twistees, C14 vs FJR

[jride]

I asked this question on a concours forum also so i can compare results

Ok so i have read a lot of reviews that saty the fjr handles better in the twistees than the C14. I have also read that once you replace the oem tires on the c14 it is a whole different bike.

My question for those of you that have considerable experience with both bikes : Which bike is better in the twistees and why?

thanks in advance for your response

john

 

[jride]

OH come on with all the opinons on here about the c14 surely there are a some that have ridden one more than a few times around the block

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

This guy FredW owned an FJR and a C14, and I guarantee he has multiple opinions:

Fred the "I know what's wrong with the abrupt throttle response" kid website

 

[MCRIDER007]

This guy Fred H owned an FJR and a C14, and I guarantee he has multiple opinions:

Fixed it for you. :clapping:

Since no one else is responding to the original question, I'll give it a shot since I have a FJR and C14, both 2008 models. I think the FJR is a little easier to ride in the twisties because it seems to have a lower center of gravity but the C14 has more potential (to go fast) because it has more ground clearance...and it would take a highly skilled rider to tap the C14's potential. The rest of us would probably do better on the FJR.

 

[DELETE-PLEASE]

I think the FJR is a little easier to ride in the twisties because it seems to have a lower center of gravity but the C14 has more potential (to go fast) because it has more ground clearance...and it would take a highly skilled rider to tap the C14's potential. The rest of us would probably do better on the FJR.

And this is why I ride a sport-tourer to begin with. I am NOT a highly skilled rider. So I don't take them to their limits. Which means that if I get in a bind and need to turn tighter or accelerate faster or brake harder to avoid something, I have the room to do so with my current riding style. If I rode my old cruiser the way I rode an FJR, it'd be close to it's limits, which leaves no room to react to the unexpected.
Personally, I've only ridden the FJR, but wouldn't the twisties comparison be better served by comparing useable torque vs RPM and wheelbase/ease of transitioning from leaning one way to the other? I would feel that the less time you spend shifting to keep a motorcycle in a good powerband, the quicker you would be as you can concentrate on brakes and wrist, and a shorter wheelbase carves a little tighter than a longer one too. Maybe a few of these factors combined add up to a slightly quicker motorcycle?

 

[FJRBluesman]

This question and many comparable questions on "better" bike is also very subjective to riding style, prefference, etc. I have never ridden a Connie so....

 

[jhinderliter]

they are both awesome bikes... i rode em both and i own the FJR... the connie is the king in the powerplant dept...

truth be told if someone put a gun to my head and told me i could only own 1 bike i would buy a connie... i have a 1 up bike just for me and

the FJR is my 2 up rig and i feel its a little better than the kaw in that dept... the wife liked the FJR better when we were shopping based on sitting on them both and she liked the looks / color options better with the yamaha...

which bike is faster in the twisties tho ? :lol: that all depends on the rider B)

 

[cpsfjr]

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...117854&st=0

 

[just roy]

i rode several c14's and actually took delivery of one on the condition that i had three days to decide if i liked it. i still like the looks of the c14 better but it is not as easy to ride or confidence inspiring to me. the fjr for me does everything easier than the c14. the connie can be ridden faster but it takes more work and concentration. you have to ride it like a race bike and i just don't feel like that a lot of the time with my illnesses.

 

[2006FJR]

I have spent some time on both bikes and I find the C14 a little top heavy. It also did not turn in as smoothly as the FJR. The C14 is a great bike but you need to ride it harder to get the same performace in my opinion.

 

[C&C]

I'd say "too close to call"; the rider (experience/preference) would make the difference.

 

[Nocturnal 1776]

I own the FJR because i test drove a c14 for about 4 hours. It was my buddies. Also an 09. The C14 is heavier and the higher ground clearance give it a top heavy feeling on intial turn in. I am 5'8 185 pounds. The FJR smoothly falls into turns the C14 I have to really shift my weight from side to side. The C14 is faster going straight, no question. It is much louder as well from huge single pipe. It also gets much hotter, I felt it. Gets hot. I bought FJR so i didnt have to slide weight back and forth and can smoothly transition into turns. My knee dragging days are behind me. I am only 33 but I have ridden and owned several sport bikes. A novice or intermediate rider can ride an FJR faster in turns with confidence on FJR. Pro rider on FJR and pro rider on C14 and the FJR wins every time. Every mag and pro rider I have read agrees. Oh and by the way..."Connie?" The nickname of bike alone I would not buy it lol.

 

[bikerkash]

Just got back from 3 days of mountain riding in NC. One of the guys had an 09 C-14. Each bike has it pros & cons but the C-14 has more power and MAY be a better bike for the twistees mainly becaue of the 6 speed & possable better ground clearence. We also run with a guy who has a BMW GT which has a 6 speed. Both of these bikes are faster in a straight line. It would be my opinion that the 6 speed is an advantage in several ways when it comes to twistees. With this said I'm riding my 3rd FJR and very pleased with the bike. As with most things the fastest bike in twistees depends more on the rider than on the bike. If the riders are pretty much equal the upgrading needed on the FJR starts to show.

 

[Lawrence]

I asked this question on a concours forum also so i can compare results
Ok so i have read a lot of reviews that saty the fjr handles better in the twistees than the C14. I have also read that once you replace the oem tires on the c14 it is a whole different bike.

My question for those of you that have considerable experience with both bikes : Which bike is better in the twistees and why?

thanks in advance for your response

john

Have you read https://www.motorcycle-usa.com/12/539/Motor...ng-Comparo.aspx pg 3 for the FJR, and Pg 5 for the C14 - that will cover some of what you are specifically asking about

There is a large COG rally going on, so expect to wait a bit for some replies. From what I heard Jim Pavlis has the C14 (after a couple of the original Connies /ZG1000 putting 100s of miles on them) and that he wish he had picked up the FJR instead. PM him and ask his opinion. With that said, I got the FJR as it matched my riding needs (lots of lane splitting while commuting) and expectations of self /inexpensive maintenance vs the C14 or BMW K1200GT.

Honestly, I expect your skill level wil make a much larger difference than the relatively small difference between these 2 bikes.

 

[sportsguy]

I recently test rode both bikes back to back. Same route, within an hour of each other.

Liked both, loved the C-14 engine, though did note the FJR seemed to move at higher speeds through my twisties, as evidenced by me needing to lean more in the same turns. Took the same turn about 10 mph faster on the FJR and felt completely comfortable.

Felt the heat folks talk about on the Connie. Didn't like it (73 degrees in Redmond WA during the test ride).

The Connie is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the FJR, but it's the FJR that'll be coming home this week...

Both were fantastically comfortable on my rides, loads of power form both, though the C-14 seems to build power, then unleash it, whereas the FJR just seems to accelerate like a locomotive - very linear, then oops... 75 in a 40 zone... you know, that old chestnut...

 

[fjrpro]

I think I can speak about both the c14 and fjr...I own a 2006 with 16k on it. I just came back from 10 days on a c14. I did 2900 miles thru CO and NM....lots of turns. Hwy 152 in NM had 900 plus turns in 30 miles!!!! I loved the C14 in the tight stuff lots of clearance and with a top box I still felt that it was a dead even match to my fjr. The C14 had Mich p2 tires on it....not sure if that is the stnd tire but I loved the feedback. I run Avon on my FJR. I did not like the noise from the engine...sounded ruff after 14k on it and the screen was total crap. Leg protection is much better. I also loved the center storage box. As far as power I live at 250ft above sl, so to compare the c14 at 5k to 12000 agl is unfair but I will say I wish the fjr had a 6th gear. Now the throttle, brakes and dash were good and would call that a dead heat btwn both bikes. The seat is by far better than the fjr. All in all I would still go with the FJR. Just my two cents but it has put my mind at ease...Be glad you bought the fjr1300 after one ride when I got home I still am!!!!!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Change oil and filter in both...use a stopwatch...and see which one wins in that timed contest.

 

[Wee Willy]

Don't know much about how well the Connie works as I've never ridden one. What I CAN say is that the fellow at work who rides one is routinely in my rear view on the twisties and, at 50, I'm NOT a real aggressive MC rider anymore. Rider's pretty good but the bike looks like it's hindering him. Appears to have lots (and I mean LOTS) of inertia to swing side to side...CG's higher and the bike is heavier. It is a good looking machine when you strip it down to its bones (Connie Bones). The Connie's gearing helps to better put the power down coming out of the curves, but it'll all come back home when we hit the next corner.

Keep in mind that this is completely subjective, but it helps me feel good about the Feejer I own.

Cheers,

W2

 

[Potential]

I got the FJR as it matched my riding needs (lots of lane splitting while commuting)

This is one of the reasons I liked it more than the C-14; the latter has integrated mirrors that make the bike very wide, while the FJR has normal mirrors that are easy to replace with narrower ones. Specifically I ended up removing them and using CRG lane-splitter bar-end mirrors instead, which have a much worse view of course but are foldable and make the bike very narrow when folded. Wonderful when filtering at red lights.