Cruisers Vs Sport Tourers

[Warchild]

Nice review, RickL!

Since we've taken a decidedly non-FJR specific turn in this thread, off we go to the "Other Bikes" forum....

 

[mrod]

It's good to own a convertible. Take the bags off the FJR, snap in the mounting hole covers and Presto,Change O, I'm on a sport bike.

As the owner of both an FJR and a Royal Star Tour DeLuxe, I have two convertibles. Both will tour when fully rigged, but one doubles as a cruiser and the other as a sport bike. This leaves enough room in the garage for a naked standard,(don't tell the S.O.)

 

[RickL]

It's good to own a convertible. Take the bags off the FJR, snap in the mounting hole covers and Presto,Change O, I'm on a sport bike. As the owner of both an FJR and a Royal Star Tour DeLuxe, I have two convertibles. Both will tour when fully rigged, but one doubles as a cruiser and the other as a sport bike. This leaves enough room in the garage for a naked standard,(don't tell the S.O.)

I know exactly what you mean....I've been trying to figure out if my wife would notice another bike in the garage....something small, light, and sporty....like WC's R1, or a GSXR1000....or maybe wait for the 06s....decisions, decisions.

 

[scooter cruzer]

Warchild as an Admin Monkey........

Somehow that seems so wrong.....

 

[Centerline]

Two months new to the FJR after a year and a half on a Yami Warrior. I ride occaisonally with a group of Warrior riders, and some of those guys can ride their beasts to impressive speeds in the twisties. The Warrior accelerates quickly up to about 60-80mph, then begins adding knots at a more judicious pace. Plenty of fun running with those Warriors; but they are fun to blast by every now and then.

 

[EastTNFJR]

I like 'em all but some people are snobs thinking their type of riding is the only kind that anyone should enjoy. Its not just sport-touring vs cruisers, it HD vs everybody, its dirt vs street , its BMW vs any other sport-tourer, etc. There are so many kinds/types/classes of bikes out there that can be experienced you shouldn't sell any of them short.

I have had everything from crotch rockets to Gold Wings to a Harley Road Glide and have enjoyed everyone of them in their own performance envelope. They all do things differently than the others. Some excelled at low speed handling, some would tear up the corners and some would just putt down the road but I have enjoyed every bike I have had the pleasure to have ridden. At different times in my life I have desired different sets of performance envelopes and I am really enjoying the FJR at this juncture in my journey.

 

[yamahamama]

$.02:

As a cruiser rider pondering entering FJR-land, I can only respond that painting all riders of a certain type with the same brush is quite ignorant. We all have opinions, but it's not wise to proclaim one's personal stand as gospel.

imo, some sport riders ride too fast *for my taste*. I choose not to ride with them. Conversely, some cruisers ride too slow *for my taste*. It's all relative, isn't it? The rubbed-down state of my floorboard nub thingies can attest to the fact that I have been known to take a curve at a brisk pace, yet I also enjoy the view from the top of Mt. Hamilton (near San Jose) while cruising more slowly. My mood varies from day to day. And though I haven't yet gotten a speeding ticket (knock on wood), I view posted speed limits as the minimum, usually.

And my views change as circumstances do. Perhaps in the future I'll look back at my riding style as pedestrian & "granny". But I'm having a ball doing it. At the rate of 9k+ miles/year.

I'm excited & a little apprehensive about getting the fjr. It may make me too fast for my own good! But it's too soon to count my chickens. In due time....

 

[FJRME]

Yamadude- buy the FJR. As many on this board will attest, this bike is PERFECT

for all of your moods. It will go fast or slow as you desire, and effortlessly. The power band is large and forgiving in every gear. It has a

very long cruising range. In stock form, it is still comfortable enough for a multi hundred mile day. It handles so well in the twisties, it will make you forget all about any other sport bike. It will definitely take you to the edge of reason, prudence, and the limits of a public roadway. It is the most versatile bike I have ever ridden. I personally don't look down my nose at anyone else, even though my bike is so much cooler than theirs. Buy it. And then sell your other bike so it doesn't just sit in your garage.

Ride safe.

 

[XLR8]

In general, people that buy FJR's are interesting in riding, not talking about it! Sport touring owners are a free thinking, independent lot who want to see & experience the world. Definitely not sheep mentality.

I was in the experienced riders course a few weeks ago and this guy asked me if I was going to go to "the poker run and hillclimb" the following weekend?

WTF? Poker run? I asked.

After he explained it I just said, "There is no way in hell I am wasting an entire Sunday of excellent riding time doing such a thing but I appreciate the info about the event."

And we didn't talk much for the rest of the class. He was on a Victory Hammer which he dumped twice - once on each side. I say to each their own and I could give rat's ass what anyone rides but some things just aren't in my loop ya know. Riding to ice cream socials and the corner pub is one of those things.

I do enjoy meeting my sportbike buds for coffee though.

-r

 

[BobbyBlue]

Training wheels?.....Chromed..no...heavily chromed w/little wing accents....

Bobby :tease:

 

[SpeedFreak]

Just curious, how often do folks ride w/o the bags on the bike?

I have a Triumph Speed Triple, which is a naked bike. And it really bothered me not having some place to put stuff.

I ride the Feejer 99% of the time with bags and trunk mount. Probably becasue my rides are a bit longer, but I really love having some place to put stuff in along my rides.

-=SF=-

 

[Woodstock]

I used to ride with only the Givi topcase (V46) , so I'd have a place to put some stuff, backpack to/from work, helmet/gloves while at work.

I've since switched to having all 3 bags almost all the time. I keep one of the bad liners as a Gym Bag (workout clothes, pair of sneakers, towel, etc) for when I stop at the gym on the way home from work.

 

[BrunDog]

I have a couple of old friends that got Harleys around the time I got my FJR. We went on a ride together, which went OK, I was showing them the ride and making sure I kept them in site behind me. It was slow, but I was patient.
I pulled off at an overlook, maybe 2 or 3 miles from our destination, to warn them about an upcoming hairpin curve to watch out for. They stopped and I told them of the hazard. They then took off their gear, fired up the smokes and laid down under a tree, while I sat on my still-running bike! Ten minutes later, we did the last couple of miles, then I had to sit and listen for a half hour about how uncomfortable I made them, how I was leading too fast, etc. :erm:

Well, they do not call me to ride anymore. Seems they are more about "the destination" and I am more about "the ride". Their idea of a destination is anywhere there are more cruisers to look at and beer to drink. Then when they have had enough, usually several hours, they ride home the same way they came.

I enjoy RIDING my bike. I could care less what destination I have as long as I have fun on the way there and back. I find it boring to discuss ad nauseum which Harley models have which options, or who has the most chrome, etc. I mean cruisers can be cool, but they are not everything.:bordum:

OK, rant off. Thanks for listening.

crewof1 :goatee:

A little late on this quote follow up, but... Dude! Spot on!

My riding friends only have Hardleys, and all they want to do is go bar to bar. Drives me nuts. They have to stop all the time to get gas and stretch their legs, too.

They always make fun of my "crotch rocket", "rice burner", etc. I don't care: they all know it kicks thier ****'s ass but will never admit it in open Hardley company.

They also make fun of the way I gear up: FF helmut, armored jacket & pants, heavy duty gloves, Oxtar boots, etc. They ask what's the point when you are supposed to have the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, etc. I guess I'll have to bite my lip when they have the gravel in their hair and the road rash on their faces.

Our conversations are hilarious:

I say, "Sliders"

They say, "Chrome"

I say, "Radiator guard"

They say, "Chrome"

I say, "Audiovox CC"

They say, "Chrome"

I think you get the idea.

I would like to think different strokes for different folks, but actually it appears the Hardley riders are the snobs. It ******* kills me that THESE ******** WONT WAVE AT FAIRED BIKES! Obviously the low two finger wave pass was reserved for individuals who squat chrome laden scoots only. Whatever, no issue. I used to wave at everyone, now I just ride on by and chuckle in my head. Except, of course, I wave at other tourers and sport tourers.

All that being said, I actually prefer to ride with Hardley riders - it is too much fun riding circles around them.

-BD

 

[turbodave_98]

I have had about 20 bikes in my near 40 years of riding and racing. My current inventory is:

2005 FJR

91 Honda ST 1100

96 Royal Star(highly moded)

90 Yamaha YX 600 Radian

80 Yamaha XS 1100

2005 Kawi KLR 650

All the bikes are regularly ridden and wrenched on. For me, each bike is different and all have attributes that are unique. I choose which one I ride based upon the types of road that I will be on for the majority of the ride. The XS 1100G is the closest bike to the FJR in gearing, riding position and performance. IMHO, it is the great grandfather of the FJR.

I am a retired senior citizen and annually do around 60k miles on all my bikes. To me its the ride rather than the destination.

I love all of them but if I had to choose the best of the lot in overall capabilities it would be the FJR. It is the right sized bike for me with an overabundance of performance and LDR capabilities, especially with my Dean Tanji FuelCell and other farkles.

I have a riding group called Ole Foggie Riders and we ride weekly on rides of 200-400 miles in souther CA. I do not look upon the HD, Kawi, cruiser riders as different than me, only that they are the same in that we want to RIDE!!

Riding gives me a sense of freedom that I never got in my 20 years of flying in the USAF or driving my Porsche 951 Turbo.

Moving around on 2 motorized wheels is life like no other for me. I am not bragging about my various bikes as I know I am fortunate to have them and to have been riding without major incidents all these years.

enough said, I close with long live the motorcycle in this crazy world we live in. :assasin:

 

[smthng]

Gotta toss my two bits in here...

Other riders: There are two other riders in my area that I ride with whenever I can. One is on a Victory, the other is on an R1. Both are competent (but not excellent) riders and ride like me. We stop when someone needs gas and we chat a bit at the stops. The Vic can keep up with us on most stuff and knows when to back off if we get into real hard twisties. The R1 rides a little slower than me, but it's a new bike to him and he's a bit nervous about it - that'll change. I've ridden with others riders and hate most of them. I don't differentiate between cruisers and crotch rockets because you never know what kind of rider it is until you've ridden with them. I like riding alone, but I like riding with "compatible" riders just as much, regardless of the bike they're on.

Other bikes: I've had just about everything except a dual-sport (I'm guessing a Harley trail bike doesn't really count)... Voyager, YZF, Seca II, FZ1, GT750 (old cafe racer - 2-stroke), Shadow ACE, CBR F3, and probably several others I've forgotten about. The FJR is the penultimate combination of everything I wanted in a bike. It's got enough sport to keep me happy, enough tourer to get me where I'm going with the gear I need, enough personality and uniqueness to show off in the middle of the chrome linup on a Friday at the local strip, enough power to embarass most squids and enough flexibility to do just about everything I ask of it. I wouldn't mind a dual-sport for some dirt time and I wouldn't mind a little crotch rocket for zipping around on occaision. But, any other bike will always be sitting next to the "master of the stable", my beloved FJR. Nothing else can give me the swiss-army knife capability of the feejer.

Baggin' it: Most of the time, I'm using a Bagster tank bag and a Givi top case, side bags stay home on the regular outtings. On a long trip, the bags come with me. I just prefer the lack of weight on the rear and I don't like the wind as much with the bags on (not to mention I keep scuffing the right one when I throw a leg over). I also tend to toss Blue Bayou into the corners a bit too hard when I'm running full side bags. It tends to mess me up just a tad. The exception to that rule is if I'm carrying a lot of tools or something to a friends to help wrench... I like the weight down low in the side bags for that. Having any real wieght in the top case make Blue a bit too squirrely for my tastes.

 

[Flylooper]

I'm another Geezer rider (62) and have found a whole new world in moto riding, something I put off for 30 years. I started off just three years ago with an old '83 Honda CB650SC, then graduated to a Concours, where I found my passion for LD riding, then sold the Honda and added a Dale Walkerized Bandit (Holy Cow! Does that bike scream!), then got a dirt bike so I could ride with my son in the dirt as well as explore dirt roads in the Nevada deserts. I was content.....until a buddy let me ride his Feejer.

The Connie was immediately sold and replaced with an '04 FJR. I just can't imagine how anything could be any better than that bike, which I've owned, now, for three weeks. It's the only bike I ride anymore, and I will probably put everything else on the auction block. That said, though, I haven't ridden a lot of bikes, so maybe ignorance is bliss.

In the three years I've been riding, I observe that everyone has his/her own taste in putts. I think "live and let live" is a good way to go. I haven'y met a rider that I've been put off by, no matter his style or what he rides. I'm not a big fan of group riding, but I do it periodically for the fellowship. Nor am I a big fan of peg scraping and pushing myself to set speed records around the twisties. I simply haven't got the skills to do that. Moreover, I find that being a senior activates some kind of hormone that constantly warns me that it's gonna hurt a lot if I try to ride above my skill level.

The only thing I will not do is ride with Harley riders....not because they ride HD's but because I hate the noise they generate. My next door neighbor, who actually got me back into riding, rides an "old" '92 XLTP (or something like that. I never can remember what all the letters mean. LOL) and at first we did a lot of riding together, but now I hardly (npi) ride with him because regardless of whether he's leading or following me, the damn noise of them is just so off-putting, even with ear plugs stuffed in). On the other hand, when I invited him to go to Alaska with me, he politely demurred form joining me, whch I knew he would do anyway.

Riders do what they do for different reasons. I think most cruiser guys (most, not all, by any means) are what I call "day riders." For me, it's all about getting out there and going...for days at a time, if possible. I'm not interested in Iron Butt (which I've never understood the rationale for), but really, just in seeing this great big continent we're lucky enough to live on. And the farther from urban areas I get, the more I run into other riders who share the love of the road and traveling for its own sake.

Where I live, near San Francisco, there's a famous place in the redwood country called Alice's Restaurant (aka Skylonda Corners) where on weekends you can see dozens of guys and gals who park their rides, from full dress Road Kings and Indians to R1's and 'Busas. to kind of "see and be seen." I've gone up there from time to time, bought a cup of coffee and just watched the show. But it comes down to folks just wanting others to admire their iron, do a little bench racing, show off the new leathers, and all that stuff. That's cool with me. Call them posers, call them whatever, but they're just out having a good time like the rest of us.

It's all about "ride your own ride." eh?

 

[turbodave_98]

Flyloper, What sayeth the brothern?? Hope to see you at a "Doins" somewhere and someday. ride safely and well said in your above comments.

[SIZE=14pt]SATISFACTORY[/SIZE]

 

[Flylooper]

Flyloper, What sayeth the brothern?? Hope to see you at a "Doins" somewhere and someday. ride safely and well said in your above comments.
[SIZE=14pt]SATISFACTORY[/SIZE]

You Betchem! The hardest part at those things is staying perpendicular to the horizon, know what I mean?

SATISFACTORY indeed, brother!

Bob