When the FJR first hit the US the US 2003 model was mostly a rest-of-the-world 2002 design. We continued with the half-model-year design called by a neer year than the same model was called everywhere else until about 2005 (iirc).
Hence:
US 2003 = 2002 everywhere else
US 2004 = 2003 everywhere else
US 2005 = 2004 everywhere else
then Yamaha intentionally dragged their feet on deliveries so that, instead of October, they came to the US around May. This got the numbers in synch.
US 2006 = 2006 everywhere else (the world) = 2006 world
I may have my years off by one, but what it's saying is that there is no US 2006 designation as everything was in synch that year. A 2006 is a 2006 is a 2006. The only differences are minor (flash-to-pass, marker lights in the headlight nacelle, etc.).
While the model year release was off by 6 months, the '05 was the same machine everywhere, with the major national variants being the difference.
With the Gen-II came a new design - but while pre-2003 versions weren't available in the U.S., specifying a U.S. model describes the bike as it is released in the U.S. as compared with the rest of the world . . .
And it still is a dual-mode design. And the BOARD thinks it is a dual-mode design, given that 2006 is the ONLY year for which there's no 'specific' designation for U.S. bikes. There are U.S. and WORLD versions for 2007 & 2008 - now 2009 has to be added.
In fact, the reality is that there is no 'North American' bike per se, as the drop list implies - only North American paint. There are U.S. models and there are models for the rest of the 'world' - hence 'World' versions - with some minor differences, like the headlight reflector and flash to pass being minor 'national variants as you mentioned.
- Only the U.S. uses a conventional key - the rest of us have the immobiliser and the robust, no breakable transponder key that goes with it.
- Only the U.S. gets the bag liners included with the bike. The rest of us pay or do without
- Heated grips were standard equipment from 2007 onward on the 'A' for the rest of the world - the U.S. didn't do it then. Have they done it yet?
- The U.S. version of the bike is 'different enough' that it requires a different service manual.
- Yamaha U.S. does not offer United Statesians all of the accessories (foot guards, hand guards, alarms and so on) that they do in other markets
Since you are going to be going in to edit the list anyway, I personally would prefer not being excluded from being part of the 'North America'. The drop list implies that U.S. bikes are 'North America' - the reality is that Canada and Mexico are also part of North America. The bikes we get are different than those in the U.S. - in fact except for the colours and the flash to pass, our bikes are pretty much the same as those in Germany, France and so on. So the 'North America' designation should be changed to U.S.
While you are editing, in 2006 ABS became part of the base machine, and so THAT designation can disappear, although there IS someone on Ebay trying to sell a 2007 Non-ABS, which is a neat trick.
I propose that the drop list be edited to either eliminate the U.S. and 'World' designations (since the likelihood is that you bought the national version of the machine for the country in which you live) for ALL years or that it reflect the following for Gen-II bikes, changing the year designation as appropriate:
2006 A (U.S. Model)
2006 A (World)
2006 AE (U.S. Model)
2006 AE (World)
The list could also stand to be reordered so that the model years are in order while it is being edited.
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