lotecredneck
Well-known member
I have spent considerable time the past two days in the service department helping with the assembly and prep of the first 4 FJR's and this is what I have noticed.....
The new inner panels under the instument panel are fairly tough to install and will be just as hateful to remove as the headlight adjustment knobs are located in each one. The is a very small screw that has to be remove to get the knob off before the panel can be removed. They did however switch over to the same reusable rivet in all locations instead of having one type here and another type there.
The battery is still located in the same place, but the panel covering it is considerebly easier to remove. This is good! The area under the instrument panel is now chock full of relays and molex plugs along with the wiring harness and the headlight adjusting cables. This will make running wires a pain in the contraption!
The windshield is all new and the "W" cover now covers all the screws. It will take the aftermarket companies a while to design one that will work as the windscreen has odd shaped notches cut into the shield that the "W" locks into to hel hold it in place. The adjustable handlebars are easy to adjust and a "Stem Stand" or "TechMount" for the earlier generation will work fine for mounting radar detectors, gps, etc.
The seat latch took a while to figure out to remove the front seat as you have to remove the rear seat then reach your index finger into a slot and trip a lever to release the rear of the front seat. It goes from high to low in a matter of seconds once the plastic cover is removed from the receiver for the high position. The seat is considerable flatter and firmer than the previous models and this is very good! When the seat is in the high position, it tends to rock side to side a little as it is not planted on the subframe all the way around like it is when in the low position. No big deal!
The saddlebag mounts are now a part of the muffler bracket and just has a rubber damper on the protrusion the the bottom of the bag mounts on. The bags now have a positive "pop" when the mounting handle is placed in the latched position much like the mechanism is "camming over" when it's pushed all the way down. This way you will know for sure the bags are latched on the bike fully.
I rode mine home this evening and now gone is most of the negative back pressure when the windscreen is raised. I rode mine with the seat in the high position and the windshield down as I prefer my head to be more in the airstream for venting in my helmet. It doesn't seem to generate as much noise off of the windscreen as previous models.
The mirrors allow a good view to the rear. The handling is pretty typical of the FJR and I didn't notice any real difference compared to older models. The instruments are easy to read and the gear indicator is a definite plus. The turn signal indicators are very small and fairly well hidden so you will have to make a habit of hitting the cancel button after every turn. I don't understand why this model doesn't have self cancelling turnsignals!
I haven't fooled with the fairing adjustments, but it appears to fairly straightforward. As I have more time to look the bike over, I will post more information.
Best regards,
The new inner panels under the instument panel are fairly tough to install and will be just as hateful to remove as the headlight adjustment knobs are located in each one. The is a very small screw that has to be remove to get the knob off before the panel can be removed. They did however switch over to the same reusable rivet in all locations instead of having one type here and another type there.
The battery is still located in the same place, but the panel covering it is considerebly easier to remove. This is good! The area under the instrument panel is now chock full of relays and molex plugs along with the wiring harness and the headlight adjusting cables. This will make running wires a pain in the contraption!
The windshield is all new and the "W" cover now covers all the screws. It will take the aftermarket companies a while to design one that will work as the windscreen has odd shaped notches cut into the shield that the "W" locks into to hel hold it in place. The adjustable handlebars are easy to adjust and a "Stem Stand" or "TechMount" for the earlier generation will work fine for mounting radar detectors, gps, etc.
The seat latch took a while to figure out to remove the front seat as you have to remove the rear seat then reach your index finger into a slot and trip a lever to release the rear of the front seat. It goes from high to low in a matter of seconds once the plastic cover is removed from the receiver for the high position. The seat is considerable flatter and firmer than the previous models and this is very good! When the seat is in the high position, it tends to rock side to side a little as it is not planted on the subframe all the way around like it is when in the low position. No big deal!
The saddlebag mounts are now a part of the muffler bracket and just has a rubber damper on the protrusion the the bottom of the bag mounts on. The bags now have a positive "pop" when the mounting handle is placed in the latched position much like the mechanism is "camming over" when it's pushed all the way down. This way you will know for sure the bags are latched on the bike fully.
I rode mine home this evening and now gone is most of the negative back pressure when the windscreen is raised. I rode mine with the seat in the high position and the windshield down as I prefer my head to be more in the airstream for venting in my helmet. It doesn't seem to generate as much noise off of the windscreen as previous models.
The mirrors allow a good view to the rear. The handling is pretty typical of the FJR and I didn't notice any real difference compared to older models. The instruments are easy to read and the gear indicator is a definite plus. The turn signal indicators are very small and fairly well hidden so you will have to make a habit of hitting the cancel button after every turn. I don't understand why this model doesn't have self cancelling turnsignals!
I haven't fooled with the fairing adjustments, but it appears to fairly straightforward. As I have more time to look the bike over, I will post more information.
Best regards,
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