FJR's don't like dirt - let alone floods and ...
- Thread starter Yowie
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Old Guy
Well-known member
I live on a dirt road and do fine on it until another layer of gravel is laid on top of it. Then, for a few days until it packs, the FJR is a serious handful. Oddly, my much heavier Goldwing was easier to handle on loose stuff.
Nah. FJR’s on unpaved roads? That’s crazy talk!
Yeah, that's my experience with the FJR, so far. Pretty much the same as any big roadie, but the wheelbase, high centre-of-gravity and lovely paintwork all conspire to amplify percieved instability.
Will get another electric tire pump and try out various pressures. Till then might just lower my pressures a bit and play more with suspension settings.
lolol In the old days would have just used a bit more whiskey and not given a rat's about the paintwork, or the leaking blood and hospital visits. But times change and bones get more brittle.
Will check the legal implications here in Oz - probably not an issue. But steering input through the bars (in corners) indicates an unhappy (potentially unstable) bike. Might be OK for racking up miles, but possibly not for doing it on mountain roads. Still, it obviously works for a lot of folks!
Do you reckon that may have been due to a lower centre-of-gravity?
Old Guy
Well-known member
I think lower center of gravity, wider front tire, more upright riding position, and wider bars all helped.
Yeah, right.
BigOgre
Well-known member
Saw that coming.
A couple times this year we rode the FJR 2-up in to our favourite hot springs, over a rough, potholed gravel road...in the rain, at night the first time. The second time on the way out we met a couple of GS riders stopped beside the road, trying to decide if it was too rough to keep going. When they saw us, the first guy said "we had better be able to make it if you can!" Sometimes you just have to "run what you brung".
I have ridden some gravel on an RZ350 and a Guzzi V11 LeMans, so I don't mind a challenge. At least the FJR doesn't have clip ons.
I met a guy and his female pillion on an FJR heading up the Dempster highway a few years ago, when I was coming down on my Stelvio. He was doing just fine.
I don't think the FJR is any worse on dirt than most other street bikes.
I have ridden some gravel on an RZ350 and a Guzzi V11 LeMans, so I don't mind a challenge. At least the FJR doesn't have clip ons.
I met a guy and his female pillion on an FJR heading up the Dempster highway a few years ago, when I was coming down on my Stelvio. He was doing just fine.
I don't think the FJR is any worse on dirt than most other street bikes.
I must admit, with lower tire pressures, and softened-up suspension, it's not TOO bad.
I've racked-up well over a thousand off-road K's on some of the shjttiest roads you'll ever see (not mention the higher distance I've done on mucked-up once tar roads) since getting it a few weeks ago. We've had multiple floods over the last couple of months. The road crews and graders have been out in force though, so the roads which aren't kinda disintegrated are deep in freshly layed course gravel.
Yesterday I deliberately aimed for many of the thicker gravel bits and ignored the mal-effects. Worked pretty well as long the power was on.
You really have to work hard though! If you drop into the overly cambered bits there's no coming back!
Have, unfortunately, warped a disc (maybe two) by running too hot through causeways deep in water. And the neck has lossened up a lot. Both these issues need pretty prompt fixing.
Other than those things, the bike has had no issues at all!
A really good thorough service is what's next on the agenda - unless ....
metalman
Well-known member
I have a driveway approximately one half mile long with several curves that's gravel, so I practice 'off road' every time I leave and return to the house. 
There you go, that's your problem. Perhaps you might consider using the FJR to go places instead of playing hooligan? Buy a plated dirt bike for "crossing it up on 6" deep gravel". I've ridden in deep gravel, crossed dry river beds with loose 6" diameter rock, ridden up rutted dirt roads in the rain, mud and sand on the FJR w/o dropping it. I'm not a great rider, but I don't do stupid stuff on a 600 lb bike either. And a CT does help traction a lot.Would be great to see some video of FJR's, running road tires, crossed up on 6" deep gravel! lololol If noone can post any, I'll see what I can do to fix that
And take a rider training course. Your 20 year old skills don't cut it. You have 4 years of riding experience. I wouldn't even suggest you ride an FJR until you actually have more current experience. When you start talking about miles or kms of experience instead of years, you may have graduated. Some riders claiming 20 years experience barely have 10k miles of actual riding.
Here's a boy that[s ridden many years and is self-effacing about his riding skills.
lololol um... problem? What problem? lololol
Love you, and your alter, too. XXX
OOOExcuse me, but I'll just be riding on. On dirty, dirty, dirty roads and having a ferkin' dirty, gravelly ball
Plenty here , tons to go 'round! We don't even care if you're bike has
car tires lololollo. Come on over
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Certainly not a turnip!
Got a report that this was an abusive post.
Recommending that people get additional training is NOT abusive.
Abusive would be claiming that it was abusive was "as f'd up a soup sandwich."
... even if it was.
Got ANOTHER report of "being mean" (paraphrased) on message #34 this time. Again, not candy-coated but encouraging additional training is a strong message.
Don't expect to be spoon-fed or to have some sort of "safe space" here. We're all courteous and cordial (even when dripping in cutting wit), but this space is more like a bunch of friends hanging out in the garage while 1 of us actually does some work with the rest wise cracking and fulfilling their divine roll of "Peanut Gallery" members.
Don't expect to be spoon-fed or to have some sort of "safe space" here. We're all courteous and cordial (even when dripping in cutting wit), but this space is more like a bunch of friends hanging out in the garage while 1 of us actually does some work with the rest wise cracking and fulfilling their divine roll of "Peanut Gallery" members.
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