2-year member finally adds a new 2016 FJR to his garage...

[RC65]

It will be interesting to get your long-term comments on the 6th gear.

I'll give you my short-term comments.

I don't have any serious saddle time on the pre-'16 5-gear models, other than a couple quick test rides on a '15, to compare, so it's difficult to qualify my comments, especially with just (thus far) 350'ish miles on the odometer. But that said and knowing the rpm schedule of the 5-gear gearbox, I continue to be pleased that I chose the six-speed, but I do find myself using it less than I would have thought.

I've had to readjust my v-twin and parallel-twin cruiser habits to the inline-4 FJR, in that my previous cruisers seemed most at home around 2500 to 3000rpm, whereas the FJR seems most comfortable around 3500. So that alone raises the gear ratio higher than I would have imagined (as my last bike was most comfortable at 2500-3000, so I assumed the same numbers), given that at 60 the '16 FJR is only turning 3300rpm. So sixth gear is truly a highway gear, useful only at speeds of over 70mph for those who, like me, feel 3500rpm is the sweet spot for the FJR.

But especially coming from a series of cruisers where loping at 2500-3000rpm at 70 or 80mph is the norm, it is very nice to have the FJR's sixth gear to bring it down to 3500rpm at that same speed, creating an apples-to-apples feel, whereas I'd be at 4000+rpm on the pre-'16, 5-speed FJR, something that perhaps wouldn't be an issue for those coming from sport bikes, but for ex-cruiser riders like me it's too high a whine and buzz. For those in particular who ride more highway slab than back country roads, I can see that sixth gear becoming indispensible. Given that the FJR is a sport *tourer*, I continue to believe -- especially after experiencing it myself -- that Yamaha made a wise design change, one that, yes, may have as much to do about marketing as practicality and function, but for me there's no denying that functionality is both present and useful on the highway.

(As a refresher for the numbers, I consulted https://www.fjrowners.com/forums/attachments/fjr-central/35906d1474943018-2016-6-speed-what-your-actual-rpm-80-fjr-gearing-06_16_rpm.jpg )

 

[Steel_Gin]

Congrats on that beautiful ride!! That '16 with all the nice upgrades has me thinking about selling my '12 often. Enjoy every mile!!

 

[RC65]

Welcome RC
There are lots of us from Washington here and all great guys. Before you send your seat off to the hinterlands to get a makeover you might want to consider Rich's over in Kingston. A morning of your time is well worth it and as an added benefit you will ride home with a whole new comfort level. Please feel free to pm me if you want to talk about it.

It will be interesting to get your long-term comments on the 6th gear.

Funny you should mention Rich's. After discounting every other manufacturer of seats for the FJR -- Top Sellerie, Laam, Corbin, Yamaha Comfort, etc. -- I had decided firmly on a Sargent's. But in the last few days, I've been giving Rich's more thought. I've seen his stand at the Int'l Motorcycle Show and stopped and talked briefly once (and came away impressed abotu his process), heard good things about him from others in the area, his galleries look great (in fact, there are at least two FJRs on there now, a silver and a '16 blue), and so on. The micro, custom operations tend to make me a bit wary as opposed to those larger operation that churn out many times more (when arguably I should probably think the opposite), but Rich's comes with reviews that are generally very positive...and that he's local makes it pretty convenient (as opposed to mailing it off to Laam, for example).

But $850 (the price quoted at Rich's site for a two-piece pan) is a bit higher than I'd mentally budgeted; Sargent is about $300 less, which pays for the optional backrest (and then some).

So I'm still mulling it over and not quite as set on Sargent as I was just a few days ago...but the price gap between seats -- even if one is custom and the other is not -- may be too large to reconcile. We'll see. I do know that after a three-/four-hour ride today that the seat must be changed. If I wasn't quite convinced of that before, I certainly am now.

Just ordered the Sargent seat...couldn't reconcile the price difference. If for some reason the Sargent isn't what I need it to be, then next year I'll look at doing something custom with Laam or Rich's with the stock seats I'll soon have sitting on a shelf.

 

[RC65]

Just ordered the Sargent seat...couldn't reconcile the price difference. If for some reason the Sargent isn't what I need it to be, then next year I'll look at doing something custom with Laam or Rich's with the stock seats I'll soon have sitting on a shelf.

For those who may be considering the same seat but haven't yet pulled the trigger on one, I thought I'd post a couple pics and give my initial and short-term riding impressions. Since it continues to pour in the Seattle area, the latter will have to wait a few days.

Before:

After:

Initial impressions, sitting on it in my garage, is that is indeed firm, as others have reported. I was hoping the reports of the firmness were a bit overstated, but, no, it's quite firm...not quite Corbin-like (based on my limited experience with the brand), but more firm than I'd hoped and would generally prefer. My last two bikes had a Mustang seat, and I find their seats, which are a bit more forgiving, to be absolutely perfect; had Mustang offered a seat for the FJR, that's the seat I would have bought. I hope this Sargent will break in a bit, but I tend to find that "breaking in" concept of aftermarket seats to be more myth than reality, at least to the degree that notable change occurs.

That said, the wider, dished-out portion and tank hump fits very well, and the flat slope of the stock seat that was creating an almost constant push against the handlebars (have the GenMar risers, but have not gathered up the courage (or special tools) to install them) to stop from sliding forward is now gone...if this was the only thing the seat did, that alone would make the seat worth it. Others have reported that the seat (on its low setting, which is where I keep mine to reduce lean) allows them to better flat-foot the bike; I however found the nose of the seat to perhaps be a bit wider than stock (was hoping for thinner) and whereas I could flat-foot before I now find my heels to be just a hair off the ground. I don't think the seat itself has raised me...I do think it's the slightly wider nose (portion that wraps around bottom sides of tank area) that has me spreading my legs just a bit more. Or it could be that since I wasn't wearing my biking boots with the larger sole and heel, the comparison is biased...guess I'll find out when I actually ride the thing.

I think it looks great as well...the lines and styling of the seat complement the styling of the bike very well, and the carbon-fiber-like, dark black appearance of the seat add an aesthetic richness to the bike that the flat gray stock seat did not.

Riding impressions to come in -- I hope -- just a few days.

 

[Fred W]

I'm always hearing "how expensive those custom seats are", but they don't really have to be.

For instance, right this minute you can buy a Russell Daylong, Full Vinyl, Solo custom with the rear seat covered to match for just $510. By not including a bunch of add-ons you can get a far more comfortable seat for the same price as an off-the-rack Corbin or Sargent.

While the ease of care of the vinyl is great, I do like the leather cover for my FJR, and I did get m'lady's seat customized for her derriere too, so my Russell cost me $825 for everything, but my Vstrom solo in vinyl was only $450.