New FJR Owner with questions

joebuf said:

I just bought a 2011 FJR, and the bike is fantastic. I really wanted silver, so I chose the '11 model over the '12. I've owned several bikes, and there are questions I have about this FJR:

1. The saddlebags seem a little loose. I can lift them both slightly while they are locked down. Is this normal, or is there an adjustment I can do? The only other bike I've had with saddlebags was a BMW and those bags had NO movement when locked down. I've read posts about the saddlebags opening or coming off (YIKES) on the road and I just want to make sure a little movement is normal.

2. The dealer didn't put the protective stickers on around the saddlebag mounts. Is that something I should put on myself (I have them), or is there no added benefit?

3. I've read a few posts about "pinning" the saddlebags and using locktite on screws. Is there a problem with the saddlebags I should worry about? I've scoured the threads looking for an explanation but have had no luck.

The bike is awesome. It was between the Kawasaki Concours 14, the BMW K1600GT, the Triumph Sprint GT, and this bike. The BMW was over $20K and the other two were more aggressive ergonomically, so the Yamaha won. The added surprise of having the saddlebag liners included was definitely nice! I had a 2009 BMW R1200RT and the liners were about $300 for the set, if I remember right. Now on to scour the forums to find the easiest place to tap into switched 12V power so I can mount a GPS.

Thanks for any help with my questions!

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joebuf said:

I just bought a 2011 FJR, and the bike is fantastic. I really wanted silver, so I chose the '11 model over the '12. I've owned several bikes, and there are questions I have about this FJR:

1. The saddlebags seem a little loose. I can lift them both slightly while they are locked down. Is this normal, or is there an adjustment I can do? The only other bike I've had with saddlebags was a BMW and those bags had NO movement when locked down. I've read posts about the saddlebags opening or coming off (YIKES) on the road and I just want to make sure a little movement is normal.

Normal. They are all a bit "loose".

 

2. The dealer didn't put the protective stickers on around the saddlebag mounts. Is that something I should put on myself (I have them), or is there no added benefit?

The clear plastic will protect the body work from any scratches made when installing the side cases. They're not unsightly so why not install them, or take it back and have the dealer do so. They're supposed to be there.

 

3. I've read a few posts about "pinning" the saddlebags and using locktite on screws. Is there a problem with the saddlebags I should worry about? I've scoured the threads looking for an explanation but have had no luck.

Pinning is up to you. Some have lost their panniers because they weren't latched properly. I have near 95k miles on my 2nd FJR and haven't lost one yet. I always try to lift them off before driving away....just in case.

Threadlock is used on the screws that hold the lock mechanism from the inside. They have been known to come loose if the dealer didn't install the locks with threadlock per the installation instructions. IIRC, mine were loose @ near 50k miles so I pulled them out and re-applied the necessary chemical when tightening them.

 

The bike is awesome. It was between the Kawasaki Concours 14, the BMW K1600GT, the Triumph Sprint GT, and this bike. The BMW was over $20K and the other two were more aggressive ergonomically, so the Yamaha won. The added surprise of having the saddlebag liners included was definitely nice! I had a 2009 BMW R1200RT and the liners were about $300 for the set, if I remember right. Now on to scour the forums to find the easiest place to tap into switched 12V power so I can mount a GPS.

There are many ways to tap into the power lead. I have 2 separate power sources: a hot lead from the positive battery terminal to a separate fuse panel through a relay but my radar detector and GPS are wired (fused) direct. That gives me the option to program mine with the key off, I just have to remember to turn it off so as to not drain the battery.

Thanks for any help with my questions!

There are some different websites devoted to maintenance and farkles that you might want to look at. I've linked them at the bottom of this thread in the FAQ section.

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