Is FJR a good commuter?

[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.

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!

Watch these forums for an Arkansas ride. We're proud of our roads -- have fresh tires, though

 

[Cav47]

Personal opinions are just that, but the FJR is the best all around bike I could afford. I can and have rode it across country, I can and have rode it like a sport bike/hooligan every chance I get, and I can and have rode it to work. I have lane split with it in Cali, I have rode it 1000 miles in a day(same trip). It is not a ballerina, but it has done all that I can ever hope for. Sure she is getting a little worn at 71.5K miles, but with proper care and some luck, she will go twice that and beyond.

She is my one bike has to do it all for me kind of machine.

YMMV

 

[want2ride]

I commute on my FJR 40-100 miles a day when I work. It allows me to have fun going to work and decompress after work. I am not nearly as happy when I have to take the car to work.

 

[Uncle Hud]

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

Unfortunately, you'll never see them because the backs of the heels are black. Oh, I guess you'll check them out at the turns .... where I have to wait on you to catch up!

 

[Sharif]

In a word, yes. Sometimes I feel bad that my commute is so short.

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Commuted with my '06 daily when I lived in Southern California. Lane splitting cut my commute in half. Fairly nimble, iron anvil reliable, and pretty fuel efficient, I would definitely recommend it as a commuter bike.

 

[wheatonFJR]

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

Unfortunately, you'll never see them because the backs of the heels are black. Oh, I guess you'll check them out at the turns .... where I have to wait on you to catch up!

Just remember that you're talking to someone that is usually on a moving motorcycle...not a bonus location that is standing still, and yet still has to wait for you to get there. Jes sayin.

You can still commute in those silly white boots, it is almost summer after all...and the FJR is great for commuting.

 

[bergmen]

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.

The Prius doesn't have afterburners like the FJR. Teslas are getting better but still pretty spendy.

Dan

 

[rushes]

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

Unfortunately, you'll never see them because the backs of the heels are black. Oh, I guess you'll check them out at the turns .... where I have to wait on you to catch up!

Just remember that you're talking to someone that is usually on a moving motorcycle...not a bonus location that is standing still, and yet still has to wait for you to get there. Jes sayin.

You can still commute in those silly white boots, it is almost summer after all...and the FJR is great for commuting.

I suggest you grumpy ******* start your own girlie or not, moving or not, boot thread... lol

We're trying to help this man with a major decision in his life.

Buncha goobers...

 

[wheatonFJR]

Oh man, I'm sorry. I thought I was on the white boots Forum.

Never mind.

 

[N4HHE]

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.

Back when gas was $1.75 I figured 40 mpg GL1800 was about same cost to operate as Toyota Avalon at 25 mpg. Insurance, tires, gasoline. Tire cost was pretty high for Goldwing.

^^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.

10 minutes to suit up for a 25 minute ride is not a good use of time for anything but the joy of it. Then 40,000 miles of Prius tire cost same as 12,000 miles of Goldwing tires, plus poorer mpg was last nail in the commuting coffin.

Am getting 48 mpg on FJR. And tires cost less than the old Goldwing.

 

[Old Guy]

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.

Back when gas was $1.75 I figured 40 mpg GL1800 was about same cost to operate as Toyota Avalon at 25 mpg. Insurance, tires, gasoline. Tire cost was pretty high for Goldwing.

^^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.

10 minutes to suit up for a 25 minute ride is not a good use of time for anything but the joy of it. Then 40,000 miles of Prius tire cost same as 12,000 miles of Goldwing tires, plus poorer mpg was last nail in the commuting coffin.

Am getting 48 mpg on FJR. And tires cost less than the old Goldwing.

A set of Goldwing tires lasted me about twice as long as a set of FJR tires. I usually got between 12,000 and 16,000 miles out of a set. I've gotten as little as 3100 miles out of a set of T30s and as high as 8000. (Getting 3100 was more fun ) At any rate, I expect at current pricing, the cost per mile would be close.

I couldn't ride a bike to work very often though. I might at any time have to haul computers or equipment.

It was funny. When fuel started getting so expensive several years ago a friend told me he was going to start driving his Suzuki sport bike to work 80 miles daily to save fuel. We sat there and calculated the cost of fuel and tires for his bike and car, and the car was still cheaper to operate

About the same time a young man I worked with asked me to find him a 250 he could ride back and forth to work to save fuel. When I told him how long it'd take to pay for it on fuel savings he gave up the thought.

But the real pleasure of commuting on the bike is the additional saddle time. For me, I worked all over the state, and sometimes it would have been fun. But going to my office in stop-and-go traffic in the August heat would have been torture.

 

[gixxerjasen]

1. No lane splitting in Dallas unless you do it illegally. So that's not an issue.

2. HOV. If it's on your route, then there's nothing more that needs to be said.

3. Texpress - You can get half off if you remember to use the app. If you are going 80mph in there during traffic time, you will be passed repeatedly by other vehicles, so pick up the pace.

Where are you traveling to and from in Dallas? That makes a big difference on whether the FJR is for you. When I was working at Tollway and 635, while living in Seagoville it was about 35 miles and would take me 45 minutes to get home. Used to piss off my coworker because his 10 mile commute to The Colony would take him 45 minutes. My commute the FJR worked for, but I'd not have wanted to do his commute on the FJR.

Right now, in the morning counting suit up time, I can be to work faster in my paid for CRV, but I don't arrive in as good of a mood as I do with the FJR.

When I parked in a parking garage all my gear went into the top box and side bags. Except for boots, those get stashed under my desk. When I had an assigned desk I just kept shoes at work and would Mr. Rogers it when I got there. Now I carry them in my backpack that is stored in my top box on my way to work.

There's lots of ways to make the FJR work for you as a commuter, it just depends on when you can work out and if you really like doing it.

Dallas to Colorado on an FJR? I got you covered right here.

-> https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/165333-long-awaited-trip-colorado-in-september/

 

[Uncle Hud]

rushes posted: I suggest you grumpy ******* start your own girlie or not, moving or not, boot thread... lol
We're trying to help this man with a major decision in his life.

Buncha goobers...

He started it.

Thanks for the boot/shoe tip, gixxerjasen. Not unlike a lot of the women who work here: one set of shoes for walking; another, in a bag, for the office.

 

[gixxerjasen]

My coworker says he knows when I've arrived at work by the sound of velcro and zippers.

The counter guy at McDonalds knows my breakfast order based on the one gloved motorcycle man.

 

[audiowize]

A commuter bike needs to be reliable, which excludes most of the other bikes you're looking at. Try riding an FJR and a Tenere, one or the other will be exactly what you want.

 

[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!

Watch these forums for an Arkansas ride. We're proud of our roads -- have fresh tires, though

Will do, I know a friend of mine rides up there to go fishing, so I know it'll be one of our destinations.

 

[kbuicker]

1. No lane splitting in Dallas unless you do it illegally. So that's not an issue.2. HOV. If it's on your route, then there's nothing more that needs to be said.

3. Texpress - You can get half off if you remember to use the app. If you are going 80mph in there during traffic time, you will be passed repeatedly by other vehicles, so pick up the pace.

Where are you traveling to and from in Dallas? That makes a big difference on whether the FJR is for you. When I was working at Tollway and 635, while living in Seagoville it was about 35 miles and would take me 45 minutes to get home. Used to piss off my coworker because his 10 mile commute to The Colony would take him 45 minutes. My commute the FJR worked for, but I'd not have wanted to do his commute on the FJR.

Right now, in the morning counting suit up time, I can be to work faster in my paid for CRV, but I don't arrive in as good of a mood as I do with the FJR.

When I parked in a parking garage all my gear went into the top box and side bags. Except for boots, those get stashed under my desk. When I had an assigned desk I just kept shoes at work and would Mr. Rogers it when I got there. Now I carry them in my backpack that is stored in my top box on my way to work.

There's lots of ways to make the FJR work for you as a commuter, it just depends on when you can work out and if you really like doing it.

Dallas to Colorado on an FJR? I got you covered right here.

-> https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/165333-long-awaited-trip-colorado-in-september/

Jasen, very similar to you, I go from Forney to Addison .. so sometimes, I take 80 to George Bush to N.Tollway South (which would be my preferred route on the bike I'm sure). Other times I take 20 to 635 on up the TEXpress lanes to the tollway... and other times I take 20 to 175 through downtown on up the tollway .

What is the TEXpress app you speak of? Half off you say????????

 

[FJR Flyer]

I've been commuting daily on this bike for almost eight years, 64 miles round trip, unless there has been snow or ice on the road. Great commuter bike. At least for me.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Jasen, very similar to you, I go from Forney to Addison

.. so sometimes, I take 80 to George Bush to N.Tollway South (which would be my preferred route on the bike I'm sure). Other times I take 20 to 635 on up the TEXpress lanes to the tollway... and other times I take 20 to 175 through downtown on up the tollway

.
What is the TEXpress app you speak of? Half off you say????????

That's it, I sent you a PM. I bet I could throw a rock from my front porch and hit your house.

TEXpress? What rock have you been living under? You know, the new pay lanes, like the ones between 75 and 35 on 635? Won't do you much good, but if you have their app and ride a motorcycle or are 2+ in the car, and schedule it in advance, and jump through the hoops, and raise your right hand up in the air while making farty noises with your left hand, they'll give you half off.

You CAN take the HOV on 635 from 30 to 75 with an FJR. I say an FJR is ideal for your commute. I'm taking 20 to 635 around to North Irving on the days I go in, unless there's some catastrophe along the way. Stay off of 80 going and coming on the bike, not enough lanes, too much fast moving traffic and too many idiots. Fast moving traffic scares me more than stop and go, and it seems like there's an accident every day on that stretch of 80, not to mention a few entrance ramps have ZERO acceleration lane to merge in.