Honda ST1300 vs. Yamaha FJR1300

[PTINSTRUCTOR]

My wife and I had ST1100s and 04 ST1300s. I loved both bikes. They each has issues, the 92 needed heil bars, the 04 was just plain (HOT). Since we live in the desert, it became unbearable. But, you can't beat the smoothness of rhe ST1300....like a sewing machine. I found the handling very good on the ST and never experienced the high speed wobble (and I have ridden it up to 156 ...on the speedo).

Comparison wise, the ST is a much better tourer. The FJR is more fun in the mountains. The ST is very smooth... the FJR is very "busy". The weather protection on the ST is far superior to the FJR. However, with a new Cee Bailey Flip, it is dead calm behind it. And, I might point out that the buzziness of the FJR, imo, smooths out at about 90.

My wife loves her FJR. She has ridden everything from sport bikes to Harley Baggers. She used to race dirts bikes also. Although she liked the slow speed (read parking lot) of the Harley Electrra Glide, her favorite bike, to date, is the FJR. She liked the ST at speed, but never felt completely comfortable on it (She put 30,000 miles on hers). Even though the FJR is not much lighter, it feels a lot lighter than the ST, and she feels very comfortable on it. With only 3500 miles on it, she is already doing the toe scrubbin' thing.

I am neutral. I like the FJR. I liked the ST. I did not like the heat issue on the ST. Yamaha addressed their problem. I felt the overall quality of the ST was better than the FJR. The plastics, rims, brake calipers and overall visual quality of the individual parts is much better on the ST. However, I really don't care about that stuff.

Handling is better on the FJR at speed (and that is what imo counts). Overall, the FJR looks like a motorcycle, the ST looks like a piece of plastic. AND, if you ever saw an ST without the bags, you would puke. Flat ugly. The FJR transforms into a decent looking sport bike. Even though I memtioned that the individual parts appeared better on the ST, I like the OVERALL look of the FJR much better.

My biggest problem with the ST, besides heat, was the dealers in my area. The kids they had at the honda shops didn't know squat about the ST, so they did what they knew and just didn't do the other things. Very frustrating. Not a decent Honda shop in New Mexico that I have seen.

I really like the Yamaha dealer I go to (Bobby J's in Albuquerque for info). Very professsional and all (or most) of the mechanics are racers who work on their own bikes. The owner is a former racer and knows the value of a well serviced bike. Just a great shop with a fantastic rep.

Good luck on your choice.

 

[mikeyb]

I bought an 07 in July and here are the bikes I looked at:

Moto Guzzi Norge - test rode

BMW R1200RT - have ridden R1150RT

BMW K1200GT

Ducati ST3 - test rode

Honda ST1300

FJR

here are the fun bikes that I test rode

Ducati HyperMotard

KTM Superduke

I was riding a 650 Vstrom at the time (still have that bike) here is why I bought the FJR

#1 this site did a great job in helping me decide to get this bike without having ridden one - style - power

#2 price - the FJR is the most bang for the buck

#3 weight - the Honda looks to weight about 90lbs more than the FJR

#4 BMW makes a great bike but everything is expensive to add or do to it - lightest of the 3 ST bikes (FJR, ST1300, BMW)

#5 Guzzi too slow too much like the Wee Strom

#6 Ducati too aggressive ergo - probably also something to get used to quickly - but the valve noise made me nuts

It took me about 1 week for my body to adjust to the FJR and I am happy with the purchase.

This is what I did to the bike to remove some of the "rough" spots

Added a Sargent Seat

Added Heated Grips - Hot Grip brand with a Variable controller - they are excellent - very hot - must solder all connections

Added the G2 throttle tube

 

[JRO]

I've looked at both bikes, plus the Triumph ST, the Moto Guzzi Norge. I've tried most of the other offerings out there, but I'd recommend checking out at the former two, in addition. (I admit I favor Triumphs, and have a pal who just aquired a Guzzi dealership). For comfort, I'd go with the Norge; possibly the most comfortable bike I've ever been on. For appearance, I'd go with the Triumph; gorgeous and pleasantly lightweight, with torque from the get-go.

I ended up with an FJR, because my wife picked it out. Okay, I've rode them before and I wanted one, because it was faster, funner, and felt better than the ST1300, and I have an old classmate who owns a dealership nearby (a big plus) - but she actually chose the bike, becasue she liked riding on the back the best all (she's 5'2", by the way).

One point about the ST1300 no one has mentioned -

I've seen two ultra-high-mileage ST1300's, that were still in fantasitc condition. One with 180,000 miles (unbelievable, and still looked very good). Another with 120,000+ (honestly, it still appeared brand-new).

I know a guy with 70,000+ on his GenI FJR, and it's still in terrific shape. I've heard of others with 100,000+, but nothing like those two ST's I've seen. So, I was leaning toward the Honda for a while, because the things DO seem to be durable.

In any event, I won't say the following incident influenced my choice, but I relate it, nevertheless:

I stopped by the Honda dealer, with kids in tow; my oldest (27 years old), my youngest (13), and three of his friends (10, 12, & 13). We checked out the ST's, then my oldest and I walked over to talk with the dealer. The young ones hung around the bikes, making their assessment. Whilst inquiring about accessories, we overheard the following pronouncement from the grade-schoolers -

"That bike looks gay".

I laughed all the way home. No way I could ride an ST1300, now.

 

[markjenn]

There have been at least six or eight different direct comparison tests published in various magazines and e-zines over the years.

Generally, the FJR (non-AE) beats the ST1300, although the C14 has been winning everything of late. You can read for days if you want, but both bikes are very good and it really comes down to personal preference. There is one major exception to the FJR's winning streak: The British mags, particularly Bike, consistently rate the ST superior to the FJR and they actually tour on the bikes during their comparos which says a lot. So while the FJR generally is better-liked, there are some noteable Honda supporters out there.

I owned an ST1100 which I dearly loved, but didn't consider the ST1300 when I was shopping for my FJR, mainly because I was looking for something slightly more sporty, because I didn't care for the rear styling of the ST1300, and because I have had good recent experiences with Yamaha, owning both an R1 and a R6. Another factor is simply that, despite having three vintage Honda motorcycles in my garage, owing a Honda generator and lawn mower, and owning a Honda Pilot, I think Honda has been a bit of a weasel lately in their US motorcycle market, marketing only the most conservative, non-innovative bikes. They've lost their rudder and personally I won't support them further until they start importing some more interesting bikes to the US market.

All this being said, I recently rented a ST1300 for a week and except for two things, I really liked it. The motor is simply incredible - yes it makes less horsepower than the FJR, but it has none of the inline-four buzz that can get to you after awhile, and it has great sound and torque. Just a velvet sledghammer of a motor and a perfect powerband for sport-touring.

The two problems: 1) the seat is terrible, although that may be just my bottom and i'm sure it is easily fixable; and 2) the infamous high-speed "weave" that was there in spades on my bike over 120-mph or so. I double anybody would find the weave at 80 mph or even 100 mph. From what I gather it is only there at really high speeds and on some examples, but when it appears, it is spooky as hell. Whether dangerous or not, this problem would be a deal-breaker for me. If I ever was considering a ST1300, I'd have to top-end the bike I was considering buying before I'd sign on the dotted line. THis would probably put me in the used market.

Just some additional thoughts....

- Mark

 

[Old Michael]

Geeez! Is it better to for a bike to "look gay" , or "like a can of smashed assholes." Hard to say...

 

[kurtfriedrich]

If anyone on this forum is also active on an ST forum, I'd like to know what they think over on that forum is not-so-hot abut the FJR that causes them to buy the ST. My guess is, if you think "touring, and a bit sporty", you go there. If you think, "when I tour, and my highest priority is enjoying the corners", you wind up here.

Kurt

 

[sonicspeed]

Geeez! Is it better to for a bike to "look gay" , or "like a can of smashed assholes." Hard to say...

hmmmm...sounds the same to me

 

[scubatech]

I see you are a Colorado guy as well. As Mark just stated from lawn mowers on up Honda builds one hell of a product! I used to sell everything but Harley, BMW,Yamaha. I really wanted Honda to build the FJR,but they didn't.I had no connections at all for Yamaha products. I felt it was the fastest best looking st bike out there. Coming from a flawless Blackbird I wanted lots of power for two up riding. So I got brave and got the FJR. I also got a WR 450 as well because it took them so long to make the CRF450X. Both these machines have problem free so far. Yamaha has stepped up to the plate on problems so that says a lot. I'm happy you will be to.

Ken.

 

[burnergold2B]

I haven't ridden the ST.
I'm not quite certain what I want. Something reasonably sporty but with good protection.

I'd really appreciate comments on the ST vs. FJR question.

Thanks.

I started out test riding a friends ST1100 and loved the ergos, etc.. However, there's a HUGE difference between the ST1100 and the ST1300. The 1100 was designed by Honda Germany, 1300 was developed/designed in Japan. When I started shopping the 1100s I found the used price perceptions were REALLY high unless they had 50K+ miles; $4-6K for '97-'02s? I really liked the ergos and fit of the ST1300s for my 6'5" frame, but again the used ST13 prices were much higher than the FJRs'. (We rarely buy new anymore.)

Test rode another friends '03 FJR and was initially underimpressed. Test rode a used '05 @ a dealership and knew with the right bolt ons for ergo. comfort that those were the machines for us. Just take an ST for a ride...

 

[brianm767]

If anyone on this forum is also active on an ST forum, I'd like to know what they think over on that forum is not-so-hot abut the FJR that causes them to buy the ST. My guess is, if you think "touring, and a bit sporty", you go there. If you think, "when I tour, and my highest priority is enjoying the corners", you wind up here.
Kurt

I am active on the ST forum, I purchased the ST over the FJR because as mentioned in an earlier post, I couldn't get used to the FJR buzz in the bars, it makes my hands go numb, ok yes I know I'm a whimp, and the other reason was, when I started looking for a S/T type bike, my #1 concern was riding two up comfort, I want my wife to ride with me, and what ever bikes is the most comfortable on long rides, 400 miles + is the one I wanted, all other aspects were secondary, and to me the ST felt more comfortable then any of the other bikes I looked at, and has more leg room than the FJR.

I love the FJR, it's better looking by far, I think my ST is ugly, it sounds just like George Jettsons space car, it is a little heavier, but when moving, I can't feel the difference, the FJR has more power, but honestly, especially down low, it's not much, I do wish I had more power, but I felt that way about the FJR also, but this is because I came off a Hayabusa after doing 25K on it, and I also owned two Blackbirds, which I still own one, and to me both the FJR and ST feel like they need more power, I guess it's what you used too.

Many people say the FJR handles so much better than the ST, when riding in the hills, I can hang with any one I've ridded with on FRR's when I'm on my ST, (except for one guy on his FJR) and most can't hang with me, probably more about riding experience there, or lack of common sense,but to get to the point where I'm losing people or a guy I know looses me on his FJR, were pushing it very hard, and honestly, harder than I need to be riding these days on a 700lb bike, so to me handling, for the way most folks are going to ride, is a toss up,

As far as the ST's heat issue, it's not one for me, I live in central California, where it's always over 100 degrees in the summer, and the ST is no hotter than any cruiser I've ever ridden, and it's way cooler than my two Blackbirds,

On the ST sight there are numerous reasons guys go for the ST over the FJR, for some it's brand loyalty, for some they feel the ST will hold up better than any other bike out there, there are numerous ST's both 1100's and 1300's with over 100K on them all ready, I haven't personally seen one yet, but I have seen several with over 75K on the clock, with no mechanical issues since new, that's pretty amazing, but I think the overall feeling is, if you want a S/T bike that's leans more towards the touring side, and will be more comfortable in the long hauls, and that has an alternator from hell that will run your house if the local power goes out, go for the ST, but many say if you want more sporty, and a little less tour, go for the FJR.

I really like the ST forum, I am also a member of the XX's , Hayabusa, CBR, SV forums just to name a few, since we own and have owned so many different bikes, and out of all of them, including this one, (sorry) it's the forum that has the least amount of other bike bashing that I've seen, now of course there is some guys out there who will bash a FJR, as there are guys here who show the ST it's respect, but overall, the FJR is highly respected on the ST forum as a fantastic bike, and often when folks visit the sight, and when they explain what they are looking for in a S/T bike, many folks often recommend the FJR to them over the ST, and provide them with the link to this sight,and as I mentioned in an earlier post, when My neighbor asked me to recommend the ST or the FJR to him, for his type of riding, I 100% recommended the FJR, even though I chose to go with the ST.

I think the bottom line is, the ST seems more like a touring bike, that can be pretty sporty, and the FJR seems like a very sporty touring bike, does that make sense? kind of like a Goldwing light, compared to a Blackbird on touring steroids?

I plan on spending more time on my neighbors FJR, who knows, I might make the switch some day, and my son who also rides a Blackbird is supposed to take out his FJR to see what he preferred for his next S/T bike.

 

[kurtfriedrich]

Thanks, thats the kind of post I was looking for. And,

I think the bottom line is, the ST seems more like a touring bike, that can be pretty sporty, and the FJR seems like a very sporty touring bike, does that make sense? kind of like a Goldwing light, compared to a Blackbird on touring steroids?

captures it very well.

Kurt

 

[Bob Hughes]

Thanks, thats the kind of post I was looking for. And, I think the bottom line is, the ST seems more like a touring bike, that can be pretty sporty, and the FJR seems like a very sporty touring bike, does that make sense? kind of like a Goldwing light, compared to a Blackbird on touring steroids?

captures it very well.

Kurt

My last bike was an 05 ST1300 that I put 10k miles on and I now have 2k miles on the FJR. I think your right...

FJR is lighter and smaller with a lower center of gravity, more fun to ride. ST is bigger and has a larger fairing and windshield that make it quieter to ride, better touring.

 

[AZrider]

Owned both.

ST1300: Glass smooth. High torque V-4. Rode like my grandpa's Packard and felt about as heavy. Heat fried my ass off above 85F.

FJR: Lighter, faster and feels a lot more nimble in the curves. A bit buzzy aroung 4K but not bad. Rides cool even in 100F weather.

Glad I made the trade for the riding I do here in AZ land.

 

[mr.paul]

I know it has already been stated but here is my 2 cents.

I have a 2006 FJR1300A, my wife has a 2005 ST1300A. They are both very nice. The FJR leans a bit more to the sporty side, the ST to the touring side. I would say the ST is the one I am more likely to get the nasty speeding ticket on however. For some reason I lose track of how fast I am going on the ST. I have been off by 30 mph a number of times on how fast I was going to how fast it felt. The ST seems heavier but then you realize you just went around that curve much faster than it felt. I really have to stare at the instruments on that bike.

The ST is warmer though. And all in all, I like the sporty feel and faster potential of the FJR. So for me, it may always be an FJR. Just love that bike. I also get better mileage on my FJR than the ST. Not sure why.

paul from Minnesota

 

[GreyGoose]

Heres an "ever so brief" synopsis of the situation:

I'm currently on a fjr 2006 coming off an st1300. I would have to say that both bikes have there pluses and minuses (depending on rider tastes). Heres the highlights:

1. the ST is a pig compared to the FJR. The St feels much lighter than it actually is, but its still really heavy compared to how the FJR feels (even though the wet weight difference is only about 50lbs). i almost forgot how big this difference is untill i got to do a comparison side by side.

2. The ST puts out more heat than the FJR. This topic always get blasted. I came off an st1100, and compared to it, the st13 is flat out rediculous in this department. Now dont get me wrong, the FJR (even with all the new heat fixes), is not as cool running as the st1100 i had, but its a huge improvement over the older FJR's and the St1300. The ST loses huge points here. if you live in a warm climate, this bike is not an option (IMHO).

3. The Stock ST13 has a more relaxed seating position for the long haul. The fjr is a more sporting position. Some people like that, others dont. I prefer a more relaxed position, so i updated my FJR with risers and a device that moves my bars back.

4. Engine: FJR is a flat out rocket compared to the ST13. But, the ST13 has more than enough power for all but the insane. Theres no doubt that the FJR is a rocket ship. but it does come with a price. There is a noticable vibration through the bars and pegs which starts around 4500 rpm's (appox. 85 mph) on the FJR. Vibration is not a word in the ST1300 v4 dictionary. FJR followers claim this can be eliminated with a particular type of Throttle body sync and foam grips. I have installed "grip puppies" and found some relief, but it's definitly still there. It tends to be a non issue due to the fact that when your traveling at those types of speeds, a little vibration is the least of your concerns. but I think its definitly worth the mention for this blog. Its one of the few "flaws" that cant be farkeled out of the unit.

5. Looks: I like the looks of both bikes with the bags on. the FJR looks alot better than the st with the bags off. Most of the Sport touring folks i know, never take the bags off (including me). Overall, my vote still goes to the fJR is this department.

6. Handling: I aint touching this. Its all about the rider. Both bikes handle great. i will say that the ST did have some high speed wobble. the FJR is rock solid all the way to insane zone.

7. Build Quality: you will not find two better built machines

8. Seat height. I was really happy when they announced that the st13 seat height was going to be less than the st11, but the difference was minimal. With a corbin installed, my seat height on my fjr is 29 inches.

9. Riding position: As we all know, the riding position is more forward on the FJR. Some like it, some dont. Its rider preference. But there is a caviat here. The bars on the FJR are at somewhat strange angle. i'm not quite sure how to explain it, but the complaints arent centered around how far forward the rider is, but on what this angle does to our wrists. Wrist pain has been a popular topic on the FJR site. The bar adjustments (forward and back) dont seem to have any bearing on this complaint. Bar risers (or the new Triple clamp that heli has designed for the bike) greatly reduce or eliminate this issue. I've never experienced anything quite like it. Usually the more forward position of sport bikes has effected my shoulder areas, not my wrists. I've eliminated the problem with the heli T-clamp and risers, But , once again, its worth mentioning.

10. Wind protection: The St13 stock has better wind protection than the stock FJR. Given that the St13 is wider and has a larger windscreen, i would expect that. Windscreens are a funny topic. Once again rider preference is all over the board. Some FJR owners want smaller screens, others want larger screens. Whats worth mentioning is that many FJR owners do not like the 'stock screen". they claim its noisy and causing buffetting. Theres some great after market screens available that people are using. I didnt have any issues with my st13 stock screen and dont recall it being much of a topic of discussion on st13 board.

11. Hard bags: The hardbags on both these machines are about the same size and both will accomadate a full face helmet. I like the looks of the FJR (were not talking about on or off the bike....just by themselves) bag better than i do the ST's. Some of the articles i've read state that the shape of the ST's bags (smaller towards the back) make them a little less usable than other types of hard bags. I did not find this to be the case with my st13. I could easily fit a laptop in the st's bags. The FJR bags on the other hand have a very cool shape, but they come with a price. Due to there shape, flat (non flexible) items such as laptops can be a problem. I've been able to work around it, but its definitly worth mentioning. i also liked the way the st's bags were divided. its about half and half configuration allowing you to store clothing item in either side (main compartment or the lid). The FJR bags are cut more in a 75 / 25 configuration, which makes it hard to store things in the lid of the case.

12. Heat: This is such a bizarre topic cause it tends to deal with what you've ridden in the past. I've never experiened a heat "issue" on any motorcycle i've ridden in the past 30 years (except the st1300 and FJR). So when i started getting cooked, i was pretty damn sensative to it. If your background is on a bike that puts off little to no heat (like my old st1100), you will think the 06 FJR runs hot. If you've just gotten off an old Vmax, you wont think twice about any "heat issues". As i stated before, the st1300 was just ridiculously hot. The difference is that the heat coming off the 06 FJR is very warm, while the heat coming off the st13 is flat out uncomfortable. The heat on the 06 FJR is also much more noticable as the windscreen is adjusted up. The higher up the screen, the more heat seems to get transmitted to the rider. With the screen in its starting position, I would say that yamaha did an outstanding job of reducing the amount of heat transmitted to the rider. As the screen comes up (and the tempuratures are 74 degrees or above), you start getting some pretty warm air (but very tolerable) on your shins and inner thighs. Its more noticable in city driving, but not much of an issue on the highway. This makes alot of sense since The yamaha upgrades are dependent upon airflow. The more airflow, the better there designed fixes work. I didnt know where to begin fixing the st1300's heat. i had heat on my ankles, shins, calves, inner thighs, and family jewels. I could "cool the jewels' quite a bit by keeping the gas tank full (which negated the benefits of that monster gas tank). ST13 would produce Hot relentless heat when the tempuratures outside reached 78 degrees and didnt matter if your in the city or the highway. I actually feel heat sooner on the FJR (74 degrees), but not that hot uncomfortable st13 heat. On hot humid days, driving around the city, i expect to be a little hot. But once i get out on the highway, i expect things to cool down. The st13 was relentless...The 06 FJR fixes work as designed. My plan is to get a larger shield to increase my wind protection while the shields in its lowest position (where the designed heat fixes seem to work there best). That way i get reduced heat coupled with less noise. Bottom line: The 06 heat fixes really work. but remember, you sitting on a 145 horsepower rocket. Its gonna get warm. I also got the chance to ride an 04 FJR and found it too be much hotter (but still better than the st13) than my 06. The st1300 forum guys are now removing the "inner cowling" to cut down the heat. I'm very skeptical of the fix.

This subject really got "my panties in a bunch" when honda refused to recognize the issue. Its truly a statement from honda about how they feel about there sport touring members. I'd make a nice wager that if this problem was happening on a gold wing, bikes would be getting recalled. The st1300 will get a make over soon (2009-2010), i'd bet 10 to 1 odds they'll be touting some new system that "increases rider comfort by decreaseing the amount of heat transmitted to the rider". We can then hopefully put that famous phrase "What heat problem!!!" to rest......

13. wind noise: this is hard one to comment on cause it depends on rider size. i'm short. and the stock shield was loud as hell. I bought a v-stream and it eliminated any wind noise problems. my st1300 didnt have an adjustable wind shield.

Heat and weight were my pitfalls on the st1300. "Out of the box" configuration is my pitfall on the FJR. I had to do some farkling to get the bike to what i thought should have come out of the box. I never had to do that with any of my hondas. I couldnt do anything about the st13 heat (My bike flat our broiled me and i dont have any faith in the "heat blanket" the st guys are talking about...its a design flaw gentlemen!! (and i expect honda will fix the issue like yamaha did in a later model)) or weight on the St13. I'm able to make corrections to my issues with the FJR. FJR owners tend to be tweakers. I'm amazed at the information on the FJR board.

I'm very interested in seeing the next generation of ST. The new BMW and FJR have really taken this sport touring thing to a new level. Honda has a good product but needs to step back up to the plate. I would have never sold my st1300 if it wasnt for the heat issue, but rider comfort is one of the main reasons i buy a sport touring bike. its really is close to being a great motorcycle. I just got back from a 3 day jaunt of the fjr. It performed flawlessly. would i have been more comfortable on the st1300? Probably....but tempuratures never got above 70 (st1300 starts the cooking at 80). Was i uncomfortable on the FRJ? Absolutely not (corbin seat, grip puppies, tour performance t-clamp with risers, madco throtlle lock, and crampbuster, make it pretty damn hard not to kick back and relax)!

I think that covers it. it comes down to whether you want a:

1. sporty gold wing

or

2. a comfortable sport bike.

the sporty gold wing will cook you.

the comfortable sport bike has some "attitude".

once you decide what you want, use the above caviats to make the right decision.

GreyGoose

 

[PTINSTRUCTOR]

Thanks, thats the kind of post I was looking for. And, I think the bottom line is, the ST seems more like a touring bike, that can be pretty sporty, and the FJR seems like a very sporty touring bike, does that make sense? kind of like a Goldwing light, compared to a Blackbird on touring steroids?

captures it very well.

Kurt

My last bike was an 05 ST1300 that I put 10k miles on and I now have 2k miles on the FJR. I think your right...

FJR is lighter and smaller with a lower center of gravity, more fun to ride. ST is bigger and has a larger fairing and windshield that make it quieter to ride, better touring.

This is EXACTLY how we felt. ST is smoother....lots smoother. But, then the Wing is smoother yet. I guess we all make a decission based on what we want out of a bike. We love the FJRs, but no bike is without it's downside. Just wish I could be Jay Leno!!!!

 

[TruWrecks]

To me the ST1300 feels like a pushing around a refrigerator with big wheels with the engine off. The FJR feels like a heavy sportbike. The ST1300 looks like something is missing if you take the side bags off. The FJR looks like a big sportbike without sidebags. Standard ABS is also a real nice FJR feature.

 

[Santron]

I've rode the FJR last May and liked everything about it except the wind roar.
Thanks.

My feelings exactly. I like everything about my (new to me) FJR, except that the air flow around me is the worst of any bike that I have ever owned. I had a 2006 St1300A for a dayt a few months ago and really liked it. It is not as powerful, but the engine is smoother. I also felt that the ST was somewhat unstable at higher speeds with the windshield up. I like the dash layout better on the FJR. I'd really rather make the FJ work by doing something about the air flow, but if I can't I'll be headed to the ST myself...

 

[CRMH Eagle]

When I was looking the past year I read about the Honda. Honda makes a wide-array of quality products, but so does Yamaha. Though not to deter from the conversation, but Yamaha pianos are some of the best quality pianos ever made. Regarding bikes, the more I read about the FJR the less I kept looking at the Honda. Now if the FJR was made by Saturn, then I'd pick the Honda with no questions. Every rider has different needs, hence the plethora of bikes available. When looking at the touring bikes, you have to decide which features of a each bike are more important than another bike. Once I decided to buy the FJR over the Honda based on performance, looks, the huge technical & farkeling support on this and other forums, and tha ABS, etc... then I quite looking at the Honda. Then I had to decide between the FRJ and the BMW. I really like some of the features on the BMW such as the cool suspension... but the price, reliability issues, and fairing design just pulled me back to the FJR. I figure that when I pick up my FJR in the next few days (based on when the dealer can deliver) that I can take a few grand not spent on the BMW and have all the bells & whistles I want WITHOUT having to pay $22,000.

Plus, I think saying "feejer" just sounds so different and cool. :assassin:

But don't be swayed by anyone's opinion. Just take what we all have to say and weigh it with what you want, how much you can afford, dealer support in your area, and which bike will keep you smiling when you're on the back roads all alone and no one is around to judge you or what you are riding....

 

[phil]

I have not ridden the ST. But don't y'all think the higher heat is because 2 of the 4 jugs are nearly between your legs, whereas all cylinders on the FJR are further forward, and downward?