Frustrated with Yamaha, considering BMW

[DUX]

I know everyone here loves their FJR, and I would probably love to own one too, but would someone please tell me why Yamaha makes it so impossible to see an FJR in person? In addition, I'm sure that a test drive is out of the question! Please don't say exclusivity, I think that's b.s.

I've been looking at the FJR online for years now and have yet to find one in a dealership to even sit on! The dealer that I talked to this weekend doesn't even like to deal with them b/c the customers get angry with him when the bike is late on delivery.

By comparison, I went to a BMW dealership this week and they wheeled out the GS for me to test ride at my request. We then took the RT for a 45 mile loop. The 2006 1200GT was my big interest, but it was in the back of the dealership, so they pulled out the K1200S and suggested that I take it for a ride while they got the GT ready! All of this and the only thing they asked for was a copy of my drivers license!

I'm going back to the BMW shop tomorrow to take the wife for a spin on the GT again. I am seriously considering it. Besides the usualy fan-boy rhetoric and BMW bashing, has anyone spent enough time on both to write an honest comparison? I will not put $500 down for the priveledge of waiting for a bike that I've never ridden, and Yamaha has turned me off with the color this year.

I'm not bashing the FJR at all, I think that it's an incredible machine, but how many others have Yamaha driven away with this crap?

 

[GalaxyBlue]

Well, You gotta do whats right for you. Have you tried to locate a member in your area? You didnt fill out your personal info so we don't really know where your at.

Patience is golden with waiting... Most everyone bought blind here and were not dissappointed!

Good luck with your choice.

 

[zzkenoman]

I believe everyone who purchased FJRs up to 05 have waited, so there is a bit more pride in your bike. Yeah Yamaha sucks at letting us wait, but most of us have other bikes to ride meanwhile. Maybe you should buy the BMW, it would be one less guy without patience here.

 

[Wolfhound]

I went to the dealer here in Arizona and looked at an '06 AE & decided I wanted an A(clutch,none in town) so went to Southern CA & they had them at every dealer, purchased one & rode it home. The '07 will be in all the dealers showrooms as they did away with putting money down and waiting.....I personally have better uses for the $7000 or so that I saved by not wasting money on a BMW or the attitude some come with...I don't care what a person rides as long as he rides & enjoys it....

 

[JohnB]

The lack of a "test fleet" has always been a problem with most if not all Japanese bikes. Part of the problem is that they offer so many models that it's virtually impossible to have one of each for tests. BMW on the other hand has many fewer models. And, you pay a hefty premium for the privilege of being able to test ride the Beemers when you buy one. The overhead of the test fleet is built into the price.

Buying Japanese is essentially a "leap of faith". I think that most who take the leap, however, are not disappointed. Also, in my area for example, there are 8 Yamaha dealers within 30 miles of my home. There's only 1 BMW dealer.

 

[dcarver]

I understand your impatience. If money is no object, I'd first consider a Harley then a BMW. (and if you belive that one...) For the rest of us poor folk, the FJR is the bike that rocks.. Hmmm. I know what you mean about BMW dealers… The 5 or so that I've dealt with have been much more 'family' oriented.. Mamma Yamma, please listen here. When I arrive at ANY BMW dealer on my 44 year old bike, I get treated like a king. Not the same with Yammie dealers.. Not to disrespect Yamaha.. but the family feel of BMW is something other mfrs could/should emulate. On the other hand, my FJR out the door price + mods is still way less than the BMW and I have brakes I can actually modulate…

 

[JohnB]

I understand your impatience. If money is no object, I'd first consider a Harley then a BMW. (and if you belive that one...) For the rest of us poor folk, the FJR is the bike that rocks.. Hmmm. I know what you mean about BMW dealers… The 5 or so that I've dealt with have been much more 'family' oriented.. Mamma Yamma, please listen here. When I arrive at ANY BMW dealer on my 44 year old bike, I get treated like a king. Not the same with Yammie dealers.. Not to disrespect Yamaha.. but the family feel of BMW is something other mfrs could/should emulate. On the other hand, my FJR out the door price + mods is still way less than the BMW and I have brakes I can actually modulate…

I was considering a Beemer before I bought my FJR. The one dealer in my area ignored me for 45 minutes while I waited in his showroom. This is hardly what I would call "family oriented". I guess you can get away with that when you're the only game in town.

 

[Mogambo]

Concur with what someone else said. Where you from, son?

I bought my first FJR having had to to drive 90 miles just to see it. The dealer let me sit on someone else's to see what I thought. Too bad. The dealer had to call the local SWAT team to get me off. Still, I plunked down 500 clams to get one without ever having ridden one. I have just bought my second FJR. I never even condiered another bike. There's just something about it. My first was the 04. The second is the 06. It's just more of what was already good.

Sometimes in life you just have to go for it.

There was a time when people would actually wait until after they were married to have ***. We're only talking about a bike, here. Catch my drift? Imagine getting married to someone and THEN finding out that she wouldn't.....__________ __________ ___________ (fill in the blanks).

Another thing to consider, is when you are on the road, it is a comfort knowing that finding a dealer, if you need one (which is rare) is pretty easy to do. If you need service with a BMW, (which is not all that rare) it's another story altogether.

 

[ejworthen]

I like the fact that both the BMW and Triumph dealers I have been to allow you to test ride the bikes they sell. Funny thing is, the Triumphs command no where near the price BMW does. If they can do it, why can't the Japanese bike dealers do it? The whole buying an FJR sight unseen thing is very frustrating.

I have been wanting an FJR for sometime now. I've ridden the Triumph Sprint ST, Ducati ST3, and BMW R1200ST. Despite having never been able to ride an FJR I still feel it's the bike to go with. I have had people offer to let me ride their FJR's and I'm sure if you let people know your location you will get some offers yourself. Most FJR owners understand the situation and are willing to help you out.

If you're willing to pay an extra $7,000 for a K1200GT over an FJR go for it. IMO it's not worth $7,000 more than a FJR. The GT is a really nice bike but it's also a really expensive bike. Plus, from all I've read, I'm not so sure BMW's reliability is what it used to be.

 

[Bounce]

WFO (multiple times)

EFO

CFO

SFO

Plenty of oportunities to hook up with users if really motivated. Same with dealers. Dealership rides of someone else's bike (pre-ordered) would seem a little much. Other than that, spend 25% or more extra at a BMW shop and you can be sure that some dealerships will keep a spare around for the riff raff.

 

[fjr]

I had an 04 K12GT(not the same beast as the new one) but was kind of disappointed in the number of problems I had that necessitated a trip back to the dealership. The ECU was replaced and the fuel line leaked and stained the valve cover. I still have an 04 RT and really like that bike but felt the premium on the GT was not worth it. I bought an 05 FJR without a test ride and was not disappointed. I had heard about heat issues but I have a Honda CBR that runs much hotter. Problems with my FJR- none! I've got the $7K in a CD.

Most bikes I've owned I haven't test ridden, but I think you can kind of get a feel for a bike in reviews by owners and mags. I'd be reluctant to buy another GT based on my experience but am thinking of a new RT at some point.

 

[Jeff Tate]

I couldn't be happier with the Yamaha dealer I bought my FJR from. I did have to wait 6 weeks for mine but from what I've read here over the last year and a half others had to wait much longer. The iceing on the cake was that when it showed up the weather was lousy and I was in the middle of working a week of night shifts so they delivered the bike in a covered trailer 60 miles to my house and we did the paper work at my kitchen table. And... (knock on wood) this is the only bike I've ever bought that hasn't had any problems and it was set up perfect.

My HUGE thanks to Power Yamaha of Sublimity Oregon.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I bought an '05 off the showroom floor. Before I did, I test rode one at another Sacramento dealership. There are AE's on the floor now around here and you can test ride them at some dealerships. This is not normal, I understand, but it isn't completely unheard of either.

That said, BMW is really good at sales. They understand that they have to suck you in to get you to pay that much. I would say though, that if you rode all them BMW's and you didn't buy one yet, that maybe they don't have the right bike for you.

Try hard to ride an FJR. Where are you? Maybe someone nice will offer you a spin. I rode 4 BMW's and was undecided. I rode the FJR all of 10 seconds before I knew it was the bike for me.

 

[Cdogman]

I went for a 450 mile road trip. From dealer to dealar one saturday. Found one and bought it.

It can be done. I was however "Keeping an eye" on my local dealer. He could not deliver. If you are within striking distace of Las Vegas you can usually get one there too

 

[DUX]

Thanks for the input guys. I knew there would be some flaming and not so subtle griping, but for the most part you came through!

For the record, I am a patient person. That's why I haven't thrown down the deposit on the FJR or a BMW yet.

I also own a VTX1800R, a VFR750, and an RC-51. I tested both the (Japanese) VTX and RC-51 before buying with no obligation from the dealer.

I do not shop locally (Dover, DE) because the dealer here told me that the $500 deposit was an ordering fee for the bike and did not apply to the price, of which he was also charging over MSRP. My Honda's have all come from 3 hour road trips to a dealer that is fair and reliable.

Everyone enjoy your bikes. I'm going to take the test ride again this morning because I never turn down the opportunity to try something different. We'll just have to see how it all works out.

Maybe you should buy the BMW, it would be one less guy without patience here.

Someone's a little sensitive! :glare:

 

[chornbe]

Where do you live? I know where there's a new one, and I might could be talked in to letting you take mine for a spin if you're close by.

I know everyone here loves their FJR, and I would probably love to own one too, but would someone please tell me why Yamaha makes it so impossible to see an FJR in person? In addition, I'm sure that a test drive is out of the question! Please don't say exclusivity, I think that's b.s.
I've been looking at the FJR online for years now and have yet to find one in a dealership to even sit on! The dealer that I talked to this weekend doesn't even like to deal with them b/c the customers get angry with him when the bike is late on delivery.

By comparison, I went to a BMW dealership this week and they wheeled out the GS for me to test ride at my request. We then took the RT for a 45 mile loop. The 2006 1200GT was my big interest, but it was in the back of the dealership, so they pulled out the K1200S and suggested that I take it for a ride while they got the GT ready! All of this and the only thing they asked for was a copy of my drivers license!

I'm going back to the BMW shop tomorrow to take the wife for a spin on the GT again. I am seriously considering it. Besides the usualy fan-boy rhetoric and BMW bashing, has anyone spent enough time on both to write an honest comparison? I will not put $500 down for the priveledge of waiting for a bike that I've never ridden, and Yamaha has turned me off with the color this year.

I'm not bashing the FJR at all, I think that it's an incredible machine, but how many others have Yamaha driven away with this crap?

 

[zzkenoman]

Yep, flamming is what we do here, but usually on the bikes passing up BMW's. I'm certain you'll find the FJR at a dealer somewhere, here in SoCal they are on the floors at almost all the big dealerships. And if you got the $$$$ to pay for the Beemers, you'll most likely to test ride one too. Good luck and let us know what your impression is.

 

[Wolfhound]

Dealership network is a big considerstion with BMW. Won't find many while on the road. I couldn't base my decision on whether a company allows you to test ride or not. As has been stated FJRs no longer need money down, they did away with that program this year, they will be in all dealerships this year , & if your serious I'm sure someone would allow you a ride on theres ....

 

[Radical]

Hey Dux I just picked up an 06 FJR and yes it was hard to find but after many calls I found one. I also have owned BMWs and just this week rode an RT. They are nice bikes however in my opinion, the fit and finish on the FJR is every bit as nice and the power curve is much better. You'll also find the BMW to ride smooth and comfortable with a few things the FJR does not come with such as cruise control heated grips, stuff like that. What you have to weigh out is which bike "fits" you the most and because it's difficult to get a demo on an FJR that will be hard to do. I can tell you that I am 5'9" tall with a 29-30" inseam, 180lbs and while I'm not completely flat footed it is darn close. The FJRs riding position can be changed easily by adjusting seat and bars while the adjustment to seat height on the BMW is a 400 buck charge for a new seat. I found the BMW to handle extremely well and is well mannered however rides more like my Wing. The FJR is smooth, powerful, and comfortable with handling next to none. I hope this helps.