C14 and FJR comparison

[Warchild]

I actually went down to the local Kawi dealer yesterday afternoon to check out the only GTR1400 left in stock (non-ABS). This is the first time I have examined the bike in the flesh.

From the pilot's seat, the bike definitely appears bigger (wider) than the FJR..... which I disliked. Fit/finish is not too shabby at all, though the "Neutron Silver" looks like curdled femunda cheese under fluorescent lights. :glare:

And one question that I have not heard the answer to until today was the GTR1400's stator output: it is allegedly rated at 581 watts. The is just shy of the GenII FJRs (or Gen I's with the EGH 130 stator from Electrosport). HOWEVER, the big Kwak definitely has more onboard electronics that the FJR, so the net effect might be - emphasis on might be) - that one has less electrical power (above that needed to run the bike) available to run farkles on the C14, than what is available on the FJR.

Obviously, we don't know that for a fact.... yet. Still, I was hoping for a rating at least well into the 650-ish watt range.... :angry:

 

[bramfrank]

[delete] gotta learn to read the WHOLE message before opening my mouth

 

[Shadow]

When you buy a Yamaha in Aust they send you a questionnaire to fill out regarding the model you purchased.

Don't get me wrong, the FJR is a nice bike but having worked for a Yamaha dealer for many years, Yamaha always seemed to be behind other models in some areas.

I filled in the questionnaire after owning the bike for 3 months with the following.

The FJR has been around for a while now and most changes made have been small or cosmetic.

The throttle on the 06/07 is like a switch, why did Yamaha fix some thing that wasn't broken?

The throttle problem is well documented but Yamaha chooses to do nothing about it, not good customer relations.

The bike by the 06 model and certainly by the 07 model should have had.......

Upside down forks.

Radial brakes.

Both headlights adjusting by the one control on the left hand side.

Clear coat on the paint, if there is clear coat now it is too soft or the paint is too soft.

A better seat, after all it is a Touring bike.

All these are fairly basic for a modern sports/touring bike.

**********************************************************************************

If the GTR14 is a success I hope it spurs Yamaha into doing what should have already been done.

 

[2WheelTiger]

This has turned into an interesting thread for one simple reason. It's making us examine what we bought.

Back in late 03 I bought an 04 from D&S in Bamalama. I'd ridden a friend's 03 and was thoroughly impressed with the bike's abilities.

I stupidly sold the FJR and kept my R1 when I moved from Dallas to Seattle in 05. I missed having an S/T. Washington might be the reason S/T's exist. (Texas is the reason GW's exist (in both forms)).

SO, I started looking at the BMW K1200 GT. It had everything. Heated seat and grips, cruise, movable seat, yadda-yadda. It had everything I wanted and a slight bit more. It was also $26,000 out the door!

Thus, I started scouting around for a Gen II FJR and I found one. What did I get out of it? I got an excellent bike that I could completely customize, farkle, and play with! See, I like to tinker with my scoots. I like to individualize them. I like to make mine work for me.

All you folks seem to be the same. None of you bought the universality and soul-lessness of the 'every one is the same' K1200GT. We bought bikes that needed a little bit from US in order to be complete. (Isn't that a symptom of love?)

Doesn't it seem that the FJR is superior to the C14 in some areas, inferior in others, and thus - roughly equal? We might want to consider celebrating the addition of another reason for people to buy S/T's in our category. C14 operators will probably have more social similarity to us than K1200GT operators or even ST1300 operators.

People, the C14 is a GOOD THING!

 

[Wanderer]

QUOTE

Well looks like no riding this weekend. Went out to garage to take a little ride today and upon trying to start the bike, the whole LCD cluster jammed with all bars etc on. I am not a electronics wiz but what I mean is all the bars, LCDs, dots whatever you call them were on and the bike would do nothing. I diconnected the battery for a few minutes to hopefully reset whatever was jammed. All was normal again but upon starting the bike and riding about 20ft the LCD guage lite up again and the bike died. I did the same procedure and it jammed from the start and has not started again. yes the key fob was on my person. So I put the bike on the trailer and took it to the dealer. Man they all stood around scratching their heads. So I left the bike there and here I sit with a payment book and no bike.

QUOTE

I'm not gonna say " I told you so", but.....this was among my biggest concerns with the cool-guy crap on the C-14.... I just have this icky feeling in my stomach that the KIPASS crossed the line on motorcycle application. I had a spirited discussion with a sales guy at my local shop while straddling a C-14.(I wasn't a fan BTW- felt too ST1300-ish to me) He was clearly a raving Kawasaki Fanboy and pretty much dismissed my FJR out of hand,claiming the ZX-14 was all but the greatest accomplishment in motorcycles in the last 20 years and the C-14 was an adaptation of that. But that's another story for another day. We discussed the durability and longevity of a proximity sensor ignition when exposed to the bad stuff a bike is exposed to. His rebuttal was that Honda has used them in their S2000 cars for several years. I just couldn't get him to understand the interior of an S2000 wasn't going to be rained on, snowed on, pressure washed and subjected to the dirt that this one was. I don't want to see kaw fail, Hell I hope it scares Yamaha into betting the house on the GenIII. But some of the stuff on the Kaw flirts with BMW....Tech for tech's sake. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

[Shadow]

Wanderer, the ignition system was my main concern with the C-14.

The bike may have all the latest tech more so than the FJR, but it may take a model or two to get it right.

May not suit bike application due to weather, as you suggest.

 

[SecuLaw]

Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Fred H. (not nimrod by the way).

Well, if you have a choice.....go with Nimrod.



(Just a joke people, relax)

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I'll still keep a fairly close eye on this platform for the next year or so, but even if the bike proves to be a solid platform, financial reality indicates I am certainly in NO danger of getting one anytime soon..... :blink:

Wanna bet there will be some killer deals to be had on slightly used (if not, semi operational) 14's coming up PDQ?

Those riders will be welcome here too

 

[Medium Al]

QUOTEBut some of the stuff on the Kaw flirts with BMW....Tech for tech's sake. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

Oh, you mean like a semi-auto gearbox? I don't even want to think about what could have been improved/upgraded on the gen II bikes with the resources that development must have sucked up. And the compromises the A model has to live with so that the AE can be built, or the corners that were cut (like a 21st century ECU map???). Let's hope Yamaha realizes how stupid that was and dumps it for Gen III.

Newest Motorcyclist magazine basically says the C14 is an unqualified home run, both the FJR and ST1300 are "dated" now. Gave it '07 ST of the year. "spot on fuel injection" hint hint. BTW an XL helmet does fit in the smaller right side bag. I have sat on one but not ridden one yet. Nice.

 

[2WheelTiger]

QUOTEBut some of the stuff on the Kaw flirts with BMW....Tech for tech's sake. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

Oh, you mean like a semi-auto gearbox? I don't even want to think about what could have been improved/upgraded on the gen II bikes with the resources that development must have sucked up. And the compromises the A model has to live with so that the AE can be built, or the corners that were cut (like a 21st century ECU map???). Let's hope Yamaha realizes how stupid that was and dumps it for Gen III.

Newest Motorcyclist magazine basically says the C14 is an unqualified home run, both the FJR and ST1300 are "dated" now. Gave it '07 ST of the year. "spot on fuel injection" hint hint. BTW an XL helmet does fit in the smaller right side bag. I have sat on one but not ridden one yet. Nice.

Curious:

1) Why is this important? You apparently have an FJR and it was fine when you bought it.

2) When was the last time Motorcyclist rode an FJR.

3) Wasn't the ST1300 "dated" by the FJR?

Just thoughts..... not bashing or bitching.

 

[Medium Al]

Curious:
1) Why is this important? You apparently have an FJR and it was fine when you bought it.

2) When was the last time Motorcyclist rode an FJR.

3) Wasn't the ST1300 "dated" by the FJR?

Just thoughts..... not bashing or bitching.

1) It was not fine when I bought it, it immediatley started up with the altitude surging with less than 100 miles on it. Since I live in the mountains, it is now parked except for relatively short rides on low traffic days with zero chance of rain. I bought the FJR instead of waiting for the C14 because I wanted something with all the bugs worked out of it (ha). A summer of touring gone now, and a lot of time being told by the dealer and Yamaha that I was imagining it or due to internet hysteria and please pay us $75/hr to ride your bike and see if we can replicate it. Waiting for a fix now that Yamaha has finally admitted there is a problem. So it turns out the C14 may have been worth waiting for.

In a general sense it is important whenever state of the art advances in any kind of technology, and it looks like the C14 has done that for ST bikes. In a number of areas. As the ZX14 did for open street class.

Also, see title of this thread. No big deal here, if Yamaha fixes the FI I'll likely keep it, if it doesn't do it adequately I won't. There are many things I like about it. By then it will be next season and early production bugs on the C14 may be worked out.

2) Last year if I remember correctly, when the AE came out. And it lost a comparo to the ST1300.

3) Precisely my point. FJR is now old tech. In addition to having serious FI problems, like the rest of Yamaha's new bikes.

 

[Shadow]

3) Precisely my point. FJR is now old tech

Yep, as I posted, they just kept on doing small improvements instead of really improving it.

Should have done a lot of things with the 06/07 models, now Yamaha are way behind.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Fook it! I say twist up a fatty :dribble: and ride what ya want.

Give the fjr it's due, If it wasn't for it their most likely wouldn't be a C14. Sure the yamaha is dated... what isn't after a year given how fast everything changes today?

:jester:

 

[keithaba]

The FJR is so Ipod, I have an Iphone now, it's so next gen.

 

[Warchild]

Fook it! I say twist up a fatty :dribble: and ride what ya want. :jester:

:lol:

We simply must look into that forum "Quote of the Week" feature.....

 

[Last Chance]

The cruiser clowns will begin to wake up and smell the jet fuel.
-BD

One ride on my friend's FJR and I was overcome by the "fumes".

Signed,

cruiser clown (former)

Coming back home from Morro Bay I happened to stop for fuel in Salinas, CA. There was a cruiser driver stopped for fuel, also. A Suzuki ME103, I think it was. The VTX killer. Well I started out and settled in with U.S.101 weekend traffic, kind of moving my way up through the "maze". About 3-5 miles from bottom of the Pacheco grade I spied him chasing me. He got a little closer than I liked and I had to decide if I wanted to "pick up the pace" or slow down and "force" him to pass me. Then, I thought, I would have to put up with whatever pace he set. Naturally, I decided to pick up the pace. What followed was a fairly good comparison of the performance of the '06 FJR to a brand new Suzuki Big Bore cruiser. Of course I could leave him behind in ANY mode. Roll on, from a stop light, in any gear and once in the curvy part of the climb he didn't seem able to keep up either. However, that big bike did have a lot of torque and get up and go for a cruiser. Don't know of ANY H/D that could keep up. at least not without a lot of extra dollars invested. Finally once we reached the top of the grade, I let him get out in front and beat the bushes for the chippies. That Suzuki has more than adequate get up and go for the normal mortal! IMHO, YMMV.

Lots of fun! :yahoo: Love my Escort 8500!! (Blue is sexier.) :clapping: :yahoo: Haven't dared look at the trip info on the GPS. I think I may have exceeded the posted limit.

LC

 

[BrunDog]

Was it the M109R? Serious Vtwin power in that bike - me likey. Unfortunately, it weighs 8000 pounds and handles like a log.

-BD

 

[Graham Downunder]

I have been reading up on the Connie and seriously looking at getting one or the FJR 1300 ( I have been waiting for about 12 months as the Connie delivery keep getting put back)

In Australia they are the same price about $ 24,500 Australian Dollars or about $20,800 US Dollars .In Australia we get the Connie ( GTR1400 downunder ) in black as well as the silver ( read stupid grey ). The Black is great the silver is sh.t, pitty the people who rushed in and got the silver.

Fred gave a good comparison with no bias ,unlike magazines writers who generally only ride 200-400 miles .

If you have to remove the engine for spark plugs or checking valves FORGET IT ,let's see what other problem occur . The KIPASS system is a waste out money and will be a problem I think in about 2 years will be removed .The tire monitor is not complicated ,just a dumb tire fitter stuffed up ,it is a good system evey road bike and car should have one as it warns you of a tire going flat or low on pressure.

Upside down forks are better ,why hasn't Yamaha fitted them ? Both bikes need better screens , it is amazing that they do not come standard with better screens ,maybe both companies should sack the persons responsible.

Throttlle problems on the FJR are I think are stupid ,I have ridden one with problems ,No thanks . Yamaha has got to get better computers on the fuel injection ,Kawasaki has got it right , step up to the plate Yamaha .

Ticking ,well that's only obvious after some distance , the Connie has not been out long enough we will see.

Electronics well what about over tight wires to the key switch on the FJR , the KIPASS system on the Connie having problems.Both bikes need about 100 watts more power in the electric department.

Brakes , yes the Connie is better than the FJR from 70 -0mph according to tests posted on the Connie board , but the BMW K1200 GT is even better.

Performance well they all go fast 1/4 mile in the mid 11 seconds ,they all go above 140 MPH.

But that is not saying much ,in 1978 ( yes 29 year ago ) I had a Yamaha XS1100 that was shaft drive and do the 1/4 mile in mid 11 seconds . I got pulled up for speeding with saddle bags, top box and pillion just on 200 KPH or around 125 mph ( I had fitted a full fairing ), I even got away with it no ticket ($$$ ) . So how far have bikes really come ,the handleing is better ( due mainly to tires and better suspension ).The comfort level is about the same , fuel consumption about the same , service costs much higher , tire life about the same ,headlights much better .Off road ability, well the old XS1100 went down dirt roads and tracks that I would only take my Vstrom down, not an FJR or Connie .

In Australia if you get caught 25 mph over the limit ,you lose your licence on the spot and can have your vechile imponded for 3 months, second offence and they sell your vechile !!,and probably jail time. We have a huge number of speed cameras ,and in at least one state they are run by private companies hiden in older vechiles parked along the road 2 mph over the limit and you get a ticket in the mail .

Which bike is better I do not know ,is there any need for that strong a perfomance ?I do not know but I want one cause I love flying and cannot afford a plane.

 

[odot]

Damn, graham.....by the tone of what you got goin on there.....both the feej and the connie suck ass. I think I'll part mine out for all you future crash club members.

 

[quietguy]

I just installed the new, high tech PSI monitoring system... in my pocket; air pressure gauge.

Worked quite well during my weekend in Eureka Springs... 850 miles without a failure.

Y'all missed some great riding.

I got pics... holler if ya wanna peek.

Lennie