I was finally able to get my bike out of hibernation and go for my first spring ride (235mi). After changing the fluids I hit the starter and to my surprise she started right up with no hesitation what so ever. She must have been as ready as I was.
After 5 months being dormant I thought both the bike and I would be a little rusty. Not so. It felt like old times and I had truly forgotten what a special bike the FJR really is. The weather was great, the roads were great, the bike was awesome, What a GREAT ride.
I did get a chance to test some of my new stuff I got this winter (farkles for me and the bike)
Tires: I mounted a set of Avon Storms this winter and was finally able to give them a test. To start with, I was one of the few that liked the original tires that came on the bike (Metzeler Roadtec Z6). With the Metzeler’s the bike handled better than any other bike that I have had in the past and they lasted for over 7500 miles which seems to be about average for this bike. What else could you ask for? Well, I found I just didn’t know what good really was. The Avon’s were better everywhere. They would lay over in a corner much easier and would hold their line better. I don’t spend a lot of time in the triple digits but I do get there every so often so I ran her up to about 110mph just to make sure that the balance job was ok. The tires were stable with no hint of wobble or vibration. They even road better than the stockers. Now if I get decent mileage I will be totally satisfied.
G2 throttle: when I started out I forgot about this farkle but I noticed that the shifts seemed smoother. Then the light came on. As most of you that have made the switch have already said, this is a great farkle. The shifts were way smoother, the transition from on throttle to off and back on was much smoother and finessing the throttle in the tight stuff was way better. The only thing I found that I am not sure is as good as the stock throttle tube is how much more throttle change is needed to hold a speed when going from flat to up or down hills. At first it seems like there is less power because more throttle is needed to maintain speed on an up hill. You do get uses to it and it is very minor compared to how well it works for everything else.
Gerbing heated gear: It wasn’t really cold, about 40deg for about the first hour and warmed up to the low 50’s for the rest of the ride but I did get a chance to at least give it a try. The part I liked the best was I didn’t need to wear a bunch of bulky clothes in order to stay warm. I wore a t-shirt, the Gerbing jacket liner and my riding jacket which has a thin waterproof liner in it. I also had the Gerbing gloves. I started out with the heat turned off. After about a half hour I started feeling a little cold, not bad but a little. I thought, lets try this stuff and see if it will even work. I turned it on and turned it up to about ¾ throttle. In no time, I mean seconds, I could feel the heat. Within a couple of minutes my back was way to hot and my hands were starting to get sweaty. I turned it back down so it was just past being on. This was perfect. Just like little red riding hood. Not to hot, not to cold, just right. I, like so many others, wish I had done this years ago. Oh well I guess some of us just have a slow learning curve.
Helmet: I got a new Nolen N102. This was it's first ride. The comfort was very good. Noise was about the same as my Arai and the convenience of the flip-up was way beyond good. I think that I will like this helmet. I did like it enough that I ordered my wife the same thing. I hope it fits her as well.
After 5 months being dormant I thought both the bike and I would be a little rusty. Not so. It felt like old times and I had truly forgotten what a special bike the FJR really is. The weather was great, the roads were great, the bike was awesome, What a GREAT ride.
I did get a chance to test some of my new stuff I got this winter (farkles for me and the bike)
Tires: I mounted a set of Avon Storms this winter and was finally able to give them a test. To start with, I was one of the few that liked the original tires that came on the bike (Metzeler Roadtec Z6). With the Metzeler’s the bike handled better than any other bike that I have had in the past and they lasted for over 7500 miles which seems to be about average for this bike. What else could you ask for? Well, I found I just didn’t know what good really was. The Avon’s were better everywhere. They would lay over in a corner much easier and would hold their line better. I don’t spend a lot of time in the triple digits but I do get there every so often so I ran her up to about 110mph just to make sure that the balance job was ok. The tires were stable with no hint of wobble or vibration. They even road better than the stockers. Now if I get decent mileage I will be totally satisfied.
G2 throttle: when I started out I forgot about this farkle but I noticed that the shifts seemed smoother. Then the light came on. As most of you that have made the switch have already said, this is a great farkle. The shifts were way smoother, the transition from on throttle to off and back on was much smoother and finessing the throttle in the tight stuff was way better. The only thing I found that I am not sure is as good as the stock throttle tube is how much more throttle change is needed to hold a speed when going from flat to up or down hills. At first it seems like there is less power because more throttle is needed to maintain speed on an up hill. You do get uses to it and it is very minor compared to how well it works for everything else.
Gerbing heated gear: It wasn’t really cold, about 40deg for about the first hour and warmed up to the low 50’s for the rest of the ride but I did get a chance to at least give it a try. The part I liked the best was I didn’t need to wear a bunch of bulky clothes in order to stay warm. I wore a t-shirt, the Gerbing jacket liner and my riding jacket which has a thin waterproof liner in it. I also had the Gerbing gloves. I started out with the heat turned off. After about a half hour I started feeling a little cold, not bad but a little. I thought, lets try this stuff and see if it will even work. I turned it on and turned it up to about ¾ throttle. In no time, I mean seconds, I could feel the heat. Within a couple of minutes my back was way to hot and my hands were starting to get sweaty. I turned it back down so it was just past being on. This was perfect. Just like little red riding hood. Not to hot, not to cold, just right. I, like so many others, wish I had done this years ago. Oh well I guess some of us just have a slow learning curve.
Helmet: I got a new Nolen N102. This was it's first ride. The comfort was very good. Noise was about the same as my Arai and the convenience of the flip-up was way beyond good. I think that I will like this helmet. I did like it enough that I ordered my wife the same thing. I hope it fits her as well.
Last edited by a moderator:
oster_oops: It was a long day.
