If You Could Reinvent The FJR What Would You Change?

[bergmen]

AND Howie hit it. How on Earth would Yamaha make a "better" seat? Maybe better for some, but worse for others. Same for windshields and fairing designs. Currently it is a very good platform for people to make their own.
1400cc's? Bigger I guess, but why? 25cc's per cylinder? Big whoop. More HP? Cool! There goes our fuel mileage, or even worse, they up the compression, and we're all putting 89-91 in the tank.

The one that seriously irritates me...Really the ONLY one that irritates me is the 6th gear argument. People that want a 6th gear, claiming lower RPMs seem to know very little about transmissions and gear ratios. Not a put down, so don't all respond with hurt feelings, just an observation.

All a 6th gear would do is add weight, and move ALL the ratios closer together. So, we'd end up shifting more often for the same performance. Really, in the scheme if things, shifting more often is not a big effin' deal, but why do it?? BMW has 6 gears and is at higher RPMs in 6th than the FJR is at in 5th. The engine may lose RPMs in a 6th gear, but will that hurt mileage or help it?

Right now, I can top out my bike in 5th gear. I can almost guarantee there would not be enough torque or HP to top this bike out with even a slight reduction in a 6th gear. More gears is not necessarily better for every application. If anything, Yamaha got this transmission very right.

Maybe a split differential would be a better fix for a tyranny that's not broken. Remember those in your school busses? The red pull knob on the gear shift that moved the rear end from 4.10 to like 3.85, reducing engine RPM? That's the ticket!

Very, very well said! The five speed transmission is one of the golden reasons the FJR is so appealing to me. I agree, most don't understand the virues of fewer speeds and how it is such an advantage in real world riding situations.

I owned a 1979 XS1100F that I bought new. It convinced me that Yamaha knew exactly what type of drive train that works best with the big irons. Massive mid-range torque with a five speed wide ratio box. Power was available right now, downshifting only required when max passing ability was needed. I have alwasy had a soft spot in my heart for the excellent power band of that bike (although I do not miss the rubber frame, wimpy forks jerky off-idle throttle).

The FJR continues in this tradition and is probably teh main reason the FJR has always been at the top of my list for motorcycles I would eventually migrate to. The Gen III enhancements sealed the deal and is why the 2014 A is in my garage right now.

My recent 600 mile weekend brought back great memories of the XS1100, only an order of magnitude better in all respects.

If six speeds are all that improtant, the C14 (and many others) have them. Go for it and leave the FJR for those that cherish the five speed (as I do).

On the issue of seats, I don't think it would be too difficult for Yamaha to offer many options at time of delivery (and after market). Being as simple and modular as they are, this would not be a risky investment to take on IMO. One could easily try several types when picking the bike up and choose the one that works best for the new owner. Eezee peezee.

In general, motorcycles are desperately lacking in ergonomic adjustment capability. Any auto that is bought today has almost full adjustability in seat and steering wheel position adjustment. How many cars would sell if they lacked any adjustment as almost all motorcycles are configured today?

This is especially true of touring and sport/touring mounts since the design intent of these machines is to cover distance with long stretches in the saddle. Each owner has to jump through many hoops to achieve ergonomic comfort using a variety of methods, some not easy to achieve. It took me a month or two of fiddling around before I settled in with a good set up. It shouldn't be this way IMO.

Dan

 

[carlson_mn]

... Not too many people use magnetic tank bags anymore and you shouldn't anyways. ...

I do, and, why not?

...

Forgive me if I offended the magnetic faithfuls but it's a thing of the past for me. From having them fly off at 150mph to the accumulation of micro swirls and scratches from bits of metal that attach between the bag and tank, I've moved to tank bags that do not touch the tank nor use any straps.

Not offended in the least, and I understand your reservation, maybe you shouldn't have used the word "shouldn't"

.

Although I've never tested mine at 150mph, it has managed triple figures and shown no signs of flying off, but then I do use the head-stock strap, albeit not round the head-stock, I made a bracket to go under the front tank bolts, got my dearly beloved to shorten the strap, so there's no way it could fly off.

(Click on any image for larger view)

Strap round the bracket . . . . . . . Bracket and strap in place



And to prevent the scratching, I put some cheap duct tape over the tank where the bag or straps might rub, including over the edge where the tank has to hang while fuelling. Pictures below taken after a jaunt in Spain and Portugal, just before I washed it.

General view of taped tank . . . . Detail (after considerable use)



Magnets seem to grip just fine, even through the tape. I use cheap tape because it comes off easily. And because I'm a cheap b*rst*rd.

... Not too many people use magnetic tank bags anymore and you shouldn't anyways. ...

Forgive me if I offended the magnetic faithfuls but it's a thing of the past for me. From having them fly off at 150mph to the accumulation of micro swirls and scratches from bits of metal that attach between the bag and tank, I've moved to tank bags that do not touch the tank nor use any straps.

Not offended by any stretch of the imagination, just very confused by your statement, and I wanted to know more.

Lauren_TK - Please take care with your quote-clipping, you've managed to attribute carison mm's comment to me

. Nothing against his comment, but it wasn't mine. And it's been propagated by carison mm quoting yours

.

Well you pretty much explained my feelings toward magnetic tank bags with your gas tank completely covered in duct tape. Again and as always if that works for you that is perfectly OK. Maybe I should say you 'shouldn't' with a disclaimer that it's okay as long as you cover the tank in duct tape, as long as it's the cheap type that won't leave goop and comes off easily LOL. I kid I kid....

I use a Magnetic Tank Bag but I'm in the market for a new one , Carlson I would like to hear more about the one you have , sounds interesting , photo would be good

Thanks , Jacko

Hey Jacko,

I use a 'Bags Connection' tank bag from SW-Motech, sold at Twisted Throttle. I'm glad the previous owner bought it and passed it on to me as they're pricey. They mount to a clip that installs onto the gas tank fill surround. They have a firm bottom and hover over the tank. Removes with a quick pull of a pin that locks into the surround.

 

[Old Guy]

Fun thread. People want more horsepower and better mileage.

Lighter weight and more carrying capacity.

Many seem contradictory.

it'll never be perfect for everyone, but I'm pretty danged delighted with my bike. One thing I'd dearly love to change, which should be quite easy with the electronics on modern bikes, would be self-cancelling turn signals. Like stealth1 said a couple of pages back, I'm easy

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Another cheap tip that's better than duct tape to protect your tank.

Go to any arts & crafts store like JOANNE FABRICS ect........

They sell different mil thickness of clear vinyl on big rolls.

You can have cut as much as you want and it only costs a couple bucks and it's reusable.

It sticks to the tank like the "color forms" stuff you played with as a kid, only it's clear and it won't leave any glue residue on the tank like the duct tape can.

 

[Old Guy]

Another cheap tip that's better than duct tape to protect your tank.
Go to any arts & crafts store like JOANNE FABRICS ect........

They sell different mil thickness of clear vinyl on big rolls.

You can have cut as much as you want and it only costs a couple bucks and it's reusable.

It sticks to the tank like the "color forms" stuff you played with as a kid, only it's clear and it won't leave any glue residue on the tank like the duct tape can.

I use clear shelf liner from Wal-Mart with my bags on the ZRX and used it under my Bags Connection tank bag on the FJR where the zipper tab rubs. it's really cheap, stays on well, is easily removable, and doesn't hurt the paint. it's not re-usable, but I just cut a few pieces and carry it with me in a big envelope. Re-usable would be nice, though. I'll check out the vinyl.

 

[ULEWZ]

Almost every gripe that I have can and has been fixed by the aftermarket. The seat was good for about 50 miles, so I got a Baldwin aftermarket seat. The gages have everything I want, but mostly the air temp gage keeps me happy. I added cruise control, so that is taken care of. I found the stock suspension ok, but not perfect, so I added Race tech fork internals and a Penske shock. The stock windscreen is too low for my height, so I added a ceeBailey 2+2. I would still like factory highway pegs, though I added the ones from Garauld which are almost there, but my leg hits the fairing when using them. A 6th gear would be great for the long highway drones. Gas mileage is great, and usually get 40mpg. Tank range is perfect at 200 miles for me. Anymore and I am ready to pull over. My biggest complaint is the throttle snatch/delay. I hear this is fixed on later models, but mine is still not great even with G2, unwound spring, and PCV with smoothness map.

So less weight, 6th gear, and no throttle snatch (not fun for spirited riding) would be at the top of my list.

And something to keep in mind, many of us would not be happy with a perfect bike, as we like to tinker. Well, at least I do.

 

[infrared]

Okay, I like my 2008, a lot. No real gripes, but I'd like two real changes: one big thing, and one little gizmo.
All the rest is just tweaking on a good thing to make it perfect.

Am I the only guy here who likes solenoid actuated valves? As in the Formula 1 cars? A virtual camshaft is infinitely adjustable in duration, overlap, timing, et c. You could have a grunty bottom end torque curve, and a high speed "cam" that sings, on every launch, in every gear. You would have "driving modes" that worked the "cam" with the fuel injection mapping, instead of working only one side of the power available. There would be no cams, no cam chains, no lifters, no shim buckets, and if anything failed, the valves just close and stay closed, rather than being hit by the pistons. Get that right, and nobody needs any "maps" for the fuel injection.

I'd also like to see a Master Cut-Off "key" with a lanyard that you can attach to your jacket (or not), so if the rider separates from the bike, the engine quits. The FJR Tip-Switch engine cut-off is good, but this is better. Jet-skis have them, why not bikes? You'd still need the regular ignition key to run the bike, and the second "key on a lanyard" is just an extra safety factor, to be used only when desired. Just coil up the lanyard when you don't need it.

Little business, in order:
+1 for self-cancelling turn signals.
+1 for a louder horn
+1 for suspension upgrades (at least a choice of regular or extra crispy, at delivery).
+1 for fuse blocks and relay banks, in accessible places.
+1 for "accessories" plugs for a battery tender, heated gear, GPS, et c.
+1 for easier plastics removal/installation.
+1 for more "tunable" handlebar and footpeg locations.
+1 for a choice of seating options at delivery.
+1 for cruise control.

Cheers,

Infrared

 

[ionbeam]

solenoid actuated valves...I'd also like to see a Master Cut-Off "key" with a lanyard that you can attach to your jacket (or not), so if the rider separates from the bike, the engine quits. The FJR Tip-Switch engine cut-off is good, but this is better...You'd still need the regular ignition key to run the bike, and the second "key on a lanyard" is just an extra safety factor, to be used only when desired. Just coil up the lanyard when you don't need it.

Solenoid actuated valves -- I just heard the 690 watt stator faint at the very though of it. The FJR is stone reliable, solenoid valves are bleeding edge.

At my local drag strip I'm required to have a kill switch and lanyard to meet safety rules for a bike that will run >120 mph and could possibly run under 11.0 seconds. The kill switches are available at many speed shops and in racing catalogs. Nothing stopping you from installing the pin-pull safety switch in the Run/Stop circuit, they come with handlebar clamps. It will double as an anti-theft device if you pull the pin when parking.

 

[blueman]

Two little twin turbo's one to eliminated lag seven gears and make it Galaxy Blue. And really good tires.

 

[Bokerfork]

Lose the weight?

What is the matter with you people? It's a Sport/Tourer. The weight is what gives it the stability to cruise down the hiway with minimal buffeting. You all want weight reduction, go on Craigs List and buy yourselves a Honda Trail 90. Weighs almost nothing. Handles the twisties like a Go Kart. But God help you after 50 MPH. If you wanted a Sport bike you should have bought an FZ-1. Quit your whining and send your overweight sport/Tourer to my house. I'll give it the respect it deserves.

Your mileage may not/ will not vary on this.

Bunch of crybabies.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Lose the weight?
What is the matter with you people? It's a Sport/Tourer. The weight is what gives it the stability to cruise down the hiway with minimal buffeting. You all want weight reduction, go on Craigs List and buy yourselves a Honda Trail 90. Weighs almost nothing. Handles the twisties like a Go Kart. But God help you after 50 MPH. If you wanted a Sport bike you should have bought an FZ-1. Quit your whining and send your overweight sport/Tourer to my house. I'll give it the respect it deserves.

Your mileage may not/ will not vary on this.

Bunch of crybabies.

My hero...........For the day!

 

[Chiefblueman]

Lose the weight?
What is the matter with you people? It's a Sport/Tourer. The weight is what gives it the stability to cruise down the hiway with minimal buffeting. You all want weight reduction, go on Craigs List and buy yourselves a Honda Trail 90. Weighs almost nothing. Handles the twisties like a Go Kart. But God help you after 50 MPH. If you wanted a Sport bike you should have bought an FZ-1. Quit your whining and send your overweight sport/Tourer to my house. I'll give it the respect it deserves.

Your mileage may not/ will not vary on this.

Bunch of crybabies.

Couldn't agree more. My FJR shares stable space with a very nice GenI FZ1. At 70 mph in dirty air the FZ1 bobbles around quite a bit but the Feej plows through unaffected. One of my favorite traits of this great machine.

Don't need a 6th gear, don't need a bigger engine, suspension is finally getting there with the 3rd gens. Yamaha should let you buy the bike with a bare seat pan and give a credit toward a custom seat....JK sorta. I would like to see the factory offer an integrated GPS and some well placed outlets for heated gear, usb outlet for phone charging, etc. Maybe prewire for extra lighting. Tearing a new bike apart to add electrics can be a pita. A couple color choices would be nice as long as one of 'em is o-fish-ul Yammie Bass Bote Blue.

 

[BanjoBoy]

Lose the weight?
What is the matter with you people? It's a Sport/Tourer. The weight is what gives it the stability to cruise down the hiway with minimal buffeting. You all want weight reduction, go on Craigs List and buy yourselves a Honda Trail 90. Weighs almost nothing. Handles the twisties like a Go Kart. But God help you after 50 MPH. If you wanted a Sport bike you should have bought an FZ-1. Quit your whining and send your overweight sport/Tourer to my house. I'll give it the respect it deserves.

Your mileage may not/ will not vary on this.

Bunch of crybabies.

Hell yeah, big bikez 'n big butts!

 

[Colin24]

Interesting thread.

For the most part Let the FJR1300 be. All the features people talk about are good (bigger engine, 6th gear, more this more that). Its all good. But the reality is that its big and will get bigger over time. (Actually quite happy I own a Gen1 in that regard. The Gen3 with ES and all that stuff is getting a little heavy and overpacked with features for my tastes. (I'm certain that all those features are nice to have. Just saying there is a penalty in terms of weight and complexity to support all that.)

This thread along with some other discussions and stuff going on got me thinking. The two things that got me thinking were:

- My Dad has recently switched from a FJR to an FZ6R he has setup for touring.

- The FJ1200 predecessor to this bike has a little brother called the FJ600.

So what I would want is a FJR650.

1) Yamaha could use either the FZ6R or the FZ8 as a basis. I'm writing this thinking of the FZ6R since I am a little familiar with the bike, But avoid the urge to go too big on displacement, afterall the 1300 is still around. I think a punched out 600 might be just the ticket.

2) Make the forks adjustable (at least pre-load) and beefier than those on the FZ6R.

3) FJR1300 ergonomics: Full fairing. taller windshield. Windshield could be mechanically adjustable not electric. Slightly more sit up position and comfier seat than FZ6R. Lower to the ground to let the shorter people out there get into sport touring a bit easier.

4) Factory bags (heck, use the same bags from the FJR1300 parts bin). And beef up the rear subframe to support it.

5) NO linked brakes. But YES to ABS.

6) Better Fuel Economy than the FJR1300. (Aim for mid 50 mpg). This relates to comments about a 6th gear and too much shifting. Its a smaller engine, your going to need to shift more. And if thats the case then give it a 6th gear and make it a healthy overdrive so you can cruise all day on the interstate without screaming the engine, and of course help the gas consumption.

7) Maybe go to shaft drive. But that is a fair bit of weight, so I could live with chain drive here. Would allow people to "tune" the gearing a bit to their tastes.

Basically a smaller lighter more fuel efficient version of the Gen1 ABS. And with this you could get a bike cheaper to operate. Less money on insurance, gas and probably tires as well.

Just my $0.02 worth.

- Colin

 

[Aasland]

Lose the weight?
What is the matter with you people? It's a Sport/Tourer. The weight is what gives it the stability to cruise down the hiway with minimal buffeting. You all want weight reduction, go on Craigs List and buy yourselves a Honda Trail 90. Weighs almost nothing. Handles the twisties like a Go Kart. But God help you after 50 MPH. If you wanted a Sport bike you should have bought an FZ-1. Quit your whining and send your overweight sport/Tourer to my house. I'll give it the respect it deserves.

Your mileage may not/ will not vary on this.

Bunch of crybabies.

Allow me to suggest that it is the STEERING GEOMETRY and wheelbase that has more to do with highway stability than weight - especially when we're talking about little differences between 550 lbs and 650 lbs. It will be more nimble in the corners and not noticely less stable on the highway.

Tell you what - Yamaha should make a lighter FJR and then sell you a bunch of add-on weights. Or better yet, I'll PAY Yamaha to not add the extra weights. Or, all FJR's are sold with them, then I'll take mine off, and ship to you for free. How does that sound? Then you could have your 850 lbs FJR.

This discussion is a lot like marriage: compromises. I'd rather have a wife with a few extra pounds on her butt with a great personality, than a perfect butt and does the typical Scumbag Stacey stuff. I'll take more brains and give up perfect abs. There are women who have it all (personality, intellect, perfect body, great family, etc) but I'm not patient enough to wait half a lifetime to find one (besides, she'd be out of my league). I found a wife that satisfies my NEEDs and most of my WANTs. Just like the FJR. That doesn't mean there aren't few more WANTs out there that would be nice to have, but I'm not going to sit around a few years without a bike waiting for that perfect one to come along.

On the other hand, I have a friend with a perfect little FZ1 who wants an FJR .... hmmm ....

 

[RichDoyle]

+1 on the weight deal. The most manageable bike I ever had in gusty crosswinds was a 71 Honda SL350K1 (320 lb. bike), due to the net effects of it's geometry and, I believe, crosswind aerodynamics. Passing semis, going under overpasses in multi-hour 60 MPH gusty winds blowing off the Rockies the bike was easy to keep control of, as the bike always dynamically responded as it should to these disturbances. Of course, power in direct headwinds like this was kind of a shortcoming, but as far as control, a piece of cake.

 

[Mr. BR]

Funny thing on the weight... every morning when I roll my '05 out to drive way, I think "dang, this sure feels light!" (or perhaps "lighter"). That's because I'm coming off of 5 yrs of ST1100 ownership.....LOL! Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with my '05 and I wouldn't change much. I am among the minority who would like the gearing to be a little taller and I've got a solution for that in the works for which I'll post up separately soon.

Regards,

Mr. BR

 

[ionbeam]

...I am among the minority who would like the gearing to be a little taller and I've got a solution for that in the works for which I'll post up separately soon...

V-Max/Venture rear drive? Nice that there are two ratios and they drop right into the FJR.

 

[Mr. BR]

Best I can tell is that the FJR and Vmax share the same gearing.... 9/33 (3.66).. tho' I did read somewhere that the later yrs of the GEN1 Vmax did have the taller 10/33 gears (3.33) but I'm not sure about that. I've got Royal Star/Venture 10/33 gears in my FJR FD case for a 10% reduction across the board... and I love it (it's only been a week). I'll post up with all the details soon (still writing it).

Mr. BR

 

[gazza]

I have only ONE very small issue and it has not to my suprise come up on this thread. Foot peg height. Every now and then when i find myself wanting to hit the twisties, and may i say the FJR is very capable in this dept, i find my size 12s scrapping and sometimes throwing my foot off the foot peg. Other than that everytime i plonk my butt on that bike it just feels like the first time i rode it. Bloody magic.

I'm done

Gazza