Buying a 07FJR Tommorrow

[fastpappy]

Congrats and Welcomefrom the Big Apple. :clapping:

 

[Ordrock]

Aw great another whiny rider, if you have doubts, don't buy.

The FJR isn't a magic carpet it's just a bike thats a great ride and a rocket.

 

[tesla]

DAMMIT! Just went to go pick up my new bike wanted to test ride it one more to alleviate my concern about the cornering problem. I was sure that it was because of low air pressure but it was not. Seller had put 41 psi in both tires and I confirmed it with my gauge. We then started adjusting front fork tension with the knobs on the triple tree which also had no effect. Needless to say, the seller and I both were very disappointed. I even had purchased insurance on the bike. He called me on the way home to suggest that pre-load adjustment could have caused it but I seriously doubt it. The symptoms are that it feels like the front tire has 20 lbs of air in it when cornering. I visually inspected the front end as much as I could and everything appears fine. The seller said that he was not an agressive rider (but then neither am I) so he wouldn't know about the problem The way we left it was that he would take it to Yamaha and have it checked out but I'm not sure how motivated he is to do that especially if he thought I was the problem rather than the bike. Could it be that I'm just not used to this bikes handling characteristics? I don't have a lot of experience with other bikes but I have ridden a GS500, Honda VTX1300, Honda ST1300 and 2 V-Stroms and none of them felt like this. Also I test rode another guys FJR last weekend and it felt great. I just don't get it, this is an 07 with less than 4000 miles and has never been down. Any ideas?

 

[tesla]

Aw great another whiny rider, if you have doubts, don't buy.
The FJR isn't a magic carpet it's just a bike thats a great ride and a rocket.

Concern over something mechanically wrong about this bike is whining?

 

[DonRed7]

By inspecting the front end did you look closely at the front tire for uneven wear? Just because it has 41 in it now dosen't mean there has always been. This bike is desperately hard on fronts,..But yes 4000 miles should not have the front tire beat. I would add that IF you are cornering much more than he ever did that you could also be feeling that transition ridge that has developed on the tire?

Don

Just re-read you first post, Having had low front pressure for an unknown time and then getting them back up is going to definately make the front feel strange. But you describe it as a clunk?

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Tesla,

Meet up with somone on this Forum in your area to compare notes... this would probably be faster and more accurate than 2nd guessing things.

Good Luck with your solution.

Better yet, drive it to me and I'll look at it. By then you will need new tires and probably solve the problem. Just a thought...

 

[tesla]

Don, front tire looked good but wasn't looking specifically to see if it was squared off but that's exactly how it felt.

Silver, probably a new set of PR2's that I hear many rave about would at least improve cornering.

 

[Gary]

I say tires. You're looking at the front because the bike isn't falling in, but a worn rear can cause this. The previous owner says he isn't an agressive rider, and he could have worn the center of the rear tire down to the point that the contact patch is no longer rounded.

 

[user 17459]

When I picked up my '07 last summer I had the same issues with the front end handling. It felt very heavy and like it "needed" to fall to one side or the other at very low speed. At driving speeds it wanted to stand up and it was really hard to hold in a corner. Airing up to 42 psi helped a little, but a new set of Metzeler Z6s front and rear made it feel like an entirely new bike! From there I made many adjustments to the suspension, and I've now got her perfectly dialed in.

Unlike the ST1300, which I rode for about 4 years before crossing over to the FJR, the FJR is highly sensitive to tire wear and especially suspension changes. I think you're making the right choice in getting a Feej, as I feel it's a more refined and better bike across the board compared to the ST1300.

Rick

 

[HaulinAshe]

Badly worn rear tire can produce the same poor handling.

 

[Patriot]

I just don't get it, this is an 07 with less than 4000 miles and has never been down. Any ideas?

HERE'S THE VOICE OF REASON FROM THE BIKER GODS:

I'm quite confident it's the tires.

I rode the Run For The Wall (www.RFTW.com) which is a group ride from CA to WashDC. I rode from Dallas to DC and home in 12 days. All non cruise control slab riding. My PR2's had some miles on them, but I added 3500 more. Near the end of the ride and all the way coming home, the bike turned much easier right than before and had to be jerked left (over the ridge on the left side of the front tire). Felt really weird for the first day it was obviously there, but as time went on, I adjusted. Also funny, within a few weeks, few thousand miles after I got home, the feeling went away. I don't know if I just completely adjusted, but I suspect the ridge wore itself off in normal, off the slab riding. When I looked, I don't think I could see it so prounced anymore.

Jack the seller down to pay for tires and get ya arsh back over there and take the Feej home.

For five hundred, you can get new tires, new racing alum 85 degree valve stems, and installed at a dealer bringing in the bike if you want. Get a quote from a nearby Yammy shop, show it to the seller, and subtract from the bike asking price.

You won't regret it. :yahoo:

Get it done... :clapping:

let's ride safe and be careful out there,

Mike in Nawlins'

 

[RadioHowie]

Mike in Nawlins'

Why tthe hell ain't you watchin' the SuperDuper Bowl???

 

[puppychow]

Not sure if this helps, but just relating a personal experience in the hopes it would.

Last year when I picked up my new to me 05 FJR, I had similar handling problems, the bike didn't want to lean to turn and kept wanting to stand back up straight and the front steering felt stiff and fighting me through the turn, I rode to the nearest gas station and checked tire pressure and they were too low - filled them to 39 front and back and the problem disappeared.

 

[tesla]

I think you guys are correct about the ridge on the tires. Seller commented a couple of times about not being an agressive rider and having big chicken strips.

By the way, what are the typical labor costs to replace a couple of tires on the FJR?

 

[mcatrophy]

QUOTE (tesla @ Feb 8 2010, 04:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you guys are correct about the ridge on the tires. Seller commented a couple of times about not being an agressive rider and having big chicken strips.

...

I'm not an agressive rider , but my front tyre wore to this 'V' section:

(click on image for larger view)



This is a characteristic wear profile for the BT021, which I believe all on this forum are agreed is a cr*p front tyre for the FJR.

When mine had worn as seen in the piccy, it was awfull (that's bad) to steer, more specifically it needed significant counter-steering effort to hold the curve, even on moderate cornering. Just like a low-pressured rear tyre does (and maybe the front, I've not had a front puncture).

I put on an Avon Storm ST and the steering became awesome (that's good

).

 

[nwrider1]

As I mentioned in another thread regarding the ignition sw recall, I recently bought an 07 with 7500 miles on it. It had the original front tire. I knew just by loading in onto and off of my trailer when I picked it up that the front tire pressure was low. 18 psi. Airing it up reduced the steering effort, but not the handling since the tire was unevenly worn. A new front tire transformed the handling.

I had the same problem when I bought a used Ducati MTS1000DS. It wouldn't track in right hand corners. I had to constantly apply countersteering to prevent it running wide. If I rolled off the throttle a bit, it would stand up -- I'd never had any bike do that before ( I've owned 48 in my long riding history). It handled slightly better when running 40 psi (32psi recommended). Even though there was no visible uneven wear on the tire, when I replaced the front tire the whole problem went away.

So, before writing off this bike, if there's no misalignment in the forks and they work freely, both in rotation about the steering head and in compression, I'd say the front tire is the likely problem.

 

[Patriot]

Mike in Nawlins'

Why tthe hell ain't you watchin' the SuperDuper Bowl???

ya mean that was on TV...yesterday?...last night?...

I woke up this morning and I had this CRAZY DREAM...must have been the Kung Pao Chicken...

 

[Patriot]

I think you guys are correct about the ridge on the tires. Seller commented a couple of times about not being an agressive rider and having big chicken strips.
By the way, what are the typical labor costs to replace a couple of tires on the FJR?

my experience (locally) is:

on the bike - $75 per

off the bike - $30-40

 

[Bogus]

By inspecting the front end did you look closely at the front tire for uneven wear? Just because it has 41 in it now dosen't mean there has always been. This bike is desperately hard on fronts,..But yes 4000 miles should not have the front tire beat. I would add that IF you are cornering much more than he ever did that you could also be feeling that transition ridge that has developed on the tire?

Don

When I got my brand new '08, I rode it VERY conservatively for about 1000 mi. on the stock BT021's, since I have only had cruisers in the past. As I got use to the bike, I would ride more like the Feej needs to be ridden, but it seemed like I had to really apply a lot of pressure on the bars to hold her on line through the corners. It also felt like the front was going to wash out at conservative lean angles. By the time I had 3300 mi on it, the front tire was totally trashed, cupped badly, and down to the wear bars. I blame this on the crappy design of the tires, myself for running 34psi, and not checking the pressure often and flattening the profile of the tires by my conservative riding.

I wanted to put a PR2 on the front, but at the time they were back ordered for a month, so I put on a BT020 instead, and aired it up to 40psi. I could not believe what a difference in a new front tire would make. The bike felt planted, would hold a line in the corners with very little pressure on the bars, and boosted my confidence 100%. Playing with the fork adjusments using HaulinAshes base made another 100% improvement :lol: . By the time I had 1000 mi on the BT201 front, it was starting to cup already even though I was keeping 40# in it. Put up with it until they were worn out at 6000 mi, and finally got the PR2 on the front. The handling was back to excellent, and now after 4000 mi, it is not cupped at all, and has held its profile. Got a matched PR2 on the rear with 2000 mi, and all is well!!

Unless the FJR that you are looking at has something really effed up with it, (which from your posts, I doubt it) I would vote that it is the tires also. If you could make a deal with the seller that you would take the bike at whatever price you settle on with the condition that new tires would be installed, and another test ride to confirm that they were the problem, I think you would come home with her :yahoo:

 

[ScottyUSN]

Telsa,

Only a guess, but between new rubber and a bit more time on the FJR. My guess is you will be cured.

Your muscle memory is set for the Wee Strom... A bike the moves around with little more than a thought about where you want it to go.

The first FJR I test rode had me turning really wide. It seemed like it was fighting me to say upright. The second FJR (The 08 I bought) was much better, but obviously still heavier than the Wee.

I agree before you start throwing money at this, get with another FJR owner for some input and comparison.