Burgman 400 to FJR 1300AE …. Leap of Faith??

[SebringSilver]

First Actual Post.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading, learning and observing this Forum. I find the Internet so fascinating that you can unearth the heartfelt opinions and authentic enthusiasm of owners to guide your purchasing decision instead of the banter and pitch of a commission-based salesman. This Forum particularly seems full of men and women who have made personal, individual decisions to ride and own the motorcycle that they are most comfortable with and most proud of. Your passion has helped guide my decision to join your ranks. Thank You.

My question.

I bought a Burgman 400 in April after 20 years of not riding, raising kids, etc. I was looking for a practical commuter, save wear, tear and mileage on my sports car, and honestly, to get back on two wheels. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Burgman, but after a few weekend trips to the “Tail of the Dragon” I now realize this is no long distance motorcycle. I have decided the FJR1300AE is probably my next bike. Please, no A vs. AE annotations. Most former Burgman owners rode the 650; will the diminished weight coming from a 400 be a problem? I am 5’ 10”, 32 inseam, 50ish, and in fairly good shape, will this bike be too much of a leap? I am looking for a three to four time a week commuter, long four-day trips through the North Georgia Mountains and surrounding states. Is this the bike for me? I identify with you getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again, I searched for Burgman 400 threads, not much. I truly value your opinions and any assistance you may provide will in due course lead me to my ultimate decision.

Thanks again,

Brad

 

[twowheelnut]

Oddly, a new member just traded up from his scooter to an AE here in SoCal. Knock your socks off, but just take it easy on the throttle... Just a wee bit more power to be had with the FJR! :lol:

Welcome, noob.

 

[Toecutter]

Knock your socks off, but just take it easy on the throttle... Just a wee bit more power to be had with the FJR! :lol:
Welcome, noob.

Woof!

And watch out for critters....

 

[Joe]

I think you will love it.Not to much power, but good for

the long haul.

 

[madmike2]

Your 32" inseam is going to help you "flatfoot" when stopped. The 2 things I'd caution when moving up to the FJR:

1) Throttle response. As TWN said, caution with the use of the right wrist.

2) Weight. The FJR is quite a bit heavier than your Burgman. You'll need to be aware of this fact at slow, parking lot speeds/maneuvers and when looking for a place to pull off the road.

Other than that.....enjoy! :yahoo:

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I think you'll be fine. See you at NAFO in July!

 

[keithaba]

Go for it!!!

Just make sure you put on frame sliders. That FJR is heffer.

 

[luvtoride]

Perhaps Violoine will happen across this thread. He moved from the Burgey 650 to the AE. He says it was a natural move for him. Perhaps he will pipe in... or PM him for valuable info.

Welcome,

Heidi

 

[FZ/FJR Mike]

Faith & skill are always a welcome twosome. Practice low speed manuvers to get used to weight & handling. The FJR is now my 2d bike & its a pleasure to ride. Enjoy.

 

[SecuLaw]

First Actual Post.
I am 5’ 10”, 32 inseam, 50ish, and in fairly good shape, will this bike be too much of a leap? I am looking for a three to four time a week commuter, long four-day trips through the North Georgia Mountains and surrounding states.

Thanks again,

Brad

That is fairly my description as well (except you're older and live in Georgia ), I also traded up from a smaller bike (cruiser). Take it easy for awhile with the FJR....get a feel for it....throttle response.....brake feel and response.....clutch take-up etc and you'll do fine. Myself, I can only ride to about 65% of the capacity of the bike (I scare the crap out of me going beyond that) so next spring I intend to take an advance skills class so I can use the bike to a fuller capacity. Something you may want to consider as well.

BTW, intelligent, articulate first posts on a Friday around here are not appreciated. Friday is reserved for the mindless, bowel clearing act of dogpiling the closest newbie. You are upsetting the ying and yang of the Forum.

 

[mikeyb]

I think you have done this coming back to motorcycling thing wisely. Rather than pick a bike that was not going to be something to relearn your skills on easily, you picked a bike that was fun, met your stated purpose and allowed you to teach your body how to ride again. The big difference that you will notice is the weight as others have mentioned. My first bike back was a 430# Vstrom so we are similar, you and I in our moves up.

When I took my driving test I was the 4th person in line to be tested. Everyone there was older (as in not 21) and I assumed that these were people that had ridden before and were just coming back or getting an endorsement because they were no longer the lawless bunch that they were previously. So, the first guy does the 1st maneuver where you have to stop your bike with the front wheel in a square painted on the ground. He does this fine then needs to maneuver his bike through a line of cones snaking through them passing on the left and right. Well he about drops the bike, runs in to the grass correcting, then leaves the scene at a high rate of speed never to be seen again with the instructor holding his permit in his hand.

Moral to this story, I think if I had started with the FJR after 20 years out of the saddle I might have suffered a similar embarrassment. People new to motorcycles should learn their skill set on bikes that are maneuverable (and cheap) and not think that they can handle whatever their wallets can afford. Since you are asking this question you are smart enough to know what the problems might be.

To finish my MC test story, all three people in front of me failed the test, I was the first one to pass. I think having about 30 people watch you do the test was a bit unnerving for those first 3 people.

 

[Toecutter]

BTW, intelligent, articulate first posts on a Friday around here are not appreciated. Friday is reserved for the mindless, bowel clearing act of dogpiling the closest newbie. You are upsetting the ying and yang of the Forum.

That's why he posted YESTERDAY. You are now in a vulnerable position to be DP'D, at least until somebody more bone-headed comes along. Dog Piling isn't exclusive to Noobs.

BTW, it's "Yin".

 

[SecuLaw]

BTW, intelligent, articulate first posts on a Friday around here are not appreciated. Friday is reserved for the mindless, bowel clearing act of dogpiling the closest newbie. You are upsetting the ying and yang of the Forum.

That's why he posted YESTERDAY. You are now in a vulnerable position to be DP'D, at least until somebody more bone-headed comes along. Dog Piling isn't exclusive to Noobs.

BTW, it's "Yin".

Might have been Thursday in CA but it was Friday here. (Hell I guess that means it was Saturday in China. :huh: )

"Yin" and "Ying".represents the different spelling conventions between the Mandarin and Hunan variations of the "classical" Chinese language. Now that the communist have decided to standardize the more common characters used in the language these type of acceptable variations in spelling will disappear.

(If you believe that **** I got a bridge in New York I can sell you. )

 

[Toecutter]

Since his post was at 11:52 PM EDT, it was still Thursday in all of the US, where the FJR Forum calls home (geographically).

With the world divided into 24 time zones, it would be pretty hard for it to be Thursday in one place and Saturday somewhere else at the same time.

Uhm....if I were to give a small word of advice..... :stop:
[SIZE=14pt]Ixnay on the Upidstay![/SIZE]

 

[RadioHowie]

BTW, intelligent, articulate first posts on a Friday around here are not appreciated. Friday is reserved for the mindless, bowel clearing act of dogpiling the closest newbie. You are upsetting the ying and yang of the Forum.

That's why he posted YESTERDAY. You are now in a vulnerable position to be DP'D, at least until somebody more bone-headed comes along. Dog Piling isn't exclusive to Noobs.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....hmmmph??? What??? Someone call me???

 

[SecuLaw]

Since his post was at 11:52 PM EDT, it was still Thursday in all of the US, where the FJR Forum calls home (geographically).
With the world divided into 24 time zones, it would be pretty hard for it to be Thursday in one place and Saturday somewhere else at the same time.

Uhm....if I were to give a small word of advice..... :stop:
[SIZE=14pt]Ixnay on the Upidstay![/SIZE]

Really? 24 time zones you say. Why not 12 or 36? Does the number 24 have a significance? Is that what the TV show is named after? Who decided 24 and who drew the lines? And why can't we be a day ahead and China a day behind? And isn't time really a man created constraint unrelated to our actual existence. Think about China deciding to say "When it is Thursday in the US, it shall be Saturday here." Additionally, why is it that Arizona (I believe) gets to op-out of daylight saving time? Is it because we are allowed to change the actual birthday dates of our presidents to fall on one day so that we don't have two days off just one?

This is what happens when I take Friday off.



(EDIT: Just in case someone doesn't realize, the prior posts were done in a joking manner. I know when Friday is, I have to take the garbage out the night before. )

 

[rocketman]

I think this is the perfect bike for the riding you described and ergos and weight should be fine for someone your size. Not that bad of a jump. I came up from a Honda Nighthawk 750 after my 20 years off. My friend went from a Burgman 650 to a Busa smoothly. BTW I am looking for a Burgman 400 for my wife and son to start out on. Like the others said, do the throttle mod to take the abrupness out.

 

[SebringSilver]

Thank you all for your intelligent, well, maybe not, helpful, not even that. What about off-topic, thread hijacking responses? :lol: Sorry, noobies don’t get the NO serious, posing as intelligent, posts on Friday PM.

Seriously, I have taken the Experienced Motorcyclist Course on the Burgman and would spend many hours practicing, practicing, and practicing when I get the FJR. The weight issue will be my biggest concern as I have to back the Burgman into my garage and my commute has many stop signs and traffic lights. Any of you who know Atlanta’s traffic know you do not want to drive on the interstate here at rush, and I do mean “RUSH” hour. Doing 85MPH will get you rear-ended..

You guys are a lot sillier and less judgmental than the Burgman Forum. Oh sh*t, I forgot, it’s always Friday in some people's minds.

 

[818Guy]

Welcome to the forum Brad.

Get what you want now. I went from a Big Bear Choppers Venom Prostreet bike to the FJR. Had the BBC for a year and knew it wasn't what we wanted to ride on. Yeah, it was "cool" to a point, but we wanted something to be comfortable on for more than 50 miles. Prior to that I had not ridden in about 15 years (600 Ninja).

If you respect the power of the FJR it will respect you.