New 2013 FJR1300 Owner

[BDazzler]

Congrats on the new 2013 FJR. I hope to get a Gen III in the next few years. I'm on a 2007 FZ1 right now. I could spend the money on hard bags and a lot of other stuff to make it a touring bike, but I'd rather just have an FJR in addition to my FZ1.

I learned in the dirt as a kid and dirt riding really does pay off on the street. I had dual sport bikes through college and then some borrowed street bikes here and there until my FZ1 purchase in Oct 2010. My wife has a 2009 Ninja 250r and I know you will appreciate the CBR 250R. The little thumper will serve you well with FI and ABS. I'm also glad to hear you have crash bars or frame sliders on order. Those are a must in my opinion for ANY level of rider. Plastic is expensive! Learning to control a bike at slow speed will be much better with a light bike and should transfer to the heavy FJR.

I know you are not looking to do track days or anything like that, but I still believe there are good lessons to be learned by the slightly cheesy "A Twist of the Wrist II" videos and books.



I hope that posted correctly. I'm new to this forum. Again, have fun and congrats on a great couple of bikes!

 

[TomInPA]

Get sliders and remove the rear bags until you need them for a trip. There will be drops in your parking lot endeavors. I think the traction control on the 2013 could be a benefit keeping you from grabbing a lot of throttle at the wrong time. It's a great bike, but you seem to know it has to be treated with respect. Lots of power for a first bike.

 

[beemerdons]

Get sliders and remove the rear bags until you need them for a trip. There will be drops in your parking lot endeavors. I think the traction control on the 2013 could be a benefit keeping you from grabbing a lot of throttle at the wrong time. It's a great bike, but you seem to know it has to be treated with respect. Lots of power for a first bike.

+1, Gunny; mi Amigo Tomaso made some great suggestions, keep it in Tour mode while you're still learning and move it to Sport when you have the experience!

The differences between Tour and Sport mode on my BMW K1600GT hardly matters, but there is a huge difference between those modes with our 2013 FJR's!

 

[David Foley]

I think you guys are on to something with this motorcycle stuff

Put 225 miles on the little CBR since I picked it up Saturday. Got to finally do some touring out in the country - my original motivation to get into motorcycling in the first place and let's just say I wasn't disappointed. What a blast!

The CBR is not without it's challenges - terrible in high winds. Wants to go all over the road in a strong cross wind and/or head wind. Goes great with a strong tail wind though

I can't wait to ride the FJR!!

 

[Matt H]

Congratulations on the new FJR!

I have to say I am ambivalent on the question of whether it's possible that a FJR could be a first bike. But, I do not -- at all -- disagree with everyone who says you should start on something small (kinda contradicted myself there, didn't I?). I started out with the MSF course because my motorcycling experience was 20 minutes on a RM80 when I was a kid. And then I got a Wee-Strom and put almost 5,000 miles on that (and low-sided at 15 MPH, and while it hurt like hell, I was glad my I "popped my cherry" at such a low speed). My next bike was a Triumph Speed Triple... boy was that fast, and fun! I then graduated to a 2010 FJR and marveled at its prodigious power *everywhere* in the rev. range.

The one thing I can say about about your CBR250 purchase is that it's small, light, well-built and should have excellent re-sale. Also, it can be (later) modded-up for use on actual race tracks and you can have fun with others on CBRs and Ninja 250s. (See Ari Henning's articles in "Motorcyclist" on this... ). The great thing about running 250s on the track is that you really have to know what you're doing to go fast; i.e. you don't have gobs of power to bail you out in terms of running quick laps... entry speed and braking _really_ matter.

Anyway, congrats again! Always wear your safety gear and consider the two rules I live by: 1) Assume you are invisible and that *no one* sees you and 2) Physics always wins.

 

[BDazzler]

I'm thrilled you enjoy the 250. I've ridden my wife's Ninja 250 (poor little thing with my fat a$$ on it), and it is more fun in town than my FZ1 (which goes 86 in first gear).

I really agree that the Yamaha’s Chip Controlled–Throttle (YCC-T) in touring mode combined with traction control will be great things to start learning the bike. The difference in power from the 250 to the 1300 will be crazy. Keep in mind, after you get used to the power of the FJR, the 250 will seem very slow in acceleration. Enjoy and be safe!

 

[pcarnut]

I think you guys are on to something with this motorcycle stuff

Put 225 miles on the little CBR since I picked it up Saturday. Got to finally do some touring out in the country - my original motivation to get into motorcycling in the first place and let's just say I wasn't disappointed. What a blast!

The CBR is not without it's challenges - terrible in high winds. Wants to go all over the road in a strong cross wind and/or head wind. Goes great with a strong tail wind though

I can't wait to ride the FJR!!

A bike doesn't have to be big to be big fun. And the cross-winds and those sort of things all contribute to helping you learn bike dynamics, counter-steering etc so this is all part of the learning curve and will apply directly to the FJR. Glad you're having fun.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I'm impressed that someone actually listened to advice on the internet and didn't get all wadded up with an ego.

That bodes well for the rider.

Congrats on your new bikes!

 

[ndivita]

I just love stories with happy endings.

A tip of the hat to the OP for having the humility and wisdom to listen to the motorcycle sages on this forum. After wringing the neck of a 250 for a few months, I predict the OP will be treating the new FJR to regular road workouts by July if not sooner.

Best of luck to the OP..... And enjoy!!! Just be super careful when you do get on that FJR and it is stationary, off center or side stand. Newtonian physics explains a lot in that situation. A fibia is a very valuable object at our advanced ages, never mind the bike plastics.

My 2013 FJR with 55 miles on the odo sits in the garage waiting patiently on the charger while the snow melts here in KC....It gives me come hither looks when I walk by it in the morning.

 

[RossKean]

I also started riding at about your age. First bike was a 1700cc Yamaha Roadstar. In hindsight, it was too big and too powerful (torquey) for a first bike although I managed to learn on it without incident (after taking a MSF course). A couple of years on that followed by a couple of years on a big Yamaha Venture before I bought the FJR three years ago. (I have put 75,000 miles on my FJR in three seasons of riding it.)

You are going to have fun for a month or two on the smaller bike and you are going to LOVE the FJR when you are ready for it. I agree with the others who have said it is better to hone your skills on a lighter and more forgiving machine. I would hate to see you dump the FJR.

 

[BDazzler]

A fibia is a very valuable object at our advanced ages, never mind the bike plastics.

Did you mean tibia or fibula? Oh, heck... I guess they're both valuable...

Low speed maneuvering and high power will be the biggest differences. You'll love both bikes, in different ways.

 

[ndivita]

A fibia is a very valuable object at our advanced ages, never mind the bike plastics.

Did you mean tibia or fibula? Oh, heck... I guess they're both valuable...

Low speed maneuvering and high power will be the biggest differences. You'll love both bikes, in different ways.

I stand corrected!! I meant tibia but I will see your tibia and raise you one fibula after that boffo diagram.

Actually with a broken tibia or fibula, we won't be doing any standing, corrected or otherwise, for a while.

That's what I get for not checking with Mr. Google before I posted.

 

[David Foley]

BDazzler - your right. Low speed maneuverability due to the increased weight will be my biggest obstacle. I am practicing a lot of low speed stuff on the CBR but there is obviously no substitute for the real thing. I'm sure the canyon cage crash bars will come in handy at some point. Also considering sliders with the panniers removed but not sure if they would provide enough protection to the plastic. The cages look like they will protect well but may mess up the sleek lines of the bike. Ah well - aesthetics should be way down the list of things to worry about at this point I suppose.

I am counting on the touring throttle map and traction control helping me ease down the learning curve on the increased power of the FJR.

BTW -thanks for the heads up on the Twist of the Wrist video - as you say corny but great job explaining cornering.

 

[Spud]

I agree that it's very cool that you took the advice here to start on a smaller bike. That 1000+ extra cc's will blow your mind when you open it up for the first time, but as has been stated, that's not an experience for a beginner. Once you have your skills you'll think you've died and gone to heaven when you get the FJR out on the open road. So smooth, so fast, so effortless....

 

[pcarnut]

Some additional info. When you get comfortable with the controls on the CBR, practice some hard stops, first at slow speeds, then at increasing speeds. Do this on clean pavement with no traffic. The idea is to be comfortable with the pitch forward/weight transfer to the front wheel and to try and stop as quickly as possible without rear wheel lockup. This should not be your only move in your bag of tricks to avoid collision but should be one you are comfortable with. And when you start riding the FJR, same thing, practice some hard braking. You'll have the ABS but the idea is the same. And try to notice how pushing on the right hand grip makes the bike turn right and the left grip for going left (counter-steering). Keep us updated, really impressed and pleased you took the advice.

 

[bradman]

Congrats! Awesome bike!

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Congrats on buying a great bike they are a fantastic machine. But... no way is this a machine a beginner should be learning on. There is a high probability of you hurting/killing yourself or others. Sorry but really feel obligated to say that this bike as your first ride is WAY over your head. Park this thing, go buy a nice Ninja 250 or Honda Rebel for at least 3 or 4 months, get your drops and crashes out of the way, learn some control and get some confidence. And before someone writes and says just go slow and you'll be fine, please don't. Just because you or your buddy did the same thing with some 145 hp,150 mph machine is no endorsement for doing this. David, please, PLEASE get some time on an easy to ride bike before going out in traffic where people are trying to run you over and don't care.

Great post.

Back in 1984 when I decided I wanted a street bike for the first time I had money saved to buy a new GS750 Suzuki.

But I never rode before and I didn't want to risk dropping a brand new bike so I went out and bought an old beat up 1974 GT380 Suzuki. I paid like $400.00 for it.

It was a kick start only bike and half the time it didn't start or I had to kick it 10 times before it would.

I rode it for like 3 months and sold it for $300.00.

Next day I went to the dealer and bought a Black leftover New 1982 GS 750 for $2,000!!!

I rode that bike out here to Southern California from Michigan in the Fall of 1986.

Congrats on the new FJR!!!!!

 

[Patriot]

not a bad idea to check into an intermediate MSF class...you use your own bike for those and the FJR by now should be ok

 

[FJR Bill]

Good thread and I'm happy David got the little bike to practice on. Lots of good advice offered here. The little 250 is a great first bike but also a great keeper. I have 3 bikes in garage including my FJR. My little 2008 250cc Ninjette is most frequently ridden. I love the little twerp and consider it one of the most fun things I've ever owned.

Certainly can be used to learn basic and advanced skills. For city commuting it's my favorite of all time. The FJR on the other hand is my touring bike and I love it. But like so many have said, better to learn the basics on a small bike than on the FJR. It will give you confidence and road skills that will last you thru your riding years.

Bill

 

[David Foley]

I have enjoyed the CBR, put about 2K miles of weekend riding on since I bought it a couple of months ago. Considering keeping it for awhile too. I will be switching over to the FJR as soon as the new MC Canyon Cages come out - about 3 more weeks. Can't wait!