Unhappy FJR owners?

[BikerGeek99]

-This isn't a car, if you didn't want your ass to hurt after an all day ride, buy a car, live in boredom.

:agree:

:jerry:

That's one of the funniest, most awesome lines I've ever read.

Am I the only one that feels this way?

Um, no.

:withstupidsmiley:

 

[Janet]

Am I the only one that feels this way?

I am a 5'10, 260lb, 47 year old woman. Nothing is "one size fits all" out of the box. Find what you want, adapt it to fit you and go ride!

I have never understood the whiners either. If it's not what they thought it "should be", they should get rid of it and get something else.

 

[Aasland]

I'm one of the guys who initially complained about his FJR but now am enjoying it quite a bit. I wouldn't say I was 'unhappy', but more or less disappointed about some of the FJR's shortcomings which aren't apparent on test rides. Many of the shortcomings have fixes, and much has to do with what I was used to. It took $2200 of modifications to fix the shortcommings.

I think the unhappiness (or 'anger') towards the FJR stems from obvious shortcomings which Yamaha should have addressed. Most other things are subjective (suspension quality, seat comfort) or don't show up immediately (lost sidecases, ignition or CCT failures). But there are some things which Yamaha should have caught with a simple ride across the US, for example:

1. Abrupt off-idle throttle response

2. Throttle return spring too strong

3. Lean-surge at constant highway speeds

4. Excessive engine heat on rider

5. Poor airflow management (i.e. buffeting)

6. "Altitude sickness"

The fact that they produced the bike without solving these issues in the first place is a bit disappointing. At times, I wonder "did they even ride the bike before manufacturing it?" or did they take the approach "eh, it's better than the competition so it's good enough".

To be fair, these complaints aren't unique to Yamaha. After riding an ST1100 I felt they had built a bike with the worst windshield ever. The VFR had the worst seat ever. Which designer decided to make the 1999 SV650 363 lbs but then cheaped out on the suspension (no preload on the forks!).

 

[Fred W]

I can't believe that anyone is surprised that there would be a percentage of FJR buyers that say it is a piece of shit. It's just human nature.

There would be a percentage of people who, if you handed them a bag filled with dollar bills, would complain they aren't stacked well enough... :blink:

 

[scubatech]

I can't believe that anyone is surprised that there would be a percentage of FJR buyers that say it is a piece of shit. It's just human nature. There would be a percentage of people who, if you handed them a bag filled with dollar bills, would complain they aren't stacked well enough... :blink:

Well put Fred. When I sold bikes we all wanted to sell the Hondas if we could because customers hardly ever bitched. But like you said ,there is always someone who expected more than they bought!. Both of my FJR's have been awesome so far.

 

[mmonroe]

Feedback and change makes products better. Look at how the FJR has evolved over the past 5 years. Does anyone honestly think that the current FJR would be the bike that it is and as refined as it is if there hadnt been feedback from the riders? Just about everyone on this board has made "improvements" to their FJR as a result of things they felt should be differrent.

 

[palerider]

Feedback and change makes products better. Look at how the FJR has evolved over the past 5 years. Does anyone honestly think that the current FJR would be the bike that it is and as refined as it is if there hadnt been feedback from the riders?

I'm tired of all the complaining about all the complaining.

h34r:

 

[Fred W]

Feedback and change makes products better. Look at how the FJR has evolved over the past 5 years. Does anyone honestly think that the current FJR would be the bike that it is and as refined as it is if there hadnt been feedback from the riders?

Evolved? Huh? :blink:

I guess I'm missing the big boat here. The 2nd gens aren't all that much different than the firsts IMHO. I wouldn't classify it as evolution. Did they change a few things. Sure. Some, not for the better...

I'm tired of all the complaining about all the complaining.
h34r:

Oh man, that just pisses me off!! Complaining about the complainers, complaining about the complaining!!

 

[exskibum]

Best bike I've ever owned, all things considered: doesn't do anything the best (except produce grins), but it does the combination of things that work for me the best. I guess if your first real Street Only bike was a '69 BSA 650 Thunderbolt, it's hard to complain about much of anything afterwards. The vibration, electrical problems, lack of reliability, discomfort, etc. of that bike have made everything after that seem like amazing technology. And I LOVED that Beezer at the time. Go figure.

 

[marcusorelius]

Not many real complaints on here. What really stands out is how many people get another FJR which says a lot about them!

 

[Texan]

I guess no bike is perfect. That's why a majority of us have several. Did you notice the recent poll on this topic? Wow, some of you guys spend way too much money on bikes. It's totally irrational. I like that.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

If you want to hear negitive stuff about the FJR go to a BMW forum, the jelous bastards. And you still won't hear alot, they like em too! :clapping: :clapping:

 

[Phugedaboudet]

well, I for one hate the fact that I can't get away with riding a few hundred miles a day like the OP. The FJR makes long rides and canyon runs fun, therefore making me want to ride when I have other obligations. Why did Yamaha have to make it so non-riding days suck even more?

So my question to the group: should I sell the FJR and look into a fancy Harley, which is so expensive I won't be able to afford to ride at all, or should I get a factory replica race-bike, with ergos that make me never want to ride for more than a half hour?

 

[FJRBluesman]

This was a joke, right?

I'm sure not all are happy for a variety of reasons; however, Is any bike truly the greatest bike for all reasons? No. There are good and bad for every bike and style. One that handles like a race bike and goes fast gets bad mileage and hurts sitting on the thing all day. I big cruiser maybe comfy but handle like crap on the twisties, etc.

 

[palerider]

well, I for one hate the fact that I can't get away with riding a few hundred miles a day like the OP. The FJR makes long rides and canyon runs fun, therefore making me want to ride when I have other obligations. Why did Yamaha have to make it so non-riding days suck even more?
So my question to the group: should I sell the FJR and look into a fancy Harley, which is so expensive I won't be able to afford to ride at all, or should I get a factory replica race-bike, with ergos that make me never want to ride for more than a half hour?

Seems like a logic problem here: Why should the expense of the HD keep you from riding? I'd think it would be the fact that they are unreliable.

 

[Draggon Rider]

Now that the Cheerleaders have left the stage, let me add my $.02.

Ray,

The same ideology that allows you to complain about the complaining allows the complainers to complain about the FJR.

The posts (complaints if you will) allow people to get information they need to make intelligent decisions. I for one did not know what I was getting into when I bought my used 05 FJR, it’s a top heavy unforgiving bike (yeah, yeah, I’ve heard your comments before, and I still stand by my statement) . Now I must add that the issues I ran into after taking position of the bike have been worked out thanks to the people on this forum.

So if you don't like the post by UnHappy FJR Owners, DON"T READ THEM, go read Ride Reports.

I now love my FJR, the more I ride, the more experience I get, the better I like it, and I’m not above saying that I’m still learning. I still have issues with the stock seat and from reading this forum it’s not uncommon, but I can’t afford to replace it right now.

I used my tax return to pay off the Motorcycle loan, so she's all mine and let the farkles start :yahoo:

 

[Draggon Rider]

I can't believe that anyone is surprised that there would be a percentage of FJR buyers that say it is a piece of shit. It's just human nature. There would be a percentage of people who, if you handed them a bag filled with dollar bills, would complain they aren't stacked well enough... :blink:

+1

 

[Fred W]

well, I for one hate the fact that I can't get away with riding a few hundred miles a day like the OP. The FJR makes long rides and canyon runs fun, therefore making me want to ride when I have other obligations. Why did Yamaha have to make it so non-riding days suck even more?
So my question to the group: should I sell the FJR and look into a fancy Harley, which is so expensive I won't be able to afford to ride at all, or should I get a factory replica race-bike, with ergos that make me never want to ride for more than a half hour?

Yes. Yes you should. We don't want your sniveling, whiny kind around here any more...

(obligatory to denote sarcasm)

 

[Rolavine]

I'm with you Ray. People don't seem to grasp that they have to get used to things and maybe make a few small aterations. when my butt hurts on the FJR I think about the many hundred plus mile days I spent happily perched on top of a rock hard Brooks Leather Bicycle Saddle only wiggling a bit to keep some feeling in Mr. Wiggly.

 

[painman]

Ok, I'll chime in. Bought the FJR in 06 during the PDP only because of the info gained here on the board and once sitting on a model in a Cycle World bike show. No test ride, nothing, plopped down amount in full at the dealer. Coming off years of riding "only" HD's, heaven forbid, and some years of dirt riding, the day I picked the bike up from the dealer and rode it home my first observation was, "I think maybe I made a big mistake". The bike felt totally alien and uncomfortabe to me but I knew I had to give it some time.

Well, like some of the other responses, the more I ride this bike the more I appreciate it and actually opened up the real world of motorcycling to me where as I now had a bike that required some skill to ride and its limits were and are well beyond me. It now is a joy and a learning experience each and every time I ride the FJR and the challenge is half the fun. And once I got the bike setup to suit "me", even though I operate in chronic pain from Arthritis of the spine, the results of the personal challenges of riding, especially long distance, are a real reward in itself. Unhappy, never really entered my mind. I'm too busy having fun. Painman. <>< :yahoo: