2005 Model issues? Feedback needed

[FJR919]

The opinions you have received so far have not been from anyone who has owned a Gen I and a Gen II. I owned an '05 and presently own an '08. I sold the '05 because of the heat issue and wanted to upgrade to anti-lock brakes. I had performed all the heat fixes to the '05 including removing the cats from the exhaust. The '08 was noticeably cooler to ride than the modified '05.

From my research both in person and from this board, the heat issue is more noticeable if you're short. The closer you sit to the tank, the greater the problem.

The Gen II has a 100 watts more electrical charging capacity, but with that you have the aforementioned spider issue. I corrected mine with the Brody harness sold on this site, but Yamaha has now addressed the issue.

The bikes make the same power; my dyno runs with both bikes have confirmed that. The '05 is slightly faster due to less weight and shorter gearing. I think the Gen II turns 500 rpm less at the same speed compared to the Gen I.

The Gen II wheelbase is slightly longer and I think the highway stability is slightly better than the '05.

Both are great bikes; the ticker issue is the only real concern mechanically other than the heat. One poster mentioned cam chain tensioners were a problem for all years, but I recall the '08s received an updated part.

Good luck.

 

[blueman]

Zero issues with my 05, love it. I do not get the heat issue. I have the second release of the 05's. I was told Yamaha snuck it the new valve guides during that time. Galaxy Blue is the best!!!

 

[RadioHowie]

One poster mentioned cam chain tensioners were a problem for all years, but I recall the '08s received an updated part.

....based on the same, potentially disastrous, "Not A Zero Return" design as the previous iteration. :glare:

 

[exskibum]

I have the second release of the 05's. I was told Yamaha snuck it the new valve guides during that time.

I have the second release also, and mine was a ticker. As noted above, it was deloused a couple years ago. What a great bike it's been, though -- take it on a 5,000 mile trip and the thing just purrs, never skips a beat and not a hint of a problem. And that was also the case between 24K when the tick was diagnosed and 29K, when that tick was fixed upon my return from a trip to Canada.

 

[wingshot]

+1 to what they all said...

70K and still running strong. Replacing the Cham Chain Tensioner (CCT) in a couple weeks and I upgraded the suspension; otherwise, still stock. I couldn't have purchased a better bike and would do so again without hesitation.

Blue is the best looking and fastest color. IMHO

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Welcome Roller! How's the Ga 109ers doing? You have recieved some good info, I'll just add my 2cts. Several bikes have come and gone out of my garage while having my 2005 FJR including the 109 that I chased Chad and the rest of the bunch around on in your back yard see-here with,good times. Where you live you need this motorcycle! Great bike that does many things well, I have no complaints about mine other then it is a nonABS model and if I had it to do over I would probably look for one with abs.

Here is a road trip report that I did when I was over on the 109 board. And the best farkle by far is an honest to goodness cruise control. Happy shopping! :clapping:

And as for high milage here is the list

They're all doing fine. They think I'm nuts for selling my M109R however. Going to test ride & look at a 2005 FJR ABS with 3900 miles tomorrow.

 

[WBill]

52K miles on my '05 and still running strong, all over the western USA, from Cali to North Dakota, extreme Death Valley heat to freezing cold, rain sleet and snow. No ticking.

Had the throttle control thing fixed for free on recall by Yamaha.

I did some "Heat Fixes," consisting of the "Cromeit" metal shield behind the left upper radiator hose, fabricated of aluminum roof flashing in about ten minutes, and a heat shield, cut out of shiny flexible aluminum bubble stuff from Home Depot, under the tank, and all is well. This year, I had the new cam chain tensioner installed during the second (52,000 mile) valve check. I had no problems with the CCT, but I was getting paranoid from reading the posts on this forum, so I pulled the trigger anyway.

The valve shims needed no adjustment, but my mechanic let the chain skip a tooth during installation of the cam chain tensioner. A very easy thing to have happened if the mechanic is inattentive, this tooth-skip resulted an about a month of poor engine performance. It all went away once I convinced them that the tooth was skipped (again, thanks to the forum). That was the worst problem I have encountered with this motorcycle, and it was easily fixed at no cost to me beyond several weeks of head scratching.

Since my '05 is getting "long in the tooth," I have seriously considered buying other bikes, newer FJR's included. I have the wherewithall, but I have not found one at any price that does anything I need as well or better than the '05 I am riding today. Maybe Yamaha will give us a serious upgrade to counter the BMW 1300's or 1600's in the near future. Maybe I will be in line for one of them, but they are going to have to be really something special for me to buy. HTH, WBill

 

[Fred W]

WBill,

Your experience is nearly identical to my own. We seem to be running in parallel FJR universes, but on opposite coasts. The only big difference being that, when I became paranoid enough to prophylactically replace the CCT, I did it myself. And with the tutelage and documented experience of those forum-ites that had done it before us, was able to git 'er dun without the chain skip fiasco.

I had 4 years of YES coverage that went totally unused. That says something about reliability.

Before I bought my '05 I was flipping through bikes regularly. None stayed in the garage more than a single riding season. I was trying to find something that would get me to the places I wanted to go reliably and comfortably, but that was also fun to ride and would stir my soul. Since I've bought the FJR there have been some stablemates that have come and gone. But the FeeJeR stays, and always gets the parking spot closest to the door. That says something about its appeal.

 

[FJRMGM]

OK - I will say it out loud for my fellow '05 FJR Owners: GAWD I LOVE MY FJR!!

 

[exskibum]

WBill and FredW -- At 48K miles on my '05, I'm in that same parallel universe that Fred described so well. And Bill nailed my thoughts on what I might ever replace my FJR with that would do what I want in a motorcycle as well as the '05 I already have. Mine sits closest to the door also -- best damn motorcycle ever.

But Fred -- I did use my 4 year YES, . . . once. Just as my YES was expiring (5 years from purchase), Roseville Yamaha fixed the tick in it (without need for warranty, as has been Yamaha's custom), but while it was apart for that, my expiring YES was used to replace the CCT and cam chain.

 

[Pete Bansen]

My '05 definitely makes heat. I had a '91 BMW K100RS years ago that baked my left calf exactly the way the FJR does, so there's a little pang of nostalgia associated with the heat. Not enough that I would want it to continue, however. It is uncomfortably hot even on a mild (70's) day, even wearing boots and good riding pants. I bought the under-tank insulation from the guy on ebay - easy install, although it seems to need some trimming. That seems to have taken some of the heat out of the tank. I went for a long ride today with just the tank insulation installed and the left leg still got hot as blazes, so this afternoon I fabricated and installed the Cromeit heat shield. Pretty easy build and install, but don't even make it a hair wider than the dimensions stated. I had to smooth out the mounting lug thing on the engine to be able to get the shield past it. Have not had a chance to ride with the shield in place yet, but I'm hoping it does the trick.

 

[e2b]

My '05 definitely makes heat. I had a '91 BMW K100RS years ago that baked my left calf exactly the way the FJR does, so there's a little pang of nostalgia associated with the heat. Not enough that I would want it to continue, however. It is uncomfortably hot even on a mild (70's) day, even wearing boots and good riding pants. I bought the under-tank insulation from the guy on ebay - easy install, although it seems to need some trimming. That seems to have taken some of the heat out of the tank. I went for a long ride today with just the tank insulation installed and the left leg still got hot as blazes, so this afternoon I fabricated and installed the Cromeit heat shield. Pretty easy build and install, but don't even make it a hair wider than the dimensions stated. I had to smooth out the mounting lug thing on the engine to be able to get the shield past it. Have not had a chance to ride with the shield in place yet, but I'm hoping it does the trick.

I'm a little late to this post but couldn't resist. I'm about to turn over 114K miles on my 05. I have replaced the fork seals once (right one was leaking), working on my third rear shock, quite a few tires, headlights and brake pads. Every maintenance item except the valve adjustment(I'm lazy and for the most part not necessary)turns out to relative straight forward. It just keeps running with an overall 45 MPG average. I am planning another cross country, my third and the bike seems ready. Did I mention the color being the best looking of all the years. It is a great all all around motorcycle and maybe not the most technologically modern Sport tourer but I think it defined the genre. Personally maybe a cross plane engine would be a good modification to the design and when the 05 ever dies I will probably get genII and paint it galaxy blue.

Ed