I know this may be a stupid question, but how does the FJR compare to the 1200 bandit in the handling arena? I have a riding buddy that has a B12 and he can rock on that thing. Is the FJR comparible or will I be catching up to him at the next stop?
FJR VS Bandit
- Thread starter Reddog15
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
twowheelnut
R.I.P. Our Motorcycling Friend
Word.
I'd say it's rider dependent. Our group rides with B12 hooligan. He's squidy fast, but Ojai Roy can hang right there with him on his FJR.
TheBlueStreak
Well-known member
Hi Reddog,
I have an 01' B12S and have ridden a 04' and 05' FJF. First of all, the B12 is lighter and is more flickable than the FJR. So it itakes a more effort to flog the FJR around corners. Other than than, I think they are very similar, both great handling machines with equal levels of power.
What will make the biggest difference is your ridding skill vs. your friends. :bigeyes:
Good luck and lets be careful out there!!
Rob
I have an 01' B12S and have ridden a 04' and 05' FJF. First of all, the B12 is lighter and is more flickable than the FJR. So it itakes a more effort to flog the FJR around corners. Other than than, I think they are very similar, both great handling machines with equal levels of power.
What will make the biggest difference is your ridding skill vs. your friends. :bigeyes:
Good luck and lets be careful out there!!
Rob
Thanks for the replies. My friend is a great safe rider and is very smooth on his bandit. I have a high self preservation factor so tend to ride a little slower. Just wanted to get a feel for how the FJR handles compared to the Bandit. Have also ridden with a friend with a CBR XX and he flat rocked on that bike! how is the handling compared to the XX?
RadioHowie
I Miss Beemerdons!
Wow...what a hard to answer question, based on the variables.
The 'zook will definitely outhandle the FJR heads-up, corner for corner, but SOOO much is dependent on the driver.
This past weekend I spent a couple of hours chasing some VERY fast hooligans through the Ocala National Forest on a group ZRX Owner's Association get together.
Just for fun (and thrills and deathwish) I went with the 'A' group for a ride when I got a little bored with the pace of the 'B' group. I was on my FJR. The rest of the pack consisted of heavily modified ZRXs, a few stock ZRXs, a new, unbroken-in Gixxer 1000, a new Triumph Speed Triple, a new Triumph 900 Thruxton and a CBR1000R.
Out of that whole bunch, me and the Feejer were sixth in line hauling ASS through the forest. 30mph turns became 90mph sweepers. And boy, did I have to muscle that 600+ pounds through those turns. But some would say I'm a bit squidly, too, but I kept the pace-setters in sight. My chicken-stripes are totally gone, but lemme tell ya...touching down a peg at 90mph on a bike this big and top heavy is a puckermaker. Fun, though, to look in your mirrors and see a Gixxer1000, CBR1000 and Speed Triple BEHIND YOU!
It was also very gratifying to show a bunch of fellow ZRXers how competent the FJR is. Faster, too, on top, I believe. That tupperware does help the beast slip through the air better than the barn door known as a ZRX.
The 'zook will definitely outhandle the FJR heads-up, corner for corner, but SOOO much is dependent on the driver.
This past weekend I spent a couple of hours chasing some VERY fast hooligans through the Ocala National Forest on a group ZRX Owner's Association get together.
Just for fun (and thrills and deathwish) I went with the 'A' group for a ride when I got a little bored with the pace of the 'B' group. I was on my FJR. The rest of the pack consisted of heavily modified ZRXs, a few stock ZRXs, a new, unbroken-in Gixxer 1000, a new Triumph Speed Triple, a new Triumph 900 Thruxton and a CBR1000R.
Out of that whole bunch, me and the Feejer were sixth in line hauling ASS through the forest. 30mph turns became 90mph sweepers. And boy, did I have to muscle that 600+ pounds through those turns. But some would say I'm a bit squidly, too, but I kept the pace-setters in sight. My chicken-stripes are totally gone, but lemme tell ya...touching down a peg at 90mph on a bike this big and top heavy is a puckermaker. Fun, though, to look in your mirrors and see a Gixxer1000, CBR1000 and Speed Triple BEHIND YOU!
It was also very gratifying to show a bunch of fellow ZRXers how competent the FJR is. Faster, too, on top, I believe. That tupperware does help the beast slip through the air better than the barn door known as a ZRX.
![fjackets Real Lambskin Leather Biker Jacket — Quilted Cafe Racer Zip Up Moto Leather Jackets For Men | [1100085] Johnson Brown, XL](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41I7Pm1f+vL._SL500_.jpg)
I got rid of my B12 and got an FJR and they are night and day different in the handling dept. Now, as mentioned there's so many vairables. First my Bandit had completely reworked suspension front and rear calibrated to my weight. The Bandit handled so so so much better than my FJR. Since it was year ago that my Bandit had stock suspension it's hard for me to compare it to a stock FJR. The main thing is the weight difference. This shows it's ugly head while transitioning left to right and vice versa. I've only had the FJR for a week and I'm still searching for suspension setting, but I beleive in the right hands one could hang with 99% of the riders out there on an FJR. You just have to realize it's not gonna give you the feedback that a dialed in much lighter and better suspended bike will give you. The bike WILL corner, it just takes guts to rail a 600+ pound bike around corners at first! I can't wait to go on a sporting ride with my friends for a full evaluation of the stock handling.
Mike
Mike
Last edited by a moderator:
