FJR engine

[Capt. Bob]

Two pages of BS and no one hit it yet. :glare:

You don't need to change the engine, you need to add another gear!!!!

Six speed

Someone put a stake into this vampire. :vampire:

 

[Fred W]

Two pages of BS and no one hit it yet. :glare:
You don't need to change the engine, you need to add another gear!!!!

Six speed

Someone put a stake into this vampire. :vampire:

Bwaahaha!! I was going to suggest a 6th gear in my prior post, but I didn't want to take this highly valuable thread off topic.

 

[Phugedaboudet]

doesn't really matter to me what improvements they could make, I'm still paying on this one and wouldn't be dropping more cash on a "new" version anytime soon

 

[HotRodZilla]

I'm kind of with Phugedaboudet on this one. Besides my '07 doesn't make my hands go numb, doesn't have a heavy throttle, and the clutch seems pretty normal. Until they come out with some major improvements, I will just keep what I have. BTW, adding 20lbs to the bike will not be an improvement even if they add CC, GPS and more horsepower.

 

[Foxhuntr]

Love my 07!

Having said that, it took some time to get use to the vibe levels coming off an ST1100. Everything else is better, however, so it's a good trade-off.

 

[deagle]

My 2004 had some vibes in the handlebars. Could the FJR be smoother? Sure.

But when it came time to get a new motorcycle and vote with my dollars, the FJR (including vibes) was still the best bike I could find.

 

[saread]

There's a little bit of buzz in the bars; but this changes depending on things like air pressure, suspension setting, RPM, road surface, etc. Certainly not what makes my right hand numb. For me, the right hand numbness is almost entirely due to wrist angle inhibiting blood flow. If I can straighten my hand out it restores blood flow and the numbness goes away immediately. I've learned to adjust my throttle hand when riding at constant speed to account for this. My left hand is just happy all the time - so it ain't buzzy bars causing numbness. IMHO, it's an issue of ergonomics.

 

[Scotty]

The FJR has got to be one of the smoothest bikes on the road. I am going to have to look for the vibration. In any case what the bike needs is to put on a pound diet - 50 lbs would be like getting 10 more horses. The front is a little heavy although fully capable of running the twisties hard.

 

[Fred W]

Yes, exactly right. And think of all the other benefits of lighter weight: better handling, better acceleration, better mileage, less tire wear, it goes on an on...

 

[mmonroe]

Two pages of BS and no one hit it yet. :glare:
You don't need to change the engine, you need to add another gear!!!!

Six speed

Someone put a stake into this vampire. :vampire:

Bwaahaha!! I was going to suggest a 6th gear in my prior post, but I didn't want to take this highly valuable thread off topic.

The redesigned FJR needs a smoother engine *and* a 6-speed - just like its top competitors already have.

 

[Fred W]

The redesigned FJR needs a smoother engine *and* a 6-speed - just like its top competitors already have.

Meh.

Not if it comes at the expense of roasting your cahones while looking drop dead ugly like a Concours or sucking your wallet dry getting out the door like a BMW.

Besides, I haven't seen a single test that shows either of those are performing any better than an FJR.

At the current price point to performance ratio of the FJR, I'd buy one again.

 

[Shadow]

Not only the engine the whole bike needs a good update.

Still a nice bike but it could be great.

It is falling behind compared to other brands.

Let's hope that the 2010 model gets the much needed improvements.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Time to add my 2 cents worth.

I have a slight buzziness now but i haven't done a throttle body sinc and my tires are pretty much shit at this point. Evan the way it is now once i get over 85 she just gets better the faster i go. So IMO ya just need to go faster. This bike just loves 90+ speeds.

Mentally i don't think this bike needs a 6 speed and i wouldn't want it, but i can't get my left foot to go along with me. It keeps looking for that 6 gear.

 

[jride]

Ok i didn't mean tip everyone over. Just an observation about the difference between the FJR and the C14.

The c14 i rode was far smoother (nearly as smooth as glass) than the 09 FJR. But I think both are very good bikes and probably the two best st's on the market. BMW also makes a nice bike but all things considered i think I would rate them 3rd, keep in mind i have not ridden a BMW or a honda st1300.

I Do ride a cruiser and it has more vibration than the FJR but it is different not buzzy at all, and IMO not anoying like the vibration of the FJR i rode. However I have only ridden 1 FJR and it could have just been that bike. I am sure i would get used to it and i may very well buy the FJR this year.

I would just like for it to be smoother and have cruise, then there would be no ?.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Hell with smooth, This otter do the trick...

Power to weight ratio...... Awersome!!!

:lol:

:jester:

 

[Bluegrass FJR]

The smoothest bikes I've ever ridden were my brother's V65 Saber and my 98 VFR800. Those Honda V-4s are really smooth. The FJR's aren't horribly buzzy, in my opinion, but they're not the least buzzy bikes, either. OBTW, I've owned two, an 05 and the 07 I presently own. They feel just about equal, buzz-wise, to the Kaw ZRX1200 I owned a few years back.

I'd like to see Yamaha shave some pounds off the FJR, include cruise control as an option, and clean up the engine management. I think the technology is available to have the throttle response/fuel injection behave a little better, but still have the engine meet emissions standards. Installing a PCIII and G2 Throttle tube and releasing some throttle spring tension largely corrected these nit-picks on my 07. (I thought the throttle, as delivered, was horrendously stiff. The 07 is my 7th bike - I had never encountered such a stiff throttle.)

A few more color choices would be good to see.

I, personally, haven't ridden a fuel-injected bike yet that I thought throttled as nice as a big displacement bike with a well-tuned bank of carbs.

With all that being said, I agree completely with Phugedaboudet and Foxhuntr - I'm very pleased with the bike I have and intend to go through many more sets of tires before I'm done with her.

 

[Khunajawdge]

Probably doesn't mean a thing?

https://thekneeslider.com/archives/2005/02/...l-by-star-twin/

 

[bikerskier]

Hate to be a nay sayer, but I have heard a rumor that the volume of sales that Yamaha is getting from this ST platform is insufficient to sustain their long term interest and they may not be spending much if any money on any re-designing. May even walk from the model. Anyone close to the mother ship that may know better?

Jus sayin...

 

[Cal24Master]

The vibration is a major problem, and anyone who says their's doesn't do it just isn't admitting it. Kind of like wives can't hear rattles in cars. Almost all riders complain of their right hand going numb. Other than that, its virtually the perfect bike for me - which is why I still have it with 33,000 miles in less than three years. But I do hope they make a smoother engine.

It may be a major problem for you. It is certainly not for me, and I am guessing the majority of owners. If yours vibrates the same as mine I think you are suffering from the princess and pea syndrome. If the vibrations bother you so much, you should probably be on a Gold Wing. I like mine just the way it is.

 

[Cal24Master]

Hate to be a nay sayer, but I have heard a rumor that the volume of sales that Yamaha is getting from this ST platform is insufficient to sustain their long term interest and they may not be spending much if any money on any re-designing. May even walk from the model. Anyone close to the mother ship that may know better?Jus sayin...

I don't have any information one way or another, but I have said the same thing since the FJR first came out. Sport Touring bikes are by definition cyclical. The people who own them tend to be older, and hold on to them longer. They also don't tend to wreck them as often, which keeps the used market going. That is why you see models that go on for a long time with few modifications. Take the ST1100 and Concours for example. Yamaha shook up the market for awhile when the FJR first came out. It forced Honda to redo the ST, and prompted Kawasaki to make the C14 and BMW to come out with the GT. Now all the manufacturers are pretty competitive, and the market for the new bikes is going down. Most of the people who wanted them already have bought them, and many of the ones who don't have one yet are trolling the used market for them.

Yamaha will most probably keep making the FJR in it's current form with only minor changes for as long as it is competitive with other bikes in the same class. They don't have alot of expense in R&D, so it will be a cheaper bike to produce for quite awhile. If the market for them drops off completely, they could possibly drop it altogether, but I doubt that would happen.