1 month owner of a 06AE and I gotta say I'm liking the AE version. Had I not found the AE, I probably would have gone with something else, maybe a VFR? I traded in a Burgman650 which was a great scooter but I thought the suspension was lacking. I know the AE is not an "automatic" but of all the non traditional shifting methods out there, I think Yammy chose the right one with the AE version. Beats Zuki's CVT tranny and Honda's DCT in my opinion.
Slow speed takes a bit of practice but I found a lot of the forum complaints about slow speed problems and abrupt shifting to be a bit over the top. Also consider that I'm 5'4 and 135lbs.
I don;t know about long term liability other than I read a lot about the AE prior to my purchase and didn't see any reoccuring issues. I considered the F800ST and man, they have had issues.
Is the FJR perfect? No and no bike ever is. Too heavy, seat height too high, and more effort for turn in are some of my gripes. My ideal bike would be a FJR900AE that weighs about 100lbs less, has a 30" seat height, stronger subframe, and about 100-110 HP with low end power.
If I want to use a manual clutch, I just start my Honda 919 and take off. I would love a ST built around the 919 engine and tranny but now I'm going way off topic.
Slow speed takes a bit of practice but I found a lot of the forum complaints about slow speed problems and abrupt shifting to be a bit over the top. Also consider that I'm 5'4 and 135lbs.
I don;t know about long term liability other than I read a lot about the AE prior to my purchase and didn't see any reoccuring issues. I considered the F800ST and man, they have had issues.
Is the FJR perfect? No and no bike ever is. Too heavy, seat height too high, and more effort for turn in are some of my gripes. My ideal bike would be a FJR900AE that weighs about 100lbs less, has a 30" seat height, stronger subframe, and about 100-110 HP with low end power.
If I want to use a manual clutch, I just start my Honda 919 and take off. I would love a ST built around the 919 engine and tranny but now I'm going way off topic.