madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
Andy, thanks for taking the "high road".Well, I looked a little further into some of the suggestions that were really meant to help. I did bleed the front brakes, and while I did not get a noticable air pocket released, it did seem to help a bit. I then took the bike to a local practice spot, and found the front ABS engagement point. While this engagement point is at solid braking level, it is not as high as I would like just the same, but I will ride accordingly.
For clarity, there was no accident through good fortune only - I had NO outs left; the cager kept coming into me in such a way that my escape routes were being removed one by one. At the very end, I was able to get by with MAYBE an inch or two to spare between hard curbs/trees and the cars front bumper. It was a bizarre situation - the driver was not looking at me at all - distracted with something. I was actually trying to find the least painful dismount place at this point while squeezing the FJR thru the last little bit of space. It was surreal, and it was happening in slow motion. I did not panic, but simply ran out of room and choices in that 2-3 seconds while doing the best I could to stop.
To those who want to just slam others, I truly hope you are never in this type of situation. It is terribly unsettling when you find you are not immortal and despite your practiced skills and experience, you can buy it at almost any time. Over the last 10 years or so, I have ridden an average of 30,000 miles a year. I have been riding actively for 35+ years, and I am confident my skills are at least above average. I have the pleasure (mostly) of test riding many new bikes each year for my job. I work for a bike aftermarket company, and in '09 alone, I have ridden: Honda 09 CBR1000, 09 CBR600, Fury, Kawasaki ZX6, ZX14, Concours 14, Versys, Ninja 650, Ninja 250, Vulcan Voyager, Nomad and Classic, Harley Street Glide, Ultra Glide, Sportster, Dyna, Softail and XR1200, Suzuki Hayabusa, GSXR 1000 and 600, M109R and C109R, SV650, Yamaha FJR (mine and work), 08 and 09 R1's, R6, V-Star 950, Raider, Warrior, VMAX (!), Ducati 1098, Hypermotard, and Streetfighter.
I do know how front brakes and suspension work (or don't). I think I was probably "calibrated" for the 1-2 finger monobloc stopping monsters that I ride regularly at work, and was probably not ready for the pull required to fully engage the front. I won't make that mistake again. I enjoy the FJR a lot, but it is not perfect. It is tall, top heavy and cannot manuver or stop like a superbike. It can take trips beautifully, and it is a great daily rider, and that is why I own it. I just need to ride it the way it was meant to be ridden, and stay in touch with it every time I get on it.
Thanks to all who gave positive sugestions, they were helpful.
Ride safe!
You're right about one thing, riding different bikes takes some adjustment. The FJR will never react to inputs like a sport bike will. It's just too "portly".
