Just Curious

[mdisher]

If you honestly have "little to no" riding experience, then yes, you need to start out on something smaller.

I don't think it's the power, as much as the weight (literally), and the cost when to drop that full faired beast. The FJR is easy to ride, very tractable power too.

My first street bike was my ZX-11, and that most people would say isn't a good choice. However, I've been riding dirt bikes and two wheel'd things all my life. And the ZX for as powerful as it is, is a very easy to ride bike. A little top heavy when full of fuel but loads of power down low, you can lug around on it all day if you want.

My first "Oh ****" happened less than two weeks after I got it when I rounded a corner behind a flat bed truck that had no brake lights on a cool fall day. Just slowly getting on the back brakes to slow down turned into "Getting on the brakes HARD, when I realized this truck was stopping. On top of leaves, that brought the rear end around. Any newbie would have grabbed even more brakes and been down in a second.

Not saying I'm any better than anyone else, but having been sideways about a zillion times before, I just knew more brakes wasn't going to help and since I was headed where I wanted to go (which wasn't into the back of that truck) I got off the brakes and went around.

I pulled over, gave my heart a rest and thought, yeah, a noob woud have died today.

Getting that kind of experience on a big bike to start isn't easy or a good thing. You can't flick it like a dirt bike, or even a smaller 650. Like other said, start with an SV. They are easy to find and cheap used. Ride it a year or a summer and sell it. You'll get most of your money back if you don't wreck it.

I dropped the ZX-11 in my drive way putting it on the center stand. $900 worth of plastic later I was wishing I had a naked bike.

 

[Shootist]

Back in May 2006 I posted that I was a 44 year old fart with little to no driving experience. I was asking the opinion of this forum if they thought the FJR was to big to be a first bike. The majority of the board stated that I needed to start with a smaller bike ( 600cc ) and work my way upward. Which I know is sound advice however, I don't want to buy two seperate bikes. I would like to buy the one bike (FJR) and take it easy on the bike until I can get use to the weight and feel of the bike.
I plan on taking the MSF course to enhance my experience.

I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement that when a person on a motorcycle crashes whether it is a 600cc of a FJR 1300 they all bounce and tumble the same down the highway.

And the old saying that there are two types of motorcycle riders. ( Those who have been down & Those that are going down ) Well if that is the case, If it is Inevitable that one will crash in his riding career, why not crash in style, on the bike you like and want. Especially if you could get kill doing so.

THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE, I APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP AND INFORMATION AND WILL TAKE IT TO HEART. THANKS

 

[starcruiser(aka downn2)]

I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement

You're a cop with a nic SHOOTIST?

The FJR will do you just fine......and don't be afraid to ride it agressively...

 

[Blueliner]

While being a firm believer that a bike is only as dangerous as its rider, I generally don't subscribe to the small displacement, used motorcycle theory. That said, you will probably end up like many of the rest of us and need two bikes (or more). Need-want, some times it is the same.

If you live in an area where you have twisties nearby, think about the two bike theory and get something like a SV650n. It is small, light, cheap, and doesn't cost a hell of a lot to fix if it falls over somehow. Then after a few thousand miles, and those miles will go by fast on the SV, you will be ready for the larger, more powerful FJR. OR you will decide that you don't really want to ride anyway or that something like a GSXR1000 or cruiser bike is more what you want. Either way, you don't have much invested in the SV and can keep it for those days when you feel the need to ride something vewry light and flickable.

That said, it is all about personal responsibility and how you ride whatever you buy. The safest bikes on the road are sport bikes because they handle the best, stop the quickest, and allow you to get out of danger easily. They crash a lot because too many of their riders are young, stupid, inexperienced or all of those things. It is about how the machine is used, not about what the machine is capable of.

 

[FJR1300]

There are several people on this forum who have done (so far successfully) what you're proposing.

Not all of them have been successful... I remember one newbie who wasted a saddlebag within a month or so of ownership because he made a mistake.

I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement

You're a cop with a nic SHOOTIST?

The FJR will do you just fine......and don't be afraid to ride it agressively...

@starcruiser

Just when I thought you might not be a complete...

:asshat2:

You go and show us you really are!

:****:

 

[krashdragon]

"I plan on taking the MSF course to enhance my experience. " You'd best take it BEFORE you have an experience you dont; want. pain hurts. dont' think you or a buddy can teach you.... riding is NOT intuitive... and it's way harder to UNlearn that learn correctly in the first place.

"I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement that ..."

I noticed that the others were too polite to comment on this... doesnt' make any different what you have previously done.... if you havn't ridden before, you havent' ridden...

Comparison... if you never rode a horse before, would you get on an untamed stallion or one that is used to riders?

Same thing... the FJR can be a wild stallion in the wrong situations... granted, it is very docile as well... IF you are constantly aware of things...RIDING the Feejer is not the problem.... little things like having to park downhill or uphill on a slant are.... I also have a 650 lb Harley.... it is easider to park on a hill because it has a way lower center of gravity AND the sidestand is longer. And yes, I have dropped my Harley... forgot to put the sidestand down...

I lowered my FJR so much we had to take off the ceneter stand AND bend the kickstand so the bike would lean when parked. Even lower, it's still a bear sometimes if I park at the wrong angle....

Oh, and I learned real quick to wait for morning before filling up the tank and parking overnight on hot asphault.... 6.6 gal x 7.something for each gal of gas.... needed help to pull the sidestand out of the hole in the parking lot...

I think my Bandit 1200 has more top speed, but nowhere near the...Holy Cow How fast am I going?" ... pure speed that the FJR does.... it's a big bike. Period....

Get it, take the MSF course, lose the attitude, and buy a 600 something or other to learn on... a USED something or other... Oh yeah.... I bought a little Triumph Speedmaster to play with....good to practice skills with and then try on the big bikes... It's small enuf I can hold it up when I screw up if I dont' do anything too stupid....

Good luck

Snappy aka Mary

 

[jayshaw91]

Oh, and I learned real quick to wait for morning before filling up the tank and parking overnight on hot asphault.... 6.6 gal x 7.something for each gal of gas.... needed help to pull the sidestand out of the hole in the parking lot...

Been there, yanked my FJR out of an asphalt hole. Not good times. Luckily I'm brute enough to do it with no help. Chuck Norris would be proud! :assassin:

 

[v65]

I bought my Magna as my first streetbike in '97. In hp and size it bears some resemblance to the feejer, althought the Magna is certainly much more of a brute. In hindsight I wish I had started with something wih less hp. The MSF course is a great course, but its not going to prepare you for the feejer.

To illustrate let me tell you a brief story (shorter in real life than you just spent reading this sentence). I was at a gas station parked behind a pickup truck. Done filling up, time to pull out. Somehow I grabbed to much throttle and let the clutch out to quickly. Now pulling around the truck points me straight at the garage wall about 20ft away. Let me tell you that 20ft was covered very quickly, surprised/scared the absolute hell out of me. I did manage to stop before hitting the wall, but that hesitation before reacting made it awefully damn close. Distances, speeds are approximate, (ie exagerrated for affect) but I may have set a new record for 0-25-0 for that small town . Doesn't sound bad now, but heading towards that wall at speed definitely got my attention.

The next couple of years with that bike (including a low side in a gravelly corner) were 95% fun with the other 5% the Magna reminding me that although it was 15 years old it still would like to bite. So from my experience here is what I would recommend:

1) The size of the bike in cc's is an outdated way of recommending a bike. I am sure everyone understands this, but a 600cc sport bike is not a good first choice either IMHO. Get something with more moderate hp and less weight.

2) I am not convinced that riding a bike for one year is going to do it, I would be interested more in how many miles you put on.

Oh yeah, buy keith code's book, saved me from going down more than once.

 

[EXPDSGT]

Is a FJR a good starter bike???? Well fellow LEO let me say this: Most any large morotcycle can be ridden with a short learning peroid. Learning to ride this or any motorcycle "SAFELY" is a whole nother story.

I had 8 motorofficers working for me. In two years 5 retired with career ending injuries -- and they are susposed to be professionals. Sure they ride 8-10 hours a day; but you get the picture.

Mort beginning riders practice getting around on the bike -- that is fine but does nothing for when a problem arises. Many M/C accidents occur because the rider never has practiced making a panic stop and the first time they must do it may well be their last.

There is a long learning curve in riding a M/C and you can't be taught here. A FJR can be ridden slow and safely and with it's stopping ability it is about the safest M/C you could get. That is not the problem. The problem, as I see it, is that you can get very confident in 6-8 months of riding any motorcycle but it's the "OH S__T" times that I worry about. The thing I notice most is that the cagers don't respect you because you are so "small". If you were a simi truck they would not change lanes into you running you into the shoulder or center lane. You just arn't as threatening as a simi.

You will buy the M/C you want, but remember when you think you have figured any M/C out --- that is when you will get into trouble. Just my opinion. C.R.

 

[starcruiser(aka downn2)]

There are several people on this forum who have done (so far successfully) what you're proposing.

Not all of them have been successful... I remember one newbie who wasted a saddlebag within a month or so of ownership because he made a mistake.

I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement

You're a cop with a nic SHOOTIST?

The FJR will do you just fine......and don't be afraid to ride it agressively...

@starcruiser

Just when I thought you might not be a complete...

:asshat2:

You go and show us you really are!

:****:

Now, there ya go, showing all of us, all you use your head for is a hat rack..... Most of the motorcycles books I've read say learn to trust the bike thru aggressiveness driving techniques, as being shy will get you killed (ie, hitting the brakes well into a turn cause your scared) ...And besides, We're talking COP here,,,,,,this ain't no ordinary dude, this SOG (son of a gun) has buddies (moto cops) who have ridden more miles on a bike than most of us have all put together to instruct and ride with him.......He is in fine company...

And I believe the safest way to ride a motorcycle is RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT and he should certainly know exactly what that entails........

Now, Mr Cop, go get that FJR and go have fun.......and don't listen to the wusses in here who think you should by a schwinn 10-speed first...and listen to your buddies, your surrounded by the best trained riders in the world...

 

[v65]

and don't listen to the wusses

Yeah because we all know that decisions based on testosterone are the best ones. Have fun with the feejer shootist.

 

[Jeff Tate]

I've been asked by other people what the best bike to start out on is, and since there is no BEST bike I recommend starting with a dual-sport from one of the big four. One that fits your physical size is more important than engine cc. A good used "whatever dual-sport " will be cheap to run, insure and (hopefully not... crash or dump). After learning the basics, take it off road some so you'll get familiar with how a bike reacts to body english and sliding around in the dirt at low speeds out of traffic. This how I learned back in the early '70s as I'm sure alot of other people here did too. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Shootist]

There are several people on this forum who have done (so far successfully) what you're proposing.

Not all of them have been successful... I remember one newbie who wasted a saddlebag within a month or so of ownership because he made a mistake.

I have noticed in my twenty years in law enforcement

You're a cop with a nic SHOOTIST?

The FJR will do you just fine......and don't be afraid to ride it agressively...

@starcruiser

Just when I thought you might not be a complete...

:asshat2:

You go and show us you really are!

:****:

Now, there ya go, showing all of us, all you use your head for is a hat rack..... Most of the motorcycles books I've read say learn to trust the bike thru aggressiveness driving techniques, as being shy will get you killed (ie, hitting the brakes well into a turn cause your scared) ...And besides, We're talking COP here,,,,,,this ain't no ordinary dude, this SOG (son of a gun) has buddies (moto cops) who have ridden more miles on a bike than most of us have all put together to instruct and ride with him.......He is in fine company...

And I believe the safest way to ride a motorcycle is RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT and he should certainly know exactly what that entails........

Now, Mr Cop, go get that FJR and go have fun.......and don't listen to the wusses in here who think you should by a schwinn 10-speed first...and listen to your buddies, your surrounded by the best trained riders in the world...

starcruiser;

Why do I feel that you dislike my profession. One could only wonder And as for my sign in name (Shootist) It comes from John Wayne's last movie.

 

[afterburn]

The way I read it, he was pushing a feather up the Police's ***.

 

[starcruiser(aka downn2)]

The way I read it, he was pushing a feather up the Police's ***.

In Dallas, they have a riding contest for the all the Motorcycle Police from across state, this includes very precise turns and handling at very low speeds along with maneuvers at speed....I went down and watch it a couple of years ago. They were amazing.....It was very evident they are professional trained....I determined that you'd have to be crazy to ever consider outrunning a motorcycle cop....Most are driving 4 cy Kawasaki’s anyway....and they must live on em after watching them ride em.....

Now, go get your FJR and invite your Motorcycle cop buddies over to see it........They'll be impressed, I guarantee. Tell em you’re a newbie, and when they want to show you all about how to develop your riding skills, LISTEN!!!

After you've gotten good at riding and know how to make that bike stand up on it’s front wheel while stopping on a dime,,,,share some riding techniqes they showed you with us....

 

[FJR1300]

The way I read it, he was pushing a feather up the Police's ***.

Damn... that was funny!

:lol:

I'm really sorry I replied to his post, but I didn't want shootist to take any advice from the little ****! Maybe if we ALL just ignore it (him)... it (he) will go away?

:clapping:

 

[krashdragon]

Oh, and I learned real quick to wait for morning before filling up the tank and parking overnight on hot asphault.... 6.6 gal x 7.something for each gal of gas.... needed help to pull the sidestand out of the hole in the parking lot...

Been there, yanked my FJR out of an asphalt hole. Not good times. Luckily I'm brute enough to do it with no help. Chuck Norris would be proud! :assassin:

Good for you!

I had to ask for help...there was a motel employee .. al lady of course!.... just parking her car and she was nice enuf to help me.... A friend gave me one of those nice H-D kickstand thingies when I got to Cali... I used it the rest of the trip...Hey, it was free, and I do have a Harley....<BG>

the H-d and the Feejer both weigh the same, have an engine, tranny, and two wheels... but I think the similarities stop there...<LOL>

the Deuce is actually easier to pack... going to try and figure out how to get rid of the side opening bags... they suck.

Mary

" The thing I notice most is that the cagers don't respect you because you are so "small". If you were a simi truck they would not change lanes into you running you into the shoulder or center lane. You just arn't as threatening as a simi."

Oh yeah? Ask some truckers about that!~ <BG>

One of my friends rides a Harley and drive a very large bright yellow with many flashing lights fire truck...

He says idiots dont' see him either... <BG>

Mary

 

[scmagna]

Nobody seems to have addressed one issue: You may find that you don't actually like riding! Although I love to ride, there are certain aspects that can challenge your determination to be part of the two-wheeled crowd. If you get a cheapo hacker, you can back out gracefully. On the other hand, if you get an FJR and decide it's not for you I would be happy to take it off your hands at a deep discount.