Zolton
Well-known member
Just bought an '06 FJR last night and the first ride was today. I bought this bike (6,600 pampered miles on the clock) so that my girlfriend and I could tour two-up. I also own an '04 naked Suzuki SV650 which has many performance modifications. I know that you can't compare the two bikes but one can't help noticing a difference if that's the only reference point you have. One things for certain, these two bikes are outstanding in their own fields.
First of all, I rode with my girlfriend on the back as I would prefer to become familiar with the bike under the conditions which it will be used most.
-I found the gear box to be alarmingly noisy when changing gears. Could be that my technique needs improving. The SV shifting is utterly silent by comparison.
-I had expected to be surrounded by calmer air at speed, instead I was buffeted quite a bit. I played with the windshield a fair bit and it's calmer in the full up position of course. Not that I mind a windy ride, being that I'm used to the SV, I consider that part of the whole motocycling experience.
-I found the clutch to be very stiff. I had thought that a hydraulic clutch would have been much easier to pull and hold in.
-The trottle is very stiff also but I had read that prior to riding
-The engine is more like a jet turbine than anything else, very impressive! I don't think I've found the sweet spot yet. The SV likes to be run at 5000 to 7000 rpm. I was spinning the FJR at 3500 to 4000 most of the time.
-The bike feels very smooth and balanced, even at lower speeds. Very nice.
-I found I was going much faster than I had thought most of the time.
-The throttle doesn't seem to like being blipped like I'm used to with my SV. It sort of stutters and actually died out on my a couple of times doing that. Seems smoother throttle action is the ticket.
-I'm used to the SV being very touchy at on/off throttle transitions and the FJR is the same.
Overall I am very pleased and thought I would share my first impressions with the group. Any comments or advice is welcomed.
First of all, I rode with my girlfriend on the back as I would prefer to become familiar with the bike under the conditions which it will be used most.
-I found the gear box to be alarmingly noisy when changing gears. Could be that my technique needs improving. The SV shifting is utterly silent by comparison.
-I had expected to be surrounded by calmer air at speed, instead I was buffeted quite a bit. I played with the windshield a fair bit and it's calmer in the full up position of course. Not that I mind a windy ride, being that I'm used to the SV, I consider that part of the whole motocycling experience.
-I found the clutch to be very stiff. I had thought that a hydraulic clutch would have been much easier to pull and hold in.
-The trottle is very stiff also but I had read that prior to riding
-The engine is more like a jet turbine than anything else, very impressive! I don't think I've found the sweet spot yet. The SV likes to be run at 5000 to 7000 rpm. I was spinning the FJR at 3500 to 4000 most of the time.
-The bike feels very smooth and balanced, even at lower speeds. Very nice.
-I found I was going much faster than I had thought most of the time.
-The throttle doesn't seem to like being blipped like I'm used to with my SV. It sort of stutters and actually died out on my a couple of times doing that. Seems smoother throttle action is the ticket.
-I'm used to the SV being very touchy at on/off throttle transitions and the FJR is the same.
Overall I am very pleased and thought I would share my first impressions with the group. Any comments or advice is welcomed.