do. Running through 1/4 mile fog I observe some aerodynamics as water traces the bike. Quite a bit of moisture crawls up on the bodywork behind the windshield on its way to dripping on the gauge cluster. Water from the mirror hits the hands that wind doesn't seem to. Waterproof gloves will be needed. From 1000msl (mean sea level) to 6000msl the engine proves it's worth. Torque flows seamlessly on demand. Altitude? What altitude? Once again though it's not perfect. To return 40mpg from 1300cc this engine probably runs lean. The o2 sensor probably spends a lot of time commanding closed loop mode and 14.7 afr(air/fuel ratio). Delicate throttle inputs that include mid corner changes occasionally result in chassis disrupting driveline snatch. Going down hill slowly in a high gear and light throttle can produce driveline lurching. Like it's either power or engine braking and in between makes you feel like a tennis ball in a match. Surgical smoothness on the throttle is mandatory, and rewarded, and the throttle return spring will require Popeye forearms.
Chassis, suspension:
Western NC on the BRP throws the FJR all types of pavement. Freshly paved smooth, patched and bumpy and surprising compression dips and launches. The one non variable is twisty. Smooth is where the FJR shines. Using some widely accepted suspension settings I find the bike happiest here. From arcing sweepers to bar pushing motoGP flicks all is good here. Pegs grind away happily. Things begin to fall apart when the road does. The first few bumps I realize the front and rear are at odds with each other. While more preload on the front fixed the fall in issue, now the springs are mis matched front to rear. I remove some compression damping on the front, then some more. In a curve with some heavy compression dip the rear compresses 2 inches more(it seems, I'm hauling arse)than the front and the bike tries to stand up. Hard. Yes, the rear shock is "hard". The hard setting should be labeled "flaccid". OK, this thing doesn't like 8/10ths. The rear shock sucks. Period. The engineers second major failure. I won't even come close to this pace with a passenger with the stock rear shock. I will be looking to the aftermarket soon. That being said the front end is fine. Some tweaking from stock turns it into almost magic. Only high speed compression can be a little rough. I never even think about the rest of the chassis. It's that good. Chassis A, Fork A, rear shock D-.
Brakes:
Smooth engagement to a gentle stop is expected. MotoGP initial bite and fade free haul down power is not, but you get it. Weight distribution encourages rear brake usage for maximum power and chassis stabilizing effect. That rear disc is huge for a reason. Best of all at almost rear wheel lifting force the front fork doesn't give up. Brakes A+.
Bits and pieces:
The pegs start to feel a little close after 5 hours in the saddle and the "highway pegs" have your ankles hitting the fairing lower. The seat could use a tad more area but is well padded although a gel seat would be nice. A smaller trunk lid would be a nice option too over the steamer trunk look. Overall I think Yamaha gave us 90% of what we wanted with the last 10% easily attainable. Yes, the dreaded ticker motor is out there but most have been fixed or found by now. The heat issue takes less than $20 to fix. A high quality rear shock will definitely put a dent in your riding budget but is mandatory unless you live in Kansas and never leave it. But you saved a bunch buying a gen1 didn't you? If you want the power and handling that's 90% R1 and you want to bring stuff, get out there and buy an FJR.
Things to be added. Time for dinner!
Last edited by a moderator:
Ohh, and yes I can shift my 2004 Smoothly too . lol
