twowheelnut
R.I.P. Our Motorcycling Friend
First of all, they are offering test rides on FJR's in Long Beach. It's just that they are on '05's...
Second of all, lots and lots of young wimminz runnin' 'round half nekkid and they even know something about the products they were hocking! Not that I was listening, mind you. (Hint: Stop by the Honda booth and have the cute girlie girl give you the low down on the Wing's new GPS. 'Coordinates? Yeah, I see two I'd like to, um, locate ...') :dribble: :blink:
I got there early and was the first in the Yamaha booth. Quickly there were 20 - 30 guys ogling both bikes and the poor reps were getting pummeled with questions. I laughed like hell! Most oft asked questions? #3 goes to, 'Are they really gonna be delivered in June?' #2 goes to, 'Did you fix the tick?' #1 goes to, 'Did you fix the heat?' I laughed my *** off even more!
Impressions?
First, keep in mind that I'm six foot tall with a 34" inseam... The ergos with the seat in the low position made me feel as if I were doing some strange yoga position. Too cramped. My feet, however, were firmly planted on Terra Firma and my knees were still bent. This bike sits wayyyy lower than the previous models.
Good news for the riser folks, this bike is still gonna need 'em. The adjustable bars they have on these ain't gonna cut it.
The seat did seem every bit as comfy as my custom Bill Mayer, with just the right amount of firmness/cush and the shape fit me well. Seemed to be narrower toward the front of the seat, too. Might make the custom seat makers a bit poorer next year.
The mirrors are the ****. Word. Don't know if they'll retro onto ours, though.
The AE without the clutch handle? Sorry, it's just not the way God intended things to be. Where would I rest my fingers without the handle? I could count to six, I suppose. The finger controls for the e-clutch are gonna give short fingered folks fits until the get used to cramming their hand against the grip stop. Not a natural feel at all.
All other controls - hand and foot - are pretty much the same and the IP is pretty cool.
Body and styling are pretty good. The blue is very nice and the silver is wayyyyy silver, but still great looking. The aero changes make a lot of sense in terms of exhausting heat and supplementing cooling. I think the dash vents are gonna make a world of difference for rider cooling and buffeting. Those little adjustable vents on the fairing that flank the tank... You need a screw driver to adjust them. Lame. So is the positioning of the power plug. The luggage rack is worthless. Note to garauld: Git busy, boy! You're gonna sell a lot of racks to the class of '06!
The new wind screen seems smaller and further away. It is re-contoured, but we'll have to wait and hear the comments as the bike start to get delivered in August.
You light bulb junkies will have a field day. The head light nacelles have tons of room. I'm really looking forward to another 20 threads on light bulbs... No, really, I am. <_< Tail lamps look good. The new side markers are pretty cool, too.
Forget the fender extender for the front fender. Tain't no room between the tire and the fairing's bottom lip. Good room for a fork brace, though.
Overall, the bike's CoG seems to be lower than ours. The increase in weight is not noticeable from a static point of view. Tossing it from side to side it seemed to feel lighter.
For the most part, I like what they did to it and of all the bikes there built for the paved road, I'd have to say that the FJR is still in the top 3 or 4 bikes.
Oh, the new BMW GT? Woof. :dribble: Too bad it's a BWM. The new Kawi ZX-14? It's a copy of the 'Busa except for the front end. And it's F-U-G-L-Y, too!
Found my next bike, though... Buell Ulysses. Really.
Your roving reporter,
TWN
Back to you in the studio...
Second of all, lots and lots of young wimminz runnin' 'round half nekkid and they even know something about the products they were hocking! Not that I was listening, mind you. (Hint: Stop by the Honda booth and have the cute girlie girl give you the low down on the Wing's new GPS. 'Coordinates? Yeah, I see two I'd like to, um, locate ...') :dribble: :blink:
I got there early and was the first in the Yamaha booth. Quickly there were 20 - 30 guys ogling both bikes and the poor reps were getting pummeled with questions. I laughed like hell! Most oft asked questions? #3 goes to, 'Are they really gonna be delivered in June?' #2 goes to, 'Did you fix the tick?' #1 goes to, 'Did you fix the heat?' I laughed my *** off even more!
Impressions?
First, keep in mind that I'm six foot tall with a 34" inseam... The ergos with the seat in the low position made me feel as if I were doing some strange yoga position. Too cramped. My feet, however, were firmly planted on Terra Firma and my knees were still bent. This bike sits wayyyy lower than the previous models.
Good news for the riser folks, this bike is still gonna need 'em. The adjustable bars they have on these ain't gonna cut it.
The seat did seem every bit as comfy as my custom Bill Mayer, with just the right amount of firmness/cush and the shape fit me well. Seemed to be narrower toward the front of the seat, too. Might make the custom seat makers a bit poorer next year.
The mirrors are the ****. Word. Don't know if they'll retro onto ours, though.
The AE without the clutch handle? Sorry, it's just not the way God intended things to be. Where would I rest my fingers without the handle? I could count to six, I suppose. The finger controls for the e-clutch are gonna give short fingered folks fits until the get used to cramming their hand against the grip stop. Not a natural feel at all.
All other controls - hand and foot - are pretty much the same and the IP is pretty cool.
Body and styling are pretty good. The blue is very nice and the silver is wayyyyy silver, but still great looking. The aero changes make a lot of sense in terms of exhausting heat and supplementing cooling. I think the dash vents are gonna make a world of difference for rider cooling and buffeting. Those little adjustable vents on the fairing that flank the tank... You need a screw driver to adjust them. Lame. So is the positioning of the power plug. The luggage rack is worthless. Note to garauld: Git busy, boy! You're gonna sell a lot of racks to the class of '06!
The new wind screen seems smaller and further away. It is re-contoured, but we'll have to wait and hear the comments as the bike start to get delivered in August.
You light bulb junkies will have a field day. The head light nacelles have tons of room. I'm really looking forward to another 20 threads on light bulbs... No, really, I am. <_< Tail lamps look good. The new side markers are pretty cool, too.
Forget the fender extender for the front fender. Tain't no room between the tire and the fairing's bottom lip. Good room for a fork brace, though.
Overall, the bike's CoG seems to be lower than ours. The increase in weight is not noticeable from a static point of view. Tossing it from side to side it seemed to feel lighter.
For the most part, I like what they did to it and of all the bikes there built for the paved road, I'd have to say that the FJR is still in the top 3 or 4 bikes.
Oh, the new BMW GT? Woof. :dribble: Too bad it's a BWM. The new Kawi ZX-14? It's a copy of the 'Busa except for the front end. And it's F-U-G-L-Y, too!
Found my next bike, though... Buell Ulysses. Really.
Your roving reporter,
TWN
Back to you in the studio...
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