Farkles and other deep thoughts

[Parkerspop]

So I have had my 07 for 1 week, drove it 600 miles and loved it. I read about all kinds of upgrades, farkles, and your regular costly additions. It may be too soon to decide which to change first as I really didn't notice anything I felt needed change.

The throttle didn't seem tight but I was mostly at freeway speeds and not adjusting much. But around town it is sometimes hard to smoothly accelerate from a stop and between gears. Is this where a throttle upgrade would help?

And as I am 6'2" the windshield may need to be taller but the existing one sure is nice.

Even our butts weren't all that sore after hours in the saddle. (of course the wife would massage mine when I rose up off the seat, awesome!)

I think the biggest issue here is that I have never ridden the bike with these differences and would hate to spend all this money and decide I was better off before.

Any thoughts?

 

[mfletch69]

to farkle...or not to farkle. That is the question.

 

[ceddec]

First off, get sliders, its a good thing to do. I bought mine about a year and a half ago and did nothing but sliders (Skyway delrin) and was just fine for about a year. Then the begats began. Zumo -> begat-> power connection->begat longer rides -> begat Garald's rack and that is where I am now. Oh also got some bag reflectors.

Other than that, I'm not needing anything else I can tell....today. Watch out it does creep up on you. Bar risers begat taller wind shield begats a Russel day long begats transcontental trips begats a divorce unless you take her along.

 

[Colonel Panic]

Get a set of real horns. The buzzers Yamaha put on there aren't worth squat!!! Just got a 04 and that was the first thing I did from my list. Can't wait to give some somnambulant cager a heart attack.

Next up? Lights

 

[SR-71]

It's easy to over-do the farkling to the point where it's maybe too much - although I'll be the first to admit, if they're properly installed, I like my gadgets. I had several things permanently mounted and wired into my '05. Just from the electronics side an accessory shelf held; Radar, XM Radio, MP3, Hyper-lights, and had an internally mounted Autocom intercom wired under the seat.

When I upgraded to my '07 I decided to add a few things but do things a bit differently. I didn't want to tear into my wiring harness again so i made some changes in regard to the electronics.

So here's my '07 farkle list:

* A Fenda Extenda. In case you're not familiar with this gadget, it's just a little plastic extension for the trailing edge of your front fender and provides a bit more protection to the lower fairing area. It's shaped like the front fender so it's hardly noticeable.

* I installed three 3M Clear stick-on plastic sheets along the lower edge and lower front of the fairing for the same reason (protect from rocks and grits flying up off the front tire). If you take your time installing these, it's pretty much invisible.

* A Givi Top Box (To maintain the stock Yam grab bar, I opt'ed to use a flat plate mount for my Top Box, not the mount from Givi.)

* Sliders (I haven't gone down yet, but ya never know)

* And I swapped the stem mount off my '05 onto my '07 for my Garmin GPS.

As for MP3, Intercom, FRS Radio. Rather than re-mount all that stuff permanently I bought a small magnetic tank bag and mounted everything in that. Now when I switch from bike to bike, I just grab the magnetic bag, plug in the power and my helmet cable, and I'm good to go.

SR-71

 

[Stephen]

Right away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Frame sliders

2. Radiator rock guard

3. Fenda Extenda

4. G2 Ergo throttle tube

5. Yamaha touring windshield

6. Kisan or Back-Off headlight & brakelight modulators

Somewhere down the line: Steel brake lines, GPS, radar detector, top box, etc.

 

[Docholiday]

I would advise that you ride the bike until you find something that consistently bothers you or keeps you from taking longer rides. I agree that the sliders are more of a necessity than a luxury so you should get those regardless of what else you buy. I found the handlebar position on my 03 limited my riding to about 1 hr before I had to stop due to pain in my wrists and back. Risers solved that problem. My buckle rubbed on my tank so I bought a tank bra. The wind noise/blast also limited my riding so a larger windshield. Anyway, you get the idea. See what is important to you and then try to make it better. The forum contains lots of suggestions and recommendations if you do a search. Good luck and enjoy the evolution of your personal bike.

 

[DailyCommuter]

what kind of stuff did you have on your last bike. More importantly what did you wish you had...?

if your wife likes to ride with you, I would get a starcom1,or autocom. Its nice to cruise along listening to music and to be able to talk while riding, I even have my phone's bluetooth paired with the starcom so I know if someone needs to reach me..... I don't necessarily answer them though. We enjoy riding together for longer periods of time because we can chat while we cruise. I can tell her hold on! when I need to. That's really good. ...... if the seats are good for you don't change 'em..... They're not for everyone is all. If you like 'em sit on 'em. A nice corbin with a backrest for mama though goes along way. everything else I think is truly personal preference. after all, we don't all marry the same woman. why would we all do up our feejers the same way... Know what I mean.

Make it your own. you'll know what you need when you need it.

 

[jwilly]

Any thoughts?

Yeah, Please go find something to bitch and wine about or were going to throw you out of here. Focus Man! You can do this!! B)

JW

 

[juniorfjr]

I rode mine for a whole season before I bought anything. After 5 months, 10000 miles, I had a pretty good idea what I would like. Seeing all of the bikes at WFO 4 gave me a while winter of whining and begging. Now, two years later, I have sold some of the earlier purchases and am looking at more. It's never ending.

 

[S76]

Must haves:

Plastic Frame Sliders, or whatever they are made of, (nylon?) Because it just makes sense.

Throttle lock. I'll never have a bike without one.

Nice to haves:

Intercom if you ride 2 up

PCIII for engine smoothness.

Zumo for GPS, Radio, MP3, and telephone

 

[BIODSL]

I would advise that you ride the bike until you find something that consistently bothers you or keeps you from taking longer rides. I agree that the sliders are more of a necessity than a luxury so you should get those regardless of what else you buy. I found the handlebar position on my 03 limited my riding to about 1 hr before I had to stop due to pain in my wrists and back. Risers solved that problem. My buckle rubbed on my tank so I bought a tank bra. The wind noise/blast also limited my riding so a larger windshield. Anyway, you get the idea. See what is important to you and then try to make it better. The forum contains lots of suggestions and recommendations if you do a search. Good luck and enjoy the evolution of your personal bike.

Doc has it right...you'll know when you need an accessory or modification. Then use the forum to narrow down the options.

Paul Peloquin

IBA #333

Monmouth OR

 

[Ramblin Man]

The only thing I needed for my 03 was a throttle lock. Everything else was great which is why I have the following:

Two extra winshields

Three seats

04 fork springs

wilburs fork springs

wilburs rear shock with remote damper and remote preload

Spiegler braided steel brake and clutch lines

Galfer wave rotors front and back

Sliders

Clip-on handle bars (for a sportier ride)

Leo Vince cans

Rear hugger

Custom painted the black under tail to match the rest of the bike when I bobbed the fender.

purty blue bar ends to match the blue anodized brake caliper thingies and banjo fittings.

Power comander III USB

Fork Brace

Yamaha fitted tank bag.

Blue LED running lights where they should go in the headlight housing.

All of it was absolutely un-necassary except the 04 fork springs were a must do.

Thats the first time I've made that list. I'm afraid to put price tags on everything.

Enjoy yours stock for a while because things can get expensive fast.

 

[Midnight Sun Rider]

Hi all, I don't have much on my FJR YET but heres the list.

Frame sliders

Throttlemiser

Grip puppies

Blue ant bluetooth intercom

 

[Caba]

I as well find my 04 and 03 FJR's almost perfect stock!

Because of that my changes are limited to:

Sliders (a must have, not optional) both

PCIII - 03

Accessory Fused wiring harness - 04

HID bi-xenon lights - 04

PHID auxilliary lights (Gerauld Brackets) - 04

Fog Lights - 04

Replacement front springs - 03

Superbrace - 03

Handlebar Risers 03 - 04

Zumo - 03 - 04

Accessory plug 03 - 04

Sat Rad (before Zumo) - 04

Givi Top box (w/ brake light) - 04

Reflective Decals - 03 - 04

Customized Bead Seat Cover - 03

Grip Puppies - 03

Heated Grips - 04

Rifle Touring Shield - 04

FZ1 Mirrors - 03

Highway pegs (Wild Bill) - 04

Tank Bag - 03 - 04

Throttle lock - 03 - 04

Weighted Bar ends - 03

Still Missing:

Radiator Guard

Fendextenda

LED Backoff Break lights

Autocom

Aftermarket rear shock

Damm - When did I buy a harldley?????? :blink:

 

[Dale Franks]

I actually got all the farkles I wanted this week. The last of them arrived today, and I installed them this afternoon. I don't have a lot, but I'm not sure I need anything else. Anyway, my list of farkles is:

Inuitive Racing frame sliders

Cal-Sci +3.5 windshield

3M black reflective racing stripes

3M black reflective "FJR" saddlebag stripes

3M black reflective saddlebag rear reflectors

G2 Ergo throttle cam

Passenger backrest

Throttle boss

 

[madmike2]

I would advise that you ride the bike until you find something that consistently bothers you or keeps you from taking longer rides. I agree that the sliders are more of a necessity than a luxury so you should get those regardless of what else you buy. I found the handlebar position on my 03 limited my riding to about 1 hr before I had to stop due to pain in my wrists and back. Risers solved that problem. My buckle rubbed on my tank so I bought a tank bra. The wind noise/blast also limited my riding so a larger windshield. Anyway, you get the idea. See what is important to you and then try to make it better. The forum contains lots of suggestions and recommendations if you do a search. Good luck and enjoy the evolution of your personal bike.

Doc has it right...you'll know when you need an accessory or modification. Then use the forum to narrow down the options.

Paul Peloquin

IBA #333

Monmouth OR

AMEN!

Ride it and enjoy it. Some of us have "farkle-itis" and add things....because we can.

 

[ceddec]

First off, get sliders, its a good thing to do. I bought mine about a year and a half ago and did nothing but sliders (Skyway delrin) and was just fine for about a year. Then the begats began. Zumo -> begat-> power connection->begat longer rides -> begat Garald's rack and that is where I am now. Oh also got some bag reflectors.
Other than that, I'm not needing anything else I can tell....today. Watch out it does creep up on you. Bar risers begat taller wind shield begats a Russel day long begats transcontental trips begats a divorce unless you take her along.

Uh oh...after looking at some the listings I realized I have a bunch more stuff I'd forgotten about. Its funny how it creeps up on you and becomes part of the bike without really realizing it. Better save up because its some kind of addiction.

 

[Parkerspop]

So how many of you guys are salesmen?

I have ordered the sliders and will probably look at something to protect the tank from scratches. I don't have any long rides planned yet, so usually 20-30 minute jaunts are all I have to look forward to.

Damn, I still love to go out to the garage for any reason and just stare for awhile....

thanks for all the advice I do enjoy the forum help.