Picked up my FJR today

[flyinlow]

I've had liter bikes before, but have to say one word about the FJR......

SMOOTH! Got to rid it about 65 miles from the dealer to home.

It shifts cleaner than any bike I've had before, nice a smooth, accelerates smoothly, very little vibes (almost none) in the handlebars.

Nice torquey motor. Great riding position, I think its a keeper!

Oh, and I sold my VFR today on top of it! Great Day!

 

[Toecutter]

Two questions:

1. Is it the first FJR you've ridden? (mine was)

2. Was it worth the wait? (definitely for me, but only 8 weeks in my case)

I also ordered a new FJ Cruiser before driving one, the wait will be a painful three months, and I doubt the drive will be near as exciting as the FJR.

 

[TheAxeman]

Oh, and I sold my VFR today on top of it! Great Day!

I have a VFR also and should be taking delivery on my FJR next week. Is the acceleration, handling, etc...much different/better than the VFR? I really like the Honda alot and was even hesitant about ordering an FJR thinking that the VFR would be a tough act to follow. It would be interesting to me to hear your impressions of both. I'm still keeping the VFR though because one can never have enough toys.

 

[twowheelnut]

If you have a VFR800i, don't sell it. Trust me. DO NOT SELL IT! There is nothing that compares to that bike. At all. I've been keeping my eyes open for a clean, low mileage '99, '00, or '01 that's not been farkled or otherwise molested since the week after I sold my '99. Stupid, stupid, stupid me. Dammit, I miss that bike!

Oh, to add: These are two vastly different machines, IMO. Both put bodacious smiles on your face and both have their roles in any stable...

 

[Ari Rankum]

I have a VFR also and should be taking delivery on my FJR next week.  Is the acceleration, handling, etc...much different/better than the VFR?  I really like the Honda alot and was even hesitant about ordering an FJR thinking that the VFR would be a tough act to follow.  It would be interesting to me to hear your impressions of both.  I'm still keeping the VFR though because one can never have enough toys.

You won't be disappointed. The FJR out accelerates an R1 up to about 70 mph. It's got superior torque to most liter bikes and respectable horsepower. I used to describe the throttle response of my '05 FJR as very like pulling a trigger off the line. The bike goes off with a bang.

At highway speeds, you need only think of being past the brain-dead cager talking on the cell phone ahead of you, and you're by.

You've got no worries when it comes to the performance of the motor.

The handling performance of the bike is very good. My only complaint is how early the pegs drag. The rest of the bike is much more capable than the pegs are.

To top it off, you're going to get a more comfortable perch on the FJR.

The bottom line: I found myself noticing with every ride how much I enjoyed the FJR. It's a great all-around bike.

 

[flyinlow]

twowheelnut, I agree with you, if mine had been one of those years. Mine was an 03 with the stupid Vtec on it. I didn't think it would bother me when I bought it, but the more I rode it started driving me crazy. Basically you had a two valve engine up to 7000 rpm, then you got the other two valves.

Theaxeman, don't know which year you have, but this is different. More upright riding position, definitely bigger bike. Rode through some twisties yesterday and got the chicken strips off. I might have to pick up a used sport bike for the days I really want to get into it. This bike definitely has more power to weight though.

This is the first FJR I've ridden, but I used to have an 02 FZ1. That bike was not as smooth as this bike is.

The wait was OK because I'm in Minnesota and ordered last fall, so there was no riding to be done anyway. Went to Daytona in March and took the VFR so that was OK, although I could have used extra HP to keep up with my friends on their liter bikes.

 

[designeraccd]

IMhO as the owner of 2 VFRs: a '98 800 and a FTR '92 VFR750F, the FJR is more enjoyable. No chain drive to adjust and lotsa TORQUE on the FJR...what torque on the VFR800? Never took either of my VFRs far enough to get a good "feel" (geddit???) for long range comfort versus my '03 FJR. However, with the '03 (as long as temps were below 70F) she was a GR8 bike!

Hopefully my new '06 will be better yet once I get bar risers and Corbin to better fit my ergos. DFO

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Ah, in love with the FJR already. I was in love with mine before I bought it because I actually got a test drive before I bought. One 10 minute ride and I knew it was the bike to have!