I’ve done the FJR, BMW long ride comparison. still have both. I have the 2014 ES Gen III and love it. I rode it from Colorado Springs to GA in stock trim, 2 up. Likes: Power, engine overall smoothest ( compares to my 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250 engine), suspension, power shield, cruise control, reliability, brakes, corbin seat. Dislikes: stock shield. replaced with OEM touring screen once home. Overall, the FJR was comfortable, but in stock trim placed some pressures on wrists ( hey, its a sport tourer), seat to peg distance could have been a little higher for me, but the corbin seat made up for this, overall ergonomics was great and did not leave you “sore” for the next days ride. Wonderful machine and 2 up it handled very well once the suspension was adjusted for 2 up and bags selected. tracked well leaned over and when the brakes were applied, it did not stand up. Very impressed with the chassis. Maybe if I nit pick a little, I could have used a little more rear shock compression damping. Stronger spring yamaha??.
BMW: Bought a 2017 R1200GSA in California and rode it home to GA. Preface. I had ridden several GS’s on tours with Edelweiss tours 2 up while on vacation and knew of the “comforts” it provided. RossKean is correct, more expense to keep this bird on the road. Parts, No available service manual ( except CD form), OBDII reader needed to reset the service reminders. With that said, I started with a bike that had 11K miles since new and had been dealer maintained by previous owner. Likes: Good power, for a twin. Not FJR power, but good down low grunt and short shift it, 6 speed tranny, shift assist feature ( it worked best when manually shifting into 2nd and then hold throttle open and just lift your boot on the shift lever and it electronically cuts out motor and shifts into next gear, downshifts work in reverse, just close the throttle and put pressure on the top of the lever and it will downsgift). I personally liked this feature, but I’m old school, and 90% of the time I used the clutch to shift. No issues. Fuel range, the Adventure has the 8 gal fuel tank. It can work against you in the twisties, but you don’t buy this
bike for the twisties, (FJR wins here). Cruise control, heated grips, but same as the FJR. the overall plus over the FJR IMHO is the ergonomics. the seating position has you operating an overweight dirtbike, wide handlebars, more upright, and most of your weight is on your rear, no pressure on your wrists and you have the capability of standing while riding (dirt bike requirement if you race), wonderful brakes and they are not linked (aka off-road requirement), suspension. the suspension on the Beemer is way more compliant than the upside down fork on the FJR. It just flat out works and absorbs big hits and the small road trash much more better than the FJR and does not translate it back to the rider handlebars. Dislikes: front windscreen overall wind and weather protection, although it was adjustable ( manually), larger screen will cure this, but does not and will not compare to overall wind weather protection than the FJR. Overall IMO, the GS is just better ergonomically and comfort wise if you spend all day in the saddle. I only during the day and only averaged about 200-300 miles per day. Hey, I‘m retired, no need to hurry back home for a schedule. Parts prices. Yep, BMW parts are pricey. But you can shop the consumables, spark plugs, air filters etc can be bought at 40% savings over stock stuff and you get the SAME plugs without the BMW boxes they come in. NGK plug is an NGK plug. After replacing my air filter, oil and filter change ( stock BMW Oil) and new plugs my fuel mileage has increased to 53 mpg. thats about it in a nutshell. I won’t be taking this bike off-road doing single track work ( my YZ450 does that just fine) but yes, service roads, or visiting other off-road places is doable on this bike that the FJR just is not the right choice for that duty. cheers everyone and have a merry christmas this year.
