FJR for Casper Wyoming

[Lostviking]

Hey FJR folks,

I have been thrown a bit of curve. I fly out to Casper on Monday for a job interview. I have been trying for years to get west of the Mississippi. I had all but given up. But this one looks somewhat solid. I have passed all my apptitude tests with flying colors. And fortunately for me. They are willing to overlook my personality tests. ha!!

I have ridden through Wyoming many times. But obviously that is different than living there. How do you think the FJR would match up to that part of Wyoming, and the west in general? I have traveled the west several times on a bike. But to say I understand it would be a lie. I know what works in Upstate New York. But I would like some feedback for Wyoming and surrounding territories.

Mostly one up. Almost always solo. Anything from going for coffee, banking, grocery shopping. To 150-300 mile day trips. Longer weekend jaunts. And an occasional cross country jaunt. Prefer to avoid the interstate. But if I need to get somewhere fast they make sense. I see Wyoming is raising the interstate speeds to 80mph. At least I think I saw that.

Help, advice, feedback welcome.

And, on a side note any info about Casper would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BakerBoy]

There is lots of great riding within a couple hundred miles of Casper. Roads are well maintained, and not heavy with traffic. It is FJR (or ST or C14 or ...) country.

Compared to upstate NY, it is barren scenery in parts of Wyo. But even in the curves, you can see through the long curves and stretch the bikes legs a LOT.

Some of the best roads ans scenery in the country are in Wyo: Chief Joseph Hwy, Beartooths, Big Horns, Tetons, and more.

Full disclosure, I grew up in NW Wyo...

Good luck on the job.

 

[wyowanderer]

I am an fjr owner from Wyoming. Sport touring riders from WY seem to be few here. Those who own road bikes tend to lean towards the domestic cruiser segment if ya get my drift. But they don't know what they are missing! To cover great distances in comfort nothing beats an fjr...as you already know. I routinely do 450 day trips from my hometown in Wyoming. Downside is my riding season in western WY is too short due to the long winters.

Wyoming has alot of unpaved territory though so I also own a dirt bike.

Casper would not be in my top ten WY cities to live, but to each his own. I realize that a job dictates where one lives typically. Casper is considered a large city by WY standards.

 

[BakerBoy]

Ww... Gillette?

 

[n7myr]

the FJR will be at home in Wyoming. Wyoming is a big state about 550 miles across it the fjr will get you around in great style. Casper is a pretty small town with not a lot to do but it is packed with good honest people. I lived in Wyoming 50 years and it is a great state. imho

when you get there stop by Poor boys steak house. I think it is a great place to eat and not over priced

 

[escapefjrtist]

Short-ish riding season, but very nice deserted roads (and scenery) in the northern part of the state.

Good luck with the job search!

--G

 

[HotRodZilla]

I live in the SW, which is very similar to Wyoming. Mostly open spaces and lots of miles between places. I've also ridden in Wyoming. From my perspective, the FJR is a great fit. It's fast, comfortable, reliable, and gives one the ability to go long distances in one day.

I don't see any reason you shouldn't love it. When I was 15, I worked for a very good family friend who was from Casper. He was on the fire department there before moving here. That's all I know about the place. Lol...

 

[montanaman]

There is no better choice for the wide open spaces of Wyoming/Montana and other areas. I live in MW Montana and I just specifically got an FJR for the long distance, reliable, comfortable and solid ride. You will be covering vast distances some not so twisty. Sometimes hundreds of miles with nothing but the best scenery. If you want a bike that can tour on, go fast on, be comfortable on, tear up the Bearttooth on and not have to worry about service... look no further. It is the perfect choice for where you are going

 

[Pterodactyl]

FJR in WY, MT, CO, SD, UT, ID, NM = perfect.

 

[Ignacio]

FJR in WY, MT, CO, SD, UT, ID, NM = perfect.

Or 42 other states and 13 provinces or territories....also perfect. It might have to do with having "touring" in the model type....

 

[bigjohnsd]

I second Poor Boys as the place to get a steak in Casper!

Great rides within 200 miles of Casper.

I think you and your FJR will be quite happy from May until September.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Sure the FJR is a great bike almost anywhere, but it works especially well in covering long distances on roads with little traffic, good surfaces and with many long sweeping corners. These are conditions that abound in the region I described. I'm not trying to stir up a debate about who lives in the best riding country; just answering the question about how the FJR would be in WY. Being an Army brat and spending 25 years in the Army myself, I've had the opportunity to live and ride in many parts of the U.S., Canada and Europe. Every place has its positive attributes, but it is hard to beat the marriage of this region with the FJR. Just my opinion.

 

[Gmann]

FJR in Wyoming. Oh ya! As others have said......Great roads, no traffic, little radar. A marriage made in heaven for large sport touring bike.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Saw a survey recently that rated the states in the annual cost of operating a vehicle. The most expensive state is WY. The high cost is attributed to the long distances residents travel to accomplish routine tasks.

https://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/car-ownership-costs-by-state.aspx

 

[n7myr]

Wyoming

the least populated state in the nation

and darn proud of it

they invented the term elbow room

 

[Lostviking]

Wow, i didn't expect this much response, thanks so much!

Huh, seems pretty unamious. Relatively rare on the internet. I must be on the right path.

I almost went to work in Gillette in the early eighties. At the time I think Wyoming had a population of about 200,000 folks.

It is closer to 2,000,000 now.

I came back home to marry my wife. We made an agreement to never abandon our parents. They did so much for us. We felt the need to return the favor, as both sets were older. My wife had breast cancer so we don't have children. Long story short we are free to go at this point.

I see it as a good thing. I think I will appreciate it so much more now. I live in extreme northern New York about nine miles from Canada.

We have snow on the ground here from mid November through mid May. In comparing the historical averages. Casper looks to be a tad warmer than here, but not by much. But it will be windier for certain

I will not have to live in Casper proper. Probably anywhere to the north would work. For you folks who live there. Rest assured, I will not be a "Carpet Bagger" from the east looking to inject eastern ways into your lifestyle. The town I grew up in still does not have a traffic light to this day. We used to have to drive close to an hour to see a movie or get fast food. Without getting into politics, suffice it to say. I fit in better in the west than I do in my own state. Enough on that.

One of the things that has me looking hard at the FJR is its on road stability. I rode my bike through storms that had cars pulling over and never felt uncomforatble. The bike was rock solid in bad weather. I see that as a major advantage with the wind of the plains.

I have had my share of Blue and White propellers. But the distance between dealerships and the overall techiness has me looking back to the Tuning Fork. I have also had my share of Yamahas and they have been extremely solid. I took my FJR to a MOA rally and the folks who were not drinking the Kool-Aid were duly impressed. I met another guy there who was a life long Beemer guy. He was also on the FJR. We agreed about how well the bike worked. Horses for courses, but I just fit well on it.

Mine was an '07 and had a slight, very slight buzz in the bars. The 2010 I rode had none. It was tubine smooth. I read everywhere that the latest generation is at least as smooth if not smoother. The addition of heated grips and cruise is just icing on the cake for me. Where I live I spend more time trying to stay warm, than trying to stay cool. Frankly, I love heated grips.

All this is somewhat cart before the horse. But I am excited about the potential. New job, new state, new people, new roads to ride. What fun. I have been looking at other bikes as well. I have had a long standing one bike rule. The new Tiger has some appeal too. But I may bend my rule and head in the direction of an FJR for roads and big miles. And something like a KLR or F650 for dirt roads, and Forest Service type riding.

Thanks again for all the great feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

LV,

 

[Lostviking]

Saw a survey recently that rated the states in the annual cost of operating a vehicle. The most expensive state is WY. The high cost is attributed to the long distances residents travel to accomplish routine tasks. https://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/car-ownership-costs-by-state.aspx

I took a look at that chart. Pretty interesting. I see they did not include Tax, Title and License. I bet that would alter the numbers somewhat.

I have to guess that the antelope add a bit to Wyoming's overall cost. Those "Turbo Goats" make me nervous.

 

[Lostviking]

I guess it's a good time for a picture. The Tetons from the Idaho side. This was heading back toward the east on my last big bike trip.



Man has Driggs ever grown up. I remember back when the pick-up with the Potato on the bed was a major attraction. Not it looks like a suburb of Jackson.

 

[n7myr]

from the Wyoming side