New 2003 FJR owner ... former "Dirty Boy" dual sport rider / long distance dual sport tourer.
I love my FJR, but I do miss those dirt and gravel roads ...
My new to me 2003 FJR is definitely the best LONG DISTANCE SPORTY TOURING bike I’ve ever owned, and this opinion is based on over 45 years riding AND owning APPROXIMATELY 58 bikes.
My last few bikes were:
- KLR 650 ... all tricked out for long distance touring, mucho dinero spent on upgrades.
I took the KLR to Baja and back. On that trip I ended up riding my buddy's BMW 650 Dakar North after he broke his leg going too fast in the deep sand [ he says because he forgot that the ABS was turned off, but I donthinso ]
- BMW Dakar ... when I got back from the BAJA I did the $$$/performance math, and decided a good USED Dakar was a much better value than any KLR, no matter how much you spent tricking the KLR out.
The Dakar got traded when I met my new Power Back Warmer Unit, because the Dakar was not set up for comfortable two up long distance riding.
- BMW 1150 GS ... after the Dakar, the Power Back Warmer loved this ride, and we did occasionally do some gravel roads with it, riding two up, and riding SLOWWWWWwww.
- PBWU got her own bike, so I sold the GS and picked up another dual sport ... a Suzuki DR 650. Great ride, lots of fun, but the PBWU would not ride with me on those carazy/dirty days, as mud and bruises were not her thing. Come to think of it, at over 60 years old, getting cold and wet and dirty and bruised or broken was not as much fun for me as it used to be either.
- Traded up to the 2003 FJR, and got back into COMFORTABLE two up long distance FAST touring. Once I added 1” riser bars, the FJR me fit perfectly. It handles and rides on the highway faster and better than my BMW GS ever did. Even if I did give up all delusions of exploring all those gravel roads and dusty dirt trails that the Dakar and the GS thrived on.
Last Summer, we did a two week / 9,000 Km trip through the BC interior, and to Alberta and back, attending the Horizons Unlimited and BMW rallyes at Nakusp. The only uncomfortable part was when I laid my 60 plus year old bones on the ground, in the tent, after the days riding. But buying a big fat air mattress fixed that.
The Power Back Warmer Unit loves the comfort of the FJR's Corbin seat and the smooth power of the FJR. She says it is the best bike for her too .... and lately she has been hinting she wants to start riding my FJR instead of her 650 cruiser.
Oh well … time to lower the insurance deductible!!!
[;{)
While we were at the Horizon's Unlimited rallye, they showed a movie of some absolutely insane Indian rider, who took a Indian Royal Enfield STREET bike over the Himalayas on the highest road in the world, into some of the most remote territory left in the world. He had special racks welded up and fitted to take massive amounts of extra gas. So there he was, on a HEAVY STREET bike, with hundreds of pounds of extra gas, pushing his bike over the passes when the carburetor of the Enfield crapped out at the high altitudes. PLUS, he was having bouts of altitude sickness himself.
He didn't quit, and he pushed [ as in did NOT ride ] that STREET bike over those passes into some incredible stuff. A testimony to personal fortitude and endurance that impressed the hell out of me, and a lot of other "Serious" motorcycle riders/world tourers/explorers who actually BTDT, and make up the core of the HU membership.
So, the next day, when someone asked if I wanted to take my pampered fat ass and ride my shiny FJR "down a bit of gravel", how could I say no??
YES!!!
BTDT!!
If driven carefully AND slowly , the FJR, two up, maxed out with all the luggage and camping gear you need for COMFORTABLE camping, will ride rather nicely down dry gravel roads,
BUT WHEN IT GETS WET ....
WELL LETS JUST BE POLITE ...
AND ENVISION HIPPOS ON ICE SKATES!
But then, as a "mature" rider,
I tell myself ...
"who actually NEEDS to ride in the messy muddy wet any how??"
So, as it sits now, as we prepare for another season of two up long distance motorcycle ?Sport? touring/camping/exploring, the FJR is still my favorite choice.
But another Dakar or DR 650 would be nice as a stable mate, for those rare days when I fool myself into thinking that I am still that YOUNG Dual sport riding "Dirty Boy",
OR,
maybe we should get TWO BMW GS 650s,
and instead of riding two up, get the PBWU out there beside me instead of behind me?
Tough call ...
maybe the best bet would be to keep the FJR AND get TWO more BMW 650 GSs ...
But how many motorcycles does one couple actually need?
[;{)
LAZ 1
:bleh: 
