More FJRs going down?

[jcasey]

If you want to feel top heavy try an '88 Goldwing. Like most here I feel my FJR is the most stable bike I have been on. Keep in mind what some of us learned in the old MSF course......use the rear brake to reduce the turn radius at low speed.....keep the throttle and clutch constant. It works!

 

[sradek]

I think its cause a bunch of old farts ride these things.
Flame away, I'm a ripe old 28 now.

+1, but the bike IS top-heavy and gives a sense of comfort since it's so easy to ride after you are in 2nd and higher ...

 

[Dan23]

Engineers have made the FJR handle in a manner that belies it's heft. However, that weight is still there and the rider who forgets that is likely to suffer the consequences of his/her forgetfulness.... usually on a slippery surface or in low speed maneuvering.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Definitely not a good first bike for anyone.

I agree with you 100% there. One of the Yamaha web pages even said so, although that may have been an advertizing thing. Tell any red-blooded man that this is too much bike for him, and he'll be reaching for his credit card in NO time flat.

The height and top heavy nature of the bike make it more likely to tip overs. I'm not at all comfortable with my bike in parking lots. My tippy toes will just reach the ground, if it is flat and even all around. My bike has been attacked by gravity twice, with several more close calls. When I rode a cruiser, that wasn't an issue at all.

But if this was a big problem, I could go ride a different bike, right?

Jill

 

[TriggerT]

I remembered this thread while reading the new thread on those of us who use our FJR to commute to work. After reading that thread, and many others here on the forum over the last few months, I am convinced that FJR riders put on WAY, WAY, WAY more miles than the average motorcycle owner. If you ride more, your chances of going down increase. I have never seen my bike fall over while it was just sitting in the garage.

 

[FJRMGM]

"I have never seen my bike fall over while it was just sitting in the garage."

Way to many have seen them fall over in their driveway though.

 

[Mike-H]

"I have never seen my bike fall over while it was just sitting in the garage."
Way to many have seen them fall over in their driveway though.

It's called ghosts in the garage :lol: & soft pavement in the driveway :blink: .....or is that soft pavement in the garage? & ghosts in the driveway? .....

 

[airboss]

"I have never seen my bike fall over while it was just sitting in the garage."

Way to many have seen them fall over in their driveway though.

It's called ghosts in the garage :lol: & soft pavement in the driveway :blink: .....or is that soft pavement in the garage? & ghosts in the driveway? .....

Actually we're talking about garden gremilins, they're out to get anything mechanical, They're the same ones that catch & hide the nuts,bolts, and screws you drop B) . Push rocks into your lawn mower's blades, they get involved in all kinds of nasty things. bad bunch.

 

[Bananas!]

I learned the hard way that the turn in of the front end isn't as sharp as other bikes that I have owned. I

was in the process of making a slow right turn and realized to late that I wasn't carrying enough speed to

make the turn with the steering against the stop. If I could have turned the bars sharper everything would

have been fine. Turning radius isn't what it could be.

Bananas!

p.s. That plastic sure is expensive!

 

[madmike2]

Cracks me up when people call this bike "top heavy" and "unwieldy at a stop".

I am with ya on this one. I guess it's a relative thing and depends on what you are coming from. Compared to my old Connie, the FJR is not top heavy at all and is a dream in slow speed parking lot maneuvers. I dropped my Connie many times at parking lot speed or moving it around off the bike. I have never dropped my FJR like that.

Just don't ask me about off road riding...................

Off road riding....aaaannnnnnddddd parking lots.......just ask vectervp1. Timberrrrr.........

"Oh, mommy, lookee at those FJRs falling just like dominoes".

 

[madmike2]

This is added to such things as Satans Sidestand and the well known Sidebag/Asphalt Magnetism Phenomena which caught many unawares.....

:yahoo: :yahoo: Now that's funny! AND it helps explain SkooterG's parking problem.

 

[scott r.]

I want to reply to the comment about throttle abruptness on the '06 fjr. I rode my friends '05 and did not find his throttle roll on to be anywhere near as finnicky as my '06. I disconnected the return spring, did the babarian mod and it was better but not great. Finally I got a power commander and problem solved.

As to the fjr being top heavy, I owned a bmw rt1100 and thought that bike felt more top heavy than the fjr.

Scott

 

[S76]

I haven't seen this posted but my Pillion has a habit of adjusting her seating while we are at a stop. If I'm still coasting to a stop or just getting ready to take off we very nearly go down and as a matter of fact have once. She knows better now, but occassionally forgets. It's real exciting for about two seconds while I scramble and turn the handlebars back and forth. LOL

Same problem here. Stop and go traffic in a scenic tourist area just about did us in. Had to make a rule,, "No wigglin below 10 MPH."

 

[niobium]

I sold a K1200LT and bought the FJR. Nothing will ever feel top-heavy or clumsy at low speed. The FJR is downright flickable. It's all in your point of view.

 

[madmike2]

I sold a K1200LT and bought the FJR. Nothing will ever feel top-heavy or clumsy at low speed. The FJR is downright flickable. It's all in your point of view.

Perhaps, but from the relative point of view, if they are perceiving and reacting to that perception, much depends on their previous experience. And if the pillions are adding to that mix, its a reality they must attend to.

I've seen a pillion lean over just as the rider raised the sidestand and was getting settled. The "tip-over", while interesting, just wasn't funny.

 

[painman]

Taking off with your cable lock still on doesn't help either...PM. <>< :lol: :blink:

 

[mcatrophy]

FJR top heavy? It's all relative.

After my 35-years in the non-motorcycling wilderness, I got a new Triumph Bonneville. The Bonneville was top heavy. I dropped it about 3 times in the first few weeks, each time essentially stationary (and once by snatching the front brake at speed, not good). After about six months it wasn't so top heavy.

After a year, I changed it for a Trophy 1200. Now that WAS top heavy. I dropped it a few times in the first few months. And once after 3 years or so when the engine stalled whilst moving off and turning out of a driveway. But again, after about a year, it wasn't so top heavy.

Having changed to the FJR, although a bit heavier than the Trophy, the FJR was nothing like as top heavy.

I find the FJR is less stable than the Trophy at the back end. On more than one occasion I've wound on the Trophy and had the rear wheel spin up. The Trophy has more low down torque than the FJR (this may surprise some of you, but it is one thing I really miss from the Trophy). The first time I thought it had clutch slip until the rear end started to move sideways. It caught cleanly as soon as I reduced the throttle a bit. On a couple of other occasions it's move sideways as I've opened up, and again caught cleanly when I eased the throttle.

I've had the FJR start to slip at the back a couple of times. Both times I felt much less in control during the recovery. Maybe it's because I'm still fairly new on the FJR, maybe its suspension gives my backside less feedback. Maybe because the torque is rising more rapidly with engine speed. Maybe because the throttle on the FJR is more abrupt at low settings. Probably a combination.

In more "normal" riding, I agree with others that the FJR can lead you into areas you shouldn't go to. It is much more confidence-inspiring than my Trophy was, and I am having to consciously back off when I find myself travelling faster than I really should be. Oh, the ABS brakes really do work well. (My body may have 64 years, but my motorcycling brain is often still stupidly adolescent.)

Anyway, to sum up, top-heaviness is something you learn to deal with. I'm only 5'8 and weigh about 150 pounds; not enough of that is muscle. So I have learned to be cautious whenever below walking speed, particularly with the electric clutch that often disengages at the wrong moment. But, those linked brakes seem to work very well at low speed (until you want to put your right foot down). I'm still learning.

And, I really don't want to drop the FJR, it's SOOOO embarrassing.

 

[rogdeb]

Taking off with your cable lock still on doesn't help either...PM. <>< :lol: :blink:

BTDT !! :lol: A hacksaw works reasonably well if it's REALLY entangled.

 

[onlyblue]

I don't profess to be a "good" rider., or a "bad" rider. I don't know where my skills place me. I do know that I've been on motorcycles since I was 16 (1966). I've had motorcycles as big (weight wise) as the FJR before: BSA's, Harley super glide (shovel), Yamaha's, and now a Buell S3 in my garage along with a 06' FJR. My FJR has nearly gone down a couple of times, when using the front brake at slow speeds with the fork turned. I don't know the dynamics or science involved, but I've never experienced this in any other scooter I've ridden. Well, I've learned to pretty much keep my hands away from the front brake lever in those situations

 

[BobbyBob]

I don't profess to be a "good" rider., or a "bad" rider. I don't know where my skills place me. I do know that I've been on motorcycles since I was 16 (1966). I've had motorcycles as big (weight wise) as the FJR before: BSA's, Harley super glide (shovel), Yamaha's, and now a Buell S3 in my garage along with a 06' FJR. My FJR has nearly gone down a couple of times, when using the front brake at slow speeds with the fork turned. I don't know the dynamics or science involved, but I've never experienced this in any other scooter I've ridden. Well, I've learned to pretty much keep my hands away from the front brake lever in those situations

Onlyblue, if you've never experienced this phenom with your other rides, it could only be because you were more careful with them. A Honda 125 kiddie bike will go over if you grab the front brake with bars not centered. The "dynamics or science involved" are very simple. When you apply the front brake, the rear of the bike is trying to pivot forward around the axle of the front wheel. If the axle is perpendicular to the frame (crosswise) the rear will swing straight forward (i.e. a stoppie if you pull it hard enough). If the bars are turned left, that energy transmitted at the steering head pulls the rest of the bike around that axle which is facing left--i.e. the rest of the bike rotates around that axle to the left. Picture it and I think you'll see the result....a stoppie to the left.