The FJR is much lighter and has more power. And it is nicely balanced for sport. The suspension is decent. Ive always loved the FJR and have found that it suited me well. Ive always been puzzled by the large number of riders who find the FJR hard to deal with at low speeds.
All of the Goldwings are much heavier,have less power, but noticeably more torque. They have a low cg too.
The Wings will lean quite well if the rider has developed the poise to deal with the weight. If you have the skills, the bike is great fun in the twisties. The foot pegs are foot pegs, not cruiser floorboards. The shift lever is a normal design, rather than the heel-toe style or that wretched design they used on the ST1X00s.
I personally think it might take more time for someone to acclimate to sporty riding on a Wing compared to an FJR.
But it happens. As an example, a few months ago I was riding one of my normal up and down the plateau 50 mile backroad loops on my ZX14R. I take it at 10 over because enforcement doesnt begin until that point.
About halfway through the ride a Goldwing came in ahead of me from a side road. He started taking it at 20 over. Out of curiosity, and knowing he would be the rabbit if there were meet and greets with gendarmes, I pitched in after him.
About 15 miles later he was still going strong, through all manner of twisting and climbing. And he turned South off to the segment of 84 that runs from Monterey to Sparta.
Anyone who knows that road knows that it is a very challenging downhill, no shoulders, many switchbacks, off camber curves, and the like. I did not follow him down as I had other plans. I cut back to the 10 over rule impressed by what he was able to do with that Wing.
In my view, the ZX14R is much more nimble than the gen 2 FJRs that I have owned. If Id have wanted to pass that Wing, I would have had to do it on a straight. He was truly jiggy in the curves.
Ive wrestled Rocket 3 Tourings around for years. My new F6B out handles and out Rockets any of the R3Ts Ive owned.
I am still not a fan of the full blown GW ... but I am developing respect for it, and may end up buying the new one when there are leftovers.