Picked-up the 2015

[Uncle Hud]

I'm old a curious. Why do you guys keep the bags on you bike when only commuting or riding around town? I have a small tail bag from Cycle Gear that I attached to the passenger pylon. It is adequate to pack short term needs.

I don't commute but take regular 60/90-minute rides late at night. It's just a hassle to take the bags off and put them back on again.

As was said earlier, I keep **** in my "lower" (sidestand) bag: extra fleece, cold-weather gloves, balaclava, water bottle, mega-LED flashlight, and paper maps of surrounding states -- because most of my daytime rides are at least 300 miles. The "upper" bag carries Big Money Rally bonus lists, and whatever else is needed for that day's long rides.

Just got the proper lock/cylinder for the helmet bracket from TownsendsFJR, so I won't need a bag for helmet storage any longer.

 

[art miller]

AbercrombieFJR, If you paid $100 for the knockoff's, which brand did you buy? I bought the ones cited by DennisJ for $49.99 per set. They show no sign of fading after 5000 miles. Compared to Pazzo's which cost three times more, I will buy another set of the knockoff's and still be ahead. If you are concerned about colour fading, get the silver.

I elect to only attach side bags for multi-day rides. I can get all the day ride essentials in the soft top bag attached to the pillion seat and the storage areas under the seats. If I suspect I need some additional garments, I use a small back pak. Thanks to our friend Townsend, I have a trusty helmet lock bracket.

T-Rex sliders and MC Enterprises Bag Guards and I can slither around town and maneuver in parking lots without concern I will scratch the bags. With no bags, non-bikers think an old guy is cool riding a sport bike!!

 

[wheatonFJR]

With my bags on, I look cool as I pass all the sport bikes...but it stops there.

I let those crazy supermotos pass me. I don't wanna die...yet.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

With my bags on, I look cool as I pass all the sport bikes...but it stops there.

Let's be serious here. You and I do not need the bike to look cool. We have the looking cool part down all by ourselves. The rest of these guys need all the help they can get.

I love the way the bike looks with the bags. I think they add to the looks of the FJR. When I see an FJR without the bags it always looks unfinished, like it is missing something. I will say that the FJR at least still looks like a motorcycle without its bags, my old ST1300 was awful without the side cases.

Also, like others have said, I always have stuff in my bags. Always. I almost always stop at the grocery store on my way to work at night because I am the idiot who does the cooking on nights. The makings of a supper and a breakfast for 6 guys will fill up a side case and a half. I did add the SHAD top case recently but wish I could do without it.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I like the fact that with a little bit of packing and preplanning I can go on a 11,000 mile trip on this bike.

Without breaking a sweat on the bike's part.

...or haul ass through twisties and keep up just fine.

Or do both at the same time.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Another good reason I leave the bags on is to display my excellent 3M reflective FJR logo bag stickers I bought from Alex at RealTime Industries. I really like the way these look on the bike, very classy, very useful, very inconspicuous. I liked them so much I bought a second set for a friend with an inferior 2014 A FJR.

 

[art miller]

Now let's get this correct, I never said I was trying to emulate sports bike demons. Re-read my #41 comment. I am not condemning those who prefer to keep the bags on all the time. I agree, the bike looks better with the bags on. I gave my opinion predicated on risk vs reward. If you think it is worthless...OK. This is a forum.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

AbercrombieFJR, If you paid $100 for the knockoff's, which brand did you buy? I bought the ones cited by DennisJ for $49.99 per set. They show no sign of fading after 5000 miles. Compared to Pazzo's which cost three times more, I will buy another set of the knockoff's and still be ahead. If you are concerned about colour fading, get the silver.
I elect to only attach side bags for multi-day rides. I can get all the day ride essentials in the soft top bag attached to the pillion seat and the storage areas under the seats. If I suspect I need some additional garments, I use a small back pak. Thanks to our friend Townsend, I have a trusty helmet lock bracket.

T-Rex sliders and MC Enterprises Bag Guards and I can slither around town and maneuver in parking lots without concern I will scratch the bags. With no bags, non-bikers think an old guy is cool riding a sport bike!!

I bought the levers from the2Wheel for 49.99 but I was afraid the Tenere would feel left out so i bought a set for that also. I have never purchased anything so frivilous as these levers for my bikes before. I am not sure what got into me.

I think the winter is getting too long.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Now let's get this correct, I never said I was trying to emulate sports bike demons. Re-read my #41 comment. I am not condemning those who prefer to keep the bags on all the time. I agree, the bike looks better with the bags on. I gave my opinion predicated on risk vs reward. If you think it is worthless...OK. This is a forum.

Are you mad at us?

You asked why we kept the bags on, we answered. I am not upset that you don't run with your bags on all the time, why should you be upset that I do?

I follow hppants around from time to time and he almost never has his side cases on his bike for day rides. I don't remember that bothering me, I will have to ask him if he is mad because I keep mine on.

As you said, this is a forum. We all do what we like.

 

[HotRodZilla]

We all do what we like.

Liar. You do what your wife let's you do.

 

[mcatrophy]

We all do what we like.

Liar. You do what your wife lets you do.

I can only totally agree. SWMBO means exactly what it says.

Luckily I have the best wife in the world, so I don't mind too much.

 

[Warpdrv]

AbercrombieFJR, If you paid $100 for the knockoff's, which brand did you buy? I bought the ones cited by DennisJ for $49.99 per set. They show no sign of fading after 5000 miles. Compared to Pazzo's which cost three times more, I will buy another set of the knockoff's and still be ahead. If you are concerned about colour fading, get the silver.
I elect to only attach side bags for multi-day rides. I can get all the day ride essentials in the soft top bag attached to the pillion seat and the storage areas under the seats. If I suspect I need some additional garments, I use a small back pak. Thanks to our friend Townsend, I have a trusty helmet lock bracket.

T-Rex sliders and MC Enterprises Bag Guards and I can slither around town and maneuver in parking lots without concern I will scratch the bags. With no bags, non-bikers think an old guy is cool riding a sport bike!!

I bought the levers from the2Wheel for 49.99 but I was afraid the Tenere would feel left out so i bought a set for that also. I have never purchased anything so frivilous as these levers for my bikes before. I am not sure what got into me.

I think the winter is getting too long.

After you ride with them for a while - you'll understand how worth it the upgrade is.....

Much better shape and closer adjustment.....

 

[Redfish Hunter]

We all do what we like.

Liar. You do what your wife let's you do.

Sort of. I do what she tells me to do. Then she tells me to like it.

If she were looking over my shoulder right now she would tell me to not be so grouchy and quick to growl at folks. But since she works all day like a normal person and I work all night like a damned vampire, she is not here to tell me anything. Which makes me even more grouchy.

If I were not so grouchy I would say something about how wonderful the 2015 looks both with and without the bags. I would say something about how pleased I am with the shape, feel and look of the aftermarket brake levers. I might even ask if anyone knows if the more expensive Pazzo levers have a bearing or bushing at the clutch lever pivot like the OEM lever or if it just turns on the shaft of the screw like the levers from the2wheels. Since I have not finished my first cup of wake up coffee yet, I will do none of those things.

 

[HotRodZilla]

The Pazzos have a bushing, just like the OEM levers. Does that make you feel better?

 

[Redfish Hunter]

The Pazzos have a bushing, just like the OEM levers. Does that make you feel better?

Thanks! I do feel better now.

I bought the cheap ones via a link from this forum and knew I was going to not be 100% satisfied. I love the feel and the look and obviously the price was fantastic but I would rather have the bushing. You do get what you pay for sometimes.

Again, I love everything about the aftermarket black levers on the '15. Cosmetically and functionally they make a big difference to me. The Liquid Graphite just needs a little dressing up here and there to really create a good visual impact. I am loving nearly everything about this bike.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Am I missing something Andrew? What are you talking about? The Pazzos didn't come with a bushing. I used the OEM bushing. Your replacements should have done the same. I would bet that there are very few extremely minor differences between your levers and mine. This is one of the very rare instances where I think the knockoff version is probably as good as the expensive version; as long as your anodizing doesn't fade. You should be happy. Even if you have to replace them, you still got a better deal than me. If you replace them twice, well, :****: I win!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

The OEM clutch lever had a bushing. The the2wheels clutch lever did not. The hole was exactly the right size for the shaft of the screw, no provision for a bushing. The the2wheels clutch lever simply pivots around the screw shaft exactly like the brake lever does. I am not pleased with that.

 

[Warpdrv]

You just reuse the stock brass...

Swaps right over to the new one

 

[Redfish Hunter]

We are hijacking the man's thread. But even I am not completely helpless. The hole in the clutch lever from the2wheels is NOT big enough for the OEM bushing. It exactly fits the shaft of the screw. No bushing. Other folks may have received something different.

Since I paid good money to get the 2015 FJR and since it is such a wonderful motorcycle I don't see myself going with a substandard set of levers. The cost difference while a large percentage is not huge in dollars. A motorcycle this good deserves the best in components. I will be ordering a set of Pazzo or ASV levers soon.

I have to buy it good components because I cannot supply it with a good rider.

 

[Warpdrv]

Hmmm the levers I got of eBay fit that brass barrel perfectly... That's odd..

Just took mine apart yesterday to give the handle to my paint guy for him to match the wheels too..