Is FJR a good commuter?

[HotRodZilla]

Hey Russ, that's 21 long years. Haha...

 

[StephanM]

The only thing I would add is that being able to *comfortably* put both feet on the ground is important for stop-n-go commuting. So either you have to be tall enough, or you have to lower the bike a bit. I did the later and couldn't be happier, but I wasn't at first.

 

[ionbeam]

I use my FJR as my primary commuter, it only stays home when there is ice and salt. It carries my 'briefcase', computer and other work paraphernalia and keeps it dry and safe. My commute varies along the length from stop & go to >80 mph highway speed. On the FJR I'm no longer part of the flock of sheep which follows each other, I'm the wolf in control that chooses my own path

The only modification I need to make to my new '15 to improve it as a commuter is to add better horns

 

[GrumpyMike]

If I didn't have a take home vehicle, I'd ride mine every day. It, or the Tenere, are excellent.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I commute to my office almost daily when I'm in town. About 80 miles round trip. Works great.

 

[JIMMY REB]

I use mine as my primary transportation during the summer months when I don't have to have my truck. I ride 15 miles to work 1 way. 20 miles to Church 1 way. I have even gone grocery shopping on the FJR. One side bag will hold 2 gallons of milk.

 

[BanjoBoy]

I commute on mine most every day. Gotta FZ6 I commute on too, but prefer the FJR.

The fjr is good for everything. My commute is 7 miles and I ride it about every day. To the store, gym, whatever. Definitely not too heavy.

Not really, they kinda suck in the dirt.

 

[Old Guy]

Lord have mercy! I just reread the OP. Is that 90 miles one way?

The question of what's a good commuter would have to take in a lot of factors. But 90 miles of Dallas traffic probably includes a lot of Interstate, and I'd want all the bike I could have. Besides, you're not buying a bike just to commute are you? The FJR is a terrific all-around bike. It'll take you to the Hill Country over the weekend or Colorado next vacation -- equally competently.

 

[Old Guy]

I commute on mine most every day. Gotta FZ6 I commute on too, but prefer the FJR.

The fjr is good for everything. My commute is 7 miles and I ride it about every day. To the store, gym, whatever. Definitely not too heavy.

Not really, they kinda suck in the dirt.

You know what? I appreciate you saying that. Dirt or gravel is the only place I sometimes wish I had something else.

 

[N4HHE]

Lord have mercy! I just reread the OP. Is that 90 miles one way?

The question of what's a good commuter would have to take in a lot of factors. But 90 miles of Dallas traffic probably includes a lot of Interstate, and I'd want all the bike I could have. Besides, you're not buying a bike just to commute are you? The FJR is a terrific all-around bike. It'll take you to the Hill Country over the weekend or Colorado next vacation -- equally competently.

I'll be the wet sock and say for such a commute one would be better served with a Prius or Tesla. When I bought a Prius in 2007 my poor GL1800 just sat. 10 miles in, 10 miles out, ATGATT got tiring and time consuming, 42 MPG, vs 50 MPG in Prius, air conditioning, rain protection.

Blasphemy, I know, but a Prius will cost less, more capable, and less tiring. Then again I know I fatigue in high noise environments more than most.

 

[WHS]

Hmm, I seem to have a strange commute whenever I ride the FJR... In the morning at oh' dark thirty, my commute is 21 miles and takes me 25 minutes. However, after work for some reason the commute can take up to 2 hours and has hit the 100+ mile mark.

 

[Uncle Hud]

StephanM posted: The only thing I would add is that being able to *comfortably* put both feet on the ground is important for stop-n-go commuting. So either you have to be tall enough, or you have to lower the bike a bit. I did the later and couldn't be happier, but I wasn't at first.

The FJR is ideal for commuting.

I ride to work on my bike every day unless the forecast calls for hard rain during my commute times. It's only about 12 miles from Dunwoody to midtown Atlanta, but the route is 90% on Atlanta freeways.

The FJR is a large bike, sets a good "presence" in my lane at 75 mph, and has plenty of oomph to handle a 3-second passing maneuver or a burst to merge smoothly. Wind protection is superb, and the (stock) windshield sheds so well that it has to be raining hard for drops to hit my helmet. She's heavy enough to hold her line when passing between large trucks and those small buses called SUVs. Wet pavement isn't an issue unless my tires are embarrassingly worn -- and that's not the bike's fault.

Storage is important on a commuter bike. My Pelican Case topbox swallows thick stack of 11x17 construction plan sheets, and keeps my red ink dry. The 'Stich rolls up nicely in the starboard hardcase once I get to the parking garage at Crescent and 12th, and the helmet goes onto one of TownsendsFJR1300's helmet brackets. I always use the center stand in the parking garage, just because my sportbike-riding colleagues don't have one and I enjoy emphasizing that subtle distinction. (<---- Immaturity.)

To StephanM: I am on the surface streets for about 1.5 miles, lots of stop and go, and rarely do I have both feet on the ground. (Scenic route is 15 miles of surface streets, and I take that a lot when headed home.) I usually keep the left foot down with the right on the brake, because that leaves both hands free to fiddle with riding gear, push buttons, gesture at adjacent drivers, or to simply place one hand atop the other on the tank while I look at dogwood trees or clouds gliding over the skyscrapers.

Confession: I wear my dress shoes -- not moto-boots -- when commuting, so not fully ATGATT. I know my FJR frowns at that, and I'm working on where to put the moto-boots while at work. (White ventilated boots do NOT coordinate well with ANY color necktie.)

 

[wheatonFJR]

^^^^

White girlie boots go with anything from May to Labor Day...or stash your boots where you stash your manly Stich.

 

[Old Guy]

Lord have mercy! I just reread the OP. Is that 90 miles one way?

The question of what's a good commuter would have to take in a lot of factors. But 90 miles of Dallas traffic probably includes a lot of Interstate, and I'd want all the bike I could have. Besides, you're not buying a bike just to commute are you? The FJR is a terrific all-around bike. It'll take you to the Hill Country over the weekend or Colorado next vacation -- equally competently.

I'll be the wet sock and say for such a commute one would be better served with a Prius or Tesla. When I bought a Prius in 2007 my poor GL1800 just sat. 10 miles in, 10 miles out, ATGATT got tiring and time consuming, 42 MPG, vs 50 MPG in Prius, air conditioning, rain protection.

Blasphemy, I know, but a Prius will cost less, more capable, and less tiring. Then again I know I fatigue in high noise environments more than most.

I bought a '97 Cavalier for $2500 in May of '06 and sold it seven years and 110,000 miles later, when I retired, for $900. It was my commuter only, and that was 110,000 miles that didn't go on my pickup. I'm with you. Considering tires, that car was quite a lot cheaper to drive than any of my bikes.

 

[kbuicker]

Lord have mercy! I just reread the OP. Is that 90 miles one way?

The question of what's a good commuter would have to take in a lot of factors. But 90 miles of Dallas traffic probably includes a lot of Interstate, and I'd want all the bike I could have. Besides, you're not buying a bike just to commute are you? The FJR is a terrific all-around bike. It'll take you to the Hill Country over the weekend or Colorado next vacation -- equally competently.

LOL, Lord no... 45 miles one way... for now at least . I do plan to join my local FJR riders for longer trips as well, REALLY looking forward to that part!

 

[rbentnail]

I'll be the wet sock and say for such a commute one would be better served with a Prius or Tesla. When I bought a Prius in 2007 my poor GL1800 just sat. 10 miles in, 10 miles out, ATGATT got tiring and time consuming, 42 MPG, vs 50 MPG in Prius, air conditioning, rain protection.
Blasphemy, I know, but a Prius will cost less, more capable, and less tiring. Then again I know I fatigue in high noise environments more than most.

^^This^^. Most times the commute for me is simply a PITA. I have a whopping 11 miles each way and I work the evening shift. Hot and humid in the afternoon so I feel and smell like I need to shower when I get there. Then I need extra gear for the 1am ride home. Sometimes it's just more trouble than it's worth.

 

[dcarver]

One advantage of the fjr over adv bikes is narrowness. much easier to share lanes and squeeze through tight spots as compared to phat assed bikes...

 

[russperry]

Hey Russ, that's 21 long years. Haha...

So I must have been about 18 when I started......

Did some quick math just for fun:

Assumptions:

1) 1:20 commute each way in a car on average

2) 0:40 commute each way on the bike

3) 230 working days per year (vacations and holidays)

In the car would have been 386,400 minutes, or 6440 hours, or 402 days (assuming I'm awake 16 hours per day) spent commuting.

On the bike, half that, or 201 days.

So I've retrieved a little more than 1/2 of a year of my life back by commuting by bike instead of in the cage. And only 1 crash!

 

[mikerider]

Yes, I commute almost year round to/from work (50 miles round trip) here in Los Angeles where the traffic is 1 of the worst, if not the worst!

We could legally splitting lanes here so that makes it more fun

 

[FJR-Pilot]

ionbeam wrote: .... The only modification I need to make to my new '15 to improve it as a commuter is to add better horns ...

Just in case you did not see this recent horn installation thread to obtain car-quality horn sound level for $50. 10 minutes to install on a Gen I or Gen II. 30 minutes to install on a Gen III b/c you need to make a short wire harness first. The PIAA's are pretty much plug and play on the FJR.