FJR / BMW Indecision

[Coastie]

For those that do read the New Member posts I apologize for the repost of this topic, but I figured most people don't frequently read the New Member intros, so I have a better chance of taking advantage of your expertise by reposting here. Thanks.

Hello from a new member from the Southwest, New Mexico specifically. I have joined this forum in an effort get some clarity on what I want. My current ride is a 2006 Stratoliner S, which is a beautiful and comfortable bike, but the wife and I are contemplating a move from the cruiser scene to sport touring, which we have done in the past. So I am selling the Stratoliner and gonna invest the proceeds into a sport touring mount. My last sport tourer was a 93 Honda VFR 750.

I am torn between a BMW K 1150/1200 RT and an FJR 1300. The wife and I have had the opportunity to take a 2008 BMW K 1200 RT for a ride and we both were pleased with it. The wife said that it is very comfortable for her, as the passenger. I think it was impressive, but the more I research about these bikes the more I am turned off by the intense frequency of maintenance and the cost of maintenance, not to mention the initial price of a new BMW RT ($20k +).

I have always been a Yamaha fan and have always liked the looks of the FJR, but have not had the opportunity to ride one yet. My primary concern is suitability for two up touring. I am 6'2" at 200 lbs with a 34" inseam, and the wife is 5'2" at about 130 lbs. I am sure that the FJR is capable of hauling us, no problem, but will the FJR offer enough room where the wife does not feel like she is sitting on my shoulders? I do plan to put the Yamaha top box on with the pad.

Okay, the basic question - for those who were considering a BMW before you bought your FJR, what swayed your decision.

Thanks for your time and your opinions.

 

[Ignacio]

Okay, the basic question - for those who were considering a BMW before you bought your FJR, what swayed your decision.

Price, ease of maintenance, and most importantly.....the final drives on FJRs don't grenade regularly and leave you stranded.

 

[dj bill]

easy peazy,buy both

 

[wheatonFJR]

Try an FJR...then try a Wing.

See which your wife is more comfortable with...

If it's good enough for Fairlaner, it's good enough for me. Besides, I think Smitty's latest lust is for a Wing as well. Both those guys are wicked riders so Wings aren't just for Grampa...I bet Richard kicks my FJR @ss on his Wing in a week or so...

 

[Coastie]

Try an FJR...then try a Wing.

See which your wife is more comfortable with...

If it's good enough for Fairlaner, it's good enough for me. Besides, I think Smitty's latest lust is for a Wing as well. Both those guys are wicked riders so Wings aren't just for Grampa...I bet Richard kicks my FJR @ss on his Wing in a week or so...

FJR in my future? More than likely. Wing in my future? Not likely. I already own a truck.

 

[lharrell79]

If you're worried about costs with the BMW, I would run from it. Most BMW riders rely solely on their local BMW dealer for parts, work, and any other problems that might arrise. You're going to pay a premium to keep that fancy dealership afloat.

On the otherhand, most FJR riders do their own maintenance and work, and when a problem does arrise, you can usually find a solution on messageboards like this.

Finally, i've heard the newer BMW's can-bus system can be a dog when trying to add farkles. It is a very complex system. All the more reason to stay away.

Lucas

 

[fljab]

Okay, the basic question - for those who were considering a BMW before you bought your FJR, what swayed your decision.

Price, ease of maintenance, and most importantly.....the final drives on FJRs don't grenade regularly and leave you stranded.

Ditto +1!

I spent a yr looking, test rode 14 bikes, and "what he said" is what clinched it for me getting a FJR.

 

[SLK50]

Price, ease of maintenance, and most importantly.....the final drives on FJRs don't grenade regularly and leave you stranded.

Mostly this. Nearest BMW dealer, at the time, was 90 miles away.

I have three Yamaha dealers within 20 miles of me.

In retrospect, I do all my own maintenance and my bike has never been to a dealer

so maybe my concerns were unfounded. Don't know if experience would have been

the same with a BMW.

 

[rfespinosa]

You need to clarify the BMW model you are looking at. They don't make a K 1200 RT. The RT is an R bike, not a K bike. Are you looking at the R1200 RT, the two cylinder boxer?

I had an '04 R1150 RT and I currently have an '08 FJR.

The four cylinder engine on the FJR will easily outperform the two cylinder RT, it will be smoother too. A lot will depend on how much power you want, I am guessing the RT has more power than the Stratoliner, but the FJR has a LOT more power than the Stratoliner.

I sold a BMW K1200 RS and bought my FJR three years ago, I had rear seal problems on my BMW. The dealer fixed it three times and it still leaked. I have not had any problems with my FJR.

 

[FiveG]

Size should be no problem. I'm 6'3" and 190; wife is 5'10" and . . . I won't say in order to remain married, but she's thin. Bottom line: plenty of room and she in fact doesn't have to lean up against me unless she (and I) want to.

 

[phlick]

I was looking at RT's before I went with the FJR. What swayed me?

1) Cost - I was able to buy a New (Old stock) FJR for less than what was being asked for a 3 year old RT with 20K miles. RT is a nice bike. But not that nice.

2) Maintenance - have you ever had to have your valves adjusted every 6K miles at $700-1200 per visit? This is why I sold my Ducati. 1st Valve adjustment on the FJR is at 24K miles.

3) Dealer network - After shopping at several BMW dealers, I was not happy with the smugness of the salesmen (where else are you going to go? Hm? ) The # of shops, or the cost of accessories.

 

[wnyfjr]

My primary concern is suitability for two up touring. I am 6'2" at 200 lbs with a 34" inseam, and the wife is 5'2" at about 130 lbs.

I'm a little shorter for the same weight (probably not a good thing for my health!) and my wife is just a bit taller than yours at I think 5'4" or so, but otherwise, we sound similar. We ride 2-up quite often, and I sometimes have to reach back and make sure she's still there. Most of the time I can feel her back there, but there's no problem fitting us both comfortably. I have a Give top case with a pad, and that doesn't seem to push her forward at all.

 

[juniorfjr]

One of my best friends has a R1200 and it is a beautiful bike. Nicely finished and complete with all the farkles from bmw. But he's filthy rich. That said, I've got a beautiful bike that will outrun the beemer, hasn't cost me a thing other than oil and tires and one valve check at 36k. Both bikes ride and handle well, the fjr doesn't mind the two of us on it, and we're a few cheeseburgers heavier. Oh and I've got about 7k left over. For Cheeseburgers.

 

[Fred W]

As was already pointed out, you seem to be mixing up the BMW model line up (which will make a difference).

The K bikes are the water cooled 4 cylinders. They are most like an FJR in power department. The K1200's are all pretty old though as the K-bikes have been 1300c for several years now.

The K1200/1300LT is BMW's Luxury Touring bike. It is the Bavarian equivalent of an old wing, with an armchair in the back for the "old lady".

The K1200RS is a true sport touring bike, with emphasis on sport. It has minimal accoutrements for the passenger, so I doubt that this is what you are looking at. I lust to add one of these to my fleet some day.

The K1200/1300GT is a supersport touring bike and is the equivalent of an FJR in BMW terms. I'd ride one if someone gave me a winning lottery ticket. They are nice bikes, but $$.

The BMW R bikes are all air cooled boxer (horizontally opposed) twins in the classic BMW tradition. This is what the true kool-aide drinkers go for. They are very quirky. They have tractor like transmissions and are low on power. They are also prone to 2-cylinder vibration, although the boxer engine tends to balance some of that out. They have an unusual front fork system that completely eliminates front end dive (telelever), which I think is good. They also have a single sided swingarm rear end called paralever which has the tendency to grenade.

I've owned a few BMWs(an old airhead, a K bike and and newer oil head) in the past, and they are all fun bikes. But they are also BMWs which means they are expensive to buy and to maintain, unless you do all of your own maintenance. I do my own maintenance so they were not a big problem for me.

That said, the only one that stacks up anywhere near an FJR is the K1300GT. I actually preferred the styling of the K1200GT to the flat slab-side styling of the 1300, but the extra engine would be better. Here's a close-up shot of what the K12GT looks like. Yeah... I'd hit that.

 

[FJReady]

Fred,

Where's the motorcycle in that photo? And yes, you're a dirty old man.

Coastie,

The FJR will cost you less to buy, maintain and repair(if at all- it's pretty bullet proof)

And it will outperform the R1200 in engine performance. Th RT suspension is pretty well put together however.

You may want to check out some options on aftermarket top cases for the FJR. I've heard the OEM one (in addition to being pricey) is a little confining for the passenger. Although maybe not so much for your svelte little cargo.

Good luck!

 

[TomInPA]

Fred's post has it all. Good information and pictures of someone's daughters. :huh:

If money is an issue, and it is for most of us, the FJR would let get you out the door with enough left over for a custom seat that your pillon could appreciate, and some nice accessories to make the ride better. I recently came from a cruiser and even though it is still in my garage, there is no going back. Man, I hope someone buys this thing! Maybe I can get Fred's underage girls to sit on it! :clapping:

 

[saxman]

If the decision was just for you as a solo rider, your decision would be a lot easier. Ride both somehow and

get wifey's input, but if she doesn't have strong preferences, go for the FJR - reliable, fast, beautiful, doesn't cost a ton to insure or maintain and lastly, the guys who ride Yamahas are a tad more down to earth than the average BMW rider, no offence.(Yikes, I'm generalizing, but there you go and while I'm at it, don't get me started on the down-to-earth quotient - or lack thereof - of most Ducati riders. . .)

 

[PopCycl]

I am 6'2" 230 and my wife is moderate. We have the Russell Day-Long seat and both ride the FJR comfortably. We looked at a K1200LT and the R1200RT and decided to go with the FJR and I could not be happier. The cost savings, easy maintainance, and beautiful lines make the FJR the best value.

 

[Pete Bansen]

Fred's excellent post needs little elaboration.

If it's an R1200RT you're looking at, it's a wonderful bike. The transmission is vastly better than either the R1100 or R1150 trannies, weight is down, power is up. The suspension is excellent and it handles like a smaller, lighter machine. It is a very comfortable bike. It is also a very expensive bike and the final drive will probably be fine. Most likely. The oilhead boxers are actually quite easy to work on, but the Canbus can make things interesting when adding electrical accessories. BMW riders are not all stuck-up jerks nor are all BMW salespeople.

On the other hand, the FJR has more power, is smoother, faster and gets about the same fuel mileage. It runs on regular (you may need to feed the Beemer mid-grade). The suspension is good and there are several excellent upgrade options - you can add (and have an expert dial in) aftermarket suspension and still come in well under the cost of the RT. The transmission is excellent and the final drive without drama. There are many, many more Yamaha dealers than there are BMW dealers these days, although when you find a BMW dealer, they see a lot more RT's than a Yamaha dealer sees FJR's. I have not owned an FJR long enough to know whether than makes a substantial difference or not.

Two good bikes. They are different, but they're both a lot of fun. It really comes down to which you like best.