devaldez
Member
I posted this on the other board, but I thought someone might find this interesting...
So, I set out this morning to ride from Portland area to Leavenworth, WA, Seattle, and Ocean City. Things went a little pear shaped and I ended up home. Here's my final route.
I've been riding an ST1100 constantly for two years now, and rode one in the past, too. I've also owned two YZF600Rs (Thundercats, HO!) in the past five years. This is my basis for comparison. Also, MY ST1100 happened to be the exact year and model as the one my now deceased uncle declared in 1995 to be the pinnacle of sport touring. In other words, there's emotion involved in my ST affiliation, too.
I ended up doing 530 miles (I took a side route in Goldendale not accounted for in the map) in about 12 hours, with stops. I was on twisties in the passes, slabs where required. My FJR is a Gen2 that hasn't yet been set up for me (EDR is going to do that next week!). Here is where the praise begins...
The position, overall, is much better for me than the ST, though my Corbin Canyon is missed. The stock seat isn't nearly as bad as I feared. I may even keep it, but I have a feeling the factory gel saddle will be enough. I love that I have several positions on the FJR. The ST and the Corbin limited alternative seating. I have also found that the tighter I hug the gas tank, the more room I have for my aching, bad knees. The ONLY ergo thing I miss is that I had two glove boxes on the ST, which proved very convenient.
I have the factory top case (stiffy kit is on the way) that is really used for my laptop/electronics stuff and the tent poles because they won't fit in the saddle bags. I'm not worried about a subframe issue, but again, stiffy kit on the way. I fit everything into those three bags. I think the ST has larger saddlebags,or at least they seem to swallow more. They aren't as wide and the ST couldn't accommodate my huge brain bucket (XXL), but I can fit my helmet in any of my bags on the FJR...different config, I guess. Anyway, the FJR just took everything I put in/on it with aplomb! My Givi tank bag is brilliant, too. Once it's square away with a couple of things, I'll have two USB connections inside the bag, plus the aux port in the glove compartment. I'm kinda in love with my storage/electricals on the FJR!
Now to the important aspects, the riding. The FJR is amazingly nimble compared to the ST. Even with 20k miles in the past two years, doing the dreaded MSF box would've challenged me. The FJR is so much more capable that I actually did several figure eights just to enjoy it. I can't wait for the advanced rider course on this bike. SR-14 in Washington isn't a challenging ride, but it's beautiful and has enough corners that you can have some fun on the way. When bimbo boxes and lorries weren't limiting me, there was no corner I couldn't take at the speed limit. There are a couple that would make my pegs scream on the ST, but the FJR isn't even close. On the slabby side, the ST is a bit more stately, more comfy. Truly, though an ST will carve well, the FJR completely outclasses the ST in corners, but the ST rules the slabs. Since I wanted to get away from the slabs, the FJR is simply the best sport-touring bike I've ever ridden. I'm so excited to get the suspension tuned to me and my riding style. It's going to be a little mind-bending given how competent the FJR already is. Back to slabby for a sec, the inline four FJR is much more buzzy than the V4 ST. The ST was a "rolling couch" on slabs and with the Corbin, I can't really argue. I've been told a Wing is even better, but I really can't imagine how, ride-wise.
So, what I've come to is that I managed to get the exact bike to fit my riding style. I've managed to purchase it in the most elegant and fastest color (IMO). Thanks to everyone here for welcoming me and when the heck is someone going to go with me on an extended adventure?
So, I set out this morning to ride from Portland area to Leavenworth, WA, Seattle, and Ocean City. Things went a little pear shaped and I ended up home. Here's my final route.
I've been riding an ST1100 constantly for two years now, and rode one in the past, too. I've also owned two YZF600Rs (Thundercats, HO!) in the past five years. This is my basis for comparison. Also, MY ST1100 happened to be the exact year and model as the one my now deceased uncle declared in 1995 to be the pinnacle of sport touring. In other words, there's emotion involved in my ST affiliation, too.
I ended up doing 530 miles (I took a side route in Goldendale not accounted for in the map) in about 12 hours, with stops. I was on twisties in the passes, slabs where required. My FJR is a Gen2 that hasn't yet been set up for me (EDR is going to do that next week!). Here is where the praise begins...
The position, overall, is much better for me than the ST, though my Corbin Canyon is missed. The stock seat isn't nearly as bad as I feared. I may even keep it, but I have a feeling the factory gel saddle will be enough. I love that I have several positions on the FJR. The ST and the Corbin limited alternative seating. I have also found that the tighter I hug the gas tank, the more room I have for my aching, bad knees. The ONLY ergo thing I miss is that I had two glove boxes on the ST, which proved very convenient.
I have the factory top case (stiffy kit is on the way) that is really used for my laptop/electronics stuff and the tent poles because they won't fit in the saddle bags. I'm not worried about a subframe issue, but again, stiffy kit on the way. I fit everything into those three bags. I think the ST has larger saddlebags,or at least they seem to swallow more. They aren't as wide and the ST couldn't accommodate my huge brain bucket (XXL), but I can fit my helmet in any of my bags on the FJR...different config, I guess. Anyway, the FJR just took everything I put in/on it with aplomb! My Givi tank bag is brilliant, too. Once it's square away with a couple of things, I'll have two USB connections inside the bag, plus the aux port in the glove compartment. I'm kinda in love with my storage/electricals on the FJR!
Now to the important aspects, the riding. The FJR is amazingly nimble compared to the ST. Even with 20k miles in the past two years, doing the dreaded MSF box would've challenged me. The FJR is so much more capable that I actually did several figure eights just to enjoy it. I can't wait for the advanced rider course on this bike. SR-14 in Washington isn't a challenging ride, but it's beautiful and has enough corners that you can have some fun on the way. When bimbo boxes and lorries weren't limiting me, there was no corner I couldn't take at the speed limit. There are a couple that would make my pegs scream on the ST, but the FJR isn't even close. On the slabby side, the ST is a bit more stately, more comfy. Truly, though an ST will carve well, the FJR completely outclasses the ST in corners, but the ST rules the slabs. Since I wanted to get away from the slabs, the FJR is simply the best sport-touring bike I've ever ridden. I'm so excited to get the suspension tuned to me and my riding style. It's going to be a little mind-bending given how competent the FJR already is. Back to slabby for a sec, the inline four FJR is much more buzzy than the V4 ST. The ST was a "rolling couch" on slabs and with the Corbin, I can't really argue. I've been told a Wing is even better, but I really can't imagine how, ride-wise.
So, what I've come to is that I managed to get the exact bike to fit my riding style. I've managed to purchase it in the most elegant and fastest color (IMO). Thanks to everyone here for welcoming me and when the heck is someone going to go with me on an extended adventure?
