385 miles on '06 today - some interesting observations

[jjsC6]

Kinda interesting watchin waiters turn into whiners, dontcha think?
Deal with it. +1 on the sloppy loose throttle cable, though I haven't noticed any surging. As far as the hurky-jerky shifting, you just have to time the shift right. I love this bike.

But then there's that damn whistle. Gonna drive me nuts.

So you are telling me that we are not supposed to share our experience with the bike? I thought that was one of the primary functions of a forum - to share information! I guess I was confused.

Oh, and I owned several 750 Hondas, and several other bikes as well. Even roadraced them for a few years. Even won some trophies and plaques from AMA. But, hey - what do I know?

 

[Fencer]

Maybe I have a lemon.

I haven't noticed any surging. My clutch just took a little getting used to. While it is tight (the clutch) it reminds me of a sports car clutch, very short throw vs a pick-up with a long throw.

+1 on no heat on the 06 on board therm said it was 91 yest on a 170 mile ride. I am very interested in getting a new screen though, not much of a buffeting prob, just loud even with plugs (scorpion exo 400 helm).

I just may not be very adept at noticing stuff (just ask my wife) I haven't really found the bike hard to lean, It may not be as easy to fall side to side but it still does it at will just with a hair more control. I scraped the toe of my boot on yesterdays ride and didn't even realize I was THAT far over. All I have done Is fiddled with the stock suspension to support my 6'2 235 frame.

The throttle return is stiff. I may remove one spring just to see how it feels, but It doesn't bother me in its current state

 

[Centerline]

Quote "My bike has a very noticable surging in lower gears/speeds, and the throttle modulation pretty well sucks. My friend with the '03 noticed it as well. I know that just some seat time will help, but the problem just shouldn't be what it is in this day of EFI, and the fact it is in it's fourth year of production. The clutch is also like an on-off switch." ........................ ....hey there JJ, I understand yer frustration and for what it`s worth, I believe the Fjr is in it`s 5th production year ( it was released in Europe in the fall of `01 as an `02). Kinda makes it all worse actually: after all that time they still haven`t gotten the bike right. From the wrong angle of the bars to poor low speed throttle manners (and all the stuff in between), it`s making me rethink my plan to trade up to an 07.As it is now, i am going to have to wait and see how well (or poorly ) the `07s do on the road. Damn, I was looking forward to dumping my deep fryer 04 next spring. Oh well, it might be time to put an end to this misery and look elsewhere. Hope you get those niggly details sorted out JJ...suppose to be all about the ride isn`t it?! :assassin:

My '05 ridden 3,000 miles the last week in April was an absolute PLEASURE to ride the 1,000 miles to/from the "Dragon". It was a real joy to ride the Dragon, and if you have not ridden the Dragon, what with slowing down for the Hardley Abelsons, you get to experience from about 10mph curves to maybe a "tad" over 35 mph. My handlebars had a very comfortable "angle", the clutch was superb, and I had no throttle/FI issues whatsoever. That included Dragon riding in the rain and heavy wind/rain to and from.

 

[AdamJ]

+1 on the low speed surging. It's not severe enough on my 06 to make me worry about binning the bike in a parking lot maneuver, but it is noticeable. The 600 mile TBS had no effect on it.

 

[TejasFJR]

So much of a rider's impression of a new bike is based on their old one. I was stuck in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic for about an hour last Friday in 100 degree temps (thanks to that fancy schmancy temp gauge) and really didn't think I had any more heat than I typically get off of my YZF600R. It did seem like my left forearm got sore from the work-out on the clutch, but I don't typically deal with that kind of traffic so don't see it as a major issue. Other than that it seems to be much smoother to operate in all categories.

I'm taking a quick trip out to West Texas Friday and coming back the next day. 700 miles, temps in the mid to upper 90's... gotta love springtime in Texas

 

[jimbemotumbo]

I LOVE the clutch! Waaay better than my Road King or my previous bikes (old shovel head, Roadstar, Indian) exept for my Guzzi V11s which had a nearly invisible clutch pull). No surging. Sensitive throttle, true, but I just keep tightening it up a little at a time. Turns way nice. My Goose turned in quicker, but was also flighty and easily unsettled. The FJR is by far the most balanced (in all respects) and stable bike I've ever been on. Well worth some time spent sorting the miniscule annoyances like getting the riding position just so, or adding the few mods to personalize the beast.

No perfect bike out there, but this is as close as I've found in 35 years.

Really, love this bike more and more.

 

[NoCage]

My clutch just took a little getting used to. While it is tight (the clutch) it reminds me of a sports car clutch, very short throw vs a pick-up with a long throw.

+1. My clutch was a little clunky until the 1st oil change at 600 mi. Technique also has a lot to do with it. This is old news to some, but, I pre-load the shift lever with a little pressure, but not enough to shift. Then, VERY quickly, squeeze the clutch about half-way, roll off the throttle some, upshift, roll on the throttle. These last 4 are done fast enough to appear that they're being done at the same time. It's a sequential transmission... do it fast. It still clunks into 1st while not moving, I'm used to it.

 

[Cal24Master]

The clutch's slave hydraulic cylinder on the side of the engine has changed for '06. This might explain why the clutch seems different.
'05 & earlier

Master Cylinder ID = 14 mm

Slave Cylinder ID = 33.6 mm

Slave Cylinder Surface Area = 887 sq.mm

'06

Master Cylinder ID = 14 mm

Slave Cylinder ID = 29.6 mm

Slave Cylinder Surface Area = 688 sq.mm

The master cylinder on the handlebar is unchanged. But, the slave cylinder has a smaller diameter and area.

With this change you'll experience a faster acting clutch -- the '06 clutch rod moves 29 % farther for equal movement of the master cylinders. Since it moves farther faster, the hand clutch requires a shorter, harder pull -- the on/off behavior.

I don't doubt your calculations, but your effective results are exactly opposite what I have noticed. On the 06 you have the pull the clutch much further in toward the bar before the clutch disengages. It also engages much sooner as you let the handle out away from the bar. I stalled it a few times before I got used to it.

I have never noticed any surging. My throttle bodies were pretty close when I adjusted them, so I suspect that the people experiancing the surging problems will most likely see a huge improvement when the tbs is done.

Also, when I received the bike there was about 5 times more slack in the throttle cable than there should be. I could turn the throttle about 1/16 of a turn before it actually did anything. Adjusting that so there is just enough slack that the engine rpm doesn't change when turning the bars from lock to lock will help the throttle response problem a lot.

Tom