Ari Rankum
NAFO Karting Champion, 2012
I had an 05 that I put over 16K miles on in less than a year of riding. It died. I liked that bike so much that I bought an 06. I've only got 20 break-in miles on it (oil change in the morning), but a few differences stand out. Some may be imagined.
Instruments - the 06 dash is a big leap over the 05. The quality of the materials is much better. The aesthetics are a little better thought out - I always thought the turn signal indicators were comically large on the 05. The rotation of the tach so that 9K is right at 12 o'clock was a nice touch. I like the night-time tone of the lighting of the dials more on the 06. The new multifunction display is cool - and the constant display of 17MPG instantaneous mileage makes me feel at one with all the other 06 FJR owners, wherever they may be riding.
Controls - The headlight adjusters are a nice touch. My 05s were aimed in such a way that any front suspension movement would result in something resembling flashing my lights to drivers ahead. This caused more than one driver to start playing games with his brakes. The big honkin' clunk when shifting neutral to 1st is gone. The bars seem to be angled back a little more than on the 05. I could be imagining this. The feel is very comfortable.
Windscreen - definitely better wind protection.
Seat - Very nice improvement. It's definitely more comfortable for me.
Power - It don't think it pulls as hard as the 05 did at birth. It definitely doesn't pull as hard as the 05 did just before death, after being broken in and loosened up a bit. I need a few miles post break-in to really form an opinion.
Buzz - My 05 had pronounced buzz between 4K and 5K that went away with the first throttle body synch. This bike seems less buzzy at birth than the 05 was at birth, even though I don't think any design differences, including the taller final drive, would explain this.
Color - Man, I sure like this blue. I always thought the Galaxy Blue had too much purple. This blue is a little more "grown up" I think.
Heat - It was only 71F when I rode the bike, so there wouldn't have been much heat on the 05 either, but I didn't feel any on the 06.
Fairing - The strakes are gone, and I think that's good. Likewise, the panels were redesigned to allow fitting sliders without the fancy Moko adapter plate and fairing removal. That's very cool.
Curb Appeal - This is probably a tie, so far. The 05 would divert people's paths across parking lots to come ask questions. It also resulted in someone tracking me down in an auto parts store to ask about it. The '06 merely pulled every salesman away from what they were doing when the owner of the FJR showed up. Good thing there was lots of Honda Spray Cleaner on hand; there was lots of drool.
Instruments - the 06 dash is a big leap over the 05. The quality of the materials is much better. The aesthetics are a little better thought out - I always thought the turn signal indicators were comically large on the 05. The rotation of the tach so that 9K is right at 12 o'clock was a nice touch. I like the night-time tone of the lighting of the dials more on the 06. The new multifunction display is cool - and the constant display of 17MPG instantaneous mileage makes me feel at one with all the other 06 FJR owners, wherever they may be riding.
Controls - The headlight adjusters are a nice touch. My 05s were aimed in such a way that any front suspension movement would result in something resembling flashing my lights to drivers ahead. This caused more than one driver to start playing games with his brakes. The big honkin' clunk when shifting neutral to 1st is gone. The bars seem to be angled back a little more than on the 05. I could be imagining this. The feel is very comfortable.
Windscreen - definitely better wind protection.
Seat - Very nice improvement. It's definitely more comfortable for me.
Power - It don't think it pulls as hard as the 05 did at birth. It definitely doesn't pull as hard as the 05 did just before death, after being broken in and loosened up a bit. I need a few miles post break-in to really form an opinion.
Buzz - My 05 had pronounced buzz between 4K and 5K that went away with the first throttle body synch. This bike seems less buzzy at birth than the 05 was at birth, even though I don't think any design differences, including the taller final drive, would explain this.
Color - Man, I sure like this blue. I always thought the Galaxy Blue had too much purple. This blue is a little more "grown up" I think.
Heat - It was only 71F when I rode the bike, so there wouldn't have been much heat on the 05 either, but I didn't feel any on the 06.
Fairing - The strakes are gone, and I think that's good. Likewise, the panels were redesigned to allow fitting sliders without the fancy Moko adapter plate and fairing removal. That's very cool.
Curb Appeal - This is probably a tie, so far. The 05 would divert people's paths across parking lots to come ask questions. It also resulted in someone tracking me down in an auto parts store to ask about it. The '06 merely pulled every salesman away from what they were doing when the owner of the FJR showed up. Good thing there was lots of Honda Spray Cleaner on hand; there was lots of drool.
