ULEWZ
Well-known member
First sportbikes and dirtbikes, then wanting to have a bike that I could put more miles on without the motor smoking, I sold my R1 and bought the FJR. I don't ride it as fast, but have as much fun. :clapping:
Great read Kevin. Enjoy your R&R.I got a Honda CR80 when I was around 11 then a couple of years later moved up to a Suzuki TS125 (I think that's right) rode that until I got my driver's license. I went the next 5 years without a bike (sold the TS125). Well I dropped out of college, while intoxicated, and joined the Army. After getting to my first duty station I went and bought a Harley. I started hanging around a bunch of Vagos members but luckily for me I got transfered to Germany before I got myself in trouble. 3 weeks before I was to ship my bike my drunk neighbor decided to park on top of my bike. Later in Germany I bought a Dyna Wide Glide thru the PX. I rode that over there for a year. I loved the attention it got but hated it for being too slow on the Autobahn and it ran like shit in the Alps. I met a group of Italians one time while riding and one of them wanted my bike so after I had it a year he came and traded me his year old Ducati 916 and gave me $5,000 US for my bike!!! I didn't want the money but he insisted. I didn't know at the time what a Harley cost in Italy. 1 1/2 years later I broke my back in Kosovo and was told I'd never walk again. My 916 was sold.... Long story short, a year later I was walking again and was released for light duty and still had physical therapy 3 days a week. So what did I do? I bought a 1998 CBR1100XX and had a Hahn supercharger put on it!
I rode that bike like a fool! On I-10 between San Antonio and Houston I got that bike over 200mph. I never thought about wrecking, or about the welfare of others on the road. After being reassigned I met my wife and I think one of the happiest days for her was that day the Blackbird was stolen! She agreed I could get another bike but NOT another Blackbird or Hyabusha. After the cost of the supercharger I was in the hole with the payoff from the insurance anyway so I was more resonable. Also, with her I found a reason to care about my life again. I ended up with a Bandit. I like it but I liked it much better after Dale Walker got a lot of my money! I kept that bike for the next 5 years.
I was medically retired and we moved to Northern KY. I didn't ride much anymore because everyone I met there had a cruiser and their idea of riding was from one bar to another, so I sold the Bandit. The next 3 years were filled with golf on the weekends then in 2010 I decided I wanted to ride again. I knew I didn't want a true sportbike because I wanted to travel on it. I didn't was a touring bike becuase those are too boring. After looking around I rode a Coni and I liked it but it just didn't feel right for me. I rode a couple different BMWs but didn't like the cost of servicing the bike. Then I found the FJR. I didn't even take one for a test ride! I found a low mileage one at a reputable dealer who was selling it on consignment (It was stolen, and the owner bought a new bike and the police recovered the bike before the insurance paid out and now the owner was stuck with two bikes and had to sell one). We drove down in April with a trailer. I looked it over, got the deal I wanted and loaded the bike up. I have never regretted it. I love that bike.
Now that I'm deployed (was able to get back on Active Duty in 2009) again I can't wait to go home on R&R and go riding. If I get another bike I'm still keeping the FJR.
Yes, diversity of experience is a good thing. :clapping:Based on the vote total at this point its apparent we have a very diverse riding group on this forum with Sportbikes/Cruisers/Standards all almost dead even and dirtbikers closely behind.
I think this is a good thing and it also shows the draw a FJR has over a broad range of people and riders. It's a bike that appeals to many. It's close enough for sportbikers without being an actual sportbike. It's close enough for cruiser riders because it's right in between a sportbike and a cruiser. It allows for perhaps more comfort & riding distance for standard riders and so on.
This is why I ended up with a ST and specifically a FJR because it's just simply a terrific all around bike that does everything well: Performance, handling, comfort, storage.
Great read Kevin. Enjoy your R&R.
Best regards
Surly
h34r:
Sidetrack rebuttal: I agree. But I can only comment on this from my cruiser riding days as I have not attended any FJR ride events yet. Over the past few years or so I've probably organized and lead a dozen or more group rides ranging from 10 to 30 riders. The more riders, the more potential for something to go wrong. Its a numbers game. Some guys could ride their cruisers faster than some ST types feel comfortable riding theirs. While there's been a few I spotted that really had no business being in the mountains altogether because of their lack of experience or riding ability.<sidetrack>However, it is not always the best thing when announcing a ride in a nice twisty part of the country. LOTS of different riding skills on this board. That's not a bad thing if you can get like paced riders together...or you pick a destination and everybody just rides to that destination. On a ride like the SE Ohio Ramble, I try to put like paced riders together <somehow> but usuallly someone is in a group with riders a lot faster than they ride or in a group who ride way too pokey for them. This isn't a problem unless someone tries (invariably) to ride faster than they would nornally ride (I've been THAT GUY before)...which can have bad results-obviously. So keep the diversity in mind when planning and attending rides.<sidetrack>
I agree. I've had some ricky racers show up and put them up front...amd was wondering what was taking them so long to get around that curve...and some HD riders that could book along pretty well...and outrun me pretty good if their equipment wasn't slowing them down....Some guys could ride their cruisers faster than some ST types feel comfortable riding theirs...
That's interesting. I thought my 1977 Honda CB550F was a SOHC machine.1975 - bought a 450 HOnda DOHC from my brother that had a blown head gasket...