FJR vs M109 Susuki

[stealth1]

I'd bet that 109 was 'chipped.' Dorks!

The 109 would have been quicker with a car tire,

 

[HotRodZilla]

That video is flawed. That was only 1/8 mile. On a 1/4 mile race, once that M109 was shifted into second, it would "walk away" from that FJR. I mean, it would have to jog to catch up to the FJR, but once it did, if the FJR rider turned off his key, that M109 would teach the FJR a valuable lesson.

 

[lnewlf]

I'd bet that 109 was 'chipped.' Dorks!

The 109 would have been quicker with a car tire,

So would the Feej- think I'll throw on an eight inch wrinkle wall Goodyear....should lean good too...

 

[wmadoty]

...I think the 109 will take the FJR in a 1/8th mile *DRAG* race. Long wheelbase, big back tire, gearing means you can get on that puppy hard off the line without fear. WAY harder than an FJR. 1/4 ,mile, my money shifts over the FJR.

The FJR isn't exactly a short, wheelie prone bike either ya know. "WAY harder"? Hardly.

She gets the front wheel off the ground pretty easily. Remember that the starting spot on a drag stip is real sticky. Scared the hell out of me the first time I launched the big girl.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Nor have I. Not a problem or a "concern". I wouldn't have a bike that wasn't shaft driven.

That said, on of my friend actually had his drive shaft seize on his bike due to lack of lubrication. So this is not an FJR only concern.

Never heard of a drive shaft seizing on any FJRs before.

 

[palerider]

I have seized my shaft drive.

 

[Big Sky]

That video is flawed. That was only 1/8 mile. On a 1/4 mile race, once that M109 was shifted into second, it would "walk away" from that FJR. I mean, it would have to jog to catch up to the FJR, but once it did, if the FJR rider turned off his key, that M109 would teach the FJR a valuable lesson.

The above reminds me of a riding pal from 35 years ago. He was always harassing some of the local H-D guys about how pokey their bikes were. My pal had a Honda 750C - 1980. He finally got one of the H-D guys riled enough to agree to a drag race. My buddy ran out of gas about three-fourths of the way through the quarter mile and still beat the H-D easily.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I have seized my shaft drive.

That sounds like a personal issue to me...but I won't intrude.

 

[chazglenn3]

That video is flawed. That was only 1/8 mile. On a 1/4 mile race, once that M109 was shifted into second, it would "walk away" from that FJR. I mean, it would have to jog to catch up to the FJR, but once it did, if the FJR rider turned off his key, that M109 would teach the FJR a valuable lesson.

The above reminds me of a riding pal from 35 years ago. He was always harassing some of the local H-D guys about how pokey their bikes were. My pal had a Honda 750C - 1980. He finally got one of the H-D guys riled enough to agree to a drag race. My buddy ran out of gas about three-fourths of the way through the quarter mile and still beat the H-D easily.

Absolutely hilarious!

 

[HotRodZilla]

That video is flawed. That was only 1/8 mile. On a 1/4 mile race, once that M109 was shifted into second, it would "walk away" from that FJR. I mean, it would have to jog to catch up to the FJR, but once it did, if the FJR rider turned off his key, that M109 would teach the FJR a valuable lesson.

The above reminds me of a riding pal from 35 years ago. He was always harassing some of the local H-D guys about how pokey their bikes were. My pal had a Honda 750C - 1980. He finally got one of the H-D guys riled enough to agree to a drag race. My buddy ran out of gas about three-fourths of the way through the quarter mile and still beat the H-D easily.

Ouch. Of course, it is little tidbits like this that make them so easy to tease.

 

[Bungie]

A few years back I bought a 2-fitty Ninja for bombing around town.

I have a buddy with a big suzuki cruiser (no clue on the size).. he was riding with a guy on an HD Softail (I think, wasn't a sporty, wasn't a full bagger)... anyway, I catch up behind them. Buddy see's me and gives me a reverse wave. A few moments later were all stopped and making a right turn onto the hwy.

HD boy is first. Suzuki is second, I'm in the tail spot.

HD boy gasses it. Big Thunder. No go. My buddy gases it, and passes him handily.

I stay on the Suzuki's tail until he completes the pass. Then proceed to ring that little bastards neck. It took both of them handily, and, sounded like a jar full of pissed off bees doing it.

Get off the bikes later and HD guy asks me if that's a 1000, or 750?

You should've seen his face when I said 2-fitty.

 

[Fred W]

Ignacio's Law #1 is always amusing.

PS - what's a "reverse wave"? Is that like a one finger salute?

 

[palerider]

I have seized my shaft drive.

That sounds like a personal issue to me...but I won't intrude.

Much obliged.

 

[ApexGT]

Cruisers suck in every way a motorcycle can suck except for looks. The only way anyone will remain convinced of how fast their cruiser is ,is if they never ride an actual fast bike.

What he said !!

Why are we even comparing the Mighty FJR to a cruiser , read " parade float" !!

 

[HyperPete]

Stock FJR. M109 has after market exhaust, intake and "power chip". Obviously the FJR would out handle the M109.
How about flat out race? Would the FJR be faster off the line, 1/4 mile, top end?

Co-worker has M109. Says it does 140 before he even knows it. I have ridden cruisers. If he is hitting 140 it's with a little work and it's probably pretty unstable. I know the FJR is going to be a nicer ride at 100+ for sure. My Honda cruiser is flat out scary at anything over 90. The FJR feels the same at 90 as it does at 50.

I rode the M109 in a big parking lot. It's pretty torquey (is that a word), but not sure it's faster then the FJR in any distance.

Thoughts?

My riding different bikes is pretty limited. Lots of miles but only on a handful of bikes.

It has one of those big fat tires on the back. I was surprised how well I could turn it around at parking lot speeds.

I know this is an old thread, but I have an M109R too. Mine makes about 126 HP, 119 Torque with aftermarket exhaust and intakes. It's fast for a cruiser, but the FJR is just faster. I can maneuver the M109R through the twisties pretty well, but I'm sure it's far easier on the FJR. I love the M109R for what it is, but it's no sport bike or touring bike.

However, when it comes to looks, I think the M109R wins, hands down. The FJR is just a generic sportbike look.

EDIT: I retract the above statement. I see the point you have made, collectively, below.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

While I applaud you for the customizing you have done and will say that it does look very, very good, I will disagree with you. I believe that Form Follows Function and beauty is a result of functionality. It is that way with boats, weapons, tools, and motorcycles.

I like the look of the stock M109 and I would never say anything negative about a bike that someone customized as yours is. But I could sit and stare for hours at my 2015 FJR, I get lost in the sharp, purposeful angles of the fairing, the bird of prey nose, the sleekness of the saddlebags, the menace of the wide rear tire. I am over the M109 after about 60 seconds.

I suppose it is each to his own, we all like what we like.

 

[HyperPete]

Thank you for the compliment.

I can tell you that anywhere I go on the M109R I get looks and comments. It attracts attention. My 2004 FJR1300, not so much. Then again, it's not all customized / farkled either. I also agree that the newer models look nicer. And if I put the money that I put into the M109R into the FJR, it would be pretty sweet.

I like both, obviously, or I would not own them, but in my experience, the M109R gets more attention. Also, I would expect that people here on the FJR forum will prefer the looks of the FJR1300. Nothing wrong with that!

 

[Fred W]

Let me preface this by saying that I love what you've done to your M109.

The counter to your statement comparing "looks" is that the M109 is just another Asian bike trying to look like a Harley. There is certainly no shortage of those kind of bikes around.

To further on what Redfish Hunter said: To me, all cruisers are ugly because they do not make any sense from a functional standpoint. Their lack of design purpose affects my perception of their beauty.

The FJR, on the other hand, looks like it's going 100 mph when it's parked, even in lock stock form.. To me, that is beautiful...

From my first day of ownership:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Whatever floats your boat...but trying to convince anFJRForum that the Suzuki cruiser looks better than the Forum bike is just trollin.

Good for you that you have both. Which are you going to take on that cross country trip?

 

[El Toro]

Well, I like the looks of the Rocket III Touring. It looks fully functional for its purpose, at least to me.

150 ft-lbs of torque doesn't hurt anything either. Not much horsepower, but the torque curve is quite flat from not far off idle on out. The Carpenterized versions of the bike are reported to make well over 200 hp, and the motor and drive train take it in stride. I have no interest in this, but the basic powerplant is a serious 2.3 liters (140 cubic inches).

If there were ever a bike that did not need a transmission, the R3T might be the one.

It handles pretty nicely too. Seriously. Not just "for it's weight." However, there is no doubt that the FJR handles better, or that the FJR is a lot sportier ... and I think the FJR would pull away from the R3T, although maybe not as dramatically as it would bury the rest of that ilk.

At one time I would always end up buying an FJR due to the need for the AE feature, and then later selling the FJR because I no longer needed the AE feature, and I liked the R3T better for trips, and I liked the K1300S for sport.

This past year, when I needed the AE feature again, I bought two of them. And now I've decided that the FJR really is the best all around bike. I'm pretty fickle. But since they're no longer bringing the AE model into the US, it isn't likely that I'll be letting that bike go until I'm done riding. It may be the last one left in my stable when the time comes.