When will we see a new FJR design?

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Hopefully not for a while! I like it just the way it is.

Things are not always made 'better' when they are redesigned.

 
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It's right here.

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wild A** paint! if i can think of something special i'll paint mine but thats the only update i can think of that would be nice,

Factory cruise would be nice

 
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

New design? Why?????? I don't see where it even needs a major revision such as a new generation, much less a "new design". Maybe a few minor improvements like cruise control but I don't see the advantage of a new design unless you just have money you are itching to spend.

Ken

 
Is it that time of year already? Mighty early this year for us to start the speculation.

What I see is that Yamaha needs to do what they can to win on paper. Sadly Yamaha doesn't have a big sport bike to share tech with like Kawasaki does so the FJR cannot benefit from that. In the end it's not enough to just keep the faithful, and you guys are faithful, some even on your third FJR! But to draw in the new crowd the spec sheets have to be competitive. These bikes aren't raced so win on sunday sell on monday doesn't apply and the prospective buyer will either hit the net or magazines to start comparing. Throwing a leg over at a show or on a short demo ride doesn't tell what a great bike it is and it's hard to sell with just those tools.

The last revision of the FJR did the worst thing it could do on paper. In the motorcycle world if the bike doesn't get more powerful and lighter but goes in the opposite direction (at least in weight) then that's a lose situation. Also, while I see no need to change the cosmetics of the bike as I love them right where they are, for marketing purposes, it needs a good revision there if and when it sees a new version. The non FJR faithful needs to be able to look at it and in an instant see it's different. You can't roll out a bike that to the average joe looks like the same old bike they've been producing for years and expect them to get excited about it. And let's face it, we all love our niche motorcycles, but we don't see improved tech, design and support unless they are selling, so we need the average joe to get excited about a new model.

So to that end, we need more power, 6th gear (again, stats, 5 makes it look old and un sporty) less weight, and sadly....more gadgets. Gadgets and buttons sell. Stuff like that and traction control do drive the price up but it's a keeping up with the joneses and these days you can't put a low tech bike out there and compete. I keep hoping one day this will turn around and folks will want a simple inexpensive awesome motorcycle, but that ain't happening anytime soon.

 
In a perfect world, manufacturers would roll out new every 6 to 7 years. But the sport touring market is a small niche that is being reduced by the ever increasing adventure bike market. Throw in a fizzling economy, increasing gas prices and unstable world markets and .....

Better keep dancin' with the one you got.

 
True-Mamaha doesn't have a big sport bike to share tech with but she could always stuff in the new Vmax mill....If I had my druthers I'd just leave it alone..meebee a big chrome air horn or somethin'.. after all, the cost of producing the FJR has long since been amortized so make a few and sell a few..

 
When Yamaha hits on a winner,it'll last for about 10yrs. I like it, as there are many used parts still out there. !st and 2nd gen Ventures(83-93) RSV(99-present), VMax(82-?)

 
Why do we need cylinders for that??!?!?! :huh:

Everybody can just say how old they aren't, or how much they don't weigh, or how many wimmins they see every week, or any of that stuff. Cylinders don't matter then! :D

OK, OK, what any of us wouldn't do for a couple days on that K1600! Yeah, we know!

 
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Talk about BMW K1600. I saw that bike is person at the Chicago Motorcycle Show. Who would take such beautiful bike in roads to Alaska? That type of bike is 100% for street, forget about it being on dirt or gravel.

 
Having owned two FJR AEs, and a K1600GTL, I have to tell you that the FJR holds its own against the K1600. I re-bought the second FJR after having owned the K1600 for about 5 weeks and I will keep both.

The K1600 shines for situations where you need a lot of storage space, and it also shines if you're too lazy to check your oil or your tire pressure the conventional ways, or if you're too lazy to dial in your suspension by conventional methods. And the factory cruise control, is very nice too.

Otherwise, the K1600 has a lot of weight, and the guys who tell you that it evaporates once your underway have forgotten that you do have to slow down again. I like, maybe even love, both of these bikes, but if all you've got is an FJR, you could do a heck of a lot worse. The FJR is a great bike, and with over $15,000 less invested in my current "new leftover '09" FJR compared to my "new '12 K1600," you'd have to put an awfully large premium on the gadgets, extra storage space, and sexy 6, to justify the extra money.

As for an FJR upgrade, I don't see it coming. But if it were being considered, I wouldn't mind factory cruise, electronic tire pressure and oil level monitoring, and saddlebags that were large enough to stow an XL helmet. Aside from these upgrades, I can't think of a thing.

Go out and enjoy your FJR!

 
Thought I'd weigh in on this one. I was up at the Kawi/Yammie/Zookie dealer yesterday, so I kicked a few tires in the showroom. I meandered through the forest of shiny new metal, examining all the latest offerings. My opinion: Y-U-C-H-H. They can keep all of it. Call me old fashioned or weird, I don't care. I don't like the monstrous mufflers. Gads, do they really HAVE to be that big??? I looked at the cosmic ray gun styling... for example; the new Kawi 1400 road burner. It looks like something from Star Trek-- Gag. More and more junk, more and more money, more and more stuff to break. More chrome, more weight, more payments. Multiple levels of electronic acceleration control. Gauges and gizmos to monitor air pressure, engine oil information and how long the new owner can plan on being broke. Good grief. Is that the direction we're hoping for?

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Maybe, just maybe it's better this way. Perhaps we should be thankful that the "market," which determines what changes will be made to existing platforms, hasn't yet dictated it's new plans for the FJR. For once, a major manufacturer didn't drink the "bigger is better" kookaid.

I walked out to the parking lot and stood for a moment to admire the best looking bike I saw that day. I kicked a leg over it, hit the starter button, and headed home. Reflecting back on the experience, I'm as glad today as I was the first day I saw one, that I own an FJR.

Gary

darksider #44

 
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