What do you think are must have/dos when first getting an FJR?

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leatherlips

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I was looking at buying an FJR1300, and was wondering what are the things that everyone does when they first own one of these bikes? I've had other bikes, and in each case, there were some pretty common changes/farkles unique to the particular bikes.

Thanks for your input!!!

 
I was...wondering what are the things that everyone does when they first own one of these bikes...there were some pretty common changes/farkles unique to the particular bikes...
[Friday]

First thing is to paint it pink and decorate it with ostrich feathers, then get a nice set of stunter's poison green tires. Then lower the handlebars and raise the seat. ;) :lol:

[/Friday]

Buy it, ride it and then after a few hundred miles let it talk to you about what needs to be done. Probably the only thing that the majority here on the Forum would agree on would be frame sliders. Once the bike tells you what it wants to be the Best Ever Motorcycle you can research it here and find out what works and where to get it.

 
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What he said. Just ride it for a while and get a feel for it. You may not need to change anything.

 
Read the Owners Manual cover to cover. Check suspension settings, especially the forks, for basic settings. Check the Bin-0-Facts section of the FAQa for your model year. Frame sliders (oesaccessories.com has some reasonably priced ones), Brake Light flasher (signaldynamics.com), Reflective Panels for luggage and/or cowling (realtimeindustries.com)

 
My first four mods were aftermarket: Seat - Exhaust - Windscreen - GPS

Seat: Stock seat sucks IMO and not comfortable. Lots of opinions on which seat is best is a individual preference. (Corbin, Russell, Sargent...etc)

Exhaust: Couldn't stand the silent nature of the stock cans. I went with Two Brothers Exhaust.

Windscreen: Went a little bigger for better wind protection. I went with dark tinted Cee Bailey's +2/+2.

GPS: Couldn't imagine riding without one. Zumo 550, 660, 665 are all good choices.

 
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I was...wondering what are the things that everyone does when they first own one of these bikes...there were some pretty common changes/farkles unique to the particular bikes...
[Friday]

First thing is to paint it pink and decorate it with ostrich feathers, then get a nice set of stunter's poison green tires. Then lower the handlebars and raise the seat. ;) :lol:

[/Friday]

Buy it, ride it and then after a few hundred miles let it talk to you about what needs to be done. Probably the only thing that the majority here on the Forum would agree on would be frame sliders. Once the bike tells you what it wants to be the Best Ever Motorcycle you can research it here and find out what works and where to get it.
+1 :good:

 
Frame sliders are a must. Period. After that take a few long rides.

Anything else is optional depending on you and your preferences. I've made changes for comfort as well as safety (seats, moving bars, extra lights, etc.).

 
Buy it, ride it and then after a few hundred miles let it talk to you about what needs to be done. Probably the only thing that the majority here on the Forum would agree on would be frame sliders. Once the bike tells you what it wants to be the Best Ever Motorcycle you can research it here and find out what works and where to get it.
Good advice. Windscreen change is probably the most common change, but you will need to evaluate the bike for a while.

 
Thanks for the replies! I guess I should mention that I'm looking at buying a used bike, and with so many of them, I thought that the knowing what the common add-ons/changes are, it COULD help make a decision on which bike to buy. (all other things being equal, the farkles/changes may be the deciding factor in the purchase).

 
Seat, highway pegs, power strip,cruise,GPS,aux lights, heated grips, heated vest, bar risers, aux fuel cell,tire pressure monitoring system, hand gun {THE JUDGE}, extra ammo, 1 piece stich, modular helmet, big metal gloves.

Phil

 
Frame sliders but being that it is a pre-owned Feejer they should already be on. Next up is comfort and as said you will decide this upon your putting some seat time in.

Good luck and ride safe!

 
I was looking at buying an FJR1300, and was wondering what are the things that everyone does when they first own one of these bikes? I've had other bikes, and in each case, there were some pretty common changes/farkles unique to the particular bikes.

Thanks for your input!!!

No offense to the other posters, but his question asks about "MUST HAVE". Custom seats and windshields are not must haves.

Leatherlips, I can only think of two things that you absolutely must add to a new (to you) FJR: Frame sliders and headlight protectors. The frame sliders are self-explanatory. The headlight protector aren't as obvious. See, to replace the headlights on these beasts after they've been broken by road debris costs upwards of $400. The protectors from Cee Bailey cost $40. I classify that as a no-brainer.

Everything other than immediate upgrades to prevent or mitigate damage to your bike or to you is a nicety. And in those cases, I recommend you take the advice of those who recommend you ride the bike for a while to discover for yourself what's important to you.

 
Custom seats and windshields are not must haves.

The headlight protector aren't as obvious. See, to replace the headlights on these beasts after they've been broken by road debris costs upwards of $400. The protectors from Cee Bailey cost $40. I classify that as a no-brainer.
Seat was a definite must have for my rearend!!! :D

But man I keep forgetting to order the headlight protectors. Thanks for the reminder on that Apostate! (did you use to be a JW or something? lol) I just ordered mine because of your post. Thanks for helping me remember to finally get these things!!! ;)

Cee Bailey's Headlight Guard Link

 
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Headlight guards are not a must have either.

The percentage of Feejers that need their HL housings replaced do to stone breakage is very small. I asked my dealer about this months ago and he frowned at me like I was speaking Japanese and said "If the stone flying at you is big enough your still cracking thru the stupid thin plastic prophylactic". Did I mention they are almost butt ugly also with those "white blob adhesives", like why not black ones? Well to each is own I guess, too honky dot white for my liking, I will take the chance and not ride so close to a construction vehicle ;)

fjr1300_06_header.jpg


 
Thanks for the replies! I guess I should mention that I'm looking at buying a used bike, and with so many of them, I thought that the knowing what the common add-ons/changes are, it COULD help make a decision on which bike to buy. (all other things being equal, the farkles/changes may be the deciding factor in the purchase).
Important point. So you want to know which farkles would really improve a used FJR enough to help swing the choice--or add enough value that they'd justify a decision if everything else was more or less equal.

In that case, I'd think about what items are more or less universally valued, and which ones are a matter of individual preference. So an aftermarket seat or windshield, while very desirable, might not be right for you, since you might have chosen a different one if you decided you wanted it at all. Many are very happy with the stockers. Same with exhaust mods. Some like the quiet note of the stock pipes, others want more of a growl (plus you can change the exhaust note REAL easily for almost no cost. Google "Trooper Mod.") All of the things I've named so far are fairly expensive, too, but for you, then might not justify choosing a bike with one or more of them versus a similar bike without them at a lower price. Follow me?

Some things I would consider fairly "universal" in desirability (and keep in mind no two folks here would come up with the exact same list):

1. Lighting upgrades. Good safety item, for seeing and being seen. Both front and rear. There are many many threads about which are preferred by lots of folks, and why.

2. Heated grips. Very nice if you ride in cold weather. Ever.

3. Certain electrical mods are very useful and not awfully expensive, but if you aren't really electrically savvy, it's nice to have them on the bike already when you get it. Included are things like outlets or connections for various gadgets, like a GPS, communication system, air pump or radar detector. Also some fairly small things like a fuseblock, and voltmeter.

4. If it has a good locking topcase (OEM or Givi in particular) included in the sale, that's a pretty expensive and very useful item.

I'm sure I could think of other items to add to that list, and I know others here can too, but in general, the more "personal preference" items should be added only when you yourself feel the need after riding it a while. Hope this helps.

 
In replying to another thread, I realized the answer there is as valid here:

Put threadlocker on your sidecase lock screws. These tend to vibrate free, disappear, and then your sidecase opens and you lose everything. It takes less than five to put threadlocker on these.

Another thing is to find a windshield with minimal buffeting. Nearly everyone hates the stock windshield, so I'd consider this a "universal must-have".

For everything else .. ride it and figure out what you need.

 
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