FJR Comparison Test

[charismaticmegafauna]

I recently picked up a copy of the English magazine, Visor Down (used to be T.W.O.?) -- Feb. 2010 issue. In it they compare 'used tourers': 2007 BMW K1200GT; 2007 Honda PanEuropean (ST1300); and 2006 Yamaha FJR1300A. The test is fairly comprehensive and doesn't seem biased -- there's a little British humo(u)r thrown in, too. They picked the BMW 1st place, the Honda 2nd, and the FJR 3rd -- some reasoning was: the BMW commands a higher re-sale value (doesn't depreciate as much); the Honda seemed to impress the editors by being 'impressive'; and the FJR, they felt, was too expensive for what you got (poorer 2-up than the other two, also) -- in markets other than the U.S., the FJR sells for considerably more $$$.

The magazine also does a history of the FJR -- dating back to 2001. The article included: changes and specs (like Bin O' Facts), case studies, owner feedback, and more -- a compilation of the experiences of 90 owners surveyed.

Interestingly, not one of those surveyed recco'd installing a car tire....

 

[bikesniffer]

Yes the prices over here are ridiculously high for the FJR... :dribble:

and I think the K1200GT is a better value considering that they were equal in costs, however if one can get one at US pricing then the equation changes significantly in favor of the FJR

 

[Bigbeavk]

My Cherrie is so sweet. I find it hard to believe we constantly have these comparo threads every week. No offense intended of course :stinker:

 

[happyPuppy]

The BMW's may hold their value better and they are cheaper to buy in the EU countries. However, the thing that made me steer away from them was not just the initial cost, but the price of parts from the manual to the battery. I found it as what ever it was to do on a FJR multiply it by 2 for service. A smaller dealers network that was farther away from my location sealed the deal for me.

 

[cruppelt]

The BMW's may hold their value better and they are cheaper to buy in the EU countries. However, the thing that made me steer away from them was not just the initial cost, but the price of parts from the manual to the battery. I found it as what ever it was to do on a FJR multiply it by 2 for service. A smaller dealers network that was farther away from my location sealed the deal for me.

Having moved from Germany to the US in the mid-nineties, I do want to throw in that in general BMW as cars and bikes are considered much more run-of-the-mill common everyday cars or bikes in Central Europe. Parts prices for the low to mid level BMW cars over there are maybe comparable to Chevy here.

I own a somewhat collectible older BMW that I put a lot of time and money into for restoration a few years back, and I have financed a few trips to Germany for the whole family just from the price difference of buying the parts in Munich instead of in the US. The worst single price difference I ever came across was for a complex wiring harness, price quoted here from the local dealer (after BMW club membership discount of 7%) was a whopping US$2100, the exact same part cost me $700 brand new in Munich. Go figure!!!

 

[Jacina]

Yeah the FJR here (Switzerland) comes in at ~23'000 -> 26'600 Franks (normal -> AE) which (currently) comes to about 22'000 -> 25'600 Dollars...

The BMW K1300 GT comes in at 25'750 Franks which would be 24700 $

So there is basically no price difference.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Wow! I bought my 2008 (New old stock) AE for less than 1/2 of that 22K price out the door! I had no idea.

 

[fjrchooser]

Nor did I. Price protection controls by the EU ? Can't imagine Yamaha charging that much more on their own, otherwise we'd be buying these at a loss here in the States at nearly half that.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>... otherwise we'd be buying these at a loss here in the States at nearly half that.

That's called "Dumping".

Harley Davidson accused the Japanese Motorcycle manufacturers of that over 25 years ago -- and won. The Reagan administration added a tariff that all Americans had to pay when they bought a 750cc or larger new Japanese m/c. (hence, the many 'unusual' 700cc models for several years)

Harley cried "unfair competition" and the tariff continued until H-D was doing well.

 

[Graham Downunder]

They have the answer in Australia ,the value of our Dollar improves buy about 30% so imstead of lowering thr prices they RAISE them . After all the Aussie dollars has only improved by over 35% so price should drop by 25%

Examples you could buy a new Kawasaki 1400gtr for $20,000 ,the new 2010 model is now $24,500

FJR1300 are $22,900

BMW K1300gt base model is $32,300

Boy I wish the would use Some lube when they screw us but they are too tight to buy it .

 

[ScottyUSN]

FJR1300 are $22,900
Boy I wish the would use Some lube when they screw us but they are too tight to buy it .

Is that "asking price" or what they are actually selling for, if there is a difference?

 

[madmike2]

FJR1300 are $22,900
Boy I wish the would use Some lube when they screw us but they are too tight to buy it .

Is that "asking price" or what they are actually selling for, if there is a difference?

And how much of that might be import fees or VAT?

Y'know, the "guvmint" gotta git their "cut".

My Cherrie is so sweet. I find it hard to believe we constantly have these comparo threads every week. No offense intended of course :stinker:

Actually, a comparo from Europe (where motorcycling and touring is much different than here in the "colonies") is rather insightful. I like the fact that they went into the history of the machine's evolution and compare things like maintenance costs and resale values, even if those particular experiences don't translate straight across to dealer systems/networks in the United States. It does show a deeper analysis than what each bike "feels like" and the "whiz-bang" features each manufacturer offers.