General Dislikes

[Rider]

Hi All, I'm still considering an FJR, but I was wondering what generally puts people off of an FJR? Does it seem too big, tall, hard to ride?

A couple things about my current ride, a cruiser, is that I do not like sitting back, not able to stand up. Feels like I'm hanging on and getting blown off the seat. The riding position is not good for any quick responses. I also do not like the lack of power (~60HP), but the torque is nice.

 

[wheatonFJR]

What other bikes have you had?

 

[Rider]

Several of the XS series bikes of the 70's-80's generation, and a couple Magnas - mostly standards of that era. I knew I could not live with a pure sports bike, and while the cruiser is comfortable to ride around town, it is murder on the highway. I ride an 1100 Shadow now. I picked this one over an FJR mostly due to price, but I also got caught up in the cruiser frenzy and liked the sound - those turned out to be good qualities to admire on someone else's bike.

 

[TomInPA]

I don't think I can do justice to how different it is. I used to ride a Suzuki C90 cruiser, that in comparison felt like a tractor. Slow, limited lean angle and heavy. It had a very low center of gravity. I couldn't wait to get on the FJR and have never looked back. 6-6 gallon tank for long-range, good torque and the ability to cruise, but enough acceleration to challenge the fastest sports cars. You'll meet a lot of FJR riders you never saw before, and that can be a lot of fun.

The FJR does many things well, and it does them better by customizing the seat, and adding things to make it yours. It will take several thousands of miles of riding to come to appreciate all this bike has to offer. Just don't ride it faster than your angles can fly...because it can, even if you can't.

 

[Bogus]

I too came from standards(305 Super Hawk and Scrambler) to cruisers(700 Shadow, 750 Magna, 1800 VTX) to the FJR, and I have to say that the Feej is the best yet. I may not be able to flat foot it at a stop, and it is a heavy mutha in parking lots and in the garage, but the rewards on the road negate those shortcomings for me. Plenty of power and torque, good wind protection, comfortable after you relearn the correct riding posture. Started with an 08 and now have the 14.

 

[erixun]

Not sure that a FJR forum is the place to look for 'off putting' comments on a motorcycle we love to ride, and participate in a forum celebrating it.

For me there are no 'off putting' things about it, that would make me choose another motorcycle over it, or even recommend a 'better' one. (which in my opinion is a unicorn- they don't exist) Is it perfect, no, but then nothing is, and for me, it is a close to it as I found thus far. Maybe others can say why they decided to sell theirs. But if you are looking for a more refined ride, smoother and sportier in the corners, able to give you miles of long distance riding without breaking down, I would say look no further, you have found nirvana grasshopper and pull the trigger.

 

[Bounce]

Several of the XS series bikes of the 70's-80's generation, and a couple Magnas - mostly standards of that era. I knew I could not live with a pure sports bike, and while the cruiser is comfortable to ride around town, it is murder on the highway. I ride an 1100 Shadow now. I picked this one over an FJR mostly due to price, but I also got caught up in the cruiser frenzy and liked the sound - those turned out to be good qualities to admire on someone else's bike.

I was wt the Yammy shop one day (some years back) when a guy on a Shadow 1100 came in taking interest in my 2003 FJR. Being the kind & gentle soul I am I (over great resistance from him) tossed him my keys and offered him a ride. He eventually recanted if I would follow on his Shadow. All I can say is WOW. As I watched, he would gradually speed up and slow down; clearly checking out the bike. As he pulled away from me down a large secondary road, i rolled on the throttle to keep up. The shadow didn't. No matter how hard I tried the throttle, it only got louder instead of faster.

Lumbering and sluggish are the two words I would use to describe that Shadow after a few months on my FJR.

When we got back, he mentioned that he'd been considering a BMW (next door to the Yammy place) but this had changed his mind.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I had a cb550 and xs1100 in the 70s.

Didn't ride for a couple decades before getting my 04.

My general dislike is having to end long trips, pulling over for the flashy light thingies, and following HD riders on twisty two-laners when it is unsafe to pass all 300 of them.

I like the throttle, both front and rear brakes and the large gas tank.

I think the best thing to do is to ride one if you can, or just do like I did...just buy it sight unseen without advice from strangers.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Geezer]

The first thing you'll have to get used to on the FJR is that it just wants to keep going for many miles at a time. Seriously, I bought mine as a commuter bike because it had low maintenance requirements and luggage to carry stuff back and forth to the office. Since owning it the bike has lured me across the country several times and is always calling me to take it to places far from home to see new roads and meet more like minded people.

It is top heavy when moving slowly, which is very different from your cruiser. It has plenty of horsepower, but not as much torque as some of the big cruisers, so you'll have to learn (or re-learn) how to get the most out of the horsepower. The riding position is very different and took me some time to get comfortable for long days, but I think any new bike requires getting accustomed to. After nine years riding my FJR I feel uncomfortable riding any other bike.

 

[ionbeam]

That's a very backwards way to choose a motorcycle!

What we don't like, OK -- we don't like:

OEM seats

OEM windshield

OEM handlebar position

engine heat

it's heavy

it's top heavy

throttle control

headlights and lack of conspicuousness lighting

brake lights don't strobe

front fender does not extend down far enough

no radiator guard

no OEM heated grips except on the Gen III

lack of throttle lock/cruise control except on the Gen III

insufficient storage capacity, often needs a trunk

no passenger back rest

no highway pegs

the stock exhaust

the PAIR plumbing

the front suspension

the rear suspension

the OEM tires

no OEM frame sliders installed

OEM paint colors

throttle body synch is off

superfluous badges, stickers and reflectors

no obvious good choice for oil

no obvious good choice for tires

no obvious good choice for spark plugs

no obvious good choice for batteries

Yup, the FJR is a real POS. A number of people have been saying that the BMWs are flawless, you may want to look in that direction.

What is missed is that each of these things are disliked by only some of the riders and in the grander scale of things these are just tiny, easily fixed things.

 

[Twigg]

It is likely that you will hate the riding position for quite a while. Compared to a cruiser it is chalk and cheese. Despite the lean-forward a little attitude, it is comfortable for 32 hours straight (this I know), yet I set off for that ride not really having bonded with the bike.

Once you get your head around the fact that everything is in a slightly different place, you will find that the FJR belies it's porky nature and top-heavy initial feel. You will also get used to the "breathless" nature of the engine at cruising speeds. Don't be fooled, it has power and torque to spare and it doesn't need a 6th gear (No, it doesn't!).

It's single biggest point however, is this .... For a large, heavy motorcycle, the FJR is just so easy to ride. It simply goes where you point it, without fuss. It stops when you ask and it will do it all day, every day.

It has few vices and even fewer known faults. Once you have bought one, cost of ownership is low and trips to the dealer infrequent.

If you can make the transition from Cruiser to Sports-Tourer, then you will not be disappointed.

 

[red2kcbr]

Coming from the sportbike branch of the motorcycle tree, I find the FJR the best compromise between sport and touring. Yamaha really did create a new category of motorcycle with the FJR, Supersport Touring.

The cafe racer phenomenon caught me in the mid-70s in Germany. I came from dirt bikes, then a '72 CB500 bought in Japan and shipped to Texas (military family). My own enlistment in the Army found me in Germany in the summer of '76. I was enthralled with the home-made cafe bikes running around the Eifels area, and determined I must have one immediately. A '76 CB750 with 2,000 miles caught my eye, and was soon parked outside my barracks building.

One thing led to another, and Koni shocks, Magura clip-ons and rear-set pegs, a Rickman 3/4 race faring, and Dunlop K81 tires transformed my stock 750 into a backroads blaster.

Fast forward 25 years. A succession of 600 cc sport bikes led to a red, 2000 CBR929 that provided major road thrills, but was a bit cramped in the passenger accommodations. A Cycle World article on the '02 FJR1300, only available in Europe, described the perfect bike for the wife and I. Sporty, comfortable, powerful, made for two-up sporty touring, or touring sportly. Whatever. When the PDP program (thanks, Yamaha, for that 6 months of ******* hell) was introduced, I plunked down my $500 and put the 929 up for sale.

I try to respect others choices for motorcycles. Indeed, that diversity is what makes our hobby/sport/obsession so remarkable. I like Harleys, I just couldn't live with one every day. Feet forward seating just feels wrong to me. OK, fine. Let the cruiser crowd enjoy their form of riding, let the sportbike riders have their fun (even those crazy stuntas) and let the touring riders have their Voyagers, Goldwings, and K-bikes.

The FJR, like few other motorcycles, is able to cross over into other styles of riding. The Honda Interceptor, the Blackbird, some BMWs and a few others bridge that gap pretty well, but none do so as well as the FJR. Not too heavy, not too slow, and with a little suspension tweaking, gets around the curves pretty well for a biggish bike.

We put 44k miles on that '05, (for sale, cheap, by the way) and now have about 3k on a '14 ES.

We plan to put a 100k miles on this one, two-up, seeing the country. We've been riding the street for 40 years now, can't imagine doing that on any other bike.

Try out an FJR before you buy. You might just get bit like we all did.

 

[07FJRVegas]

I've had Hondas x 7 and still have my 80 CBX which I bought new. I wanted a modern bike with creature comforts that was fast enough and handled good enough to keep up with my son on his CBR 1000. Bought an FJR which was my first Yamaha. The FJR does all that I wanted and more. My best buddy bought one too. Do I (we) like the FJR? We each bought a second one too.

 

[ULEWZ]

Depending on your type of riding will determine what things we complain about. I am not a long distance rider, and frankly have zero interest in seeing the same stretch of straight road for miles and miles.

As a former sport bike rider, I find the FJR a real good compromise. My only slight issues (my issues only, as most are happy with stock) were the following:

1. Stock seat too hard (bought a Baldwin, issues gone).

2. Stock windscreen too low as I am 6' tall (bought a Cee bailey reverse flip 2+2 and all is good).

3. The 2007-2008 models had some fueling issues, jerky throttle (fixed with PCV smoothness map and G3 throttle tube).

4. The stock suspension is not bad, and an upgrade is not required, but I upgraded anyhow (Penske shock, Racetech gold valves, springs for my weight, perfect now for cruising or twisties).

5. The ground clearance is not stellar in the twisties, but the Penske is length adjustable (no more dragging pegs).

6. Slow speed handling is, well, sluggish (IMO, normal for any bike over 500 pounds, and this one is about 600 to 630 pounds depending if bags are installed or not).

7. No heat issues on the gen IIs (try a sportbike if you want heat issues).

None of these issues are serious issues, and ALL bikes have one issue or another, but this bike just keeps on going (many with very high mileage and almost no issues).

There are so many pluses that I say do it.

 

[0Face]

My general dislike is having to end long trips, pulling over for the flashy light thingies, and following HD riders on twisty two-laners when it is unsafe to pass all 300 of them.

Well said, my friend.

 

[stealth1]

When I read the title of this thread the only things that came to mind were broccoli and warm beer.

Concerning the FJR, the stock fuel injection management could be smoother. My experience is with an '08 model and I know Yamaha tweaks it a little almost every year.

 

[user 87104]

I dislike it less than any other bike I've owned.

 

[Allen_C]

That's a very backwards way to choose a motorcycle!
What we don't like, OK -- we don't like:

OEM seats

OEM windshield

OEM handlebar position

engine heat - not a problem on Gen 2 & 3

it's heavy

it's top heavy

throttle control - not a problem on Gen 3

headlights and lack of conspicuousness lighting - improved on Gen 3 with the led lights below the headlights

brake lights don't strobe

front fender does not extend down far enough

no radiator guard

no OEM heated grips except on the Gen III

lack of throttle lock/cruise control except on the Gen III

insufficient storage capacity, often needs a trunk

no passenger back rest

no highway pegs

the stock exhaust

the PAIR plumbing

the front suspension

the rear suspension - better on the '14ES

the OEM tires

no OEM frame sliders installed

OEM paint colors - many of us love the Candy Red and the Cobalt Blue and the Black and...!

throttle body synch is off - seems to be improved greatly on the Gen 3

superfluous badges, stickers and reflectors

no obvious good choice for oil

no obvious good choice for tires

no obvious good choice for spark plugs

no obvious good choice for batteries

Yup, the FJR is a real POS. A number of people have been saying that the BMWs are flawless, you may want to look in that direction.

What is missed is that each of these things are disliked by only some of the riders and in the grander scale of things these are just tiny, easily fixed things.

Obviously a tongue-in-cheek response, but for the benefit of the O.P. I added some info to the above list, in bold.

 

[art miller]

If you have read all these comments you will likely be at the dealers door when they open tomorrow morning with check in hand ready to ride off on a FJR. I had two cruisers prior to my last three FJR's The Yamaha Virago 1100 and a BMR R1200C Montauk. I thought both bikes were good and rode them all over the west. On one of my trips I ran into a guy on a FJR and we exchanged some what we liked about our bikes. He won on the likes and soon after I bought my first FJR. No more cruisers for me.

Off topic, I hate getting behind a group of Hardleys (spelling intended). Those damn bikes give off more rank exhaust fumes than a 1949 Buick. You would think HD could get a fuel/ignition system better refined. With an FJR you can blast past them in a minimal length passing zone!!