Upgrade 2006 FJR - Is there Something Better?

[John_Dumke]

My wife and I just finished a ride from SoCal to Dallas and back. I have not ridden much in the last 3-5 years. During this trip, we had every type of experience. Rainy 52 degree weather over Colorado mountain passes to 100 degrees in Dallas and Las Vegas. Boring freeways to some of the most beautiful and desolate two lane twisty back roads.

Before I left. I reacquainted myself with what was new in the sport touring world. While at the dealer I noticed a new 2018 FJR. Cool flat blue color. But is is really any better than my 2006 already set up with a custom seat, Penske rear shock and revised front forks withTraxxion AK-20 inserts? A new 2018 at 15k+ vs my already set up 2006 worth 5k? I will keep my 2006, the 2018 just isn't that much different.

Then I stumbled across the new Kawasaki H2 SX SE and was quite enthusiastic. But driving the Kawi on this trip? There would be NO WAY this bike would work. The FJR's electric windshield and decent wind coverage is critical when its raining and 52 degrees. This becomes very apparent when you are freezing your *** off.

Then after droning on the freeways, I noticed that the new 2018 Goldwing actually looks slimmed down and quite svelte. How nice would that be to have a Goldwing for the freeways. But then I read the reviews and fundamentally it suffers from being a boring sewing machine. All the great twisty roads in Colorado and Utah, eliminated the desire to own the new "Couch" on wheels.

But a BMW K1600GT?? Hmmmmm... Still a little sporty, yet more fwy capable? A used one at $15,000. Is this thing just too beastly to be fun on the back roads? Would I be pissed off by higher maintenance costs? I have been bleed dry by some BMW cars in the past. My last 2005 BMW 545i with only 80k on the odo needing a new $8,000 tranny for a car only worth $6,000 just after payment for a $2,500 starter may have cured me of BMW ownership. But never have I ever had a Japanese bike costs me anything other than routine maintenance.

Are there really any other bikes that can do it all like the FJR, with literally no long term maintenance costs/ surprises?

My bike is 12 years old, shouldn't there be something newer more exciting? Or has all of the manufactures efforts gone into the adventure tourer class? How dumb is this class anyway. Like I am really going to take a fully loaded BMW R1200GS off road with bags and my wife. Why the hell would I need dirt bike capability in a sport tourer? I can understand the sport tourer class: Combine a Goldwing with a GSX-R and you get an FJR. But the adventure tourer class. Combine a Goldwing with a Motocross bike? Makes no sense to me. Maybe if I lived in Africa.

I think the true solution might be to have multiple bikes. Maybe keep the FJR and get a used GSX-R1000 for me. Or get a K1600GT for two up interstates and keep the FJR. Either way, it seems like my $5,000 FJR is a keeper. I just threw $300 of fresh rubber on it, so I guess it is ready for another adventure.

So what other bikes have you considered when it comes to upgrading your FJR? Or to add to your stable?

 

[sparky80]

Ya know.... I was/am in the same position you are describing. I recently took a 7 day, 4000 mile trip from texas to mexico/canada borders. LOVED my '06 and performed flawlessly. Only had two complaints about the bike.

First was the lack of heated grips. On one sleepover in North Dakota, it rained really bad and I assume water got into the connections of my cheapo grip heaters. Next day they were toast (fuse was good). Since then a nice set of Oxford heaters went on and solved that issue.

The other "issue" i had was the lack of cruise. Before my ride, i installed a Kaoko throttle lock and it works great... if I'm leading the 4 bike pack we were on. Otherwise, it took too long to get the speed just right with the rest of the pack.

The ONLY bike i would consider is a '16 FJR. Fell in love with the Cobalt Blue color and won't ride an FJR if it isn't that color. As far as adding another bike to the stable, the FJR was the addition to my '07 FZ1 (also in Cobalt Blue) that i purchased new in '07. It i want to ride a bit more aggressively or in the mood to do a trackday, the FZ will work pretty well. For the fun of it, i added a Zuma 125 since i live on a military base and getting to work is 3 miles away and no more than 45 mph. works for that and for good laughs. But... like many guys around here.. the FJR and FZ1 made a nice combo for most guys.

 

[dcarver]

Good to see yah back posting, Mr. Dumke!

 

[John_Dumke]

Good to see yah back posting, Mr. Dumke!

Good to be back!. Six years ago, I decided to have my 11th midlife crisis and joined a couple rock bands. That took a ton of time. Then had my 12th midlife crisis and bought a 2017 Shelby GT350 about a year and a half ago. AMAZING Car!!! Now I guess I will rebirth my 9th midlife crisis and get the FJR back out on the road.

 

[Niehart]

I upgraded to Gen 3 [2015 Used, 8800 miles] and moved a lot of my good parts [seats, controls, shock, lights, etc, well actually still moving some of them] from my 2010 that had 88,000 miles to the new bike.

Of all the new things, the one that I thought the least of was one I use the most, the cruise control is the best.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

If you have not ridden a post '13 FJR you can not imagine how many tiny upgrades have been done. The newer FJRs are just a whole lot more pleasant to ride.

Most folks who don't understand the big BMW R1200GS have never ridden one. I also got burned by a BMW automobile and will not consider buying another one but that big GS is a fantastic motorcycle that has to be experienced, it cannot be explained.

 

[BigOgre]

My bike is 12 years old, shouldn't there be something newer more exciting? Or has all of the manufactures efforts gone into the adventure tourer class? How dumb is this class anyway. Like I am really going to take a fully loaded BMW R1200GS off road with bags and my wife. Why the hell would I need dirt bike capability in a sport tourer? I can understand the sport tourer class: Combine a Goldwing with a GSX-R and you get an FJR. But the adventure tourer class. Combine a Goldwing with a Motocross bike? Makes no sense to me. Maybe if I lived in Africa.

I'm not going to opine on any specific bike but will say generally that my thinking on the Adventure class bikes has evolved. When you think back on all the early marketing hype and now see how most of these have progressed, you might be pigeon-holing yourself by thinking of these as mainly "off-road" machines. There's many articles written along with first-person testimonials, including on this very forum, touting the upgraded features, powerful performance, comfortable ergonomics and overall fine handling of some of these machines for on-road touring. I kinda liken it to auto manufactures of maybe twenty, twenty-five years ago when the SUV class first hit the scene. "Got me a 4x4 so I can go off-road. I can go adventuring down a trail whenever I want but still use it as a commuter." Today I don't believe anyone looks at a four-wheel drive vehicle as anything but an everyday car or truck with some added capabilities that may or may not be needed.

I will say though that I completely agree with one of your statements. Multiple bikes really is a solution. And a fun one at that!

 

[El Guapo Loco]

My wife and I just finished a ride from SoCal to Dallas and back. I have not ridden much in the last 3-5 years. During this trip, we had every type of experience. Rainy 52 degree weather over Colorado mountain passes to 100 degrees in Dallas and Las Vegas. Boring freeways to some of the most beautiful and desolate two lane twisty back roads.
Before I left. I reacquainted myself with what was new in the sport touring world. While at the dealer I noticed a new 2018 FJR. Cool flat blue color. But is is really any better than my 2006 already set up with a custom seat, Penske rear shock and revised front forks withTraxxion AK-20 inserts? A new 2018 at 15k+ vs my already set up 2006 worth 5k? I will keep my 2006, the 2018 just isn't that much different.

Then I stumbled across the new Kawasaki H2 SX SE and was quite enthusiastic. But driving the Kawi on this trip? There would be NO WAY this bike would work. The FJR's electric windshield and decent wind coverage is critical when its raining and 52 degrees. This becomes very apparent when you are freezing your *** off.

Then after droning on the freeways, I noticed that the new 2018 Goldwing actually looks slimmed down and quite svelte. How nice would that be to have a Goldwing for the freeways. But then I read the reviews and fundamentally it suffers from being a boring sewing machine. All the great twisty roads in Colorado and Utah, eliminated the desire to own the new "Couch" on wheels.

But a BMW K1600GT?? Hmmmmm... Still a little sporty, yet more fwy capable? A used one at $15,000. Is this thing just too beastly to be fun on the back roads? Would I be pissed off by higher maintenance costs? I have been bleed dry by some BMW cars in the past. My last 2005 BMW 545i with only 80k on the odo needing a new $8,000 tranny for a car only worth $6,000 just after payment for a $2,500 starter may have cured me of BMW ownership. But never have I ever had a Japanese bike costs me anything other than routine maintenance.

Are there really any other bikes that can do it all like the FJR, with literally no long term maintenance costs/ surprises?

My bike is 12 years old, shouldn't there be something newer more exciting? Or has all of the manufactures efforts gone into the adventure tourer class? How dumb is this class anyway. Like I am really going to take a fully loaded BMW R1200GS off road with bags and my wife. Why the hell would I need dirt bike capability in a sport tourer? I can understand the sport tourer class: Combine a Goldwing with a GSX-R and you get an FJR. But the adventure tourer class. Combine a Goldwing with a Motocross bike? Makes no sense to me. Maybe if I lived in Africa.

I think the true solution might be to have multiple bikes. Maybe keep the FJR and get a used GSX-R1000 for me. Or get a K1600GT for two up interstates and keep the FJR. Either way, it seems like my $5,000 FJR is a keeper. I just threw $300 of fresh rubber on it, so I guess it is ready for another adventure.

So what other bikes have you considered when it comes to upgrading your FJR? Or to add to your stable?


Ok, well, I consider my "stable" to be complete. Beside the FJR sits a '09 Raider S. Think about it....

 

[escapefjrtist]

At this point for as long as I'm able to ride, I think I'll always have an FJR in the stable. It does everything I want in a motorcycle, is reliable as an anvil and works so well for ME. Current one is #4, seems I always stumble across a great "buy" and it's out with the old and in with the new. Luckily, at least for the last three, most farkles have moved over so the upgrade investment is kept to a minimum.

Big adventure bikes always intrigued me. Rode a couple GS Beemers - wanted one badly but could never convince myself to take the leap. My '12 Tenere fills that bill for now. Set up as my rough road tourer, the SO likes it better than the FJR for two-up trips. Tons more storage, not a rocket by any means, but plenty of power for "normal" riding. Plus, again for ME, it compliments the FJR perfectly!

YMMV

~G

 

[FJRay]

I sold my 03 with well over a 100k on it but cause it just sat around. For two up with full size folks the wing gets the use. When a pristine 04 showed up with only 20k it got snapped up. It still sits a lot but it's there when I need a fix. The FJR is like an AR15, everybody needs at least one.

 

[John_Dumke]

The FJR is like an AR15, everybody needs at least one.

That is the quote of the day!

I'm not going to opine on any specific bike but will say generally that my thinking on the Adventure class bikes has evolved. When you think back on all the early marketing hype and now see how most of these have progressed, you might be pigeon-holing yourself by thinking of these as mainly "off-road" machines. There's many articles written along with first-person testimonials, including on this very forum, touting the upgraded features, powerful performance, comfortable ergonomics and overall fine handling of some of these machines for on-road touring. I kinda liken it to auto manufactures of maybe twenty, twenty-five years ago when the SUV class first hit the scene. "Got me a 4x4 so I can go off-road. I can go adventuring down a trail whenever I want but still use it as a commuter." Today I don't believe anyone looks at a four-wheel drive vehicle as anything but an everyday car or truck with some added capabilities that may or may not be needed.

I wasn't saying that the adventure tourer class hasn't evolved. Like you say they have. This is my problem. It seems like all of the manufacturers have been putting their R&D money into this class and they have left the Sport Touring class prettty much as is. There seem to be so many recent bikes released across the entire CC spectrum of the Adventure Bike class. What have been released in the FJR sport touring class in the last 10 years? I can't really think of anything. It appears to be a neglected class of bikes. I think the R&D funds have moved into the adventure touring class. So yes I am sure the adventure tourer class are better. But they don't have shaft drive (BMW R1250GS an exception) and they don't generally have good fairing coverage and they have high seat heights for no apparent reason, which only give you or your passenger less wind coverage behind a fairing. So while they might be a ton of fun, from my prospective, two up sporty riding on the street with luggage capacity and wind protection for a 5'8" pilot, the adventure touring class isn't going down the right path.

Meanwhile, we have an FJR1300 that is only staying refreshed enough to stay ahead of the pack, a Kawi Concours that is dated and a BMW RT1200 that has been around since the beginning of time and an ST1300 that for all its promise never delivered. The only thing new in the category is the BMW K1600, which came out in 2012 and is almost into the Goldwing category, which then means it is out of the Sport Touring Class. Is the Sport Touring class just a dying breed?

 

[HIGHLANDER]

The FJR is like an AR15, everybody needs at least one.

That's a great tag line, you need to add that on the bottom to your Signature !

 

[HIGHLANDER]

But they don't have shaft drive (BMW R1250GS an exception) and they don't generally have good fairing coverage and they have high seat heights for no apparent reason, which only give you or your passenger less wind coverage behind a fairing. So while they might be a ton of fun, from my prospective, two up sporty riding on the street with luggage capacity and wind protection for a 5'8" pilot, the adventure touring class isn't going down the right path.

Super Tenere has shaft drive, I think the fairing protection is fine on mine, high seats are required to get ground clearance, it's pretty hard to get a low seat / high ground clearance although there are a couple smaller bikes that do this combo. My SO thinks the ride is smoother on ****** roads than the FJR and I agree, carries more luggage capacity and at 5'8" I can flat foot the Super Ten , but I'm on my toes on the FJR.

I agree with you on the Sport Touring class getting no recent development and all the research money going into the Adventure bikes, but what more does the ST class really need, I think it's pretty close to the pinnacle if you have a ES model, maybe real time active suspension adjustments like a Ducati, but what else do we really need in the future ?

 

[Redfish Hunter]

The R1200RT may have been around a long time but it has steadily been updated and improved. It is a Very Nice Bike.

The FJR has had many, many refinements and gets better and better. It is already so good that I question what changes would be necessary to make it into whatever imaginary perfect motorcycle you are seeking. Mine is mechanically flawless, powerful, efficient, stable and comfortable. It also looks stunning.

The Super Tenere and the R1200GS are both shaft driven. I read more windshield complaints from the Sport Touring crowd than from the ADV crowd.

 

[John_Dumke]

The R1200RT may have been around a long time but it has steadily been updated and improved. It is a Very Nice Bike.
The FJR has had many, many refinements and gets better and better. It is already so good that I question what changes would be necessary to make it into whatever imaginary perfect motorcycle you are seeking. Mine is mechanically flawless, powerful, efficient, stable and comfortable. It also looks stunning.

The Super Tenere and the R1200GS are both shaft driven. I read more windshield complaints from the Sport Touring crowd than from the ADV crowd.

The FJR is pretty darnn good and I am sure the R1200RT is very good as well, because of lots of evolutionary refinement. But neither of these bikes is revolutionary. While this evolutionary process produces a better motorcycle, there are so many other categories of motorcycles / cars / products that have seen Revolutionary progress.

My preference in a sport touring bike would be towards the sport end. In 1981 you could get this bad boy.

This was almost 40 years ago and in this time there have been major leaps and bounds in so many industries. You can get an iPhone that is more powerful than a desktop computer from 20 years ago. You can get a Dodge Demon with 800hp. You can get a stock dirtbike that can out jump what Evil Kenival could only do while risking his life. stock 1,000cc motorcycle engines put out over 200hp, aluminum body panels are used on production cars. Magnetorheoloigical shock fluid developed by GM and used in Corvettes, Ferrari's and Mustangs produces instant dampening changes for immediate changes. The increased use of carbon fiber and aluminum to lower weight, even carbon fiber wheels on production cars. Tire technology allowing cars to generate easily over 1g and Moto GP riders now drag elbows, not just knees.

Yet in the sport tourer class we still have essentially underpowered and overweight bikes. Not that they aren't great but they are basically not much better than what we could have 20 years ago.

A Suzuki GSX-R1000 weights about 425lbs with close to 200hp while a FJR weights 650lbs and has about 140hp. Does it really take 225lbs to add shaft drive, a fairing and bags? And why do we loose 60hp when the engine displacement goes up 300cc. There has been massive technological advances in electronics, suspension, horsepower outputs and weight savings. But the sport touring class has not seen the brunt of this development. The R&D being spent towards the development of Touring motorcycles is very minimal.

In driving across the country, I noticed that 90% of the motorcycles in the touring class are Harley Davidsons. It is no wonder there is no R&D spent in this class. If HD's are the competition, then FJR's and R1200RT's are light years ahead.

So what would I like? A sport tourer that weighed around 550lbs with buttery smooth inline 4 or 6 or V4 or 6 cylinder w 200hp, good wind coverage, ergos like the FJR and adjustable windscreen, good passenger accommodations and hard luggage. This is entirely within the realm of today, it is not a fantasy. But the numbers for our bikes do not justify the money spent to develop and bring such a product to market. The fact that you can buy a Shelby GT350 (60k), Camaro ZL1 or Corvette Z06. These cars can keep pace with 200k porsches around a race track, yet can still go to the grocery store proves that the industry has made huge strides in 20 years. The motorcycling industry has also see huge development, but only in specific areas. Areas where there is huge competition brought on by racing success or loss. In the touring class, maybe it is the fact that a majority of big bikes sold are Harleys and these bikes are sold and marketed with no emphasis on performance. When I got into motorcycling in the early 1980's Harleys were the exception and Regan had implement tarrifs to keep the company from going out of business. Today they are the bulk of the market.

So my perfect ST bike. Take a GSX-R 1000 platform. at 425lb and add.

Shaft drive - 25lbs, Fairing - 25lbs, larger 1300cc engine with same 200hp - 30lbs, side cases - 20lbs, frame strenthening -10lbs, electronics 10lbs. And wa la, you have a ST that weights 120lbs more than a GSX-R1000. This would probably be a 5-10 thousand dollar premium over a GSX-R 1000. Currently the top of line GSX-R 1000 is $17,000 and a Yamaha FJR1300 is only $18,000 for the ES. Well there is the problem, to bring the FJR to market, they have to give us all of the creature comforts of a Sport Touring bike at almost the same price as the sport bike. Well there is no free lunch, so the FJR looses in other areas, basically 15 years of R&D that the GSX-R 1000 neededto stay competitive in the racing world. Competition that the FJR does not face.

If I were to hop on an 18 FJR I would probably say "Nice". But when I hop in my 17 Shelby GT350 I say OMG!!!!, I can't believe the level of performance. Any passenger I put in the car is left in Awe, they are left stunned and in disbelief. If I were to hop on a 18 GSX-R1000 I would be left similarly breathless when I power wheelie at 80-100mph with no effort at all. Then I get on my FJR and stuff it into a turn at 90mph and I am gently reminded that this is a very heavy bike. Yet it is one of the lighter ones in its class, a class that is possibly 30 years without a revolution, when revolutionary change has been all around. The FJR leaves me saying, Nice, but not OMG.

 

[FJRay]

Love the look of the CBX Honda. There is one for sale very close to me.

 

[dcarver]

Love the look of the CBX Honda. There is one for sale very close to me.

Don't tease me, Ray. You'll have *another* CarverShit bike at your house!

 

[John_Dumke]

CarverShit???? I wiki d this term and urban dictionary d It as well and was not able to find a definition. Can you please provide one?

I have a strong sense that understanding this term is something that will either strongly improve my life. Or it is something to be seriously avoided, and will help me from making grave errors.

I must know this term!!

 

[FJRay]

Love the look of the CBX Honda. There is one for sale very close to me.

Don't tease me, Ray. You'll have *another* CarverShit bike at your house!

It's actually a very clean low mile unit. Even the carbs work well and I've ridden it. Want more info and pictures???