2 months into the new bike...

[wiz1974]

Hello everyone,

I now have 2500 miles on my 08. Ridden it mostly to work but, have done a couple of 200+ mile excursions with my buddy down to Grafton Il and up the river road to Alton. Survived 1st oil change and gear oil change... whew. Put the sliders, Vista Cruise, and MagNite tank protector on and have WASHED it (keep the gay comments to yourselves, it's mine, it's clean) several times. The wife is getting use to the fact the dying on a bike beats the hell out of dying in a nursing home and has finally started to relax and enjoy the ride. I keep the bags off 99% of the time due to a tight squeeze in the garage, but like it either way. To you new guys who are either thinking about getting one or have just bought one, listen to what these guys say about everything to do with the FJR. All the tech advice, ergo advice, riding advice rings true with this bike. The transmission smooths out, the bike runs better, the oil, farkles... everything is as the wise ones say.

Now some observations...

I think the biggest thing that really bothers me about the bike, and this has been mentioned before, is the small numbers on the speedo. I'm guessing, and I apologize in advance to those of you younger than say 45 (i'm 52), that most of us are 50 or so, and we all know what happens to the eyes. I can see the numbers in the daylight (I wear contacts, but need glasses for reading) but at night the speedo is a blur. I am wondering if that would work as an excuse to avoid those "performance awards" you guys talk about. I would think a digital display for the speedo would be real nice.

I am surprised at how many different types of fasteners there are on this bike. I have a BMW 5 and I think there are only two types on connectors on the whole car.

Also surprising is the use of the cheap foam rubber on the inside of the body work. I don't see that lasting very long before the heat dries it out.

What engineering power house designed the wheels with valve stems that close to the frikkin' wheel spoke? And why aren't there 45 degree angled stems from the factory?

Ok, I'm done.

I am really enjoying the bike. It's everything I've read on here and more. You guys are all to be commended for having such a great resource that newrbies like myself can turn to for really good information and honest opinions. Thanks!

 

[JRO]

I switched to angled stems, first tire change. Cost was less than $10.

The foam is an airdam, to block heat. It's supposed to stand up to heat, and not break down the way normal foam rubber does. I believe this is true, as I have seen some of these special-app foams stand up to some pretty harsh conditions. Time, however, will tell.

Try visiting the eye doctor (worked wonders for me), or try some different colored bulbs in your instrument display. Either way, I couldn't be happ-happ-happier that the FJR doesn't have a digital speedo.

I'm sure everyone would like uniform connectors and fasteners, but for the price, performance, and reliability of an FJR vs. the competition, I can learn to live it.

I don't plan on dying in a nursing home, or on a bike. As a matter of fact, I don't plan on dying, atall. I haven't died yet, I see no reason why I should, and I certainly couldn't select a prefered method... Something to do with depth charges or nitro-methane, perhaps... Anything to do with electricity or colon surgery would not be my choice... Hmmm...

Enjoy the bike, instead.

 

[FightOrFlight]

Wiz:

That's a great post and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. I live nearby and would love to get together some time for a ride - maybe meet in Grafton / Great River Road next time.

My questions is this: You mention nothing about vibration in your post. I have an '08 with 650 miles on it. The 600 mile service with TBS seemed to lessen the buzziness a little bit - especially in the lower rpm range. The readings were in the low 8's but varied by more than 1.0 (tech guys jump in here but I think it was running "lean"). Thanks to this board, I had them write down the numbers and now they are all 9.8 give or take 0.1. I've also installed TMs heavy and grip puppies. My sense is that it is all relative to what bike you came from, but this one is not smooth by comparison (either acceleration or just cruising). My question is whether you noticed this and if you found that it smoothed out over time.

I'm a few years younger but my eyes still are far from perfect. I was considering getting a small sliver of red or white tape and placing it exactly at the 70MPH mark (or pick your reference point) on the instrument housing (which is dark so it should pop). This would give you / me a quick-look reference at least for highway riding. And I completely agree with JRO that analog tach and speedo are the way to go.

Thanks, again, for your post and any feedback you can give on the '08 buzziness would be great. I'll be honest - it is a disappointment for me. So you may consider just lying to me and telling me it smooths out. There's a great deal about the bike that I like but that is a bit of an Achilles heel.

 

[rainman]

I re-entered motorcycling at 50 and I also struggled with the eye-sight. My glasses have no magnification for distance, but need them for reading. (I have been wearing vari-lens bifocals for 20 years)

I didn't want to mess with the glasses and a full-face helmet...tried the tape on the speedo glass....pretty good idea.....but after I installed a GPS, I was forced to start wearing my glasses on the bike. With thin-lightweight frames, it is really no problem at all. I always lay them on the seat while I am putting my helmet on, and have only ridden off without them once in 8 years.

Depending on the number and types of farkles you add, they all seem to be more beneficial if you can read the info they are providing you.....grip heaters-GPS-TireSmart-iPod-Cruise.....and of course...speedo-tach

I tried contacts but found them to be too uncomfortable on long trips.

That's my 2 cents!

 

[gr8eyes]

Try the contacts again. The comfort of some of the new ones is awesome. There are some great new materials that you can sleep in, even if you have astigmatism. On the road you see great and never have to mess with them. They are good for 30 days. You can even have 1 adjusted to focus on the speedometer.

Glenn

 

[big ears]

Had eye surgery and the doctor put corrective lens inside my eyes. I can see the speedo now.

 

[hellcreep]

Hey guys,

While I'm a young whipperscnapper compared to you fogies, I've been cursed with eyes less than perfect as well. Everytime I get a new perscription I go to zennioptical.com and get a few pairs of $8 prescription glasses. That covers frame & lenses. If they get bent out of shape, so be it- $8.

In any case, hope this helps out.

---hellcreep

 

[wiz1974]

Try the contacts again. The comfort of some of the new ones is awesome. There are some great new materials that you can sleep in, even if you have astigmatism. On the road you see great and never have to mess with them. They are good for 30 days. You can even have 1 adjusted to focus on the speedometer.
Glenn

I wear the contacts daily, for distance vision, but need glasses to wear to read. I have a pair of bi-focals (Lord, I'm old) but don't like wearing them while riding (personal preference).

 

[wiz1974]

Wiz:That's a great post and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. I live nearby and would love to get together some time for a ride - maybe meet in Grafton / Great River Road next time.

My questions is this: You mention nothing about vibration in your post. I have an '08 with 650 miles on it. The 600 mile service with TBS seemed to lessen the buzziness a little bit - especially in the lower rpm range. The readings were in the low 8's but varied by more than 1.0 (tech guys jump in here but I think it was running "lean"). Thanks to this board, I had them write down the numbers and now they are all 9.8 give or take 0.1. I've also installed TMs heavy and grip puppies. My sense is that it is all relative to what bike you came from, but this one is not smooth by comparison (either acceleration or just cruising). My question is whether you noticed this and if you found that it smoothed out over time.

I'm a few years younger but my eyes still are far from perfect. I was considering getting a small sliver of red or white tape and placing it exactly at the 70MPH mark (or pick your reference point) on the instrument housing (which is dark so it should pop). This would give you / me a quick-look reference at least for highway riding. And I completely agree with JRO that analog tach and speedo are the way to go.

Thanks, again, for your post and any feedback you can give on the '08 buzziness would be great. I'll be honest - it is a disappointment for me. So you may consider just lying to me and telling me it smooths out. There's a great deal about the bike that I like but that is a bit of an Achilles heel.

You know, I really don't remember any "noticeable" vibration. At least, none that would leave me disappointed with the bike. Now that I have a few more miles on it, I can't say it's smooth as glass, but again, there isn't any noticeable vibes. Like they say on this board, give it some time. I guess you could consider the FJR like fine wine, it only gets better over time. I know mine has. I have yet to do the TBS, but plan on it some rainy Saturday.

 

[GPRIDER]

I wear no line bifocals with a full face helmet. It's somewhat of a hassle, but I've gotten used to it. I can see the speedo pretty good. My 08 has more vibes than my 04 did. That's even after I did a TBS on it.

GP

 

[Lee B.]

...I think the biggest thing that really bothers me about the bike, and this has been mentioned before, is the small numbers on the speedo. I'm guessing, and I apologize in advance to those of you younger than say 45 (i'm 52), that most of us are 50 or so, and we all know what happens to the eyes. I can see the numbers in the daylight (I wear contacts, but need glasses for reading) but at night the speedo is a blur. I am wondering if that would work as an excuse to avoid those "performance awards" you guys talk about. I would think a digital display for the speedo would be real nice...

Wiz,

good to hear your report. I got my fjr on Saturday adn only have 400 miles on it. Like you I think I will hold on observations for awhile. Right now it is just so much fun I am probably not objective!

you didn't say if you were nearsighted or farsighted. I'm 53 adn very nearsighted. I have worn contacts for about 30 years. tried one strong and one weak to compensate for reading glasses and that worked for awhile. found that I was wearing contacts and reading glasses and it sucked but I put up with it. I got to the point where I had to use the readers for almost anything that was closer than 2' away from me. My solution, or my DRs solution was to go with multifocal contacts. they are amazing to me. now unless the light is very low I can read and see distance with just the contacts.

I have not yet ridden the bike at night but will soon. I think I'll put a dot of irredescient paint on 70 or will simply get to know where the numbers are given the angle of the speed indicator.

good luck with the eyes!

 

[Solo]

I agree about the speedo. I like a nice big digital speedo and analog tach. Like on the VFR I moved from.

I find, because I can't see the speedo well (bifocals don't help), that I ride more by the feel of the rpms and the numbers on the tach. I set expectations when I hit the speed I want and then mostly make sure I'm at about the right rpms. I might look at the speedo for confirmation from time to time.

 

[pacoonass]

Wiz:That's a great post and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. I live nearby and would love to get together some time for a ride - maybe meet in Grafton / Great River Road next time.

My questions is this: You mention nothing about vibration in your post. I have an '08 with 650 miles on it. The 600 mile service with TBS seemed to lessen the buzziness a little bit - especially in the lower rpm range. The readings were in the low 8's but varied by more than 1.0 (tech guys jump in here but I think it was running "lean"). Thanks to this board, I had them write down the numbers and now they are all 9.8 give or take 0.1. I've also installed TMs heavy and grip puppies. My sense is that it is all relative to what bike you came from, but this one is not smooth by comparison (either acceleration or just cruising). My question is whether you noticed this and if you found that it smoothed out over time.

I'm a few years younger but my eyes still are far from perfect. I was considering getting a small sliver of red or white tape and placing it exactly at the 70MPH mark (or pick your reference point) on the instrument housing (which is dark so it should pop). This would give you / me a quick-look reference at least for highway riding. And I completely agree with JRO that analog tach and speedo are the way to go.

Thanks, again, for your post and any feedback you can give on the '08 buzziness would be great. I'll be honest - it is a disappointment for me. So you may consider just lying to me and telling me it smooths out. There's a great deal about the bike that I like but that is a bit of an Achilles heel.

 

[pacoonass]

Wiz:That's a great post and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. I live nearby and would love to get together some time for a ride - maybe meet in Grafton / Great River Road next time.

My questions is this: You mention nothing about vibration in your post. I have an '08 with 650 miles on it. The 600 mile service with TBS seemed to lessen the buzziness a little bit - especially in the lower rpm range. The readings were in the low 8's but varied by more than 1.0 (tech guys jump in here but I think it was running "lean"). Thanks to this board, I had them write down the numbers and now they are all 9.8 give or take 0.1. I've also installed TMs heavy and grip puppies. My sense is that it is all relative to what bike you came from, but this one is not smooth by comparison (either acceleration or just cruising). My question is whether you noticed this and if you found that it smoothed out over time.

I'm a few years younger but my eyes still are far from perfect. I was considering getting a small sliver of red or white tape and placing it exactly at the 70MPH mark (or pick your reference point) on the instrument housing (which is dark so it should pop). This would give you / me a quick-look reference at least for highway riding. And I completely agree with JRO that analog tach and speedo are the way to go.

Thanks, again, for your post and any feedback you can give on the '08 buzziness would be great. I'll be honest - it is a disappointment for me. So you may consider just lying to me and telling me it smooths out. There's a great deal about the bike that I like but that is a bit of an Achilles heel.

 

[pacoonass]

I just purchased a new 2008 FJR1300A last Saturday and was surprised at the amount of handlebar "buzz". It is my first Yamaha and had read something about it in a test report. I was still shocked at how much was apparent for the four cylinder counterbalanced engine. My right hand became numb after about an hour on the way home from the dealer. I recently joined this forum to add a comment since you mentioned vibration.

I own a 2007 Suzuki Bandit with a similar size engine and things are much different regarding vibration. The bore and stroke is very comparable for the two bikes. The Yamaha's is 2.6mm longer in stroke with the same bore diameter. The Suzuki is much smoother through the lower rpm range. I haven't had the Yamaha above 4K yet. :blink:

 

[FightOrFlight]

Thanks for the responses regarding vibration. I realize it is a popularly discussed issue on the board and I've read and done what I could. Paying very close attention on the way home last night, it is very, very smooth until about 3,400rpm. The vibes build from there. Unfortunately, with no sixth gear, highway speeds have the rpms around 3,800-4,000 (talking about St. Louis area freeways with me just keeping pace with traffic). Likewise, on a long-distance road trip the rpms would be in that zone if not a touch higher. If that is "just the nature of the bike" then it begs the question why it is considered a sport touring bike. I really do think it is all relative. If this were my first bike, I wouldn't know any better and might assume it is normal. But it is my 13th. Again, I'm hoping that maybe miles will help this. Not as in me getting used to it, but actually have the effect of 'settling the bike in' (if there is such a thing) and literally running more smoothly.

I realize I'm edging ever closer to whining about this and I don't want to hijack the thread. Your point was mostly about difficult to read instrument cluster and that isn't a big issue with me. I hope you find a solution that works for you and that you enjoy the ride.

 

[pacoonass]

I thought seriously about returning the bike Tuesday, but figured I'd really make some enemies. There are many things about the model that I do not understand and I think at least 60% of the problem may well be with me. The throttle response is very slow compared to what I normally ride. The engine may have a bunch of flywheel inertia to overcome with the counterbalancers and all. I'm hoping that the engine was designed to be that way and built for longevity verses acceleration. I assume that these issues have been around for a long time. I had read some posts on different forums about installing a throttle lock, modifying the throttle return spring, etc. I don't like messing with redesigning parts on a bike that has been around for years. This thing should be refined by now to the point where idiosyncrasies are gone. Adding larger bar weights at the ends of the grips would lower the vibration frequency to make the buzz less of a nuisance. Someone stated on a different post that they had done that and it made little if any difference. I spoke to an owner that I met in Austin, TX and he had changed his triple clamp to an aftermarket version that resulted in removing pressure from his hands on the grips since the bars moved rearward about an inch.

I don't want to come off as complaining either because I know that I do not know much at all about the bike. I have had many different bikes as well and am judging the FJR with those. Considering the features on the bike, ABS, shaft drive, electric windshield, hard bags, etc., the bike is a bargain when compared to other supersport bikes of the same size. I noticed that the front end squeaks when the front forks are compressed due to a bump in the road. Does anyone know the issue that is causing the squeak? It was doing it when I left the dealership.

Thanks for responding as I am trying to figure this whole thing out. I don't have warm fuzzies about the purchase at this point.

 

[Lee B.]

I noticed that the front end squeaks when the front forks are compressed due to a bump in the road. Does anyone know the issue that is causing the squeak? It was doing it when I left the dealership.
Thanks for responding as I am trying to figure this whole thing out. I don't have warm fuzzies about the purchase at this point.

I don't know if this will help but when I picked up my '08 from D&H the mechanic (is it Nick or Nate?) said to not be surprised by hearing a noise when the front forks are compressed. He said he thinks the springs in the forks bend/bow out when compressed and come into contact with the inside/side of the forks adn make a noise. He said, nothign to worry about.

I have not noticed it on mine at all, yet.

 

[Mackeroni]

I noticed that the front end squeaks when the front forks are compressed due to a bump in the road. Does anyone know the issue that is causing the squeak? It was doing it when I left the dealership.
Thanks for responding as I am trying to figure this whole thing out. I don't have warm fuzzies about the purchase at this point.

I don't know if this will help but when I picked up my '08 from D&H the mechanic (is it Nick or Nate?) said to not be surprised by hearing a noise when the front forks are compressed. He said he thinks the springs in the forks bend/bow out when compressed and come into contact with the inside/side of the forks adn make a noise. He said, nothign to worry about.

I have not noticed it on mine at all, yet.

Nick gave me the same explanation...and so did Jerold. This must be the most commonly voiced complaint by new FJR riders. Anyway...I did not notice it at first, but now I notice it all the time, especially at two places on my normal commuting route where I am braking and hitting a bump in the pavement at the same time. I hope it truly is nothing to worry about.