Buying a 07FJR Tommorrow

About to buy an 07 tommorrow. Test rode it today and felt great except cornering. Steering just felt very heavy like something was wrong. When I got back I had the seller check the front tire pressure on the stock Metzler Z6 (3690 miles) and it was 35psi which was after 30 minutes of riding. Recommended psi is 39 cold. What would you speculate the the cold pressure would be? Would it cause the problems I was experiencing? The lean felt good but seemed clunky while cornering.

Also I noticed a high pitched whistle like sound at around 3500 rpm's (kinda like what the ST1300 sounds like at all rpm's) Didn't sound like a problem but just an observation.

This bike is all stock except for a dual Gerbings heat troller. Will need a windshield. What do you guys recommend for someone 6'1 with a 35 inch inseam? I'm actually happy its all stock so I can see how it fits me out of the box. I assumed that I need risers but not going there until I put in an all day ride. He said that he can make me a deal on his heated Gerbing gloves and jacket but said that they were around $600.00 retail. I was hoping he would throw it in the deal but didn't realize they were so expensive.

That is low pressure. Most of us around here tend to run 40-42psi. Most likely, that was the cause of your bad handling. Still, I would air it up properly, and give it a ride again. Make sure to check the rear pressure too - 42psi.

Whistling sounds kind of odd to me. Don't know what to tell you on that.

I haven't priced Gerbing, but $600 sounds way high. You can get the same items from Warmnsafe (my preferred heated gear) for half that.

:yahoo: Congratulations! :yahoo:

The "gear whine" is a no-cost option. Supposedly they are going to eliminate it on the 2020 model.

Windshield Nirvana? Oh boy...... Your best option is find some local guys that will let you swap out and try theirs. That's the only way you'll KNOW what works for you.

How many miles on the front tire too. FJR likes good rubber to corner on.

The book says 39 , I run mine at 42 front and back. Look at wear patterns ,how it handles etc. Adjust the suspension, it is easy and outlined in the book. The bike when setup right is a very good handling bike

Congrats on a soon-to-be-owner of a FJR! I am 6' with a shorter inseam and my bike came with a National VStream windshield which works great for me.

Congrats and welcome from SoCal.

Air up those tires, and test ride it again. As long as it wasn't crashed, what could go wrong? Ah hell, just buy it, I dun bought an '07 yesterday and love it.

Mine kinda makes a whiny sound too, but I figured its just them counter balancers whirl'in around down there?

Good luck,

Thanks guys. I feel like a kid on Christmas eve knowing what my gift will be tommorrow....this will be the finest (and fastest) gift I've ever given myself and my wife. I still can't believe how nimble and light it feels. I rode an ST1300 a couple of weeks ago which felt much heavier than than the FJR. I know its only about 75 lbs difference but it feels like 175. Not slamming the Honda as much as complimenting the lean and agile FJR. I found a parking lot to test low speed maneuvers and felt better doing tight figure 8's and this much heavier bike than my previous Wee Strom.

Is it tommorrow yet?

The high pitched whistle come from the bottom of the wind screen. Some have put a pc of tape across the bottom edge.

Hey Tesla, love the name. Are you a sparky by chance?

The most important item affecting handling on an FJR is tires and pressures. Followed closely by suspension setup and/or replacement/improvement of suspension. My bet is that if you put new tires on that skoot, you'll be loving life even more than you are now.

FWIW, and highly subjective, but *generally* on the FJR boards it's agreed the best handling tire is the Avon Storm, but due to questionable quality control, (you may get a great tire, you may get a sh@t tire) most are running PR2's and generally loving life.

I'm very happy for you - this is a solid platform for relatively cheap money - and the known issues can be fixed for modest cost.

Welcome for Central Kali... :lol:

dcarver said:

Hey Tesla, love the name. Are you a sparky by chance?

Click to expand...

Work with a 1.5 Tesla magnet. What is a sparky?

tesla said:

dcarver said:

Hey Tesla, love the name. Are you a sparky by chance?

Click to expand...

Work with a 1.5 Tesla magnet. What is a sparky?

Click to expand...

A really, REALLY ghey corporate logo from many decades ago.

Basically, DCarver just called you out!



Oh, gunny woof on the earlier Avon Storm assessment.....some good, some bad. 11,000 miles on my Avon front, but VERY sensitive to air pressure.

42 pounds and Frankenbike handles like a Forumla 1 Ferrari. 38 pounds in the front and it steers like a cow. Amazing 4 lbs of pressure can make that much diff.

RadioHowie said:

tesla said:

dcarver said:

Hey Tesla, love the name. Are you a sparky by chance?

Click to expand...

Work with a 1.5 Tesla magnet. What is a sparky?

Click to expand...

A really, REALLY ghey corporate logo from many decades ago.

Basically, DCarver just called you out!

Oh, gunny woof on the earlier Avon Storm assessment.....some good, some bad. 11,000 miles on my Avon front, but VERY sensitive to air pressure.

42 pounds and Frankenbike handles like a Forumla 1 Ferrari. 38 pounds in the front and it steers like a cow. Amazing 4 lbs of pressure can make that much diff.

Click to expand...

Hey, that's Redy Kilowatt! Cool Howie!

RadioHowie said:

tesla said:

dcarver said:

Hey Tesla, love the name. Are you a sparky by chance?

Click to expand...

Work with a 1.5 Tesla magnet. What is a sparky?

Click to expand...

A really, REALLY ghey corporate logo from many decades ago.

Basically, DCarver just called you out!

Oh, gunny woof on the earlier Avon Storm assessment.....some good, some bad. 11,000 miles on my Avon front, but VERY sensitive to air pressure.

42 pounds and Frankenbike handles like a Forumla 1 Ferrari. 38 pounds in the front and it steers like a cow. Amazing 4 lbs of pressure can make that much diff.

Click to expand...

I remember but do not resemble him. He did look a little too happy.

happyPuppy said:

The book says 39 , I run mine at 42 front and back. Look at wear patterns ,how it handles etc. Adjust the suspension, it is easy and outlined in the book. The bike when setup right is a very good handling bike

Click to expand...

How much do you weigh?

duplicate post

Hey Tesla, congrats on the new ride. Everyone is right about the FJR's sensitivity to tire pressure, but I noticed in your first post that you said that the steering felt "clunky". Get the front end up and check the feel of the steering head bearings. You don't want them to be too loose, but if someone overtightend them at one time, it could have put little detents in the bearing race. You should be able to feel that with the front end off the ground, and slowly turning the handlebars from side to side.

Tesla, I traded "down" from an '03 ST1300 to my '09 FJR. The 80 lb difference is most noticeable in the driveway but after 20 mph not so much. Still, the ST needs a firm shove to get into a turn but once there it tracks beautifully, right down to the peg feelers.. I'm happy with the sportier ride of the FJR. I just hope it's as stone-ax reliable as the Honda. BTW, I like the stock Yama shield for warm weather; use a Calsi Medium for colder temps. I'm 6' tall.

Enjoy your new ride! :good:

pete