Early FJR1300 vs Kawasaki Concours, wanting to buy one

[Sticky Throttle]

I've still got the MCN test of the 2003 FJR from March '03 linky. The '03's performance stats (0-60, 0-100 and 1/4 mile as well as 60-0 braking) are significantly better (per MCN) than the tested 2010 C14 stats, let alone the 2010 FJR. With suspension mods and good tires, the FJR gets even better.

No doubt the Kawasaki is a great motorcycle with more going for it than just a powerful engine, and one ought to be careful about how much stock to place in magazine comparos, but this info brings the mighty C14 back into some humbling perspective.

Needless to say, I'm an '03 Gen I fan.

 

[MCRIDER007]

When I was doing all my research several months ago, I think I came across some of your posts. All I remember was that there was a guy that owned an FJR and a C14. He would never give a straight answer as to which bike is better. Not sure how long you've had the C14 so it could have been someone else.

The question that gets raised for me then is why did you get a C14 when you already had the FJR? Makes me think that the FJR was lacking somehow. :dntknw:

Would never give a straight answer...that could have been me because I don't think there is a straight answer. Which one is best depends on the rider's size, whether they ride solo or two-up, the temperatures they ride in, and how they are going to use the bike. I have a both a GEN1 and GEN2 FJR and traded my 2008 C14 for the new 2010 C14 which I consider to be a GEN2 C14 since there are so many improvements and at this point would pick either C14 over the GEN1 FJR. When I got the 2010 C14 I thought it was a clear winner over my 2008 FJR....then at the end of the riding season I moved my upgraded suspension from my 05 FJR to the 08 and it changed the character of the 08 so much that I am really looking forward to riding it next year.

The FJR comes with soft under sprung suspension but there are many options to upgrade the suspension to fine tune it to anything you want. The C14 comes with very firm suspension that is over sprung for most solo riders...but currently has very few options to change the suspension. If you put a 275-300 pound load on the C14 it has the best ride of any motorcycle I have ever ridden...but you pay a price in the corners for all that weight. The C14 has a slightly smoother and stronger engine but doesn't get as good of fuel economy and takes more time to work on. The C14 has more ground clearance and higher lean angles but also has a higher center of gravity so it isn't as agile as the FJR. The C14 has a overdrive 6 speed transmission but I prefer the FJR's 5 speed unless I am riding on the freeway.

I don't think the FJR is lacking at all, its just different from the C14 and I enjoy owning both of them.

 

[tasop7]

When I was doing all my research several months ago, I think I came across some of your posts. All I remember was that there was a guy that owned an FJR and a C14. He would never give a straight answer as to which bike is better. Not sure how long you've had the C14 so it could have been someone else.

The question that gets raised for me then is why did you get a C14 when you already had the FJR? Makes me think that the FJR was lacking somehow. :dntknw:

Would never give a straight answer...that could have been me because I don't think there is a straight answer. Which one is best depends on the rider's size, whether they ride solo or two-up, the temperatures they ride in, and how they are going to use the bike. I have a both a GEN1 and GEN2 FJR and traded my 2008 C14 for the new 2010 C14 which I consider to be a GEN2 C14 since there are so many improvements and at this point would pick either C14 over the GEN1 FJR. When I got the 2010 C14 I thought it was a clear winner over my 2008 FJR....then at the end of the riding season I moved my upgraded suspension from my 05 FJR to the 08 and it changed the character of the 08 so much that I am really looking forward to riding it next year.

The FJR comes with soft under sprung suspension but there are many options to upgrade the suspension to fine tune it to anything you want. The C14 comes with very firm suspension that is over sprung for most solo riders...but currently has very few options to change the suspension. If you put a 275-300 pound load on the C14 it has the best ride of any motorcycle I have ever ridden...but you pay a price in the corners for all that weight. The C14 has a slightly smoother and stronger engine but doesn't get as good of fuel economy and takes more time to work on. The C14 has more ground clearance and higher lean angles but also has a higher center of gravity so it isn't as agile as the FJR. The C14 has a overdrive 6 speed transmission but I prefer the FJR's 5 speed unless I am riding on the freeway.

I don't think the FJR is lacking at all, its just different from the C14 and I enjoy owning both of them.

Great comparison. Thanks for going into detail!

 

[HeUeR]

When I was doing all my research several months ago, I think I came across some of your posts. All I remember was that there was a guy that owned an FJR and a C14. He would never give a straight answer as to which bike is better. Not sure how long you've had the C14 so it could have been someone else.

The question that gets raised for me then is why did you get a C14 when you already had the FJR? Makes me think that the FJR was lacking somehow. :dntknw:

Would never give a straight answer...that could have been me because I don't think there is a straight answer. Which one is best depends on the rider's size, whether they ride solo or two-up, the temperatures they ride in, and how they are going to use the bike. I have a both a GEN1 and GEN2 FJR and traded my 2008 C14 for the new 2010 C14 which I consider to be a GEN2 C14 since there are so many improvements and at this point would pick either C14 over the GEN1 FJR. When I got the 2010 C14 I thought it was a clear winner over my 2008 FJR....then at the end of the riding season I moved my upgraded suspension from my 05 FJR to the 08 and it changed the character of the 08 so much that I am really looking forward to riding it next year.

The FJR comes with soft under sprung suspension but there are many options to upgrade the suspension to fine tune it to anything you want. The C14 comes with very firm suspension that is over sprung for most solo riders...but currently has very few options to change the suspension. If you put a 275-300 pound load on the C14 it has the best ride of any motorcycle I have ever ridden...but you pay a price in the corners for all that weight. The C14 has a slightly smoother and stronger engine but doesn't get as good of fuel economy and takes more time to work on. The C14 has more ground clearance and higher lean angles but also has a higher center of gravity so it isn't as agile as the FJR. The C14 has a overdrive 6 speed transmission but I prefer the FJR's 5 speed unless I am riding on the freeway.

I don't think the FJR is lacking at all, its just different from the C14 and I enjoy owning both of them.

Great comparison. Thanks for going into detail!

I took delivery of my new to me 03 FJR yesterday and got to really ride it today. These two bikes are like night and day...The FJR is so much more powerful and smooth, but the Concouse tranny is smoother. My Concours with the CeeBaily is much better in the rain and cold over the stock winshield, but I'm still blown away with the FJR and I ordered a Rifle windshield and should be on soon. When that tach hits 5K, I thought the front wheel was going to come up...way more powerful than my Connie. Wow...it was a good move...BTW, the tank did get luke warm. :angry2: and it has the blanket mod already.

 

[Andyfjr]

Just put most of the accessories I have fitted and you will love the GenII model. You dont need the G2 throttle tube or Hids(nice, but not essential) PC V or III are required to give smooth throttle response and an aftermarket screen. Suspension well worth it!

Andy

 

[tasop7]

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! I really have an appreciation for active forums where you don't have to wait days and weeks for responses.

Ok so, I'm just going to throw out some of the things I've read about and heard other FJR owners having problems with. I'm not completely educated and don't know everything about this bike. Some of the issues I've heard about might only apply to the 1st Gen models... and some issues might only apply to the 2nd Gen models. But that's why I'm here... to ask the "source", actual FJR riders. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of that many issues on the 2nd Gen models.

The issues I was concerned about are:

-Heat. Which honestly doesn't bother me anymore. I always ride fully geared and can do some of the mods/fixes you've talk about for the tank, etc. Plus, the heat might help extend my riding in the cold months here in Chicago.

-The "Ticker" problem. This is by far my biggest concern. I love modding bikes, and have put lots of aftermarket parts on my FZ6 to make it more comfortable. So the heat issue above, I can take care of on my own. But I dread the thought of having mechanical issues. I know this is a rare problem, but I've also read about some bikes not getting it until the 20k mike range. The FJR's that I'm looking at have around 10k-15k miles. I just don't want to be stuck with a serious engine problem down the road. I've tried to find some good audio clips to educate myself on what to listen for when I'm looking at used FJR's. I found a post here, seems like the audio is really good, but the links are down - "Ticker" Post

-Alternator. Now I don't know if this is really an issue, but the 2nd Gen's have an upgraded alternator. This makes me think that the alternator on the 1st Gen's might not have been sufficient enough. I don't know though. What I do know is that I love gadgets on my bike. Heated grips, GPS, phone charger, extra lighting, etc. Do you 1st Gen owners have any problems in this area?

-Other misc. problems. I know with my FZ6 the 04-05's had fuel injection timing problems. Yamaha fixed the issues for the 06 models, then totally redesigned the 07 and up. The 07+ are so much better than the 1st Gen FZ6's (better speedo, much better windscreen design, better brakes, rubber mounting on passenger pegs to reduce vibration, etc). I guess that was also ingrained in my head so much that I've always viewed the FJR's to be similar. Lots of new bikes have issues and such with the first few years, then the manufacturer corrects the problems that people complain about in the 1st Gen models and come out with a much better 2nd Gen model. That was always my uneducated view of the FJR, the 1st Gen's are inferior.

Again, I don't really hear about many issues on the 2nd Gen FJR's, but I'm also probably not looking in the right places either. It sounds like you guys are saying the 1st Gen FJR's are better than the 2nd Gen. What other changes do the 2nd Gen's have that I would like? What did they change regarding the instrument cluster? I know a glove/storage box was added in 04 and power outlet sometime after as well. Which years have heated grips?

One other thing I have not mentioned until now is the seating position. I know this is a "sport" touring bike, but I definitely like more of an upright seating position. My stock FZ6's bars were too low to ride comfortably for a long period of time. I added 1 in. up and back risers and that made it much better. I'm sure the FJR isn't completely upright even with risers, but is it pretty comfortable for long trips? I also have problems with wind protection and helmet buffeting on my FZ6. I'm 5'6" so a little on the shorter side. The stock windscreen sends the wind right at my neck and right up my helmet (very annoying and very loud). I have a really tall Cal-Sci (and actually a Cee Bailey's too) that works great for wind protection but I cook in the summer since I have no airflow going into my helmet vents. Any medium size screen sends the air right in the center of my helmet causing tons of buffeting and noise. So I either ride with a chopped/smaller stock screen or a really tall aftermarket screen. How's the screen on the FJR? Does the adjustability up and down make a big difference? I love how Goldwings have huge screens but have vents you can open to actually get some airflow... that sounds like a dream for me.

Anyway, sorry to be so long winded. It's just hard finding the right bike. Rarely do you get to test ride them, and if you do, it's not long enough to really get a feel for some of the things I talked about. Comfort issues can sometimes only be detected on longer rides over 2 hours. So you almost have to just buy the bike and see if it's right for you... if not, sell it and find another. I'm actually thinking of getting the Connie since it's so cheap and also get the FJR. I may get rid of the FZ6, I'm not sure. Decisions, decisions...

Can anyone comment about the alternator concern I mentioned? Do any of you Gen1 owners have issues with power or having lots of accessories plugged in?

 

[gumba]

Have you ever noticed that most Gen1 riders are high talkers. Girl friend told me that my voice had gone up an octave. Our *** had gone belly-up. Went to see my

doctor and he diagnosed it as the dreaded TTS (toasted testicle syndrome). He prescribed Gen2 therapy. Girl friend sprung for the Gen2. She's happy. Kept the Gen1 for cold days.

 

[FJR Bill]

I'm 5'6" so a little on the shorter side.

I highly recommend that you sit on a FJR or Connie before you buy and push it around especially backing up. Both are tall bikes with the Connie being the taller. Personally at 5ft 8" I find the stock FJR right on the edge of being too tall. Once rolling no problems but pushing around in gravel, upslopes out of parking etc, I find it challanging.

Bill

 

[JR'SFJR]

I think the issues are minor on the Gen II's. Make sure recalls on the ignition switch and computer(for altitude surging) were taken care of. All my ground spiders were fine at 50k, but I added an extra ground wire to S4 on the upper left top of the engine as a backup. Great bike. The chance of getting a Gen.I ticker was a deal breaker for me.

I did a ride today with a friend that has a 05 Connie, which I've ridden. He has modified the handlebars to reduce vibration, replace the gas tank valve, and has had to fiddle with the carbs occasionally. It has more wind protection than the FJR, so its warmer to ride. Good bike, but not an FJR.

 

[Scooper]

Can anyone comment about the alternator concern I mentioned? Do any of you Gen1 owners have issues with power or having lots of accessories plugged in?

I don't think the alternator will be a problem on the Gen 1. Do a search on Patriots posts. He has a 2004 with more gadgets than most air planes do. The gen2 bikes seem to have more trouble with all the goodies with the ground spider issue.

A year or so ago I was going through the same thing you are. I ended up with a 2004 with 6440 miles on it for $6300. It now has 14000 and I love this bike. It would have more but my wife and I ride Star cruisers most of the time.

Good luck in your search

Scooper