Fastest Tourer? FJR takes a respectable 6th place

[BanjoBoy]

^THIS^

The article's purdie lame; if them over priced, fragile, pos BMWs iz soooo fast, why can't they win the Iron Butt Rally?

Wait a minute… lets not get carried away

Iron Butt Winners:

1995- BMW

1997 BMW

1999 BMW

2001 BMW

2003 BMW

2005 Honda

2007 BMW

2009 BMW

2011 FJR

2013 FJR

Oh they CAN win.

Yeah, they can win, and they can FAIL too. Maybe you can pull up a stat of bikes that have had mechanical failures dur'in the rally?

I wuz referring to 2013 since this article iz recent. (Though they no longer make the K13GT.)

 

[Bokerfork]

Whoo hoo! OM got his first split after only 2 days back. I'm so proud.

 

[Aasland]

Hmmm...Sport Touring? Wonder how the fore mentioned bikes would do under the testing requirements provided by the Iron Butt Rally?

Oh wait... There has benn testing! 5 of the top 6 bikes were Yamaha FJRs. Touring suggest a marathon, not a sprint. I know at least 2 of those FJRs were over 150k at the time also.

I'd argue that the Iron Butt Rally is more about touring than sport. They don't have time to take all the twisty side roads, and instead focus on comfort over the long haul.

The term "sport-touring" is a broad category. Not quite Gold Wing .. not quite GSXR ... but there are a lot of bikes in that fit in that category. Some have more emphasis on Sport, some on Touring.

The '11 IBR you could say that, but each rally is different.

In the '13 IBR you had bonus' such as the top of Pikes Peak, I rode a road in Nevada call "Wild ass" that was dirt/gravel. Iggy road the "Hess Road"

I think you are wrong about the "Touring" impression. It can be grueling on a bike and rider.

I agree that it is grueling and I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't. I was under the impression that there's a whole lot more time spent on the slab than finding as many 35mph corners as possible.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Typical moto-mag type comparison. You really can't compare bikes as similar as some of these without riding them for yourself. We have lost one or two FJR folks to the big Beemer recently. I don't know of anyone who has switched to the others, but I do remember someone years ago switching from FJR to Norge.

Personally, whenever I think about replacing my FJR I like to look around and maybe try something different, but I haven't found anything I'd rather have.

Proof is in the pudding. The majority of BMW (K16's) owners over at K1600forum have migrated from FJR's (like myself), also Connie's and ST's. These past owners are BY FAR the majority of our group over there. Almost all will claim their past rides with pride . Very few (but some) have migrated from other BMW rides like 1200RT's and such, but a lot of those guys are so dedicated (like you, and for good reason) that they stay with their model.

Whenever I post up (over at K16) that I have an FJR, I almost always get a positive response "oh, I had one of those before I bought my K16!, it was a good bike!". The migrated Concourse and ST guys are past proud guys as well and all agree that the K16 is a natural progression or step-up. Denial to some here only shows their continued support for a good product, and that's OK, but, there is better and we all know the huge downfall with the 6er is the pricetag.

Some may say it's not for them and that's fine also, variety is the spice of life right?. I say the same thing about a Mercedes convertible to my g/f (Debbie). Heck, deep down I know that car is awesome, but the price tag puts it out there beyond with what I'm willing to part with; for a car (well, unless I win the lottery) haha.

So I said proof is in the pudding?... lots (and lots) of past FJR owners (and other ST bikes) have now migrated to the K16 (and over to that Forum). I'll bet less than a handful have gone the other way from the K16 to the FJR. It's just the way it is. [banjo background music inserted here].

Who cares? This is about the extreme edge of the performance abilities of all of these bikes. I imagine very few riders ever see the top end of these bikes and if they do it is a rare occasion. If a rider is one who pushes the envelop on a regular basis, then a sport tourer is not the best choice of bikes. Again, who cares? This sort of info is about winning bar arguments.

I have to agree.

Because the FJR didn't get the top spot, a bunch of you are squawking like someone stood on your pee-pees.

We all bought the FJR for different reasons, but none of us bought FJRs because we thought the FJR was the fastest bike available.

The article isn't about real-world performance, so who the <expletive deleted> cares?

Correct, who cares with what anything was said, it's just an article.

I still love my FJR, I'm just way more into my K16 (I'm a technological and gadget guy). It does everything better IMO including some of the bad things like a desire to ride it even more than my FJR. I do all my own maintenance including lube/tires so my cost factor is right along the same as my Feej. The ONLY big negative for me was the initial cost to purchase. I'm loving the heck outta it and I don't care what anybody else cares or thinks. My purchase was for me, nobody else

The FJR is my trusted friend and I'm still keeping it (I'm currently holding off my g/f's bitches about all the toyz!). help help!

 

[Old Michael]

I thought I was making a point that "easy to work on" was perhaps not the most important consideration in judging a high-performance motorcycle.

But, the admins surely know exactly what they're doing.

 

[steve'o']

+1

 

[Bounce]

Point of order. The IBR isn't about speed, it's about time in the saddle. In fact, the speed these squids writing the report are wanting could risk a rider his rally.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Point of order. The IBR isn't about speed, it's about time in the saddle. In fact, the speed these squids writing the report are wanting could risk a rider his rally.

Yep, not sure who convoluted the 'fastest bike' -with- the long distance accomplishments, nut'n new

 

[bhendron]

I don't think these three belong on the list:
Kawasaki Z1000SX

TouringTriumph Sprint

GTDucati Multistrada

With their low, non-adjustable windscreens, I don't see how you can consider these 'touring' rigs.

The Ninja and Multistrada have adjustable windshields.

Really?! Huh.

 

[mavrik]

no offense to anyone...but i really don't give a crap about what magazine editors or testers think (how many times have they been wrong), as long as i'm happy that is all that matters...and i know the fjr is not best bike in the world but is not even close to the worst....ride more a worry less of editor standings....

 

[majicmaker]

Hey! It's Butteflies and Rainbows. That's progress!

 

[Lauren_TK]

no offense to anyone...but i really don't give a crap about what magazine editors or testers think (how many times have they been wrong), as long as i'm happy that is all that matters...and i know the fjr is not best bike in the world but is not even close to the worst....ride more a worry less of editor standings....

I mostly agree.

I say "mostly" because, I shopped around, and test rode many, many bikes. I can say that the FJR was the best bike in the world . . . for me.

It hit all my requirements the best. Different riders have different requirements, so the best bike for them can be very different.

Ride more. Worry less.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I bet this would have stayed on topic had that tractor been a Komatsu..

Ah shit! wrong thread.

 

[101stpathfinder]

.... And is it possible to score a BMW K1600 for under 5k ($) ? Apples and oranges, I guess I will just have to "Settle for" an 2nd rate FJR. The cash is a bigger issue for most. IF I bought a K1600 and shelled out that kind of cash, I would expect more....

 

[art miller]

Question for Top_Speed1 off topic. Does the K1600 have a drain/fill plug and vent tower on the final drive? I have two riding friends who have R1200RT's and both have had final drive failures. I have read many comments in motorcycle mags regarding this problem (sealed unit). BMW is in denial regarding the cause of the failures and will not stand behind the failures if the bike is out of warranty.

 

[Aasland]

aaaaaannnndddd yesterday I was at the bike shop looking a 2013 Tuono V4 thinking "how can I put a windshield and bags on this and tour with it ...."

 

[Top_Speed1]

Question for Top_Speed1 off topic. Does the K1600 have a drain/fill plug and vent tower on the final drive? I have two riding friends who have R1200RT's and both have had final drive failures. I have read many comments in motorcycle mags regarding this problem (sealed unit). BMW is in denial regarding the cause of the failures and will not stand behind the failures if the bike is out of warranty.

It's not the same FD, it does have the same Hi/Lo (fill/drain) plugs that our FJR has. As far as FD failures on the K16 Forum?, I have not heard of any, doesn't mean there isn't somewhere, somehow.

My FJR has been flawless. Many report the same w their K16. Some not so too, just like here! Although I might add, when you spend that kind of money, your expectations are that much higher.

 

[jscasteel]

What is respectable about 6th place? ….unless you're the Cubs.

...reliable and easy to work on for the most part...

Jus' sayin'.

We had an Allis Chalmers just like this growing up, and if I recall, it only had FOUR gears!

And if I recall my time growing up in Illinois farm country, of those four gears, it really only needed three of them.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

This is such a relief. Now that I know the FJR is not the fastest Sport Tourer I no longer have the fever to buy a 2014 ES. I never cared about the reliability, the smoothness, the fuel economy, the wind management, the comfort, the electronic suspension, or that gorgeous red color. I don't even care that I have this awesome forum to help me with any issues or modifications. All I cared about was outrunning Hayabusas on the Interstate. If it can't do that I don't want it.

Seriously, I have never had the urge to race another bike from a 140 mph rolling start. Whenever I need to play with another bike the "race" is over by the time I shift out of second. It is usually a pretty lopsided contest for the FJR in the first two gears and I am a little old for street racing anyway.

Still, it was a good topic. Thanks for posting this little nugget of a thread.

 

[Top_Speed1]

This is such a relief. Now that I know the FJR is not the fastest Sport Tourer I no longer have the fever to buy a 2014 ES. I never cared about the reliability, the smoothness, the fuel economy, the wind management, the comfort, the electronic suspension, or that gorgeous red color. I don't even care that I have this awesome forum to help me with any issues or modifications. All I cared about was outrunning Hayabusas on the Interstate. If it can't do that I don't want it.

Seriously, I have never had the urge to race another bike from a 140 mph rolling start. Whenever I need to play with another bike the "race" is over by the time I shift out of second. It is usually a pretty lopsided contest for the FJR in the first two gears and I am a little old for street racing anyway.

Still, it was a good topic. Thanks for posting this little nugget of a thread.

Doesn't really matter to myself either, the things you mentioned are exactly the things that pushed me towards the K, just a step-up in all dept's. (well fuel economy so far has been about equal, the 6th gear I think helps offset it to a wash).

So it's just shit that's put out there, most of these so called 'speed facts' become just future round-table beer talk