Gen. 3 brakes

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

JamesW

JamesW
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Messages
1,135
Reaction score
173
Location
snohomish wa
Have seen a few comparisons on site of gen 2s (I had an 08) and gen 3s ( I now have a 13) do not remember much being said about the new abs brakes. I find the new brakes to be an outstanding improvement over my 08s, seemed as though my 08 would just not quite stop short, seemed like I was disconnected a bit the final few feet. The 13 seems to whoa me right up. Wonder how the actual stopping distances from 60 down to 0 compare in the tests.

 
As far as I know, there are no differences in the brakes between your 08 and the 13.........

 
Perhaps this is too soon to tell, but the brakes on my 2014ES seem to be soft compared to my 07. I have only ridden it from the dealer to home and a few miles locally (108 miles). With so few miles I will not test the brakes.

 
OK folks, Feb. 2013 issue of mcn fjr1300A evaluation they state in the Braking paragraph that feel and modulation of the brakes are excellent hauling the fjr down from 60mph to 0 in 126.5'-a tremendous improvement over previous ABS-equipped FJRs that they have sampled. Seems to me like some fine tuning may have taken place.

 
I can engage the ABS on my '07 without much effort. Can't brake any better than that. I would suggest that you may have had some issue with the brakes on your old bike. Brakes on the FJR are at least as good as any I have experienced on any bike - strong braking action, smooth and not at all "grabby". Absolutely no complaints. I am currently running the EBC HH pads and get good life out of them; almost as good as the OEM. Unlike what some others have reported, I haven't had any evident excessive wear on the rotors.

 
Researching further, the August 2010 mcn had a comparison sport touring article, the FJR 1300 abs was significantly revised for the 2009 model year giving a 60 to 0 stopping distance of 119.6' as compared to 144.5' in a dec. 07 test. Kind of explains my 2008s performance gap to my satisfaction.

 
Researching further, the August 2010 mcn had a comparison sport touring article, the FJR 1300 abs was significantly revised for the 2009 model year giving a 60 to 0 stopping distance of 119.6' as compared to 144.5' in a dec. 07 test. Kind of explains my 2008s performance gap to my satisfaction.
Sorry, but that is not quite accurate. The FJR's brakes were upgraded from 2007 to 2008. So from 2008+ the brakes have been the same.

The only major change (besides cosmetic) from 2008 to 2009 was going back to the Gen I clutch slave cylinder for an easier clutch pull.

 
A little checking of part numbers reveals the 13 & 14 brakes are a tad different.... master cyl. and rebuild kit, rotors, ABS pump. Pads are the same, rotor part numbers updated backwards compatable........ probably motivated by weight savings, only a guess.... but don't know that it would necessarily mean 'better' brakes, hard to compare a new machine's brakes with one that has miles on it and has had pad changes, rotors burnished, etc.. Master cylinder might have an effect if it gave you less effort to squeeze to get the same effect......

 
I never did a stoppy on my 08 but managed to do it a few times on the 13 at the LP track day.......

R

 
like most things on the Gen III, the brakes also seem to be slightly more refined than the Gen II. Same story of the Gen II vs Gen I. Seems to be people on here that only own/owned one Gen of the FJR, and refuse to believe that each Gen release has resulted in a more refined machine. Those of us that have owned all 3 Gens and have put significant mileage on each (myself, 75,000 on Gen I, 88,000 on Gen II, and 23,000 so far on Gen III) know that the refinements are real, not imagined. Nuff said.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
like most things on the Gen III, the brakes also seem to be slightly more refined than the Gen II. Same story of the Gen II vs Gen I. Seems to be people on here that only own/owned one Gen of the FJR, and refuse to believe that each Gen release has resulted in a more refined machine. Those of us that have owned all 3 Gens and have put significant mileage on each (myself, 75,000 on Gen I, 88,000 on Gen II, and 23,000 so far on Gen III) know that the refinements are real, not imagined. Nuff said.
I am (obviously) speaking with a lack of authority and direct knowledge on Gen III. I don't have direct experience with the newer bike but I am (still) pretty happy every time I throw a leg over the '07. A Gen III will be in my future if I ever manage to wear out the Gen II.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
like most things on the Gen III, the brakes also seem to be slightly more refined than the Gen II. Same story of the Gen II vs Gen I. Seems to be people on here that only own/owned one Gen of the FJR, and refuse to believe that each Gen release has resulted in a more refined machine. Those of us that have owned all 3 Gens and have put significant mileage on each (myself, 75,000 on Gen I, 88,000 on Gen II, and 23,000 so far on Gen III) know that the refinements are real, not imagined. Nuff said.
Don't have a GEN III [yet] but with three FJR's so far, I agree wholeheartedly! Each one has been an incremental improvement over the last.

--G

 
One of our fellow Forum members gave me a tip that may be worth doing if you find your 2014 brakes a bit soft. Pull the brake lever tight and secure it with a belt or a velcro strap overnight. You can hang a weight on the real brake lever as well. This will force any air back into the reservoir. Bleeding the brakes is a better method but more work.

 
like most things on the Gen III, the brakes also seem to be slightly more refined than the Gen II. Same story of the Gen II vs Gen I. Seems to be people on here that only own/owned one Gen of the FJR, and refuse to believe that each Gen release has resulted in a more refined machine. Those of us that have owned all 3 Gens and have put significant mileage on each (myself, 75,000 on Gen I, 88,000 on Gen II, and 23,000 so far on Gen III) know that the refinements are real, not imagined. Nuff said.
I have to agree, although my experience is only Gen2 2006.

When we (Fairlaner, FjRay) installed a 2008 engine into the 2006, it transformed the bike.

Even with same CPU, the 08 engine is smoother, more responsive, better.

I can only ASSume the breed improves with time, given no economic reasons to deflate the platform.

 
Top