Redfish and hppants take a demo ride

[Redfish Hunter]

Friday I went to the Yamaha Demo Day at Friendly Yamaha. I was so overwhelmed by the awesome goodness of the 2014 ES that I called my friend hppants to tell him about it. Since 'pants rides better/faster/more aggressively than I do, I was sure he would be better suited to evaluate the electronic suspension. He took the bait and we agreed to meet at the dealership.

We saw this:



Unfortunately we also had to see this:



While hppants rode the '14 ES, I rode this:



Can you say fun? The FZ09 is pure fun, the most fun motorcycle without knobbies I ever sat on. The front wheel's contact patch is at the complete mercy of your throttle hand. That 3 cylinder is superb.

Since hppants wanted to play with the FZ09 for his second ride, I opted for this beast:



No, NOT SkooterG. I rode the V-max. Perverts. And it was mind crushingly fast. My feeble brain could not communicate SHIFT!!! to my left hand and foot anywhere near fast enough. I almost dropped the expensive pig at walking speed in a turn. The front wheel just flops over like a dead fish and the rest of the bike naturally follows. It is a heavy bike too. Fortunately my lightning fast reflexes and superhuman strength were there to protect me from my lack of skill.

How much ugly can you fit in one picture? Me, SkooterG, hppants.



As soon as 'pants got off the FJR ES, he handed the keys to his immaculate '05 Gen1 to a salesman. "Give me some #'s while I go play with this FZ09"...

We both agreed that while it was wonderful that Yamaha offered the FZ09 at an entry level price point, it is NOT an entry level bike. Huge fun, very scary in the hands of a novice. It was actually a little scary in my hands, which may be saying the same thing...

There were free hot dogs which tasted like steak after our exciting morning. We chatted with the salesman about why 'pants needed to spend almost $17K on a new bike when he already had a great bike. I am sure some of you have had this same discussion before.

'Pants forced me to go for a ride. Since we were on my side of the Big Muddy, I had to lead. We hit Alligator Bayou Road which is beautifully twisty and made our way to the Mississippi River Levee. We stopped for a little photo op:



Then we stopped at St. Gabriel Catholic Church for another photo op. Built between 1774 and 1776, it is no longer in use.



Once we crossed over to the West Side of the Big Muddy (Mississippi River) 'pants took over. We rode along the river road headed north toward the city of Plaquemine. We turned onto one of my favorite roads in this area, Hwy 77. There was some slow traffic we had to contend with, then 'pants was able to uncork his FJR. I just know he is up there laughing when my ST is dropping further and further back in the twisties... Actually, I learned more about my cornering abilities following him than I would ever have learned on my own. He is a joy to watch in the curves.

Until... A draw bridge got in the way.



We stopped for a break in the parking lot of a small church. To our surprise, the Pastor was there. He came out and we chatted about life, religion, right, wrong, unruly children, and motorcycles. He had ridden a Sportster as a young man and was much impressed with the electric windshield on the FJR. A really nice fellow.

He is telling hppants, "I will pray that your friend upgrades to an FJR and gets rid of that ugly Honda".



We headed north up Hwy 77 through some fabulous curves, beautiful scenery, and gorgeous weather. If it had not been for hppants I would have been at home cutting the grass. I think that is one of the benefits of choosing your friends wisely. They point you in the right direction. Thanks hppants.

I took the Interstate back home because I was in a hurry to post this and because I have to cook supper.

I'll post some of that later...

 

[hppants]

Most excellent report - I enjoyed the day.

Uncharacteristically, I only took 3 pictures and they depict the same thing R/H has shown. So I'll spare you the redundency.

As for the demo rides, I took away the following:

1. The ES is worth the $1,000.00 extra to me. There is benefit to suspension adjustment on the fly. I am concerned with the longevity and reliability of the electronics and electrics of the ES, but only time will tell about that.

2. You Gen I die hards need to wake up and smell the roses. From the tip of the front fender to the back of the tailight, the Gen III FJR is refinement at its finest. Immediately after the test ride, Scooter walked up to me and said "Whatcha think?" The only thing I could flabber out of my beak was "I WANT THAT MOTORCYCLE AND I WANT IT RIGHT FRIGGIN NOW!!!!" Clearly, the Yamaha engineers listened to FJR owners and made adjustments accordingly. Just to name a few improvements off the top of my head:

- Heat management is far better

- The back pressure behind the windscreen is gone.

- Even without bar end weights, the handlebar buzziness/vibration (slight though it is) is ABSOLUTELY GONE!

- The fuel injection improvement is indescribable. It's like having the best of both a F/I and a carbeurated bike all in one.

- The brakes on the Gen III are incredible. Stoppies on this bike would be child's play.

Other observations that are neither good or bad:

- Touring mode is considerably crippling to the bike's power. Other an in a pouring rain, I can't see how anyone would use it.

- The steering on the Gen III is much more neutral than the Gen I

- The stock seat seems to at least address the "sliding forward" issue I sometimes experience on long Gen I runs.

- I didn't get a chance to try the cruise control. I suppose that would be self-explanatory, though.

3. Now then - having written all of that. I'll be keeping my Gen I for a while longer. Pants pays for his toys with cash and right now, I don't have the money to pull this trigger. Besides, in a couple of years, I'll find a sucker with a '14 or '15 ES with no miles on it, and save thousands.

4. Redfish is spot on regarding the FZ-09. That bike reminds me of the naked UJM's we used to ride way back in the day. Except - this bike is about 125 pounds lighter and has about 50 more horsepower, and runs like a spotted ape!!!! What a friggin HOOT! At the pre-ride safety talk, Scooter said they won't tolerate stunt riding including wheelies. After the first right turn, I screwed the FZ-09 down through a few gears and thought "Oh well, so much for no wheelies!" Seriously, under hard acceleration, the FZ-09's front end can get pretty twitchy. The mirrors are completely useless, the seat may as well be made out of a piece of 3/4" plywood, and if you are going to push this bike, you'll need to plan on a nice set of after market fork springs, an emulator, and a fork brace. But otherwise, for $8,000.00, this is a incredible bargain. Redfish is right - entry level kids are going to buy this bike and kill themselves.

(saving the best for last)

5. Scooter arguably has the best job in the whole world. 25 years ago, I might have said "2nd best", with Playboy Magazine photographer edging the award. But now I realize that indeed, Scooter is the envy of us all. He led us on a very well thought 15-ish mile demo ride, and actually let us put the bikes through a proper test (this was no "creep in the park" ride). He made a point to seek out Redfish and I to show us the features of the bikes, and answer any questions we had.

Of course, I enjoyed the long ride home. After 15-20 curves, I fell back in love with my '05 and the real world came to my senses.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

 

[graler]

3. Now then - having written all of that. I'll be keeping my Gen I for a while longer. Pants pays for his toys with cash and right now, I don't have the money to pull this trigger. Besides, in a couple of years, I'll find a sucker with a '14 or '15 ES with no miles on it, and save thousands.

^^ Me as well. Cash for toys. I missed my opportunity when the trailer was in San Antonio. I saw it - drove right by - I was on my way to a goat show - literally a goat show. My daughter is in FFA and was showing her goat at the San Antonio Livestock show. I did start to build a foundation for the new bike upgrade. I bought my wife a nice new pair of boots - Lucchese. This week I will find myself in your neighborhood. BR on Tuesday, NOLA on Wednesday in the car though. One of these times I will have to look you guys up.

Joe

 

[rogdeb]

Good RR and info Redfish

.. and Greg looks really happy

- a plum job you got there Scooter.

 

[majicmaker]

Man-o-Man! Thanks for that fantastic RR. That ES is sounding like a Sweet piece of machinery. I'm holding out for the AE version of that ES to come to our shores. I'm wondering how long I'll have to wait though... My knees are getting wobbly.. :-(

 

[str8]

+1. Awesome thread Redfish. And Hippypants. Thanks.

 

[garyahouse]

Since hppants wanted to play with the FZ09 for his second ride, I opted for this beast:

You got to ride the beast. Yeah, I rode it too. Perhaps you'll remember my brief ride report from October. I met up with SkooterG when he was doing test rides in Orlando last year. Though I would have enjoyed riding the FJR, time was limited so I chose the VMAX. I will never forget that ride. The bike is indeed a heavy rascal, but once under way, it seems to lose a lot of weight. It has much stronger acceleration than either the FZ09 or the FJR. I kept asking myself: "Was the front end coming up, or was it still on the ground?" The insane acceleration made me think the front end would pop up any moment, but it didn't. With its longer wheel base, the front end thankfully remained planted. Though I doubt that I'll ever buy one (too much $$ for my blood) it's sure fun to ride one once in a while. I've also noticed that the new generation VMAX holds its value. It's hard to find a new gen VMAX for any less than 13 grand, even the 2009's. Therefore I'm really glad test riding opportunities are available.

By the way, enjoyed the ride report. Thanks for investing all the time to post it.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[Panman]

Thanks guys, great report! Scooter Needs to get that truck up to Skagit Power Sports! I'm not looking but a good ride might take twenty five miles.

 

[Bokerfork]

Nice report Redfish and HPants.

Gotta say, though I love the look of the VMax and would enjoy the speed, after a month or two I doubt I would have the same enthusiasm for it. To one dimensional for me.

Thanks again for sacrificing a morning to do the dirty work for the Forum.

Mark

 

[Tyler]

How much ugly can you fit in one picture? Me, SkooterG, hppants.

Looks like a whole lotta hubba hubba to me... :wub:

 

[majicmaker]

I agree, Tyler. I met Scooter at the Orlando Converion Center. He's actually a good looking guy. It's that Scottish Kilt that I can't get out of my mind. It's burned in my vision, forever. I might need to seek professional help... )

 

[escapefjrtist]

Looks like you two had a fun day putting demo bikes through their paces...thanks for making the sacrifice for us!

--G

 

[Allen_C]

As more and more people ride the ES, the more open their eyes will be to the great advantages it contains! I knew it when I heard about it and was reconfirmed when I took delivery last November.

Glad you guys had a great time! How far did you ride to get to the demo?

 

[101stpathfinder]

So… no one dumped one of the bikes on the test runs? Hmmm… there is still work to be done - I will catch him in Daytona !!!

Great report and thanks for the tip on the roads. Maybe I will see you guys on my spring ride to Monroe?

BTW- I came close to landing an '04 ST before I scored my '05 FJR.

 

[Fontanaman]

Redfish said, " Since hppants wanted to play with the FZ09 for his second ride, I opted for this beast: [i excluded the photo] No, NOT SkooterG. I rode the V-max. Perverts.

I was relieved!

Nice ride report. Hell hppants you only live once so go get a 2014 with ES. If you get a new one you can worry less about the ES - it will have a warrantee and will last a while. I got about 28k outta my Gen II suspension before it was completely kaput (kaput meaning extensive maintenance needed and the nearly useless Gen II stock suspension was dangerous).

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I did not really want to get deep into an evaluation of the bikes because, well frankly I am not a good enough rider to know what the hell I am talking about. But, I have opinions so...

Yesterday I rode the FJR ES. I could barely talk when I got off the thing. I love Dad's '07. I had every hope that it would be his last motorcycle and that I would make the right mods to it to keep him comfortable and happy. Yesterday I told him to put it up for sale. The Gen 3 we already know addressed several issues and is a wonderful refinement of an already great motorcycle. The ES option definitely pushes this bike over the top. Quite simply the most perfect machine I ever operated. I was awestruck with its overall goodness. I could easily see myself going into debt over something that nice.

I also rode the Super Tenere. It felt like Yamaha took everything that was right about the BMW GS and made it better. I know that the new water cooled GS is supposed to be better but I have never ridden that. I have dealt with the oil head BMW 1200 and liked the Tenere much better. But, the whole time I am riding it I keep watching the red FJR in my right mirror. I felt like I was dancing with an ugly girl while the homecoming queen and her date were dancing next to me.

I better get this out of the way. SkooterG is very very good at his job. Keeping a group of unknown riders together on some very fast motorcycles has got to be a heavy responsibility. Both of the Yamaha riders were smoother and better than I am. It was a joy to watch them do their work. And a little bit humbling for me.

But, that is not what I want to talk about. All that could really go in the thread about the bike demo. This is my RR and I need to get back to it. Let me load up some pics in Photobucket and we will see how the evening went.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

As most of you know, I am married. I'm not happy about it, but there it is. As a husband and father I have a responsibility to do what's best for my wife and son. I have a duty to protect them and keep them associated with the right sort of people. I try very hard to keep unsavory characters from our home. This time I failed miserably. What follows is the story of my punishment for displaying what could only be described as a colossal lapse in judgment. Try not to judge me too harshly.

I invited SkooterG over for supper. Why? Why did I do this? I have no answer. What's done is done, and here is a brief account of my mistake.

First thing, he does not have transportation because he flew into Baton Rouge. So I actually have to go get him, almost like a date. At Mrs. Redfish's house he immediately started digging in my refrigerator and stealing my beer. I had put the Bud Lite up front and the Michelob in the back, but he was able to get the good stuff anyway.
Supper was a mundane, boring, tasteless affair. I grilled fresh redfish and shrimp over charcoal and oak while Mrs. Redfish steamed broccoli, asparagus, and bell peppers along with a side of Parsleyed Potatoes. So, Skooter was disappointed in the quality of the food, as we all were.

Here is Skooter suffering through his meal:



Left to right: Mrs. Redfish, Redfish Jr., my father-in-law, and Skooter.



It is about time for Mardi Gras in Louisiana and Skooter had never eaten King Cake. So, the greedy rascal had cream cheese and apple King Cake with a side of Blue Bell cookies and cream ice cream. In fact, he asked for seconds.

Hey Skooter, is it any good?



Looks like he likes it.

He had mentioned a love of classic cars. In an effort to get him out of my house and especially out of my kitchen, I agreed to take him to see an old car. I called in a favor and we went to look at a worn out old Chevy.

What a miserable POS. A 1968 Camaro SS 350. Garbage.



Okay, the car is fairly nice. Or it was until Skooter got in it.

Here he asked, "So the more beer you drink the faster it goes? Really?"




Time to be serious:
I cannot say enough about how much my family and I enjoyed having Skooter over. He is a wealth of motorcycle knowledge as well as a really nice guy. The food was good, the conversation was better. And a special thanks to the best Ex-Brother-In-Law anybody ever had for letting us play with his Camaro.

 

[hppants]

Looks like Scooter got some good 'ole fashioned southern hospitality. I'd expect nothing less. Well done, sir. Well done, indeed.

Also, I echo R/H's sediments regarding the demo ride staff. As a risk manager, I can hardly fathom the issues associated with doing something like this. I couldn't help but wonder why the heck Yamaha would even consider taking the risk associated with this. Then when I got back from the FJR ride, a dealership salesman came over to talk to us and it became crystal clear to me. They do this because it sells a lot of motorcycles. The salesman told me that the vast majority of the people that do the demo rides are experienced riders, not beginners. They need to ride the bike to go that last step toward an upgrade or a change. As an experienced rider, I can appreciate that and I have to admit, it works. It took every ounce of self-control to keep me from getting off the '14 ES, walk directly to the sales desk with helmet still on, hand them my '05 keys, and proudly bark "Where do I sign?".

Yesterday when I was riding the FZ-09, there was giggling in my head about the ridiculous power this naked 400 pound twisty bike has. We turned right and Scooter (leading on the FJR ES) took off pretty hard. I shifted to 2nd and twisted my right wrist. Then a thought quickly entered my head:

(Pants thinking) "I know that I'm leaning and countersteering to the right. Why am I still drifting to the left?"

Then the front wheel returned to the street and the mystery was solved!

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the 100-ish mile ride with R/H yesterday. We wandered on both side of the Mississippi River on basically traffic-less roads. We didn't push the bikes too hard, but we got to lean them over a little every now and then. The weather was great and we stopped a lot to discuss the meaning of life. It was nice to spend some quality time with a good friend.

The older I get, the more I realize that Forest Gump was an intelletual genius.... you truly never know what you're gonna get.....

 

[Fred W]

Wowsers. Thanks for the report, boys. Very well done. And it is cool to see Skootie doing his thing. You're right. He landed himself the ultimate primo job.

But, you both have pretty confirmed all of my worst fears. First off that the 2014 FJR1300 ES is in fact "all that and a bag of chips". And secondarily that the FZ09 is as much of a hoot as it looks to be.

I say worst fears because at this point in my life I'll have to trudge along with my well broken in 1st gen. And assuming that the lucky folks who buy these 2014s new are smart enough to realize what they have, I kind of doubt there will be a bunch of leftovers or 1 year old low mileage bikes available at a reasonable price.

But you know, at the price point of the FZ09 there's a possibility of fitting one of those in the garage somewhere. They're pretty small... maybe my wife wouldn't notice it if I put it in the corner?

The FZ09's forks are USD, I have to figure they are already a cartridge design. So upgrading them should be as simple as just re-springing and re-valving if really needed. Might just need springs.