The 2014 FJR1300 - Woo-hoo!

[rogdeb]

It seems that Fred W confuses the UK with all of Europe...

Clearly the UK is not Europe, ask any Brit.

Right. Any school kid knows that the UK is just a set of small islands off the coast of France...

Blasphemy !!!

Glad I'm from Rancho Cordova

 

[John d]

I was hoping that Yamaha would offer the electronic suspension on a non-AE version. And I was hoping for a nice bright red. This is going to be difficult for me to pass up. We'll see what my bank account looks like in the spring, and how well the discounters do on the price.
I had heard rumors that Ohlins was looking at ES for a future FJR. When I saw the ES announced last year on the AE version in Europe I was thinking that it was indeed the Ohlins stuff, and that it is the same Ohlins stuff that we now get in the USA. Am I being overly optimistic?

I was thinking the same about Ohlins, and was wondering who was going to be the first out of the gate to make the connection.

 

[jeremyr62]

The 2013 auto version version is released in the UK. The reviews are pretty positive. I don't think the suspension is Ohlins though.

 

[SkooterG]

I was hoping that Yamaha would offer the electronic suspension on a non-AE version. And I was hoping for a nice bright red. This is going to be difficult for me to pass up. We'll see what my bank account looks like in the spring, and how well the discounters do on the price.
I had heard rumors that Ohlins was looking at ES for a future FJR. When I saw the ES announced last year on the AE version in Europe I was thinking that it was indeed the Ohlins stuff, and that it is the same Ohlins stuff that we now get in the USA. Am I being overly optimistic?

I was thinking the same about Ohlins, and was wondering who was going to be the first out of the gate to make the connection.

I would say overly optimistic. But Yamaha's in-house brand is pretty good stuff. Ohlins has started making replacement ES shocks for the BMW crowd. REALLY pricey stuff, but at least there is an aftermarket option for them. My guess is that Ohlins will start making an aftermarket option for the ES FJR now that it is available.

 

[Bungie]

Didn't Yamaha have a significant stake in Ohlins at one point?

 

[SkooterG]

Didn't Yamaha have a significant stake in Ohlins at one point?

Yes, Yamaha owned Ohlins at one point. Not sure the details or why they sold. Perhaps to get their suspension technology and then move on and sell them?

 

[101stpathfinder]

Can't believe on the ST Forum guys are bitching about the 1 yr warranty on Yamaha's / FJR.....
I've owned my 05 for almost 10 years and never had anything need repair.... Normal Maintenance, brakes, tires, oil change, spark plugs, air filter.

Whats with the Honda Hate on a bike that is far and away a much better performer in every sense.

I'll tell you what's up with those ST guys.....

The FJR DOMINATED the IBR this year (1st,2nd,3rd,5th and 6th)

All the reviews say the FJR is THE bike.

Let the haters hate and hate to lose!

 

[wingshot]

Glad the USA non ES and ES versions are red and do not look this bad!!!

 

[bgross]

Can't believe on the ST Forum guys are bitching about the 1 yr warranty on Yamaha's / FJR.....
I've owned my 05 for almost 10 years and never had anything need repair.... Normal Maintenance, brakes, tires, oil change, spark plugs, air filter.

Whats with the Honda Hate on a bike that is far and away a much better performer in every sense.

:weight_lift:

I'll tell you what's up with those ST guys.....

The FJR DOMINATED the IBR this year (1st,2nd,3rd,5th and 6th)

All the reviews say the FJR is THE bike.

Let the haters hate and hate to lose! unk:

Since we are talking about long-running dependability, we should point out that all 5 of those FJRs were '05 or '06 models, not showroom fresh.

 

[flyfisher]

Actually the Honda guys (me included) are pissed because you get a new RED Fjr with ES and cruise and heated grips and powerlet sockets and Honda ain't done **** for ten years.....yeah, that's why we're ornery......

 

[BigOgre]

Personal taste, I'm not sure the red appeals to me but I do think those matte black Canyon Cages might look pretty good on it.

 

[xcsp]

Has anyone checked to see what either an A or ES model can be bought for (pricewise) outright yet? I'm out of town and won't be able to do any "dealing" until next week.

 

[Wlfman]

Has anyone checked to see what either an A or ES model can be bought for (pricewise) outright yet? I'm out of town and won't be able to do any "dealing" until next week.

I haven't made any phone calls but I have checked numerous websites and no one is even showing them in stock (online) yet.

 

[CopB8]

I would say that, although certain people made a lot of noise about it, it really isn't a very big deal to the vast majority of riders. Most places you cannot cruise at over 80 mph without risking a ticket. Yes, there are a few places out west where the speed limit is higher, but not many. In those places, which are typically wide open and flat you would just use plan B (a simple throttle lock).

The thing that astounds me is that none of you have asked, "Why in the world is Yamaha not addressing the issue of a sport touring bike with a saddle that has the comfort rating of a medieval torture device?"

We all already know what the answer is: a custom made touring saddle made to your dimensions, Russell Daylong preferred.

The OEM can not possibly make a saddle that is customized to fit your dimensions and still have it work for everyone else's. As long as there is a seat pan underneath the cheap stock seat, I see no reason to spend more money on improving a seat that you would just eventually be throwing in the trash anyway.

I would say that many of us are VERY restricted by the 80 mph cruise limit, and in fact, having it becomes useless for the vast majority of our highway cruising miles, which is when you want it the very most. (I'm secretly praying the '14 has retained that limit so that I'm not tempted to move up to it.)

Personally, and apparently I'm in the minority, I prefer my '13 color to the '14. And I like bright colors. Have an orange triumph and had a yellow car.

Finally, regarding the seat. I FINALLY placed an order for a Sargent seat which arrives Wednesday. It should also fit the '14 should the '14 be offered with a 100 mph cruise speed.

 

[DragonflyTN]

Over on st-owners they are discussing whether they could set up a "Group Buy" from Yamaha. That's funny right there I don't care who you are.

When the ST1100 and ST1300 guys are this excited over a Yamaha that says a lot about the FJR and about how disgusted they are with Honda.

hehehe. ouch.

Ouch is right. I have been walking past my faithful but outdated ST1300 for the last 24 hours telling myself I still love it. I am not sure either of us is convinced anymore.

In 2009 a friend of mine who is a die-hard Honda ST guy, having both an 1100 and a 1300, made the mistake of "letting" me ride his ST, which meant he had to ride my "POS Yamaha" (his words). We rode from Cleveland, TN down to Suches, GA across US 64 and GA 60. When he stepped off the bike at TWO, his first words were "I know what my next bike will be!".

There seem to be a lot of complaints on this forum about the FJR suspension, but I've personally never had any. I just go pogo-stick around on my KLR for a few miles if I need to be reminded just how good the "cheap" suspension on my Gen 1 "Super-Blue" FJR actually is.

 

[RaiderBill]

I love that Yamaha is updating the fjr only a year out of the 2013. I watched bmw update the ss1000rr continually even though it was a great bike and it just make it that much better. Don't bring out a bike and then just let it sit for years, if something can be tweaked to make it better without a big weight gain or huge cost increase then that is the way to go.

 

[DragonflyTN]

Actually the Honda guys (me included) are pissed because you get a new RED Fjr with ES and cruise and heated grips and powerlet sockets and Honda ain't done **** for ten years.....yeah, that's why we're ornery......

Honda hasn't been competitive in Europe for 10 years, and certainly less and less in the Americas too. Perhaps the numbers tell the story - in 2012 Honda sales in Asia (in unit terms) are approximately 44 times what they are in North America and the vast majority of those sales are 500 CC or under. You can bet that the growth in North American sales is also in 500 CC or or under range too mostly coming from the new 500 family, CBR 250, and the off-road bikes. Maybe that F6B is a hot seller, but the rest of the Goldwing market is pretty much replacement. In profitability terms, the Goldwing has to be the market leader for Honda, but still there's only so many of those you can sell. So if you are Honda, where do you put your development $$$? Not into a mature sport-touring market where the competition is way ahead of you...

< Motorcycles >Unit (thousands)

2011 2012 Jan.-Dec.Result Jan.-Dec.

Result % Change Global Sales 16,301 15,464 95% Japan 219 221 101% Overseas 16,081 15,242 95% North America 211 264 125% South America 1,924* 1,652 86% Europe, CIS, the Middle & Near East and Africa 275 335 122% Asia and Oceania 12,364 11,704 95% China 1,306 1,286 98% Global Production 16,759 15,912 95% Japan 190 184 97% Overseas 16,569 15,728 95%

 

[Top_Speed1]

Glad the USA non ES and ES versions are red and do not look this bad!!!

"What can brown do for you?"

Nothing!

(sorry UPS, you shouldn't be brought into this ugly conversation!)

 

[Warpdrv]

I love that Yamaha is updating the fjr only a year out of the 2013. I watched bmw update the ss1000rr continually even though it was a great bike and it just make it that much better. Don't bring out a bike and then just let it sit for years, if something can be tweaked to make it better without a big weight gain or huge cost increase then that is the way to go.

I'll bet that they had the intentions of getting the new suspension out for 2013, but held back and were delayed by implementation issues.

Hope it works as nice as advertised....

 

[chivvalry]

Love the red... love the black... that chocolate brown is not for me. Glad they didn't make the US version black... that way I can hold off a little longer from plunking down money for a new FJR.