Life with the 2014 FJR - good stuff!

[Canada Dan]

A week after picking up my new 2014 I'm still grinning like a fool.

Sold my '03 a couple of months ago with much reservation - hard to watch the new owner ride away.

Never had a minute of trouble with the '03, it delivered everything I asked and more.

Put a few hundred kilometre's on the 2014 last weekend, very nice machine. I can't think of anything I'd add or change for the type of riding that I do.

I'm not sure, but the side stand doesn't seem to hinge as far past center as the one on the '03 did.

I pulled the bike out of the garage on Saturday morning and placed it on the side stand while I closed the door. The driveway has a gentle down slope - the bike nearly fell over as it rolled forward and the stand folded up.

I don't ever recall this being an issue with my '03. I checked this bike each time I stopped on Saturday and found that the bike wasn't nearly as stable when on the side stand as I remember the old one being.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I'm very impressed with the bike though - everything that was great about the '03 and more.

Dan

 

[CA G-Man]

Glad to hear the 2014 is treating you well!

I've never owned an earlier gen. FJR so I can't comment on the difference but I can say I haven't noticed any particular issue with my 2013's side stand. How much of a slope is a "gentle" slope? If you get a chance to compare to another Gen III (come on down!) you might want to see if the stand angles are similar. I suppose it's possible that yours could have an assembly error or something...

 

[Clovis]

Never had a problem with my Gen 2. Just make sure the bike is in gear when parked and you shouldn't have any problems with it rolling. Aside from that, did you check the side stand bolt to make sure it's not loose?

 

[Allen_C]

If the down slope is enough, the side stand is not fully extended into place or the bike does not lean enough left to put weight on the stand, I can see this happening. I've ridden all generations and haven't noticed any significant difference in the side stands.Two options to "fix" this are: leave the bike in gear whenever parking on any slope and/or turn the bars to the left once on its side stand to wedge the stand in place and lock it between the ground and the bike.

Glad to hear your new red baby did not drop...that a whole other issue!

 

[Fred W]

Never park a bike with the nose pointing down hill.

Problem solved.

 

[steve_g]

Never park a bike with the nose pointing down hill.
Problem solved.

this, plus get a big-foot. really helps for parking on soft/loose surfaces.

 

[Canada Dan]

Thanks for the replies and the suggestions!

Here in Canada, the choice was brown or black this year. (At least at my dealer)

I chose a black one - wasn't sure if I'd like it until they rolled it out into the sunlight. WOW! - good looking bike.

I always fire the bike up in the garage then roll it out and close the door - did this for years with the '03 with no problem. Good point on checking the bolt in the side stand - I'll do that.

Unfortunately the bike has been banished to a storage locker across town - preparations are underway for a garage sale this weekend. I'm ok with that though - beats having someone's 'Darling' child climbing on it.

I'll have a closer look at the mounting bolt on Sunday when it comes back home.

Dan

 

[CA G-Man]

Dan, why don't you have your garage sales between September and April when there's snow on the ground? That way they won't interfere with riding season! ;-)

 

[Bogus]

Congrats on the new ride!! +1 on the parking in gear, but if you want to run it to warm up that won't work. If you need to warm it up, just be careful of the terrain.

Since you have had previous gens, was wondering if you noticed the heat radiation in warm weather. Today it was hovering close to 90 with high humidity, and noticed that Yamaha has finally got the shin cooking licked. In town riding the lack of heat around the shins was almost non existent. Much cooler than my 08 was.

 

[Canada Dan]

Definitely cooler than my '03. The warmest it's been since I picked it up is only around 26C - already noticed the difference though.

I haven't had it out on the highway yet, I imagine the cruise control is a pretty nice touch - really the only reason that I upgraded to this bike.

I've noticed that the speedo reads about 7km/hr high compared to my known GPS - I wonder if that can be calibrated?

Good call on the garage sale in the winter - the only downside would be that all that crap would still be in there afterwards. -30C doesn't make for a good turnout - frickin' wimps!

Red Deer huh? Maybe a Western Canadian FJR rally is in order this summer - we have two bikes already...

Still waiting for the trunk to arrive - the dealership thought they'd have it within two weeks of when I purchased it, still nothing.

 

[Wine Guy]

Speedometer issue has been discussed in a few topics. My 2013 is 10% high (GPS 100kpm, Speedo 110kpm). Congrats on the 2014. I love my 2013!

 

[Fred W]

I always fire the bike up in the garage then roll it out and close the door -

You need one of these fancy automatic garage door openers:

 

[luvtoride]

Never park a bike with the nose pointing down hill.
Problem solved.

Or you can roll it in 1st gear until the transmission catches & then put the kick stand down. The bike is already turned off of course.

 

[Canada Dan]

Fred - nice work on the garage door opener!

I've tried programming one in this way myself. But rather than opening the door when the command is sent, there is an ear splitting screech - and then it shuts down completely.

I must need to tweak something - you seem to have it dialled right in my friend.

Was this your first attempt?

 

[Fred W]

Never park a bike with the nose pointing down hill.
Problem solved.

Or you can roll it in 1st gear until the transmission catches & then put the kick stand down. The bike is already turned off of course.

That will work most of the time. If the hill is severe enough the engine compression will eventually leak down from the steady pull on the rear wheel and allow the bike to edge forward and the side-stand to fold with the obvious (expensive) results.

Much more reliable to just get into the habit of always parking with your nose uphill. Not only for the sidestand, but also it is just plain easier to back into a downhill spot and then pull out in the uphill direction.

Fred - nice work on the garage door opener! I've tried programming one in this way myself. But rather than opening the door when the command is sent, there is an ear splitting screech - and then it shuts down completely. I must need to tweak something - you seem to have it dialled right in my friend. Was this your first attempt?

That's not my handiwork. I find the electric models a lot easier to adjust, and also tend to be more reliable.

 

[FJR Bill]

For any heavy bike I recommend getting into the habit of ALWAYS parking in first gear and pushing slightly forward to take the slop out of the gears. I've watched 3 BMW LT's fall over parked in neutral. One fell over and hit my bike...Wasn't too happy with that. In each case the slope was mild.

Because its a habit pattern for me I even do it on my little 250. Bill

 

[Just Krusen]

I have a velcro strap for those times when the bike has to face down hill for some reason. If I feel first gear might not hold the bike I wrap the strap around the front brake lever and have an instant parking brake. I don't use it much but it's nice to have the choice when needed.

 

[RichDoyle]

I very commonly have to park my '13 facing downhill to open the gate and enter my property. And then again to close it after I pass. The bike is in gear and (of course) not running in both cases. Many dozens of times and never a problem.

 

[art miller]

FWIW my 14ES speedo is running just 2MPH faster then my GPS. When the OEM Bridgestones are toast I plan to put on a 190/55-17 on the rear and am told that will equal speedo with GPS.