Gen1 Vs Gen2 And Why

[FJRBluesman]

OK. I don't believe this has been posted before in this manner, and it might be heading for NEPRT, but....

I really want to hear from those that have owned both a GenI and a GenII. Answer the poll, post up what you chose and why you chose it. What makes that bike better, in your opinion.

Yesterday while meeting up at On the Rocks in Redondo Beach, CA, with Fairlaner, James Burleigh, Silver Penguin, doug5551, and Andy I posed this question to fairlaner. Now I'm asking those on the forum that have owned both. Maybe even riden both. But state if you've owned both or just ridden the other one.

I'll compile the results.

________________________

From Post #28 (10/21/10)

Well, I thought it's bought time to update this topic.

After much unscientific data gathering from the peeps of this here forum, all ya'll have come to these conclusions regarding why they like the GenII mo betta than the GenI

At this writing, a total of 40 votes were cast. 14 votes (35%) were for the GenI and 26 votes (65%) for the GenII. I'm not sure if some patrons just hit the voting buttons and left no comment because just about everyone preferred their GenII over the GenI for some reasons listed below.

Reasons why the owners/riders of both GenI and GenII's prefer the GenII (top 2 listed):

1) The most mentioned thing was the correction of the heat issue.

2) ABS standard on the bike.

Refinement of the bike in general was also a good thing, little things that the GenII improved upon that you really got to like.

Jeff Asche had some good points regarding the difference in front suspensions, both have pluses and minuses, but Jeff preferred the GenII. He said the suspension overall was a great asset to the bike. He also mention the GenII has more stator power.

Some things the GenI did better than the GenII:

Better power, acceleration, and handling in tight twisties (Note: Someone commented that the GenII felt better on faster big sweepers).

My conclusion is all ya'll GenII peeps are just plain silly, but that's pretty biased so I'll throw that out from our unscientific stats.

Thanks all for your honest answers.

 

[Old Michael]

So.

You're thinkin' about moving up?

 

[tmc]

So.

You're thinkin' about moving up?

Down. You mean moving down.

 

[madmike2]

Simon, IIRC, Highlander & Pegscraper are two who have made the leap. You might try a PM because neither posts here much. Also, Haulin' Ashe bought a Gen I to compliment his Gen II and has posted his comparison, check his topics to find the post.

I hope this helps.

 

[etepjavelin]

i have owned an 02 gen1 and now have an 07 gen11.

i think the gen1 was marginally quicker, easier to wheelie, but hotter to ride.

my gen11 is cooler to ride, had factory hot grips and abs as standard equipment and is not quite as easy to wheelie,(longer swing arm?)

i prefer my gen11, but could be biased to it as i had this one from brand new.

 

[Peter Murray]

I test rode both bikes put on about 500 miles on each and chose a 08 G2. Chose the G2 for the following reason's. Did not want to risk dealing with a Ticker, Lower Alt output, potential heat issues.

Oh yes the G1 seemed to be way faster,,,, NOT Good Grief!! :yahoo:

 

[scubatech]

Hi Blues,

Good topic,considering the on going discussion about the two models. I had an 05 which performed flawlessly until the bike got totaled.I liked it a lot and would still have it.The 2005 was a bit hot when tank was low as we all know,but no complaints. I usually adapt to what bike I am riding,they all have little quirks. I think my 2007 is a little nicer,more refined bike. I like the adjustable seat,the color a little more.Also I think the dash,gauge cluster is more attractive.I am somewhat disapointed that refining an existing " great" model created the recalls and electrical gremlins Gen II models are experiencing.My bike has had zero issues so far,my ignition switch was still good when removed. I did learn from everyone here about these issues and bought the harnesses to prevent electrical gremlins. Hopefully this will remain a trouble free machine for the remainder of my ownership. There are a few problem free Gen II's around here,but less is heard from the owners.

Ken.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I really liked my '04 and if it weren't for a smoking good price on the '07, I'd still have it. But I have come to like the '07 ever so slightly more.

Things I prefered about the '04 were:

Sportier handling with the shorter swingarm,

The seat/peg/bar ergonomics just seemed ever so slightly better for me,

Silver color didn't show dirt from my daily commuting into DC. At least the Dark Cherry isn't as bad as another black bike.

Size of the turn signal indicators on the dash. THAT stupid change took me forever to get used to, about like going to BMW switchgear.

Things I prefer about the '07:

Lots of little refinements. Hard to put a finger on.

I'm not worrying about stuff as much. The ignition recall and potential for a grounding spider failure are not the actual problems I had with mine needing the tick fixed (valves), the corroded ignition connector, top box crack, top box plate crack. Granted, I give credit to Yamaha for standing behind their product, but I just haven't had these issues on the Gen2.

Definitely better heat management in commuting thru a DC summer.

And I have better farkles on it, which is no reflection on MamaYama or the bike, really.

 

[pegscraper]

Simon,

It is a no brainner, since you live in SoCAL, the Gen2 is the choice (heat issues).

Gen2 +

is much cooler for the hotter SoCAL climate

Even after doing the heat fixes on my Gen1, it was still hot and so was the gas tank when low.

For some, the adjustable seat height and handlebars were welcomed but for me with my longer reach it made no difference.

Gen1 +

Quicker and better cornering.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Had an 04 and saw a screaming deal on a 06, so I upgraded, but I almost punted the 04 because of the heat issue before I found the 06. The 04 scalded my legs through race leathers after 2 or 3 hours of tank humping in the twisties. Every heat trick applied to the 04 never solved it. The 06 runs much, much cooler.

04 was quicker in the twisty sections, fuel delivery was smoother too.

06 is a little heavier but not a lot over the 04ABS version.

Pillion seems to think the ergos are better on the 06 redesign.

04 had a tranny problem from day one, you think your first gear clunks hard ? mine SLAMMED. Was fixed by Yammie under warranty at 600 miles. Had the ticker fixed about 32K. Sold about 36K miles.

No issues with the 06 spiders, key switch or ECU so far. Has not seen the shop yet at around 32K.

Tires don't last longer than 6000 / 6500 miles on either bike.

 

[Spook]

Had an 04 and saw a screaming deal on a 06, so I upgraded, but I almost punted the 04 because of the heat issue before I found the 06. The 04 scalded my legs through race leathers after 2 or 3 hours of tank humping in the twisties. Every heat trick applied to the 04 never solved it. The 06 runs much, much cooler.

04 was quicker in the twisty sections, fuel delivery was smoother too.

06 is a little heavier but not a lot over the 04ABS version.

Pillion seems to think the ergos are better on the 06 redesign.

04 had a tranny problem from day one, you think your first gear clunks hard ? mine SLAMMED. Was fixed by Yammie under warranty at 600 miles. Had the ticker fixed about 32K. Sold about 36K miles.

No issues with the 06 spiders, key switch or ECU so far. Has not seen the shop yet at around 32K.

Tires don't last longer than 6000 / 6500 miles on either bike.

The darkside is calling you.

 

[SkooterG]

Every heat trick applied to the 04 never solved it.

Did you ever try messing with the fuel injection? Richening the mixture somehow? PCIII? BJM?

Heat on my old FJR#1 never bothered me. Minor nuisance at best. And even that was a stretch. FJR#2 is much hotter. Heat is a moderate and sometimes heavy nuisance. Both are 04 FJRs and #2 gets MUCH better gas mileage. All FJRs are NOT created equal and my theory is that 'HOT' FJRs are running much leaner that 'cool' ones.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I owned both. I have ridden some miles of every year model through 2008.

GEN-I (2005)

My 2005 handled the twisties extremely well and had loads of smooth power delivery. What it lacked most was sufficient airflow. During the hot summer months here on the Atlantic coast, it was often so hot at gas stops that I was afraid to pump gas in the tank, and would in fact let it sit in a shady spot for a few minutes before filling the tank. If I made the mistake of allowing the tank to drop below two bars on a summer afternoon, the back of the fuel tank would be too hot to touch with bare hands, even when moving. I did many heat mods, insulation blanket, PC-III etc. It ran like a scalded ape, unfortunately that was literal truth.

Less stator capacity quickly became a factor in winter when trying to run all my electronics and two sets of heated gear.

A fork brace helped with suspension, but not as well as the three-bushing design of my Gen-II bikes. Gen-I bushings last longer, but IMO don't do the job as well.

And even after 10 months and 18,000 miles, I was always wearing out my left boot toe looking for a higher gear.

My aquarium thermometer was useful, but not very eye appealing.

GEN-II (I own a 2007 with over 100,000 miles on her, and 2006 with 10,000 miles)

I love the airflow improvements and can't imagine life without them.

The GF loves the ergo changes to the passenger section and cannot imagine life without them. She also greatly appreciates the seat changes and the addition of both suspension upgrades and Spencer(ized) seats.

The longer swingarm and slight geometry difference makes the Gen-II favor sweepers more than twisties from a suspension perspective.

Now I wear out my left boot toe shifting between 2nd and 3rd in the twisties. You can run a Gen-I in 3rd all day long, but to get the same performance curve from a Gen-II you must shift more often and combine that with some clutch feathering. It's no big deal to me coming from a racing/dirt background. You just can't be lazy with Gen-II in the twisties without bogging down some corners.

I never worry about how much heated gear I'm using, even two-up in a winter snow.

If I want to know what the temperature is, I can just look at the dash.

I used to worry about not being able to read the speedometer as well as Gen-I. Then I bought a GPS and would like to mount it directly over top of the bike's speedo, because I NEVER use the bike speedometer anymore.

Gen-II suspension is much improved right out of the bucket. In fact it ain't half bad if you work with it and don't load the bike down when 2-up.

Yamaha got some things wrong in 2006, made them worse in 2007, but the 2008 is a damn fine machine. Just a bad color!



Coupled brakes on Gen-II are awesome on pavement and perfectly balanced for even poor/wet road conditions. There are goat trails where I miss non-coupled Gen-I brakes.

 

[sgoat]

My experience with Gen1 / Gen2 versions pretty much echo what's been said.

- 03' was definately the quickest and ran resonably cool for a Gen1.

- 05' wasn't quite as fast and ran noticeably warmer. Better suspension than the 03' and overall a great bike.

- 09' Couldn't tell much difference in power between it and the 05'. Plenty on tap for my use. Like the adj.seat and the instrumentation way better. Stock suspension better than both Gen1's. The air flow management is definately better, and the extra wattage makes me feel better about running all my accessories at the same time.

Bottom line: All great bikes. No regrets!

 

[AVGeek]

I bought the 04 non-ABS on the PDP program. It was an awesome bike that never gave me a lick of trouble. Really, the only reason I changed to the 08 was the color; I love the black bike (even though its harder to keep clean and shows any minor scratches). I had both bikes in Vegas, and the heat differences were negligible in the summer, and the adjustable wings on the 08 made it more comfortable during the cold winter months.

I put close to 41K miles on the 04, and have over 25K on the 08. In the end, I would own another Gen 1, but I would definitely want the ABS version; I have no regrets about making the change.

 

[ugar-6]

Sorry to thread jack but what is the "tick"? I have an 08 AE model that sometimes has a loud clicking noise when I turn it on and sometimes when I put it in first. It usually goes right away, especially when pulling off. Didn't know if this is related or sounds familiar to anyone. Also, sometimes when getting on the brakes it sounds like alot of sand coming off the tire onto the bike but I'm not in sand or gravel, sound familiar to anyone?

 

[ionbeam]

Sorry to thread jack but what is the "tick"? I have an 08 AE model that sometimes has a loud clicking noise when I turn it on and sometimes when I put it in first. It usually goes right away, especially when pulling off. Didn't know if this is related or sounds familiar to anyone. Also, sometimes when getting on the brakes it sounds like alot of sand coming off the tire onto the bike but I'm not in sand or gravel, sound familiar to anyone?

The "tick" refers to Gen I engines, and it was weighted to the '03 and less on '04 and a lot less on '05. The tick was eventually found to be worn valve guides because the valve stem seals were too tight and oil starved the guides. The valve stems would rattle in the worn valve guides causing a ticking noise.

There are a number of relays as well as the fuel pump that turn on with the key, I suspect what you are hearing is in the range of normal.

As far as the brake noise, my guess is that you are hearing the brake pads going over the grooves in the rotors. Again, I expect that the noise is normal.

 

[ugar-6]

Sorry to thread jack but what is the "tick"? I have an 08 AE model that sometimes has a loud clicking noise when I turn it on and sometimes when I put it in first. It usually goes right away, especially when pulling off. Didn't know if this is related or sounds familiar to anyone. Also, sometimes when getting on the brakes it sounds like alot of sand coming off the tire onto the bike but I'm not in sand or gravel, sound familiar to anyone?

The "tick" refers to Gen I engines, and it was weighted to the '03 and less on '04 and a lot less on '05. The tick was eventually found to be worn valve guides because the valve stem seals were too tight and oil starved the guides. The valve stems would rattle in the worn valve guides causing a ticking noise.

There are a number of relays as well as the fuel pump that turn on with the key, I suspect what you are hearing is in the range of normal.

As far as the brake noise, my guess is that you are hearing the brake pads going over the grooves in the rotors. Again, I expect that the noise is normal.

Cool, thanks.

 

[Andyfjr]

So there you have it, seasoned riders who have owned both bikes. The poll cant be wrong then, Gen 2 is the better bike

Hopefully evolution will continue in the right direction with further improvements or lets hope a Gen3.