FJR for 2 up touring?

[kolonial72]

Wow, lot of questions. My answer is more simplistic, just go ride one.
Many tend to over think stuff. I knew I wanted an FJR the day I saw one. I was told later that one could get close to 50 mpg. I average 38 mpg. My wife loves the bike and says she is comfortable. She has not ridden on a Goldwing..(perhaps that is a good thing) So yeah, if you ride 2 up alot you might want to let your pillion in on the test ride.

If you nit pick every bike on the planet you will find they all have their strengths and their weaknesses. Don't over think this, go ride one. Judge with your gut and not your head here. Most of the folks here do "tour" with the bike, we all know here that it is not a sportbike, but it does have a quite a few sportbike attributes... like great handling and awesome brakes.

The whole concept of "sport/touring" in effect is a comprimise. The FJR just happens to be one of the better examples of how to make a good one.

KM

+1. I wasn't even in the market when I rode an FJR for the first time, but I was instantly hooked. Hell, I went out and wrecked the bike I was riding just so I could get the Feej! You may (very small chance) even find that you really don't like the FJR very much. If this ends up being the case, please come back and let us know. And make sure it's on a Friday.

:lol:

 

[RaYzerman19]

Keep in mind the Gen2's are 1.5" longer, so more room for your pillion.

I haven't done any 2-up camping, but you'll have to get creative and travel light.........

 

[timk]

When I went from a full tourer(Venture) to the FJR, I went by nessitity, as I was having trouble holding the big one up in "tricky" situations due to neropathy in my legs(diabetic 39yrs). SO was concerned when she saw pillian size, seating position,etc, and she used to snooze on the back of the Venture. She has adapted to the FJR rather well though.Storage was the first thing we addressed, with a top box, but that wasn't enough, so a monster tank bag was added, and we went with that setup for the first year, but for our needs we wanted more. Ended up adding a UNI-GO trailer, and our problems were solved, as I have a small suitcase full of meds, and have 5 grandkids to get souvineers for. Other tweeks were added, as needed, and our problems were solved. I must say, we seek out secondary roads more frequently on the FJR as the fun factor is up from the Venture, plus most of our short trips are to southern WVa and the Smokies. We slab it to Wisconsin once or twice a year, and the bike is real stable at 80mph. The trailer has little effect on fuel. We've got as much as 43, but usually around 38. Rear tire wear is pathetic towing the trailer, especially the name brand tires. I've had better milage with the Shinkos than all others. If we schedule more than a 6000 mile tour, I'd probably go with the dark side CT setup. That's about all I can think of.

 

[beemerdons]

Welcome from SoCal,
My minimal 2up experience may not help but...

On the open highway at 75ish I get about 40-42mpg, stock windscreen, no trunk. On the slower twisties, I've gotten 56mpg, again not on it just having fun cruising.

Michelin Pilot Road 2s (PR2) seem to give great mileage, depending on riding style etc. Of course the harder the compound the greater the mileage of the tire, but at a sacrifice to grip.

Luggage for a month, hmmm. DO you pack light or...?

Buffeting, can be solved by a couple means, taller windscreen and tuning blocks or spacers that allow more air to come under the windscreen.

Maintenance is real easy and the bike is pretty bullet proof. As far as CCT and ticking, they are rare, but discussed often, the percentage is negligible.

I'm sure some seasoned veterans will answer you questions better.

What he said.

What they said! 43+mpg, regular gas, tankbag, tall Yamaha windshield & tuning blocks, Givi 52 top box, 13K miles per Michelin Pilot Road 2's, ready to go out on the road for a month with any SO. Every bit the Sport Tourer my 2005 BMW R1150RT is!!

 

[FJRGuy]

...Sorry to offend the FJR purists who use the bike more as a sport bike. I realize my intended use is not what the bike was intended for.

:blink: Really??? Sounds to me like your intended use is exactly what the bike was intended for... with a whole lot of extra capability thrown in to boot!

And I`d even venture to say that a huge majority of us chose the FJR for touring capabilities. (If not for touring, there are other bikes that would better suit my local riding needs!)

That said, I don`t really have much to add. For the first 2 years, other than an AutoComm for communication and entertainment and a SHAD Top Case, my bike has been pretty much stock. I can ride all day on the stock seat. The GF has been comfortable on the back. Packing for any length of trip has been an issue as the GF feels her big a$$ blow dryer is a necessity. :dribble: I have a V-Stream windshield on it`s way and am planning for a trailer and suspension mods.

PR2s are awesome for Sport-Touring but your may really want to look at the `dark side`threads and consider a car tire.

Hop that helps!

... I wish Yamaha would offer a speedometer screen so she can't see the dial....

+1 on that! A heads up helmet visor display would be good! The GF had no idea I was traveling at 200 (125 mph) `til she took a look at the dash... I felt that one in my sides.

I'm just in this thread to view Ordrocks avitar. I wish it was a movie.

+1 if that`s his SO, then it`s no wonder she makes him look good... she could make OM look good!

 

[saltywheels]

+1 to all. Got abt 23k miles in 2 years, almost all solo & longish 3-5 day trips. Its an 04 (the Best!) farkled beyond it's capacity (1st Gen bikes were woefully inadequate electrically). Did a number of trips into Canada & quickly fitted Heat Troller heated grips & a set of V-Strom hand-guards. That made a 150% difference. Nxt came the Heat troller & Gerbing Jacket liner. All this makes for comfort. OEM set has never been a problem. Michelin tires never let me down. Get abt 38-39 mpg in all city riding (I commute on it) & abt 42-45 mpg on the freeway. Givi 46 top case & OEM side cases carry more than I need for a weeks trip. Doubt you will be able to accommodate her gear as well in the same space. Just love my set-up. It works

 

[marcusorelius]

I only ride 2 up with the dukester! But I think it's a pretty good bike for 2 up, I noticed a couple who were from Canada on an fjr a couple years ago, and was impessed how un beat-up they looked stopping here in Az. I knew its was a good long distance bike after see'n them!

 

[user 17459]

I came off an ST1300 that I bought in large part because I thought it would be a better 2-up machine than the Gen I FJR. Long story, but I bought an '07 Feejer last summer and was anxious to see how my wife would like it. We did a ride from SoCal up to Lake Tahoe in September and I posted her comments on the ST-owners.com web site. If interested, check out the Other Motorcycle -> Comparisons -> ST or FJR section.

Rick

 

[TheBlueStreak]

Hey Jack,

I had a 2003 GL1800 and sold it b/c I felt it was too big for the riding trips I have the time to do now so I went with the FJR. I can say for certian that for true long distance, more than 300 mils in one direction, the GL is by far a better machine for this purpose. The FJR is OK but, for me anyway, around the 250 - 300 mile mark is when I have had enough, need to get off and rest. The bike is not a Touring bike it is a Sport Touring bike no way to get around it. True, you can spend alot of money to try and make it more of a touring bike by adding a bigger seat, bigger windshield, highway pegs, cruise control, gps, etc. but at the end of the day its still a ST bike. Like saying you are a fox in sheeps clothing, your still a fox!!!!!!!! I wish I had my GL for long 2 up rides.

I get around 45 MPG at the speeds you mention but as high as 57 MPG. No problems with reliability. I have around 7000 mils on her with the original tires with no visiual wear.

Luggage, forget about camping for two for a month. Maybe if you got a trailer and top box but it would be tight.

I was actually thinking of buying another GL when the next generation comes out but until then, my trips will be shorter.

Peace,

Rob

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Luggage space? Can you carry enough for 2 people with camping gear for a one month trip? What modifications were required?

What modifications if any are required for passenger comfort from wind buffeting/noise?

Sorry to offend the FJR purists who use the bike more as a sport bike. I realize my intended use is not what the bike was intended for.

Note that I trimmed out all the stuff that's already been well-addressed here. I'm one of those "minority sportbike guys" mentioned elsewhere in this thread. I've ridden a GL1800 and it made the VERY short list of bikes I couldn't wait to get off of. No offense. The FJR is definately not sporty enough for me, but that's not what I bought it for. I wanted a bike that the wife and I could travel far on in reasonable comfort while hauling alot of crap with us and still have fun on our inevitable detours through the mountains. With that said, the FJR fits the bill well. I think most will agree that the stock seat sucks for any kind of distance. Tons of options there. Ditto for windshields. I tried many of the big name shields and settled on a stock shield with a Laminar Lip as my personal favorite. YMMV. Bar risers are also popular, but everybody has different dimensions and fits the bike differently. The first time the wife and I rode the feej from Ohio to Tampa, I handed her one of the sidecase liners and said here ya go honey...fill 'er up! She whined about it, but in the end she found she'd actually packed alot more than she really needed. One sidecase will hold enough clothing and personal crap for one, so you're covered there. I put the rain gear in a tank bag, but if you're already wearing foul weather gear, all the better. Now the camping gear would be a bit tricky. Assuming you go with minimal compact stuff, you're still talking a tent and two sleeping bags bare minimum that have to fasten on the back. One of those tall tail packs might do the trick, but the camping gear is definately your biggest hurdle IMHO. A trailer would certainly handle all the camping gear you could want, but I don't know if you want to go that route. As others have stated, where there's a will, there's a way. I do believe the feej is pretty bulletproof, in spite of the fact my '04 was a ticker, but was fixed under warranty. I did an informal poll here while my ticker was being fixed, and it seemed to afflict about 12% of early models, but again...a VERY informal poll. My '05 with 38k on it now has been totally reliable in spite of heavy farkelization. Mileage and tire wear are in your right hand.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[stew71]

I'm just in this thread to view Ordrocks avitar. I wish it was a movie.

What he said....damn.