Test rode Suz M109R...bummer

[SouthernCruizer]

I had the chance yesterday to test ride a Suzuki M109R at First Turn Suzuki in Lafayette, LA. Fired it up, put it in 1st, and stretched out to reach the shifter and brakes(very long bike)....took off, went for 2nd gear...clackclackclack..damn, missed 2nd gear...pulled in cluth, pulled foot like crazy, CLANK, into 2nd gear. At low speed, damn bike was rough as hell, drive train lash like you wouldnt believe...got some speed going, now we talking. Bike has great torque for a cruiser, along with the normal Vtwin vibes that I cant say I enjoy any more since I've been riding multi cylinder bikes the last few years. Slow down, stop, tried to shift into 2nd gear again..clackclackclack...2 tries to get it into 2nd gear again. Finally have enough of the test ride , bring her back in, and talk to the guy who rode the bike before I did...he had same problem, totally hard time getting into 2nd gear, and he also noticed that the tranny was rough as hell. I was totally bummed out. Great looking bike, but would not be able to live with the tranny and lash.

Jay

'04 FJR 1300

p.s bike had 420 miles on it.

 

[Geezer]

My brother recently bought a Star cruiser. The one thing that impressed me about it was how smooth the tranny was. A long way between gears but it shifted smooth and solid.

I wonder of the Suzuki had been abused by too many test rides. Still, you'd think they would fix it if it was a problem rather than turn people off by letting them test ride a bike with a bad tranny.

 

[KSFJR]

First of all Jay, I got the seats. Thanks. I kept meaning to let you know but man does time slip away.

The June 06 Cycle World did a small review on the M109R and they complained about shifting, mid-band EFI glitch, and steering. They did say that it revs quickly and pulls hard with 127 hp and 119 fp of torque. They also said that for a cruiser it had a more comfortable ride than most and disregarding the above complaints, it would be a "Contender" for the power-cruiser crown. Kevin Schwantz was the rider on the M109R but I'm sure he could make anything go fast.

Chester

 

[DucatiSSsp]

I thought the FJR gearbox had gravel in it when I first rode it. But after 6500 miles and a switch to synth. oil it shifts better, but still has lots of room for improvement. Maybe you guys were'nt revvn the piss out of it??

Maybe a bent shift fork, a common Suzuki trait.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[SouthernCruizer]

I thought the FJR gearbox had gravel in it when I first rode it. But after 6500 miles and a switch to synth. oil it shifts better, but still has lots of room for improvement. Maybe you guys were'nt revvn the piss out of it?? Maybe a bent shift fork, a common Suzuki trait.

Cheers,

Bryce

*********************

Hmmm..interesting...I bought my '04 FJR with 2005 miles on it about 5 1/2 months ago,and found the shifting to be pretty smooth...now have a little over 13,000 miles on it, and its even smoother now.

I am running Rotella 15W/40. Also noticed that the engine has really broken in fine now, and my gas mileage has gone up from the low 40's to the mid 40's, and it seems to pull harder than when first bought.

Jay

'04 FJR 1300