My brother wants a FJR 2014A

[TomInPA]

He's 58 fer crisesake. Maybe it's time to cut the apron strings?

Once a kid brother, always a kid brother...

Now get otta here before I get ya some noogies

 

[Chiefblueman]

Yep, I also took a 25 year sabbatical from riding,both dirt and street. Jumped back in at 52 with a WR450 ,urged on by my brother. Let me ride his WR400 one day and told me "you still got it". I quickly learned how to uncork the big Yammie with mods and turned it into a 50rwhp monster. Lots o' fun on the single tracks here in WA!

Here's where I made my big mistake. After a few rides under my belt, I began to think I could keep up with my bro. Bob has ridden continuously since he was 12 and was/is a phenomenal rider. I would blast along, keeping pace with him thinking I was pretty good. Then he'd step it up a notch. I'd try the new pace and usually crash due to fatigue, skill deficit or both. Never really got hurt so brushed it off and hit it again. But that "brother" thing, competition between siblings, would rear its head after a while and off I'd go. I realize now I was never going to be at Bobs' level. If I'd realized it sooner I'd probably still be riding intense single track off road and having a ball. Instead, I cracked some ribs and f-d up a cervical disc. Pinched nerve at C5. No more dirt bikes for me. Lucky we were dirt riding.

Hopefully your bro will not feel the need to push it just a little to keep up. The FJR will keep up real quick. Riding his own ride is as important as ATGATT in my eyes.

BTW, at 56 I reentered the street bike world with a Gen1 FZ1. The PO dyno'd it at 130rwhp. I was a bit trepidatious. I found out I had a direct connection between the right wrist and the bunghole. When the one puckered, the other would roll off.

Handy feature. I'm sure your brother has it, too.

Happy riding! Hope you guys share many happy trails together.

 

[Scooper]

I was in Brazil last week riding with friends around the covered bridges.

Not much else there.

 

[TomInPA]

I was in Brazil last week riding with friends around the covered bridges.Not much else there.

Yeah, I'd call Brazil, IN the cultural wasteland of the midwest, and it seems to be topography challenged too. I didn't know about the covered bridges. Things are looking up.

 

[Scooper]

Crap load of them just north of Brazil.

https://coveredbridges.com

 

[ZOOOMM AGAIN]

ZOOOMM AGAIN stopped riding a Harley 30 years before buying the FJR in 2005.I was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep up LOL. No but really, I was.

I had been riding almost continuously and I would joke with him that his riding a Harley 30 years prior didn't even really count. LOL

I told him about your post and he will most likely chime in too.

I am sure you will enjoy many great miles with your brother. I wish mine was still around to share this with. My brother was the one that inspired me to ride in the first place.

As Iris indicated, I stopped riding in my early 20's (raised a family). In 2005, a year after Iris and I were married, we bought new 2005s, I was 53. Just bought our second pair of FJRs (2014s). We've traveled all over this country and a little in Canada. I'm 5'-9" and can get both feet on the ground at the same time. If your brother is short (hope not) he will have an instant disadvantage for keeping the FJR upright in slow maneuvering, say parking lots etc.. Most importantly, ride with the right gear and your brother needs to ride his own ride. It's like riding a bicycle, you don't forget how, He'll just need to take his time and get a feel for the FJR.......it's a lot of machine. Oh, and if he gets a Gen 3, I suggest your brother use the touring mode initially......seriously!

Good luck and enjoy thousands of miles of smiles.

 

[TomInPA]

ZOOOMM AGAIN stopped riding a Harley 30 years before buying the FJR in 2005.I was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep up LOL. No but really, I was.

I had been riding almost continuously and I would joke with him that his riding a Harley 30 years prior didn't even really count. LOL

I told him about your post and he will most likely chime in too.

I am sure you will enjoy many great miles with your brother. I wish mine was still around to share this with. My brother was the one that inspired me to ride in the first place.

As Iris indicated, I stopped riding in my early 20's (raised a family). In 2005, a year after Iris and I were married, we bought new 2005s, I was 53. Just bought our second pair of FJRs (2014s). We've traveled all over this country and a little in Canada. I'm 5'-9" and can get both feet on the ground at the same time. If your brother is short (hope not) he will have an instant disadvantage for keeping the FJR upright in slow maneuvering, say parking lots etc.. Most importantly, ride with the right gear and your brother needs to ride his own ride. It's like riding a bicycle, you don't forget how, He'll just need to take his time and get a feel for the FJR.......it's a lot of machine. Oh, and if he gets a Gen 3, I suggest your brother use the touring mode initially......seriously!

Good luck and enjoy thousands of miles of smiles.

Thanks! There is a lot to envy as you and your soul mate travel the country on those beautiful red bikes. John is closer to your stature, and should be fine. He was asking about setting the seat in the low position. I told him a lot of us also get the seats customized for a better fit. I bet he rides in touring mode, but I hope I might be forgiven if I switch to sport mode on the trip to go store the bike. Plan is to take mostly back roads and vary the speed, but damn I'd like to open that thing up a little.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Don't get overly concerned about inseam. You've seen me... Practice is more important. Skills can be adapted to bigger bikes, but may be harder to learn when you're talking about 600+ pounds. The throttle is less likely to bite a noob or a new returnee than brakes or inertia. Agree with all who've encouraged good gear/ATGATT.

 

[ike1018]

MSF is great. I like the idea of a 250 for a few months, wish I had done that. After 15 years removed from 2 wheels, I jumped on a new 950 v twin and promptly dropped it shortly after. Got it fixed and rode it for a while longer. The fjr is my 2nd bike and I was a bit intimidated at first. That didn't last long. I started it in touring and kept it under 4k but found the bike to be so much easier to ride at speed and even at parking lot speeds compared to the entry level cruisers I've ridden. Good luck to your bro and safe travels.

 

[TomInPA]

Going over helmet choices and eliminated the half and 3/4 options. I think we used 3/4 Bell helmets back in the 70s. Choosing between FF and modular.

I gave him a link to buy a Warm N Safe coax connector for heated gear. If I'm riding that bike to KS at the end of October, I want to be able to use the heated gear. The wireless troller is portable as long as there is power.

 

[Uncle Hud]

I sold the RD400 when we got pregnant in 1982, and bought my next bike, a Vstar 950, in 2012.

Something that helped me regain confidence was to paint little spots on the neighboring parking deck that replicate the Georgia moto driving test. I did those low-speed maneuvers for months -- at least twice before a ride, and usually a couple of times afterward as a "cooldown".

Yeah, don't worry about the throttle. Most of us over-50's know when it's OK to blow it out and when it isn't