Compared to other bikes you have owned what do you like most and the least about the fjr.

[JimNtexas]

Likes:

1) 100% dispatch reliability at 20,000 miles.

2) Smooth effortless power. Goes faster than I have the balls to go.

3) Great aerodynamics and wind protection, very comfortable , I even like the stock seat.

4) Paddle shifter

5) Minimal heat from 1300cc motor

6) Routine maintenance is simple

7) Runs fine on regular gas

Dislikes:

1) Not as friendly to the inseam challenged as the Honda ST (but better than the Kawi). It's an easy bike to drop.

2) No cruise control on my 2008AE.

3) Low speed maneuverability is not the AE's strong point.

4) Plastic removal is a PIA

 

[FJR Bill]

Agree with all the likes so don't ned to repeat them.

Dislikes: Wide front seat making us short of leg feeling the ponderous weight when parking, backing etc. No protection for the plastic like the bumpers on the ST1300 and the BMW LT. Stock windhield on my 09 is a disappointment. Not good full down, full up or in between. Cali-sci solved that problem and now the electric windshield is fully appreciated..

Bill

 

[WWWobble]

Compared to last sport touring bike 2000 BMW K1200RS

What the FJR does better

Reliability

Ease of maintenance

Decent range on regular unleaded.

What the Beemer did better

Break.

Brakes. Nice Brembos.

Shift. (surprising here, gearbox was really smooth and positive)

Cost more to run and fix and fix and fix and fix and fix.

Hope to hit 100,000 on the FJR odo somewhere next year, so obviously, I like it!

WWWobble

 

[LKLD]

Most have been mentioned as far as likes, so I'll just add;

+The gas tank capacity and the MPG that comes with that.

+The tour/sport mode is something that I use often.

+The looks. This is what first attracted me to the FJR over the other bikes.

+Also (continuing with appearance), the way she looks with the saddlebags off...sexy!

+Speed, I love the acceleration!!

- I really don't have any complaints, this bike fits me. Possibly the seat, but would have to ride another seat to compare.

 

[bluesdog]

Likes: It's fast

Dislikes: It's too fast

 

[jim oneill]

Like just about everything about my 2013 except for non cancelling turn signals

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Dislike: This bike in not maintenance friendly in any sense of the word...(one shouldn't have to tear a bike apart to replace the air filter, etc.) and it's a tire eater.

Not maint friendly??

Try doing a valve adjustment on a Connie 14 and get back to me!

The FJR doesn't use tires any faster than any other bike I've ever owned, tire wear I've found is more about HOW you ride, what PSI you use and the road surface where you ride.

LIKE.....smooth powerful motor, ease of most maint (oil change, valve adjustment) lighter and smaller than the other 1200CC plus Sport Tourers, front brakes are AWESOME. The stock seat is the best of ANY other bike I've owned.

26,000 mile valve adjustment intervals, longest I've ever had on any bike.

Pretty good MPG for a big 1300CC 640lb bike

DISLIKE....Battery location, tight head light bulb replacement

 

[MCRIDER007]

Dislike: This bike in not maintenance friendly in any sense of the word...(one shouldn't have to tear a bike apart to replace the air filter, etc.) and it's a tire eater.

Not maint friendly??

Try doing a valve adjustment on a Connie 14 and get back to me!

The FJR doesn't use tires any faster than any other bike I've ever owned, tire wear I've found is more about HOW you ride, what PSI you use and the road surface where you ride.

LIKE.....smooth powerful motor, ease of most maint (oil change, valve adjustment) lighter and smaller than the other 1200CC plus Sport Tourers, front brakes are AWESOME. The stock seat is the best of ANY other bike I've owned.

DISLIKE....Battery location, tight light bulb replacement

C14 valve adjustment? I've done 2 of them and pulling the cams to change shims is pretty easy....getting to the valve cover is another matter....I would rather work on the FJR.
Stock seat is the best you have owned? I don't think it is the best I have ever owned but it's pretty good so that makes at least 2 of us on this forum that feel that way.

Dislike: Having to deal with the 4 interlocking front panels, it would be a nightmare to attempt to troubleshoot and fix anything under the panels during a trip. It's hard enough to do it in my garage.

 

[FJR Bill]

One more comment about valve adjustments: My valve check was done by a friend who is a full time motorcycle mechanic. He said the valve check and adjustment if needed on the FJR is far easier than the C-14. The tight spaces in the C-14 are difficult to work with. How does he know? He owns a C-14.

Bill

 

[juniorfjr]

I like it, but...I have a 29" inseam and don't like the width (front part) of the seat. You short guys out there know how much fun it is to tippy-toe in a gravel parking lot.

You must like it more than not. This is your third or fourth fjr?

 

[CA G-Man]

Dislike: Having to deal with the 4 interlocking front panels, it would be a nightmare to attempt to troubleshoot and fix anything under the panels during a trip. It's hard enough to do it in my garage.

Couldn't agree more. I just can't figure out why Yamaha would design the battery access, in particular, the way they did. It's not like having a couple of bolts on the top panel would ruin the clean look of it or something (there's already bolts there...). Having pulled it apart 3 or 4 times now it's not nearly as daunting as it was the first time (I think my personal best is about 7 minutes to access the battery), but I just can't see why it shouldn't be a 2-screw, 15-second job to get at the battery. Is there a gang of battery thieves out there that I don't know about? A rogue group of river rafters running their air pumps off of innocent Gen I FJR riders' charges?

 

[Nanahanman]

LIKE...quick and agile. good brakes

DISLIKE...seat...seat...and ...seat oh and the exhaust drone at low rpm/speed.

 

[bwv]

Like... power, brakes, handling, airflow managment, looks, oil changes

Dislike... seat, having had to dissasemble the clutch it so it would shift at 900 miles, garbage stock tires, windshield chatter, engine whine sound when idling or riding at parking lot speeds, too fast..im gonna be in jail...

 

[VMaxChuck]

Like: 6.6 gallon fuel tank and 45+ MPG, adjustable windshield, ergo's

Love: the cruise control, this forum

Dislikes: plastics removal, 4,000 RPM buzz

 

[lnewlf]

Like... power, brakes, handling, airflow managment, looks, oil changes
Dislike... seat, having had to dissasemble the clutch it so it would shift at 900 miles, garbage stock tires, windshield chatter, engine whine sound when idling or riding at parking lot speeds, too fast..im gonna be in jail...

personally, I like the whine- reminds me of my blown '71 Duster 340 ..1/4 mile times are similar too..

 

[petey]

I like it, but...I have a 29" inseam and don't like the width (front part) of the seat. You short guys out there know how much fun it is to tippy-toe in a gravel parking lot.

You must like it more than not. This is your third or fourth fjr?

Like it more than not is correct, but my '13 is my 5th FJR...

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Dislikes: plastics removal, 4,000 RPM buzz

Your 2013 is buzzy?

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

One more comment about valve adjustments: My valve check was done by a friend who is a full time motorcycle mechanic. He said the valve check and adjustment if needed on the FJR is far easier than the C-14. The tight spaces in the C-14 are difficult to work with. How does he know? He owns a C-14.Bill

Not only is it tight you have to take thw WHOLE fairing off to get to the valves.

I popped in a mechanic at a cycle shop recnetly and he has 3 work benches full of fairing parts.....I asked him what he was doing.....he said "the job I hate the most"......."what's that"?? I asked

He said "a valve adjustment on a Connie 14".

 

[MCRIDER007]

Not only is it tight you have to take thw WHOLE fairing off to get to the valves.

I guess the upper fairing (the fairing that is in front of the dash and wraps around the headlights) is not part of the WHOLE fairing because it does NOT have to be removed to do a valve adjustment. The lower fairing also does not have to removed although it seems to be easier to work with the side and middle fairings if that fairing is removed with the side fairing.

 

[RavFJR]

Dislike: This bike in not maintenance friendly in any sense of the word...(one shouldn't have to tear a bike apart to replace the air filter, etc.) and it's a tire eater.

Not maint friendly??

Try doing a valve adjustment on a Connie 14 and get back to me!

The FJR doesn't use tires any faster than any other bike I've ever owned, tire wear I've found is more about HOW you ride, what PSI you use and the road surface where you ride.

I don't have a Connie, and won't.... To me, what you've just expressed is that the Connie is worse in some respects. I like my FJR, but to do any sort of maintenance requires tearing off panels, fasterners and doing some digging. Have you replaced a headlight bulb yet? How about doing the forks..? It shouldn't take pulling off panels to change a fuse... On every other bike I've owned simple maintenance actions took minutes, not hours. We all have opinions, and mine is that Yamaha didn't offer simple ways to perform some of the routine maintenance actions I easily did on other bikes. I attribute the tire wear to the weight and torque of the FJR, and that sometimes I enjoy using that torque. I keep my rear tire at 42 psi and the front at 39 psi. I get about 6K on the rear tire... Other bikes I've own offered about 10K. I'm not complaining about the tire wear, just noting that the FJR uses tires faster to me...