Rode a C14 Today

[ejworthen]

Rode a friends C14 today, he picked it up Friday and put a little over 150 miles on it before he let me put my dirty paws on it today.

My first impression in comparing it to the FJR is the motor is buttery smooth. Way smoother than the Yamaha. The clutch and gearbox are smoother also. This on a brand new bike with less than 200 miles on it. Made me a little disappointed in the FJR.

The seating position is much more sportbike like with plenty of ground clearance. Great in the twisties but probably tiring after awhile long distance. The riding position felt very much like my FZ6.

The instrument cluster didn't seem as nice, the digital readout was too busy IMO. The mirrors are way to low, you have to look down to see them.

Brakes are excellent. Bike seems a little warmer than the 06 FJR.

I put less than 20 miles on the bike so it was pretty hard to get a feel for handling. I can't say it handled drastically better than the FJR but I didn't push it at all either.

If I was in the market for a bike today it would be a hard decision beteewn the two. If the FJR had a motor as smooth as the C14 it would be a perfect bike.

 

[2006FJR]

I am sure there are going to be endless threads on this topic in the near future.

 

[ELP_JC]

I'd stick by my self-made promise of never buying another vehicle on its first year of production. But even if I hadn't made that promise, brand new technology makes me even more nervous, especially at times where profitability is more important than customer satisfaction, being car or bike, and ANY car or bike. I'm specifically talking about the VVT, which is the first application on a motorcycle (VFR's 'VTEC' DOES NOT have VVT).

And on looks alone, I'm not remotely interested on that bike, but being a function over form kind of guy, if it works as well as it was described above after many thousands of miles, especially if the FJR keeps showing problems not even a Hyosung has, it'll be the one to have. And yes, I'll be watching how it evolves closely.

Oh, and one last point. Why in the world Yamaha didn't notch the huge cans 45º on the edges to increase cornering clearance, like the Busa or Kawi? They're supposed to be the 'sport' in sport-tourer, but after all these new models, now it's more like the 'tourer'. Yamaha will have to make changes soon. After the surging fiasco, I do regret having bought my '07, when most likely the '08 will fix this problem, plus have other enhancements as well. Oh well. Later.

JC

 

[madmike2]

Oh, and one last point. Why in the world Yamaha didn't notch the huge cans 45º on the edges to increase cornering clearance, like the Busa or Kawi?

Now THAT'S a good point! Yamaha, are you reading this?

The seating position is much more sportbike like with plenty of ground clearance. Great in the twisties but probably tiring after awhile long distance. <snippage>

The mirrors are way to low, you have to look down to see them.

<snippage>

Bike seems a little warmer than the 06 FJR.

1.) That would eliminate a good portion of the market Yamaha is aiming for as some of us don't "fold" so well anymore, and we don't want Goldwings.

2.) The mirror issue has been reported elsewhere. Too bad, but it's much easier to "fix" the issue on the FJR.

3.) The HEAT issue could loom large as more people buy them and begin to report. Heat has been a complaint with the Kawi 1400 engine and surrounded by that much plastic...well, it'll be interesting to read the longer term rides and comparos by the magazines.

 

[temp357]

If I was in the market for a bike today it would be a hard decision beteewn the two. If the FJR had a motor as smooth as the C14 it would be a perfect bike.

The Doctor perscribes a PCIII and Wally's map for your FJR.

 

[ejworthen]

The seating position is much more sportbike like with plenty of ground clearance. Great in the twisties but probably tiring after awhile long distance.

1.) That would eliminate a good portion of the market Yamaha is aiming for as some of us don't "fold" so well anymore, and we don't want

It's still an upright position, it's just that the pegs are higher and you have to bend your knees more. It feels like the seat is higher also. At least that's the impression I had. I don't know if the specs prove out my impressions.

I compare the riding position to my FZ6. If you are familiar with that bike, it's more of a standard than a sportbike.

 

[ejworthen]

If I was in the market for a bike today it would be a hard decision beteewn the two. If the FJR had a motor as smooth as the C14 it would be a perfect bike.

The Doctor perscribes a PCIII and Wally's map for your FJR.

Don't think that could make the FJR this smooth. I'm gonna have dreams of how smooth that motor was.

 

[temp357]

If I was in the market for a bike today it would be a hard decision beteewn the two. If the FJR had a motor as smooth as the C14 it would be a perfect bike.

The Doctor perscribes a PCIII and Wally's map for your FJR.

Don't think that could make the FJR this smooth. I'm gonna have dreams of how smooth that motor was.

I was pretty surprised myself. The FJR becomes a completely different bike after the pciii and the wally map. It goes from barely mangeable to refined power. See the posts for the 06 pciii maps.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

I consider myself a rider who hits the twisties pretty hard and have never scraped a can. And have only drug a peg twice both times correcting a bad line. Oh I've had my FJR 10 days short of five years.

 

[boogahboogah]

Thanks for the comparo EJ, it'll be interesting to see if future comparisons notice the same things...

 

[madmike2]

The seating position is much more sportbike like with plenty of ground clearance. Great in the twisties but probably tiring after awhile long distance.

1.) That would eliminate a good portion of the market Yamaha is aiming for as some of us don't "fold" so well anymore, and we don't want

It's still an upright position, it's just that the pegs are higher and you have to bend your knees more. It feels like the seat is higher also. At least that's the impression I had. I don't know if the specs prove out my impressions.

I compare the riding position to my FZ6. If you are familiar with that bike, it's more of a standard than a sportbike.

Yes, I understood. I like the leg position on the FJR, but its about as bended as I want to be. For instance, an XX or 'Busa would be intolerable for me to ride all day at my, er, uhm, "stage of maturity". :dribble: When one mistreats their physical body over many years, the payback is limited ability to recover from extended time sitting in a fixed position. SO if the C-14's leg position is close to aggressive as the 2 bikes mentioned above, it'd be a deal-breaker for ME and others in my, uh, ahem, condition.

Why in the world Yamaha didn't notch the huge cans 45º on the edges to increase cornering clearance, like the Busa or Kawi? They're supposed to be the 'sport' in sport-tourer.....

I consider myself a rider who hits the twisties pretty hard and have never scraped a can. And have only drug a peg twice both times correcting a bad line. Oh I've had my FJR 10 days short of five years.

Welllll, I may not be as skilled as you or perhaps I sometimes ride rather "spirited", but I've dragged pegs, and have drug a peg all the way through a sweeper and I was leaned over, outside shoulder inline with the inside handgrip (Eye gots a witness. so eye gotta cornfess). No problem because the feelers still leave you plenty of "lean" room before you get to solid mounted hard parts.

There are those who have run track days and been warned by the intructors to hold their speed down because they were dangerously close to touching a muffler. The FJR can be ridden THAT aggressively (certainly above my particular ability or desire) by a skilled and qualified rider.

There are owners who have raised their bikes by aftermarked shock or by changing the dogbones because they DO ride like that. I think that is the point he was originally trying to make.

That extra "notch" in the muffler may have prevented the Rogdeb's mishap at WFO-3 (that we now realize was partly because of the OEM shock being at the end of its life-cycle @ 28K miles, 2-up and a raised center section of the roadway).

It would certainly give an aggressive appearance to the FJR andits one of the reasons some have gone to aftermarket slip-ons: Less weight; smaller diameter= more ground clearance at extreme lean angles.

I also realize (now) that once the feelers are touching down, one is riding too fast for the street.

IMHO, YMMV

 

[Bounce]

I am sure there are going to be endless threads on this topic in the near future.

naw. they'll sell their fjr's and move on like they did the bike before their fjr.

It's still an upright position, it's just that the pegs are higher and you have to bend your knees more.

which is one of the things i can't stand about the "tighter" bikes. i want to ride all day, not all out for 1 hour and call it quits for the day.

 

[ELP_JC]

I consider myself a rider who hits the twisties pretty hard and have never scraped a can. And have only drug a peg twice both times correcting a bad line. Oh I've had my FJR 10 days short of five years.

Noticed you have an '03; might have more clearance than my '07.

I dragged my peg on the first curve of one of my favorite twisty roads. I wasn't going that fast; that was the problem.

As far as what Mike said about 'if you drag your pegs you're going too fast for the streets', well, it depends. A cruiser touches at the least provocation, and you're not going fast at all. A sport bike would touch at insane track speeds, so that'd definitely be too damn fast for any street, period. But the FJR is borderline IMO. With the rear shock in 'soft', the answer is NO. In 'hard', yes, but barely. After that change, I was probably millimeters from dragging again, but was going as fast as I like on the streets, and having a blast. But I just wanted a bit more safety margin, that's all. And a notch on the mufflers would give us ample more clearance, without changing anything else, other than shorter/different feelers.

And I'm with the majority of the crowd here about the knees, even though I've never been injured, am a light guy, am a runner, in excellent shape, and not that old at 45 (that's what I tell myself < he he&gt. They just can't take the punishment anymore. I can't imagine people with previous injuries being able to. And getting 'peg lowering' kits is a joke to me; I'd buy a goldwing, or an LT if that was the case. So yes, the FJR is as sporty as I can take, and not many young guns can or like sport tourers anyway, so it's important that they're comfortable enough for their intended audience. I'd be extremely surprised if the C14 has the same ergos as the ZX14. And if it does, I bet they're adjustable to please the majority of the potential buyers. That was one thing I liked a lot about my BMW K1200RS; everything was adjustable... but now that I think about it, a ton of people still put barbacks and peg extenders, basically 'Goldwinizing' their BMWs; geez. So maybe we're wrong in assuming people won't buy it if it has punishing ergos. We'll see, I guess. Later gang.

JC

 

[ejworthen]

It's still an upright position, it's just that the pegs are higher and you have to bend your knees more.

which is one of the things i can't stand about the "tighter" bikes. i want to ride all day, not all out for 1 hour and call it quits for the day.

Agreed, after riding the C14 I thought back to my recent 4300 mile trip. I really don't think it would have been anywhere near as comfortable on a trip like that as me FJR was.

 

[Cdogman]

I stopped by and looked at a 14 the other day. Pretty bike. Sure would like to ride one.

I would not buy one regardless of the superior aspect of the bike. I have a penske shock on the way. Small lighter aftermarket cans (thanks radmart) and a PCIII / G2 / and a few other things that I forget

I drag my pegs ALOT!!! Now, Am I going to fast?? or am I too fat?? Leaning off, Yea sure I am doing that too and I am sure I could do it better. But I dont think I am riding to fast.

I have had my centerstand touch down in a lefthand sweeper 2up, 3 bags loaded (E52 as well)

There will always be some greener grass on the other side.

I am going to stick to my guns. After the Shock mods, I think the FJR will be more capable than I am willing pretty soon. I thought I was fast. The boys in Cali I rode with are fast. They have some suspension mods I dont and that appears to be the maker..... (that and they are very good riders)

Faster than that and I need a different bike all together, and I am looking into that now

 

[Lee Harvey]

To keep from scraping pegs, pipes, ect. move ass off seat in direction of turn and lean the bike less. Works with cruisers too.

 

[rogdeb]

"""That extra "notch" in the muffler may have prevented the Rogdeb's mishap at WFO-3 (that we now realize was partly because of the OEM shock being at the end of its life-cycle @ 28K miles, 2-up and a raised center section of the roadway)."""

True Mike -- "that extra notch" -- that might have helped.

 

[Cdogman]

To keep from scraping pegs, pipes, ect. move ass off seat in direction of turn and lean the bike less. Works with cruisers too.

And if doing so?? Some of these boys ride pretty fast and all you are suggesting keeps the hard parts off the ground under those conditions........... Too many assumptions.......... Noob

 

[ejworthen]

I don't care so much about the ground clearance or the seating position of the C14. The FJR is far superior IMO in just about every aspect to the C14 except one, the drive line.

I own two modern FI bikes (06 FJR & 04 FZ6) and have ridden two others (ST3 & Sprint ST). Out of the four of those bikes only two can really compare since the are both I-4's (FJR & FZ6).

The C14 motor was by far smoother and had a much more linear power delivery without any throttle abruptness. This is on a stock bike with less than 200 miles on it. Plus the transmission shifted smoothly without any clunkiness. Neither of my Yamaha's ever felt this smooth especially when new.

Now before people jump my shit and tell me to go buy a C14, let me say I love my FJR and have no regrets about buying it. I've put 8,000 trouble free miles on it since last November. Probably the best bike I'll ever own. It truly is a do all motorcycle in my eyes.

I guess no bikes perfect though, the C14 lacks some of the things that make the FJR such a great bike IMO. If the FJR had the refined drive line the C14 has it would be perfect. I hope Yamaha takes notice and acts accordingly.