Hot Yamaha
Yamaha revises its FJR 1300, the sport-tourer that already commands 28% of its market segment and makes it even better.
It’s funny, now, to think back about Yamaha officials being unsure of the sales potential of their FJR1300 sport-tourer motorcycle. You probably remember that this is the world-market model Yamaha made available only through a deposit program back in 2003 because the company was unsure that it would find many owners in the North American market.
Oh ye of little faith. The FJR1300 now commands 28-percent of the market segment populated by bikes like Honda’s ST1300, BMW’s R1200RT, Ducati’s ST3, and Triumph’s Sprint ST, among others. To continue the success, Yamaha has revised the bike in a number of important ways, not least of which is that ABS is now standard equipment on all models.
Although the brawny 1298cc inline four is carried over essentially unchanged, it does get four three-way catalysts to comply with new EU emissions regs. Two of them are in the collector section between the four separate exhaust headers and the two side slung mufflers. Two more cats are found in the mufflers themselves. A heated oxygen sensor tightens up the fuel mixture control when the engine is cold.
Changes were made to the transmission to reduce the overall numerical ratios, thereby making all gears a little taller (by 2.7%) for a more leisurely feel at highway cruising speeds. Since the engine demonstrates prodigious flexibility, this has a meaningful impact on the long haul.
Changes were made to the bike’s chassis too, among them the fitting of a 1.4-inch longer aluminum rear swingarm, a new detachable rear sub-frame, and forks with extra bushings for a smoother action. Also in the interest of improved comfort were changes made to the distribution of air that has passed through the bike’s radiator. Older FJRs would toast the rider’s thighs, but by fitting a new curved radiator with twin cooling fans, adding a heat shield between engine and tank, redesigning the airflow through the fairing, and raising the tank by about 0.4-inches, Yamaha has greatly improved the situation.
To enhance the rider’s perspective, there are new gauges to look at, and new adjustable handlebars that can move to one of three positions to best suit the rider. The power-adjustable windscreen—already one of the best in the business—was redesigned to move almost an inch higher, and two inches nearer the rider.
A two-position seat now allows riders to tailor their position a little better, with a three-quarter inch difference in height from one to the other. To improve the lives of lane-splitting Californian riders, the bike’s standard side bags have mounting points fully two inches narrower than before, increasing that all-important side clearance. Among the various subtle styling changes introduced for the 2006 FJR is the use of twin-stalk mirrors, clear lens turn signals, a revised headlamp cutout in the fairing to accommodate fresh air intakes, and a new tail light.
But by far the most important technical innovation on 2006 FJRs is the optional electric-shift feature, which does away with the conventional clutch lever, and effects gearshifts with a computer-controlled electric mechanism known as YCCS. The model so equipped is called an FJR1300AE, where the A is for ABS, and the E is for electric shifting.
Yamaha’s computer controlled shift system is essentially a manual transmission with a servomotor to operate the clutch and another to shift gears. The rider still has to operate the throttle in the normal way, and trigger shifts by either thumbing a switch at the left hand grip (which has first to be initialized by pushing a button provided), or using the shift lever at the left foot, which is now merely a switch.
The usual sequential transmission format has been altered to one with neutral at the bottom. So you keep shifting down until you reach neutral. The computer won’t allow real bonehead moves like a downshift that would put engine revs above the redline, and it lets the clutch in while starting at about 1300 rpm to prevent inadvertent wheelies.
It doesn’t take long to get accustomed to the electric shift, and the system has clearly been developed with great care, but the question remains; who really needs this? The short answer is, people who want to avoid operating a manual clutch because of arthritis, hand injury, or weakness. Convenience plays a part too, since clutch work in stop-and-go traffic can get tiresome.
But what’s really wanted here, I think, is a fully automated system like those in paddle-shift Ferraris and Lamborghinis, where the throttle is also under the control of the computer. With those systems you simply leave the throttle where it is and pull the paddle. The computer closes the throttle, declutches, shifts, and re-engages the clutch as it opens the throttle to its original position in a smoothly co-ordinated sequence of events.
Since Yamaha itself already has the world’s first production motorcycle fly-by-wire throttle system on its R6 sportbike, we can confidently expect this to happen on the next-generation FJR.
So the decision to buy the AE version of this bike is up to the person writing the check. But the bike itself—in either form—is undeniably a good idea, if what you’re after is a bike with the intense acceleration of a sportbike, the long-distance comfort and convenience of a tourer, and handling capabilities to match.
While cornering clearance is compromised somewhat by the bike’s centerstand and low-slung footpegs, it will still crank through corners at a respectable clip, likely scaring most passengers into registering their displeasure with a smack upside the rider’s helmet. At a weight somewhere beyond 520 pounds, the bike is substantial, but it boasts Yamaha’s unified braking system, which shares front and rear braking duties in a way that feels both natural and powerful.
The rear brake pedal operates the rear caliper and one front brake caliper, while the right-hand lever adds clamping force at the remaining six pistons (of eight) on the front brakes. It sounds weird, but it’s definitely more intuitive in operation—a slightly less intense front-brake response notwithstanding—than other shared braking systems I’ve tried.
The best thing about the FJR is that it’s an everyday bike as well as an interstate cruiser. You could go to work on it. Or you could go to Alaska on it.
Just like the normal - or electric-shift transmission conundrum, it’s your call.
