FJR / BMW Indecision

[rogdeb]

, not to mention the initial price of a new BMW RT ($20k +).

 

I do plan to put the Yamaha top box on with the pad.

 

Thanks for your time and your opinions.

If it will help at all, you really don't need the pad on the top case. Your wife's padding at the back of her jacket is all that's needed. Viola !! 2 inches more room for wifey.

 

[5lbtrout]

You should also consider the new K1600 GLT. Great power, sport-bike handling, comfy, & expensive.

Try the Hondappotimus & the K bike.

 

[johnny80s]

Fred's excellent post needs little elaboration.

If it's an R1200RT you're looking at, it's a wonderful bike. The transmission is vastly better than either the R1100 or R1150 trannies, weight is down, power is up. The suspension is excellent and it handles like a smaller, lighter machine. It is a very comfortable bike. It is also a very expensive bike and the final drive will probably be fine. Most likely. The oilhead boxers are actually quite easy to work on, but the Canbus can make things interesting when adding electrical accessories. BMW riders are not all stuck-up jerks nor are all BMW salespeople.

On the other hand, the FJR has more power, is smoother, faster and gets about the same fuel mileage. It runs on regular (you may need to feed the Beemer mid-grade). The suspension is good and there are several excellent upgrade options - you can add (and have an expert dial in) aftermarket suspension and still come in well under the cost of the RT. The transmission is excellent and the final drive without drama. There are many, many more Yamaha dealers than there are BMW dealers these days, although when you find a BMW dealer, they see a lot more RT's than a Yamaha dealer sees FJR's. I have not owned an FJR long enough to know whether than makes a substantial difference or not.

Two good bikes. They are different, but they're both a lot of fun. It really comes down to which you like best.

Well said.

 

[Bounce]

Okay, the basic question - for those who were considering a BMW before you bought your FJR, what swayed your decision.

Price, ease of maintenance, and most importantly.....the final drives on FJRs don't grenade regularly and leave you stranded.

agreed. if you're into spending your money on things that are overpriced for what they bring to the table and then spending even more for PM that the engineers have built into the bike so that you can't work on many things yourself, then go with the Bring More Wampum. otherwise save your cash for something like gas and tires and get the FJR.

 

[BrettB]

I think you've gotten most of the advice you need, especially Fred and Pete's posts, so not much to add. I was looking at RTs before riding the FJR. After I rode it I knew what I wanted. If I had more money then sense I would have both actually. I personally think the curves on the R1150RT make it one of the most beautiful bikes ever made. Not everyone would agree with that. The R1200RT is a lot better performer though then the 1150, horsepower up, weight down. But still not in the same class as the FJR for performance. The K1300GT bikes are, but they are butt ugly slab-sided things that I just couldn't ride. If I had both, I would ride the RT in the winter and rain, and the FJR is the summer. The RT has more front coverage (broader fairing, higher dash), and better mirror visibility. The FJR just screams when you wind the throttle. And its a lot less expensive to buy and maintain. Though, before comparing directly, you do need to do some leveling. The RT should have heated grips, likely has cruise control, the FJR has neither. You may not want/need those, but to be fair, you do have to do some aftermarket farkling to make the bikes more equivalent. But you will have the money from the purchase price difference to do that, and you can decide what farkles you want.

I came into this class of bikes after owning several sports cars. The RT is a Lexus, the FJR is a Porsche. Both can perform, both are comfortable, but the emphasis is different.

 

[Bounce]

Heated grips + Cruise for the FJR... under $200.

next...

 

[SierraVFR]

Many good posts already. I will just say that I was trying to decide on the K1300GT and the FJR for some two up touring. With some research here and elsewhere I decided on the FJR. For my wife, I added the Russell Day Long seats, a GIVI topbox with a custom pad, and have recently added passenger floorboards from one of the members here. She has enjoyed a couple of multi day trips and she had not one complaint. (She is 5'1"). The bike has exceeded my expectations for passenger comfort.

Good luck. BMW does makes some nice bikes. But the FJR is a great sports touring machine.

 

[Sinister Crayon]

Funnily enough, I purchased my FJR from the local BMW dealer... mostly because I traded my R1150GS for my FJR and they are ALWAYS buying those things because they sell dead easily. Anyway, my final decision came down to a new K1300GT and the used FJR. I sat on both and decided on the FJR.

My reasoning? Well, the K bike was awesome and was REALLY comfortable. It was loaded to the hilt, so I was looking at a tad over $20K for the bike. However, money wasn't the driving factor; it was simply the fact that when I sat on the K bike I really felt like I was sitting in it, rather than on it. The dash came way up in my sight lines, and it seemed like there was acres of empty space between me and the dash. To me it felt more like a touring bike than a sport bike... and while I'm no spring chicken (at 38) I also don't think I'm old enough to put away the sport bike toys just yet.

The FJR provided much of the same on paper as the K. Power was pretty much a wash, weight is similar enough... hell, even the balance of the bikes when I was holding them up seemed to be almost identical. However, I just felt like the FJR fit me better. The riding position is a little more leaned forward (correctable with bar risers if you want... I don't) and the seat is definitely smaller. Even standing still though, the K felt like a big bike while the FJR felt smaller. I decided I'd prefer the sportier FJR and haven't looked back once.

I will say that at least with the Corbin seat, there's plenty of room and I could flatfoot it a bit more comfortably than the K bike. However I've not felt an FJR with a stock seat in about 3 years so I can't say with any certainty that there's much difference. However, the amount of two-up space does seem to be less than I had on my Concours 14... I can feel my girlfriend behind me while on the Connie I kept having to check to make sure she was still there after a fast takeoff. That's not a bad thing... and she's definitely not up against me in any way.

I'm 5'10", about 180 and she's 5'2" about 110... and there's plenty of power in the FJR to get up and go.

I will say though that either bike will make you deliriously happy in the twisties

 

[Coastie]

Thanks for all the input. Almost all of your thoughts and advice exactly matched the conclusions that I have come to.

It's settled, I'm gonna be an FJR pilot, and soon (I hope). I will be going this weekend and looking at a new 2009 FJR that is at a dealership 70 miles away to see what kind of deal I can get. I have a 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner S that I will consider for trade-in, if I can convince them to give me a decent trade-in price. They are not going to soak me, no way. If the new 2009 doesn't work out I have a lead on a used 2008 with 6k miles, Cee Bailey screen, electronic cruise control, new Pilot tires, and in the Black Cherry that I really like, all for $8500.00.

If I get a good trade-in, I'll go new, if not, I will pay cash for the 2008 then keep working to sell the Stratoliner. Either way, I'm FJR bound.

Thanks again.

 

[phroenips]

congrats on the decision, I don't think you'll be disappointed (not that I'm biased at all...)

And if it's black cherry, it's an 07. The 08's (and 09's) all came from the factory as black. Unless you're talking about an AE, in which case, they're silver.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Funnily enough, I purchased my FJR from the local BMW dealer... mostly because I traded my R1150GS for my FJR and they are ALWAYS buying those things because they sell dead easily. Anyway, my final decision came down to a new K1300GT and the used FJR. I sat on both and decided on the FJR.

My reasoning? Well, the K bike was awesome and was REALLY comfortable. It was loaded to the hilt, so I was looking at a tad over $20K for the bike. However, money wasn't the driving factor; it was simply the fact that when I sat on the K bike I really felt like I was sitting in it, rather than on it. The dash came way up in my sight lines, and it seemed like there was acres of empty space between me and the dash. To me it felt more like a touring bike than a sport bike... and while I'm no spring chicken (at 38) I also don't think I'm old enough to put away the sport bike toys just yet.

The FJR provided much of the same on paper as the K. Power was pretty much a wash, weight is similar enough... hell, even the balance of the bikes when I was holding them up seemed to be almost identical. However, I just felt like the FJR fit me better. The riding position is a little more leaned forward (correctable with bar risers if you want... I don't) and the seat is definitely smaller. Even standing still though, the K felt like a big bike while the FJR felt smaller. I decided I'd prefer the sportier FJR and haven't looked back once.

I will say that at least with the Corbin seat, there's plenty of room and I could flatfoot it a bit more comfortably than the K bike. However I've not felt an FJR with a stock seat in about 3 years so I can't say with any certainty that there's much difference. However, the amount of two-up space does seem to be less than I had on my Concours 14... I can feel my girlfriend behind me while on the Connie I kept having to check to make sure she was still there after a fast takeoff. That's not a bad thing... and she's definitely not up against me in any way.

I'm 5'10", about 180 and she's 5'2" about 110... and there's plenty of power in the FJR to get up and go.

Excellent! A guy that has not sucked down the Koolaid like this idiot

 

[garyahouse]

Buddy of mine just bought a 98 BMW K1200LT. Though he's an accomplished mechanic, it was an extensive battle to put a new clutch in the bike. He said that he was amazed at how much work was involved to do the job. Tonight I got a chance to drive it. First impression: compared to my FJR, the Beemer is a very large and heavy motorcycle. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I almost dumped it in the parking lot. I leaned the beast over to turn it around, but the throttle return spring was sooooo stiff, and my hand was so sweaty (93 and humid today), I was trying to twist the throttle, but nothing happened... By the time I figured out what went wrong, she was leaning too far. I took a step to bring it back to vertical, but it just kept falling. Good grief!!! I took a another step and a huge pull on the handle bars and finally: the bike was upright again. Close call. That is one heavy machine. This time I grabbed the throttle with a good grip while CAREFULLY turning the bike. No problems after that. However, once underway, I observed: a seriously smooth engine and suspension and the bike felt much lighter once underway. Turned easily for such a big bike. Last but not least, the power, both at lower and higher rpms, was no where near what the FJR delivers. I am SO GLAD I own an FJR.

For what it's worth.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[RadioHowie]

Excellent! A guy that has not sucked down the Koolaid like this idiot

Gunny!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[bbdig]

I'm 6-3 200lbs and the bride is 5-10 155lbs and you definitly don't want the pad on the Givi trunk box. other then that the best money we spent was getting the Russell Day Long seat. We did 2300miles in a week at CFR and the Gaspe last year and the bride said she never could have done it on the stock seat.

I did get a little grief for scraping her pegs once or twice on the park run, but she has the lowered mini wings. :yahoo:

 

[na1g]

Here's some perspective from a guy who just traded his FJR for a 2011 R1200RT. Why you ask? First, the BMW is significantly lighter (compare the wet weights) and has a better suspension. I'd say the RT is the best handling sport-tourer around. I'm always surprised at the number of folks who chime in with the power advantage the FJR holds. There's no denying some extra horsepower from the FJR but the new "camhead" RT produces more than enough HP and a truckload of torque. Smoothness? The obvious winner is Honda's ST1300 and I had one of those, too. The FJR is a typical in-line four with some high frequency vibration; the RT, being a twin, has a lower frequency vibration but I don't find that uncomfortable at all at road speeds. The idle speed shake is certainly there. The RT is far more comfortable right out of the crate. Where there is a line up for FJR bar risers and Russell seats, the Beemer is just right for sport-touring. Even the leg room and knee bend is better. I fully agree that the CANbus system is a royal pain and totally unnecessary on a motorcycle. Some guys fit a power block/fuse panel under the seat and then you can tap any and all accessories into it. Let's see, Yamaha gives you a sleazy 1-year warranty (do they know something? like fried ground connectors?) while BMW has a 3-year warranty with roadside assistance. BMW dealers have bikes to test-ride. Yamaha?

The maintenance issue is there. There is no reason why a reasonably competent BMWowner couldn't do most maintenance at home. Many BMW owners don't do that for whatever reasons, but then I'll bet a good number of FJR riders don't get beyond an oil change either. The BMW final drive failure is, or was, a disgrace and an example of their arrogance, but Yamaha hasn't stepped-up on the ground spider issue either.

The K1300 sport-tourer is discontinued so perhaps a deal could be made to save a few bucks. The Honda ST1300 is also out of production for now, but there are some 2010 or earlier new bikes on the floor. It's as dated as the FJR, a bit heavier and bigger, but a very nice two-up tourer. Reliable as a stone axe.

So there! I'll give you more R12RT impressions when I get more miles on mine. The joys and the sorrows :yahoo:

pete

 

[beemerdons]

Excellent! A guy that has not sucked down the Koolaid like this idiot

Gunny!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Yo RH, blow me!

A Friday B. J.!

 

[Fred W]

Here's some perspective from a guy who just traded his FJR for a 2011 R1200RT.

Congrats on your new ride, Pete.

All of these modern ST bikes are so close to perfection that what we argue about in the comparisons are just very light shades of gray.

One thing in your favor is that we do have a pretty high density of Beemer shops in the Northeast US, compared to other areas. And with the advent of the intarwebs, who goes into the shops to buy parts anymore anyway?

I hope that your new beemer works out for you.

 

[yanktar]

My primary concern is suitability for two up touring. I am 6'2" at 200 lbs with a 34" inseam, and the wife is 5'2" at about 130 lbs.

We ride 2-up quite often, and I sometimes have to reach back and make sure she's still there. Most of the time I can feel her back there, but there's no problem fitting us both comfortably. I have a Give top case with a pad, and that doesn't seem to push her forward at all.

Yeah, I always have that "problem" too. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

You may find the passenger pegs are too high for her, even if she's short (my wife's 5'2" also) , but there are after-market solutions for lowered pegs. However, not all lowered pegs work with all aftermarket exhausts. And some are butt-ugly, but work well (now how would I know that????)

I have nothing against BMW--they make GREAT cages and I love mine, but it's OK for cars to sealed electronic gizmos, not bikes.

 

[doug44]

I have owned several BMW's dating back to 1980's and have enjoyed most of them. I have had both the K bike & air/oil head twins. However the lack of a local dealer & the continued care & feeding of these bikes have finally drove me off. Touring on a machine out of state where a dealer can be at least 200 miles from where you need service or a lot of the time 2 states away just won't work for me. BMW continues to run most dealers off who try and merge another brand into their operation to help support the slow selling BMW brand. Just yesterday a riding friend & fellow club member posted on the club's website he was looking for someone to ride up with him to the dealer Saturday for service. He was leaving at 8PM where he has a service appointment @ noon and wishes to leave the dealership by 4PM for the return trip home. This dealer is 1 state away and over 400 miles round trip and this is the nearest BMW dealer to us. I use to be this guy now I get my Jap Crap serviced 2 miles away from my door step. I love my FJR :yahoo: and am glad I no longer drink the BMW Kool-Aid. BMW has finally been successful in running me off & closing the last dealership within 200 miles of my home.

 

[garyahouse]

Fred W, back on May 11 you said,

"That said, the only one that stacks up anywhere near an FJR is the K1300GT. I actually preferred the styling of the K1200GT to the flat slab-side styling of the 1300."

Perhaps. In the picture you posted, that lower fairing is seriously ugly (to me). It looks like a slab of plywood. And though it's not nearly as lame looking, BMW's new K1600 has the same problem. Their engineers need to take a que form Yamaha's designers. As a matter of fact, the lower fairing is one of the most beautiful parts of the FJR. I'm still really glad I chose FJR.

Gary