My new ride, 2014 ES

[mr.paul]

Must...resist...the...force.....

Told myself for years that if they ever got smart and made a candy red one, I would have to find a way. I love the color blue of my '06, but that red....well, thank goodness I don't have the funds now and my bike is fine. That red is just sooo nice. And the upgrades wouldn't hurt either.

My bike is fine, my bike is fine, my bike is fine........

Congrats!

 

[yessirrom]

Must...resist...the...force.....
Told myself for years that if they ever got smart and made a candy red one, I would have to find a way. I love the color blue of my '06, but that red....well, thank goodness I don't have the funds now and my bike is fine. That red is just sooo nice. And the upgrades wouldn't hurt either.

My bike is fine, my bike is fine, my bike is fine........

Congrats!

I had no small amount of self debate on the new purchase. Customize the 07 vs shiny new red goodness. I do not regret upgrading. Loving the electronics!! Throttle is great, suspension adjust on the fly is fantastic, new instrument cluster has made me much more aware of when I have gone super-sonic heh heh Yikes! am I going that fast?

Prepping the 07 for sale now.....

 

[Tanker]

Your bike is looking great!!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[RadioHowie]

So far, i've been able to "resist the Force" of the '14, but God help me if Yamaha ever comes out with an FJR in "Fly Yellow"!!!

 

[eatpasta]

that bike in that red is dead sexy..... looks like a totally different bike

congrats!

 

[yessirrom]

Smuggler back from paint. Thanks Garauld...

 

[DHS1981]

Great looking bike, congrats! I'm test riding a 2014 FJR1300A tomorrow, and will probably ride the ES when it comes in locally in a couple of weeks. However, the dealership is willing to make me a very attractive deal now on the A model, and I'm a bit on the fence about the ES and those little electric servo motors (something else that can break?), and whether it will make that much difference in light of my riding style. Out here on the plains the roads are straight and flat. I like the twisties, but am not much of a peg-dragger when I get on them. I've owned 7 bikes over the years, and have never kept one for more than 3 or 4 years, so I'm wondering whether the extra $ for the ES would be worth it for me. I'd appreciate some objective advice from those who have ridden the ES and earlier model FJRs and can compare them.

 

[yessirrom]

My daily commute is 55 miles each way. It is a mix of slab and back windy roads. My wife has started riding with me more and more these days as well. All of these factors make the ES an ideal fit for me.

I have upgraded the suspension on my 07 and really like the improvement, but it was a pain in the butt to adjust before taking the wife along. She would often give me little notice of her intent to accompany me on a ride.

The ES is a dream for adjusting on the fly. I change the settings multiple times each ride. Soft for the slab, medium for twisties, hard for serious work. It can get it a bit jouncy on the slab with 2 up set on soft so a quick toggle can firm it up if it gets out of hand. I use it waaay more than I thought I would. I did buy a four year extended warranty just because of the electronics. It is new and who knows how the servos and such will hold up. I mostly wonder how they handle bumps and load changes while changing settings. I go from medium to hard while heading into some twisties and do not know how long the adjustments take. No problems so far. Nice to have a warranty to add value and a sense of security.

I think the ES will also add some resale value on the back end as well. Kind of like the reverse of an AE model. It also feels more frimly sprung than my previous bike. Not sure if the A model has had suspension changes or not.

If you never adjust your setting, the A should be fine. Hard to miss what you have never had.. I would not switch back after having had the ES.

 

[DHS1981]

Thanks, that helps. I agree that the ES makes great sense if you are switching between solo and two-up. I never ride two-up, so that's not an issue for me. Hard choice -- I could use the 1,000 + I'll save getting farkles (that I would get no matter which version I buy) if I go with the A model. Still a hard choice. The stock suspension got an upgrade in 2013 -- slightly stiffer springs -- but still not as good as the KYBs I would guess. Thanks again.

 

[yessirrom]

Better smuggler pics.

 

[BigOgre]

Nice. Can't say the red is my favorite color but that looks sharp.