Request for advice

[joebiodiesel]

If you're OK with getting an AE, there are a lot of them available for $10,000.00 right now, brand new.

go to www.craiglook.com

Search "Yamaha FJR"

Sort by price.

Find the bikes listed at 10K.

There are a least a half dozen brand new ones at dealers for that price right now.

Joe

 

[DailyCommuter]

low speed maneuvering isn't an issue on the AE once you get used to it, ( about 20 minutes) lol, a little trail braking is just as good as clutch friction zoning if you ask me. If you ride in traffic much, you'll love the AE- I ride mine to work in some crappy traffic a lot of days, It blows people's minds as I am one handing it in stop and go traffic, You know who really looks at me weird though, is the girl at the Dunkin Donuts drive through, when I roll up and get an Ice coffee to go, and ride off drinking it..... The look on her face the first time was priceless......., I'd agree with biodiesel though, if you can get a brandy new one for ten G's, I'd go that way with it..

BTW 50K miles on my AE so far and no issues whatsoever <--------- OMG- what the?!? Ignore that previous line right there, I wrote it, and immediately felt the jinx I just put on myself, seriously though, no issues so far.... (knocking on wood)

 

[bramfrank]

I need to get this right the first time because the mods have disabled my ability to edit messages;

I'm not going to vote - If I were you I wouldn't allow myself to be quite so swayed by the subjective opinions of a bunch of strangers;

Having said that, you list the options that make up this $3,000 in extras. From what I see, the total likely includes this maintenance plan - and some of the stuff is not what I'd install; For example that throttlemeister . . . I'd go with an active cruise control at my first opportunity. Those saddlebags are standard equipment (as are the liners); Grip heaters are standard and you may (or may not) ever need the risers; I've needed to stretch my legs on thew road, but never felt the desire for highway pegs; That windscreen might make the bike handle like a pig; You might never use the top box, but if it doesn't have the optional factory backrest, you will want one if you carry passengers.

I can go on, but the accessory list and it's pricing is a 'ho hum' for me. The machine sounds like it was prepped for a poser or for someone who for some reason never got out, given the low mileage. Too bad it doesn't come with the factory screen because the first thing I would do is to return it to stock (and remove the risers) before changing any of the ergos.

On the 'A' vs 'AE' thing, that is clearly a matter of personal preference.

Having said that, reliability issues aside (and they seem to be VERY rare - or maybe it is because the bike is rare that they seem so), those who own them (I ride an 'A') seem to absolutely love them once they're used to them. The issues of 'low speed control' are no different than those who complain about terminal twitchiness with the throttle - I adjusted to my 'A" in about a half hour - whatever the 'AE" brings to the table in terms of it's little quibbles you almost certainly could live with.

At first glance, the AE would appear to be the better value; But it is out of warranty - that prepaid service plan is interesting - how much is left to run on it? Because if it is over then all it essentially means that your ride gets a new set of rubber - and that is worth about $350 or so.

Then again, the new '10 has a scratched saddlebag (note that pricing includes dealer assembly AND freight - so if they're adding those to the price or somehow suggesting you are lucky to pay extra, think again). Does it actually have a factory warranty? Many of these leftovers were sold by Yamaha without. Inform yourself.

So that 2010 seems to be somewhat overpriced; You could buy a brand new one for just about that money last year; Not sure what D&H is selling a 2011 for right now, but you might want to contact them to establish baseline pricing - and then, if it has a warranty, for $389 you can extend the factory warranty for 4 more years with a YES. There is also a current $500 cashback promotion from Yamaha, and there's a 3.9% finance rate, if you were planning to borrow to buy new.

7500 miles is nothing. If you are willing to accept the 'risk' such as it is of owning a machine with no warranty, saving $3,000 can cover almost any issue that you will encounter - because you can buy a replacement (albeit used) engine for about $1,500 if you blow up the tranny or drop a conn rod. eBay is your friend and patience is a virtue.

Lastly; You can always keep waiting and look around for alternatives. I located what appears to be a brand new 2009 AE in Tucson on Powersport Network asking $10,900 - there are more than 100 FJRs (including the one you may be looking at located at Brothers in Bremerton) from 2008 onward listed there, though most of them seem hopelessly overpriced - I suppose 'hope springs eternal' to some of the sellers there.

There's a brand new '09 AE located in Wisconsin with a full warranty on eBay closing in 12 hours asking 12,900 and there are lots of others out there.

 

[ScottyUSN]

I am newb to the FJR world but have read great things about them.

As I posted in my intro, I am a 22 year military guy (still full time) with arthritic knees and a replaced ACL. I love Yamaha and personally own a 2006 Wolverine 450, a 1992 Superjet 650, and a 1992 Waverunner III. I love the look of these bikes and see the majority if not totality of FJR riders love the bike even with knee probs.

I am going to get a bike Friday, but want to see between two that I can get which would be the best investment for my money.

For asking price of $9700, options are a 2008 AE with(copied from ad)

2008 model bought new summer of '09

7500 miles

Charcoal & silver

~$3K+ in options

Pre-paid tranferable 3 yr maintenence plan $1500 - next included service includes 2 new tires

Matching Yamaha factory side luggage boxes w/liners

Matching Yamaha factory trunk (not in top pictures)

Extended size windshield for touring and the smaller factory windshield

Handle bar risers and grip heaters

Throttlemeister Cruise Control

Custom aftermarket forward touring foot pegs

Custom seat backrest

Frame sliders

Dealer serviced to date

Or, a 2010 A stock for $12,4 (includes assembly, etc), but has scratch on one of the saddlebags.

Thanks in advance for anyone offering advice or even participating in the vote. I don't want to start a flaming war, but don't want to make a mistake on my choice. I know that the best advice comes from those with experience. Take care, all.

Should also add that I know that for the bike itself, the 2008AE is at the high end of the resale value.

I will only talk about the 2008AE

Same as your original buyer, I purchased my 2008AE in late 2009. They were deep discount off the showroom floor due to supply and demand (way too much supply to meet the demand). I walked away the owner of a new FJR for less than 10.5K. That being said lets assume your seller did the same.

The side luggage and heated grips were stock items, not extra's.

Other than the maintenance plan they other add-on's are valued at approx $1500 if sold indivually. When selling with the bike, even less.

The AE is a slight adjustment. But once completed (a few tanks of gas) I was a happy owner who quit reaching for a phatom clutch.

Riding adjustment is mainly replacing feathering the clutch with trail braking for slow speed manuvering (like when your driving thru the gate at the base). Dragging the rear brake allows you to keep the rpms up enough to keep the clutch engaged while you move just above a crawl.

Bottomline... My guess is you make an 8.7K offer on the AE. Tell the owner you are looking at 4 or 5 bikes that day (Not much time to haggle). You could probably walk away with it for 9 - 9.2K. Also consider spring is here, and gas prices are stupid. It might quickly turn into a sellers market.

 

[FJRAE]

The low speed maneuverability on the AE is a non issue, just different, took me all of 10 minutes to adapt to feathering the brake instead of the clutch. You do however give up a little speed on high speed shifts over a manual clutch, I can definitely shift faster with a manual and a properly adjusted cable (hydraulic clutches may not be as quick in my experience since you typically can't shorten the travel to the same degree)

One other thing to consider is the difference in insurance costs, for me it was fairly substantial the newer the model.

 

[Spud]

I just threw a leg over this one as I was looking around in there today. As the ad says, it's got a tag hanging on it, brand new for $9999 (08 AE).

https://showroom.auction123.com/rexburg_motosports/inventory/9127/2008/Yamaha/FJR/JYARP16E28A001454.html

 

[Amarak]

First, I want to say thank you to all of you that responded by vote and took the time to comment.

Also, I would like to also say as a new FJR owner, that I picked up the 2010 A. Listening to all of the comments and advice, I decided it was important enough to me for the warranty that outweighed the clutch issue (non issue). The big deal for me was, that although I spent a bit on it, I walked away happy.

So, tomorrow I pick up the new bike and look forward to better weather. I hope to see you all at some point, but at least the local people soon.

Again, thank you all for the help. The help on this forum helped me to decide that this was the bike for me, and the right time to get it.

And now for the farkles...

-Shawn

 

[escapefjrtist]

Congrats on the decision and bike Shawn, you won't be disappointed! Too bad we're in for 10 days of rain...

Consider joining us at Tech Day the end of April. Lots of good folks and information, not to mention the food! If you're up to it, you can probably join up with some of the PDX crew heading this direction.

--G

 

[RadioHowie]

Shawn --

You're 22 years old. Buy the FJR that moves your soul. And enjoy it for the 6 months you own it. Because once you start hangin' out with your moto buddies who are all riding R1s, ZX10s and GSXR1000s and leaving you behind in the twisties, you'll be looking for a sportier ride.

Not that the FJR isn't sporty, but ya gotta wonder why there are SO many old farts on this forum, me included. We all love our FJRs, but 35 years ago, when we were your age, we weren't riding 650 pound motorcycles with luggage.

LUGGAGE, for Christ's sake! On a 22 year old's motorcycle!!!

Sacrilege, I say!

Oh, someone's gonna come along and counter my statement about getting left behind in the twisties. Yeah, the old saying holds true -- "The Older You Are, The Faster You Were!"

 

[Amarak]

Shawn --

You're 22 years old. Buy the FJR that moves your soul. And enjoy it for the 6 months you own it. Because once you start hangin' out with your moto buddies who are all riding R1s, ZX10s and GSXR1000s and leaving you behind in the twisties, you'll be looking for a sportier ride.

Not that the FJR isn't sporty, but ya gotta wonder why there are SO many old farts on this forum, me included. We all love our FJRs, but 35 years ago, when we were your age, we weren't riding 650 pound motorcycles with luggage.

LUGGAGE, for Christ's sake! On a 22 year old's motorcycle!!!

Sacrilege, I say!

Oh, someone's gonna come along and counter my statement about getting left behind in the twisties. Yeah, the old saying holds true -- "The Older You Are, The Faster You Were!"

Sorry Radio. I think you misread my first post. I have been in the military for 22 years. Approaching 40 years young, quickly.

 

[joebiodiesel]

First, I want to say thank you to all of you that responded by vote and took the time to comment.

Also, I would like to also say as a new FJR owner, that I picked up the 2010 A. Listening to all of the comments and advice, I decided it was important enough to me for the warranty that outweighed the clutch issue (non issue). The big deal for me was, that although I spent a bit on it, I walked away happy.

So, tomorrow I pick up the new bike and look forward to better weather. I hope to see you all at some point, but at least the local people soon.

Again, thank you all for the help. The help on this forum helped me to decide that this was the bike for me, and the right time to get it.

And now for the farkles...

-Shawn

Congrats!! Now if it would only warm up.

Joe

 

[RadioHowie]

Sorry Radio. I think you misread my first post. I have been in the military for 22 years. Approaching 40 years young, quickly.

Yeah...I miskreaded it. That's my point -- someone who DIDN'T mixreed it is NO candidate for an FJR. :lol:

 

[bthomas]

Hello All,

Well here goes. My first official post that isn't just to say hello. I would like to say to the OP that I just purchased an brand new 07 AE for $6500 from a dealer. Still getting used to it as I only have 125 miles on her. Can you imagine riding away from a dealer having never driven a sport anything and coming from cruisers? And on top of that no clutch. (which I grabbed at first instinctively lol) I thought the sales guy was gonna fall on the ground laughing when I gave it gas and it took a moment to kick in. I said "holy sh*t" out loud when it did catch. Had the whole garage laughing. Then it's like go for it and sped off into the darkness. I like the AE and yes it takes some getting used to. I figured out that it shifts alot smoother if you don't let off the gas at all. Best advise from me is to either test it out or just go for it like I did.

Brent

 

[Bustanut joker]

Sorry Radio. I think you misread my first post. I have been in the military for 22 years. Approaching 40 years young, quickly.

Yeah...I miskreaded it. That's my point -- someone who DIDN'T mixreed it is NO candidate for an FJR. :lol:

You never fail to amuse me toadnuts.. :yahoo:

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

What I found interesting in this thread (so far...): the polling has shown 43.5% favor for the "AE" v/s 56.5% for the "A".

Would that MamaYama found such benign acceptance for the "Automatic" (at least in the USA...). :blink:

 

[Amarak]

What I found interesting in this thread (so far...): the polling has shown 43.5% favor for the "AE" v/s 56.5% for the "A".

Would that MamaYama found such benign acceptance for the "Automatic" (at least in the USA...). :blink:

I am now part of the A world, but won't judge the AE peeps. At least, not for now...

BTW, anyone know how to edit my first post to show an updated status of the subject? It just doesn't seem to want to let me do that.

 

[Amarak]

Sorry to bump an old post.

I had to take one more time to say thank you for those of you who posted. I am one happy FJR owner. I have 175 miles on it now, and get a LOT of compliments. The power is smooth, and the comfort is exactly what I was looking for. And the acceleration... man. This is one sweet ride.

I tell you tho, the biggest cool thing right now..., The movable windscreen. Going across the Glenn Jackson Bridge from Washington to Oregon is nice with that thing in the up position. With the Gorge winds blowing across that bridge, the windscreen keeps it comfy.

Looking forward to getting out and riding more once the weather gets better.

Take care, all.

-Shawn

-One happy camper!