Goodman4
Pressing on
Today I accidentally found out how to make my FJR feel like my VTX1300! I mistakenly took off in 4th gear. On an incline. 
Making the FJR feel like my VTX
- Thread starter Goodman4
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azitlies
Well-known member
hahahhaha now that's pretty funny If you'd have taken off in 5th maybe like a vtx1800? nahhhhh would have needed to be about 300 lbs heavier
If you'd have taken off in 5th maybe like a vtx1800? nahhhhh would have needed to be about 300 lbs heavier That is funny. I have a friend who is the most aggresive rider I know. He buys a new bike about once a year. He bought the new VTX when it first came out. We went on a ride on our favorite twisties and on the 2nd turn he went off the road. Why? Well he leaned it over so far that the frame or some other hard point hit the ground and pivoted his bike where the rear wheel broke contact. His skill kept him from crashing. He sold the bike right away.
Bill
Bill
Goodman4
Pressing on
I'm not surprised. I am not a very aggressive rider but I put my VTX down like that. 4 years ago when I first got the VTX, I was trying to get a feel for how to ride it on corners. I was just getting back into riding after giving it up while my daughters were young. I previously had a Kawi KZ1000 which cornered well. I was not doing anything crazy at all but just cornered a 25 mph recommended curve at about 35 and I don't remember braking, but I may have a little. It went right over. I think it hit the frame where the highway pegs mount.
Got on the forums to get some advice for how corner better with that bike and everybody said the same thing, "Slow down, stupid! It's a cruiser." Thus began the slow path to owning a sport tourer. Now I have to learn my limits on this bike without doing something similar or worse. The capabilities of the FJR raise the stakes a lot.
Paul
HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
I rode the crap out of my VTX1800 and never had any problems. That bike could pull the front wheel off the ground. No issues with it through 35k miles and two sets of floor-boards makes it sound like rider error to me.
Sure rider error becuase he leaned too far lifting the rear wheel off the ground when it hit the frame. But I was behind him on a curve both of us were very familiar with. His lean angle was not that severe and I likely exceeded his lean angle on my Guzzi. My friend is the most skilled aggressive rider I know and well respected by many riders. He soon got rid of the VTX as it didn't fit his riding style. I'm sure its a great powerful bike but me thinks the stock bike has some cornering limits more restrictive than the FJR and other sporting machines ie more a super cruiser than SPORT/tourer...I'm just sayin'.
Bill
fjrbird
Well-known member
From a first few days of riding the FJR, I keep treating it like a cruiser, for example, going into a corner slowly and not dare to lean my body. But the bike doesn't like it. Then I learn that the sport bike has narrower rake and shorter trail that makes it going into a corner faster and easier. Now I have to retrain myself and my brain so that I'm not afraid to lean my body more and relax when getting to turn. It works amazingly well after a few try. Now I love it so much that going into a turn is fun and easy. Keep myself improved every day.
I think the FJR manual says something like, "not for a beginner, novice, etc".From a first few days of riding the FJR, I keep treating it like a cruiser, for example, going into a corner slowly and not dare to lean my body. But the bike doesn't like it. Then I learn that the sport bike has narrower rake and shorter trail that makes it going into a corner faster and easier. Now I have to retrain myself and my brain so that I'm not afraid to lean my body more and relax when getting to turn. It works amazingly well after a few try. Now I love it so much that going into a turn is fun and easy. Keep myself improved every day.
Its true. I've owned over a dozen bikes and it took me a few thousand road miles to warm up to the FJR. Each road trip brings new joys for me as I've learned how to properly ride it. I'm not talking interstate which is very comfortable but learning to ride it on mountain roads and hammer the twisties took me some time to appreciate its virtues. After my recent backroad trip from Tampa to San Diego and back, I think I got the hang of it and I love it.
Bill
Bungie
FrostBack #2 - IBA # 44620
Right after I bought my 05 Meanstreak a buddy who owned a VTX1800 (the sporty one, not the bagger one) and I went for a ride down a twistish road near by. When we got to the end he motioned me to pull over. He wanted to take a break, his arms were pumped. What the hell I thought!
He kept going on how hard it was to steer. I thought their must be something wrong with the bike as he's been riding for years and years. So we decided to ride back the way we came, except we'd swap bikes.
Sweet JEBUZ he wasn't kidding. I had to keep constant FIRM pressure on the inner bar to make it hold a line.
When we got to the end, he hopped off my Meanstreak, which I have to admit, handled great for a power cruiser, and said "I bought the wrong bike!"
Took a look at the bike, tires were relatively new, nothing wrong with the steering head, no, it was just geometry and physics at work.
If you want to make the FJR feel like a VTX, deflate your front tire down to about 8lbs and pull 2 of the plug wires off. They weigh about the same!
He kept going on how hard it was to steer. I thought their must be something wrong with the bike as he's been riding for years and years. So we decided to ride back the way we came, except we'd swap bikes.
Sweet JEBUZ he wasn't kidding. I had to keep constant FIRM pressure on the inner bar to make it hold a line.
When we got to the end, he hopped off my Meanstreak, which I have to admit, handled great for a power cruiser, and said "I bought the wrong bike!"
Took a look at the bike, tires were relatively new, nothing wrong with the steering head, no, it was just geometry and physics at work.
If you want to make the FJR feel like a VTX, deflate your front tire down to about 8lbs and pull 2 of the plug wires off. They weigh about the same!
Goodman4
Pressing on
I'm with you fjrbird. I know Zilla is right that my accident on my VTX was rider error, but I never was able to find out what the error was. I was riding it just like I had my KZ1000. I spent all those years practicing corners training my body to believe "your bike can handle a lot more lean than you are brave enough to do". I believed that all corner accidents are from chickening out in a curve (unless something is on the road surface).
I know I would not have went down on the KZ1000. I rode the same curve today on my FJR (see my trip report) at the same speed and had NO fear of going over. I just had to learn to ride the cruiser differently.
I am now having to retrain myself like fjrbird mentions above. I've ridden the dragon on my VTX a couple times and lots of other twisties. It's all about braking before the curve. Never brake in the curve, pray you don't scrape the pegs too hard, keep enough forward momentum to keep the weight to the back so it doesn't hit in a spot that pulls a wheel up. I rode some twisties today and its a different ball-game on the FJR. Find the entrance speed you are comfortable with matching lean to. I only tapped the brake once before entering a corner in all the twisties today. Everything else was throttle management. I don't mean to come across like I know what I'm doing, cause I'm just learning again. It took everything I had to not hit the back brake as I overcommitted (for my comfort level only) to a 15 mph curve down a slope and the rush was really satisfying. It's one of the reasons I ride.
And I didn't intend this post to all-out bash VTX's either. I love my VTX and I am keeping it to ride to work and around town. I don't ever have to worry about it falling over just putting around because it has such great center of gravity. It is not fast, but it "feels" powerful. It has just enough pep to sit you back, but doesn't make you worry about getting a ticket every minute. But I really did start out in 4th yesterday on my FJR up the hill and I thought for a second I was on the VTX. There's just that much difference.
Paul
Nitro
Well-known member
My brother kind of had an experience like this once. We grew up riding sport bikes. One day he took a Yamaha Star Cruiser for a test ride. The first turn he made he drove the floor board right into the ground. Scared the crap out of him, he brought the bike right back and said it wasn't meant for him!
jmdaniel
Has A Well Known Member
I had the other experience, when I sold my 1300 VTX and bought the Feejer. The first time I turned a corner and gave it some gas, I thought I'd purchased a rocket!
TomInPA
Well-known member
I was riding in a group that included a VTX1800 rider and passenger. They crashed on a dead straight-away while doing the legal speed. The rear tire went flat and caught in the deep fender well and locked the rear end. This sent them into a skin and off the left side of the road. Real fortunate that it wasn't worse. Second pic shows the tire pinched in the fender well. STUPID design!
That is funny!
A few years ago I had a WeeStrom and rode over to the Seattle area to see a friend. He had this VTX with Straight pipes. We went out to breakfast before I left for home and we both opened them up. Well, the Wee was about two bide links behind at 80 mph. So, a 650 twin vs. a 1300 twin. Not bad I felt.
Then, on the way back he wanted to switch. I was about deaf with my full face helmet on by the time we got back. Plus, I felt I'd be toast if anyone pulled out in front of me (limited maneuverability).
So, very funny comment and I get it.
A few years ago I had a WeeStrom and rode over to the Seattle area to see a friend. He had this VTX with Straight pipes. We went out to breakfast before I left for home and we both opened them up. Well, the Wee was about two bide links behind at 80 mph. So, a 650 twin vs. a 1300 twin. Not bad I felt.
Then, on the way back he wanted to switch. I was about deaf with my full face helmet on by the time we got back. Plus, I felt I'd be toast if anyone pulled out in front of me (limited maneuverability).
So, very funny comment and I get it.
