Just got new Cycle World today....

[cctxfjr]

The C-14 is a nice bike. It will be good competition for the FJR and will keep Yamaha from resting on its laurels. I'll be happy to see more ST bikes out there and fewer of the cruisers and sportbikes. The ST riders as a group seem to take their riding and safety more seriously. You just can't do long distances if you are not conscientious about safety and comfort. ST riders also are demanding as far as handling goes, that sets us apart from the Wingers to some degree. Competition improves the breed, so the more ST bikes and the better the ST bikes, the better for us as a whole. I think the C-14 engine and transmission give something to Yamaha to think about. I'll be curious to see the Gen 3 FJR. B)

my thoughts exactly-been waiting on the next model change on the FJR to see if they take some of the buzz out of the engine-smooth up the throttle delivery and slick up the shifting

 

[odot]

Holy shit..........I guess none of us left grade school. Ok, who's dad can beat up who's dad? I'll pick the dad with a wrench in his hand.

 

[Wicked Webby]

I think this has been covered here a lot.. Don't forget that 2 other magazines (MCN and MotorcycleUSA) did their head to head/side by side comparo's on the current ST (FJR and C14 included) both picked the FJR as NUMBER1 ST!

As far as Rider and CW goes:

Does the C14 offer more sport touring capacity right out of the box over the FJR.... HELL NO! not even close:

The C14 does have a cool tire pressure monitoring system. HOWEVER....The C14 does not have adjustable seats. Does not have adjustable handle bars. Does not have a very large gas tank(has a gallon less than the FJR). Does not get good gas mileage. Does not have 26,000 valve adjustment intervals (it is 15,000 miles and is very expensive to do compared to the costs of the FJR's valve service). Does not have fully adjustable front suspension..Ect..Ect..Ect...

Does the C14 offer a performance advantage right out of the box over the FJR...YES, but O so slight, the bikes are very close performers. The C14 has the 6th gear BUT can not use it for top speed runs and still gets worse gas mileage. Hmmm.... Go figure!

Does the FJR easily gain performance over a stock C14 (and a modded C14 with slip-on exhaust) with just a set of slip-ons and some elbow grease... YES, and it is pretty inexpensive to do!!

Modifying your air box and the barbarian mod are both FREE and offer GREAT HP/TQ gains!!

(see my HP/TQ recipe... https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...p;#entry428729)

Can the C14 be modded to compete and try and beat the cheaply modded FJR.. YES (but not dollar for dollar). With the C14's slip-on exhaust, remove the intake flies, buy a power commander, get it custom dyno tuned. This gets pretty expensive.. A lot more than just the cost of some slip-ons.

I like my Friends C14. Though, It has a lot more short comings than the FJR except for stock to stock power. BTW, my friends C14 has a slip-on exhaust (TwoBrotherRacing). My cheaply modified FJR with the Remus slip-on exhaust has the power advantage all across the RPM range. I do suspect that if he put more $ into his bike (pulled his flies, bought a PWC or Techlusion tuner and had it custom tuned) our bikes would be close. Advantage who? I don't know, and can't say.. I don't bench race like some.

Can either bike be modded to have crazy HP! Yes, of course!!! Just bring your check book!!

Finally, the C14 is a very nice bike. It is the New kid on the block and that is why Rider and CW called on it.

WW