If you go with the FJR, plan on a good aftermarket seat rebuild. For 2-up, its hard to beat the Russell Day-Long seats.
That's right Tom. I just took wifey down to Missouri for her first 3 day weekend mcy trip. The Russell passenger seat was done at the same time I had my seat done six years ago. She didn't mention any butt burn at all...was rather comfortable. A 420 mile day, a 225 mile day and a 400 mile day...and the only thing she complained to me about in the SENA headset was the straight roads in Illinois...so all was well. She has no idea what riding 1000 miles in a weekend would be like on a stock seat.
I agree. We ride 2up probably 95% of the time. We have done several 5000+ mile 10-11 days trips on the FJR. There are three upgrades that IMHO are a must for 2 up riding. The first was the suspension - got GP suspension to do the forks and a Penske rear shock sprung properly for 2 up twisty riding. Second, we got Russell day long seats. Thirs, we got a J&M comm systems so we could talk, listen to music, whatever with great clarity. In my opinion those three are a must if you are serious about 2up riding. Our previous bike was a ZRX1100 which we did similar trips on. The FJR is perfect for us. If you are going to do a lot of slabs (intersates) then a gold wing might be a better choice. We avoid the interstate as much as possible and go for the twisties as much as possible. We have the Yamaha factory top box with a back rest. Your passenger will want something similar to make it more comfortable for her.
We have done several 500-800 mile days in a row. With the suspension and Russell, neither of us gets off the bike with a sore butt or back. Some of these days are spent on very remote roads averaging 100 mph for several hours straight. The bike is very stable at speed. You will notice the wieght difference when going slower and in tight twisties.
One other thing we do, is we camp a lot. We tow a bushtec trailer with the FJR and camp the entire way on trips. It lets you explore more and not feel like you are rushed to make a check in time at a hotel.
here is a picture from our last rip the Alaska, BC, Yukon and Alberta last May.
and with camp set up with another couple on an FJR and trailer
For us the FJR is perfect. I like that fact that it is not as heavy as a gold wing, you can still play in the twisties, not as hard as you would solo on the sportbike, but still with enough pace to put a big grin on both your faces.
Size wise, I am 6'-2" and 220lbs. My wife is 5'-2" and 120 lbs.
Some other upgrades I have done, I run Michelin PR2 Roads only on it, VStream windscreen (to get rid of the wind buffeting for both of us), McCruise cruise control (had a throttle lock before), Power Commander V with autotune module, Remus slip on exhaust (purely noise candy), I had a custom gas tank made so it holds 9.5 gallons of fuel (for the remote roads where gas stops are farther apart) because mileage suffers with the trailer. I also have self made by NLine to put the GPS (zumo550) on, the Valentine 1, and iPod. It is very comfortable and far less than a gold wing or BMW for the set up I have.
