Still in Lust

[Warchild]

A couple of those look good enough to be cover shots. How many miles you got on her?

~ 110,000 miles between the two FJRs I've owned.

It's hard to rack up serious mileage on any one bike when there is 3 in the stable (though I am down to 2 now...).

This particular machine now has 61,000 miles on it.

It did not start out life all that well.... here is the above bike the day I purchased the salvage title for it in the winter of 2004:

 

[mmonroe]

This is a great thread Warchild..

I rode my 2007 FJR into work all this week. Saw 17ºF on Monday morning and the low 20's the other days (with no heated gear I will add). I too have other bikes but I freaking love the FJR. It is really a great all-round do-everything bike.

Mark

 

[turbodave_98]

I'll add to this thread with, I have been fortunate to have owned an 05 FJR and currently an 06 AE. the FJRs have fullfilled every thing I wanted in a perfect bike for me in my "Vintage Rider" status of life. Between the two FJRs, I have put nearly 100kmiles on the bikes. Those miles are recorded while I still have several other bikes in my stable. I am a "funtion over form" type of bike owner and IMHO, the FJR is the best of the bunch!!

 

[Rolavine]

Yeah, I don't know if I like the Mikuni Garage Girls better than the bike or not.

While you could get a good ride on one it's just too much work, I mean three minutes of gearing up for a five minute ride, wait, who am I kidding these girls are so cute I would go off in anticipation even before the prep.

And this is exactly the sort of thinking that will cause you to miss that red light.

Yeap, I'm just going to be best friends with my FJR.

 

[cadman]

i was very disapointed when yamaha launched the FJR as a euro only machine. i knew the first time i laid eyes on the machine i would one day own a copy.

my girlfriend calls my FJR my "metal mistress". she claims i spend more money on the FJR than her...ok, so what's her point...LOL!

if my GF's suspension could be easily upgraded, her headlight brighter, her seat a bit more comfy on those long rides, wait her seat is just fine for me....anyway i very much feel the lust factor, hell, ok i'll say it...i love my FJR!!! :yahoo: there, i feel better.

i got a front parking spot today i'll just go to the window and stare........................

later,

cadman

 

[BikerGeek99]

Been riding cruisers for 10 years. While riding was still enjoyable enough, quite frankly it was getting a little old for me.

Then Susan and I met and she really enjoys riding and I enjoy her company. As we rode more and more, I started thinking that a bike that's a bit more comfortable for 2-up touring would be nice, and I kinda had a desire for something sporty again. Having previously owned a FJ1200, I discovered the FJR and this forum.

So I added Veejer to the stable in April. It took me 7 years to put as many miles on the Harley as I have put on the FJR in 7 months! Trips to SW Pennsylvania, the Finger Lakes in New York, visiting friends in Michigan, going to my dad's in Kentucky (and a blast through the back roads with Jagermeister)...

And EOM. EOM was an eye-opener to me. I wasn't really worried about liking the people (even though Scab was there). The peeps were terrific. As stupid and dorky as this sounds, what I didn't expect was discovering how much fun twisties can be! Attacking twisties isn't really the mission for (most) cruisers. Taking Veejer through the twists and turns around Lewisburg showed a whole other side to Veejer's personality that I didn't know existed. I discovered just the tip of what the FJR is capable of, and just how much I have to learn as a motorcyclist.

I'm hooked. The FJR really is one hell of a motorcycle. We're already planning even more rides for '09. We're hoping to make EOM, SFO and CFO in '09. Luckily we both get an additional week of vacation for '09!

BG

 

[Warchild]

These "true confessions" posts are illuminating and compelling.

Keep 'em coming, folks.....

 

[wfooshee]

When my stepson threw the valves out of his car his senior year of high school he came home and announced he was dumping the idea of cars and wanted a motorcycle. Well, knowing his maturity level (minus) and his fiscal responsibility (super-minus) I tried to discourage him as much as I could.

Since he was talking no car, my big point was that you couldn't depend on a bike for daily transportation. What'dya do when it's cold, or rainy? How you gonna carry books to school? What about dates? I can fix yer car, but I ain't gonna work on no bike!

Well, he got one anyway, which is a separate (and worthy) story, and of course I picked up my FJR June '07, and have been on it nearly every day since, with long weekends, 2-up day trips, commuting with the laptop and other gear, or bringing home a hundred bucks worth of groceries.

When he was down here last summer to pick up his bike and take it home, we rode up to Dothan and over to Ft. Walton, looking for stuff, and just riding. He asked at one of our breaks as we stopped to put on rain gear, "So, Dad. What happened to 'you can't ride a bike every day everywhere you go, in whatever weather you happen to encounter and packing whatever it is you have to take?'"

Well, at least I know he heard what I said. . . . . .

He rides a Suzuki Boulevard right now, but is thinking of stepping up to a Concours. I sent him the link for the spark plug change thread that was here a few weeks ago. :assassin:

 

[RenoJohn]

Great thread.

I'm only two years into FJR ownership, but in that short time, the FJR has opened up many aspects of cycling that I had never done before.

What a capable machine. Throw a dart at the Atlas and have the bike take you there with no drama, at the pace of your choosing. The bike is no doubt the most refined bike I've ever had. Very few quirky things to it ...instead it just loves to run.

Many a smile on my face thanks to the FJR. Whether a long weekend ride to new and distant places. Competing in rallies,

...Or, just chasing that elusive horizon ....

The FJR has given me the opportunity do these things like no other bike.

10 thumbs up to the FJR!!

 

[Foxhuntr]

I've put 30,000 miles on my 07 since May 07. During that time, we've put 11,000 miles on our car - 99% of that was my wife's driving. Living in CA I can ride my 70 mile commute year round rain or shine. I've got my bike just the way I like it and look forward to my ride to and from the office via as many twisties as I can fit in.

The downside of this is that when Cycle World and Rider magazines arrive every month, I can't find any bikes in their reviews that I'm interested in. I sold my FZ1 because I wasn't using it. I go to the dealers and sit on bikes, hoping for some spark - but nothing.

 

[petey]

Well, I'm on my third feejer, '03, '06 and now an '08. For an all around bike, nothing I've ever owned has sustained the smile on my face as the feejer. I call it therapy. :yahoo:

 

[Fred W]

I went through a half dozen bikes in about 4 years. Looking back on it, I realize now that I was on a quest. I didn't quite know what i was "questing" for at that time, but I figured I would damn-well-know-it when I got there.

To be perfectly honest, I was about 90% there on the 1994 BMW R1100RS, a few years back. It was comfy, and somewhat minimalistic (which I like greatly), but it sure wasn't... exciting! I kind of think I could have been happy on the RS. But, then I'd have to hang out with those Beamer guys... :blink:

Later, I thought maybe I was a Concours C1 curmudgeon. I had a 2001 Connie and it was in fine stead. I mean, hey, how fitting is that for a Yankee-born tight-wad? But I couldn't stand the vibes, or relate to the utilitarian demeanor (and handling). If I wanted that I'd just ride a Massey-Ferguson. The Connie lasted less than 6 months.

Somewhere in my quest I stumbled through a used bike shop that we have here in Southern NH called MOM's (Motorcycles of Manchester). I was there looking at a Triumph Trophy 1200 they had listed, but it was in rougher shape than what I wanted. If it had been a Trophy 900 (the 3 cyl vs 4) I probably would have still bought it. I still lust for a nice trumpet triple.

They also had a "bass boat blue" 2005 FJR on the floor, and I briefly chatted with one of the proprietors about the bike. He told me the he rode the bike and it was like nothing he had ever ridden before. It had power out the ass (his words) and you could ride the damn thing all day without stopping. This guy was like me... gray hair, middle age+. I was piqued, but they wanted more coin than was in my allowance at that time.

So, then I sold the Ducati Monster that I had at the time (which never really fit my 6'2" frame)

and bought a Honda VFR800Fi. It was considerably older than the other bikes I had been looking at, but damn, it was clean. And red. Very red. That bike is a superior sport touring bike. I'm still on the lookout for a nice Blackbird (to compare it to), but I will probably keep the VFR until I die.

Well the guy I bought the Viffer from also had an FJR. It was an (obviously pampered) '05, just a year and a half old at the time. So I scored it form him off eBay for the auction reserve price. It was a win-win (I like to think).

My '05 FJR will be keeping the '98 VFR company for a long, long time. What makes my FJR indispensable to me is how well it does in 2-up sport touring. Other bikes are lighter, more flick-able, better handling, but the FJR is more comfortable (1-up or 2-up) and gives me grins every time I twist the thing on the right. And for 2-up, there is no substitute for having that power and torque of the feejer at my right hand's beck and call.

I have another project that I'm goofing around with now. An antique '73 R60/5 that I'm (semi-)restoring into a decent Sunday Morning cafe tiddler.

I'll quite likely have other bikes. But they are highly unlikely to ever displace the FJR in my garage.

 

[William42]

I bought a 03 new and it has a little over 60K on it. It hauls my fat ass aound just fine even when I over load it with gear and the girl friend. If I get bored all I have to do is crank on the throttle and instant un-boredom. The only replacement I can see for it is a 09 FJR. Great bike.

 

[NoCage]

After a long period of not owning a bike, and having to borrow friends bikes... I stumbled onto the FJR. Without having ridden one or seen one in person, I plunked down the $500 PDP in April of '04 (remember that torture guys?). My wife was PISSED, but I went with the axiom that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Now, if I go more than a week without riding it, no matter what the weather, the wife says... "time to ride your therapist". This is the only bike I've ridden that I've liked more the longer I've ridden it. Normally, the new bike thing is exciting, and then wears off a bit. Me and the bike survived a deer strike August a year ago, and I'm even more attached to it... we both survived bambi bitch w/o going down, that makes for a special bond somehow. Weekends and the rare trips aren't enough anymore. I commute every day, and take longer and longer routes to, and from work anymore. Yes... I'm addicted to my Feej.

 

[brazos parker]

I got an '05 FJR after taking time off from riding to finish a career and I can still remember when the "FJR Grin" first appeared. I was many days and many miles into the break-in period. I could no longer resist the siren song of the right handgrip. On a straight, back road, w/ no obvious side roads, I looked down at the speedo and said "OK, let 'er rip!" I looked up as I twisted the throttle and began to see the scenery turn to a blur. After what seemed to be only a moment from the glance down at the speedo reading 30 mph, a look up the road, a twist of the right wrist, the blur of passing trees, and another glance at the speedo...95mph!!! I experienced for the first time the "FJR Grin" as my brain kept saying "Holy Sh*t! Holy Sh*t! Holy Sh*t!"

That grin is still there every time I mount this magnificent machine.

 

[BobbyBlue]

Thanks WC for reminding us why we picked THIS motorcycle. But I gotta tell ya I felt so welcomed here that for me half the fun and spirit of riding this bike is sharing this with you folks...our angst, reverie, asshat mistakes and malfeasance, shortcuts, blunders and even the pain of our most missed buds ( its almost Friday! ), not to mention the triumphs and joys we share. I bought this machine sight unseen and untested...I wasnt even sure my short ass legs would reach the ground but I followed my heart and intuition and they led me here and I'm a better rider, wrencher, and person because of it. Yep...y'all done a very good thing...Thanks again Dale and everyone who makes this forum work...now its time to go ogle the old man in the garage !!!!

We Are Blessed !!!

Bobby

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

I had Honda shafted bikes since the early 80's and many different bike since the 60's. While functional they didn't give you that thrill factor. I bought an FZ1 upon a friends recommendation and had the thrill of a lifetime learning how to ride a motorcycle all over again. The performance was more than I could handle but I missed the bagger. I read an article on the FJR in Europe and was bummed a bagged and shafted bike wasn't coming to America. Then low and behold one day on the FZ1 site I saw the announcement of the PDP. Went down next business day and plopped down $500. Had only saw pictures and read one atricle but it was the best decision of my motorcycling life. In the FJR brother and sisterhood I came in contact with a group of great people and some incredible LD riders. Most of you know how many farkles you can add and how much money it takes to set up a LD bike. But what fun it is. Was always looking to upgrade the '03 bought in July of '02 but there is no reason until the '03 expires or I win the lottery. Happy riding. Mike in Fremont, Ca.

 

[cpsfjr]

Great post. +1 :clapping:

When I was a kid we had some horses. The funnest to ride was a spirited young mare who was nimble and fast, yet very good-natured. She could go for long rides when that was your pleasure, but loved to run when you gave her the reigns--anywhere/anytime. The FJR is that for me.

I probably shouldn't hijack the topic by asking this question, but how do you contrast your Hayabusa and your FJR, WC?

 

[Warchild]

Great post. +1 :clapping:
I probably shouldn't hijack the topic by asking this question, but how do you contrast your Hayabusa and your FJR, WC?

Ack! These are definitely two totally different animals.

The common attribute they share is that both have pretty insane performance in their intended roles: there isn't another bagger that can hang with the FJR, with the possible exception of the C-14.

And there isn't another bike on the planet that can hang with the Gen II Hayabusa.

Otherwise... the Hayabusa provides it's own Grin Factor that is more intense (obviously) than the FJR, but it's at a quite steeper price, ergonomically.

The Busa is a particularly poor cold-weather bike, because the rider's body is factored in as part of the airstream design. It can be tough business doing LD stuff on the Busa when the ambient temps are below 40-45 degrees, whereas the FJR is like a cocoon in comparison, particular with a Cee Bailey's +2/+3 screen I use between Oct-April.

But when the temps are, say, Death Valley-like, it's a wild, wild ride......

 

[Wolfhound]

Everytime I see a pic of that 'busa it has the looks of "I'm here and taking over" and in reality lives up to it. I need to buy some lottery tickets once in a while . . . .