Author Topic: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!  (Read 37783 times)

Offline wally_games

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #20 on: September 12, 2013, 11:43:58 AM »
Agreed, cars are ok with 5 speeds, bikes should have 6.

Both my Malibu and my Silverado have 6-speed auto trannies. I saw an ad for some car on TV yesterday that had and 8-speed auto.
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Offline MrPepsi

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #21 on: September 12, 2013, 11:56:49 AM »
Both my Malibu and my Silverado have 6-speed auto trannies. I saw an ad for some car on TV yesterday that had and 8-speed auto.

ZF just developed a 9-speed auto for Range Rover.
Looks like Chrysler will also have a 9-speed.
Brent Johnson 
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Offline CADMAN97

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #22 on: September 12, 2013, 03:18:26 PM »
I drive a Nissan Maxima with an infinite amount of gears  ;) ;D. CVT's are pretty nice  :)

Id consider an FJR, I have nothing against Yamaha. The updates for 2014 look very nice...but I'm kinda eyein the 2014 Kaw Ninja 1000 now
1998 Honda Magna--->Sold | 2003 Yamaha FZ1--->Sold | 2003 Honda VFR800--->Sold | 2010 Honda VFR1200--->Sold | Kawasaki C14--->SOLD | 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000--->Current | 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300ES--->Current

Offline Pokey

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #23 on: September 12, 2013, 11:13:14 PM »
I have had two FJRs and the manual transmission version was great, and the auto-clutch version was horrible.  I do believe the shocks and adjustability of my 2012 C-14 outshines the FJR.  The fueling of the C-14 is better, the 2007 FJR I had was slightly "twitchy".  Both are great long day riding motorcycles.  The range of the FJR over the C-14 is nice.

I would still be a Yamaha guy but I had a condescending dealer owner to deal with on my auto-clutch purchase that just wasn't going to work with me who had been a long-time loyal customer at his store.  The Kawi dealer was willing to work with me right out of the blue who hadn't spent thousands at his dealership previously.  So now I'm a very happy Kawi C-14 owner!

Both the FJR and C-14 motorcycles are great.  I don't believe the 5-speed is an issue.  Look at the final gear ratio of the FJR 5th to the Kawi 6th and you will find they are nearly identical.  As far as cruise control I will take my C-14 and its throttle lock any day.


Interesting...wonder if you would prefer a throttle lock if you had electronic cruise control?  ;)
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Offline wrichstrom

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #24 on: September 13, 2013, 05:14:11 AM »
You have a point Pokey.  I should have written I will take my paid off C-14 and throttle lock anyday.  I just don't see selling a motorcycle after two years and with a trade in paying another 6 - 8K to get an FJR with electronic cruise control.
 
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Offline Rhino

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #25 on: September 13, 2013, 10:26:22 AM »

Interesting...wonder if you would prefer a throttle lock if you had electronic cruise control?  ;)

Why choose? I have both. Electronic CC is great solo but doesn't work well when riding with a group unless you are the lead. I still use my vista cruise for quick right hand off the throttle to stretch or scratch or whatever.

Offline eng943

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #26 on: September 19, 2013, 12:29:36 PM »
I just hope this will prod Kawasaki to add some new features to the C14. Cruise would be nice, ES is problematic since it probably costs $$$ to get fixed. Ask a BMW owner  :P

ESA has not been at all problematic, and I can tell you first hand that ESA is incredibly useful. It is so nice to be able to dial in Buick cush for slab, or sport for the twisties, or two up at the push of a button.

Kudos to Yamaha for trying to be more competitive with Triumph and BMW. The FJR is still too much of a compromise for me, but it is inching closer to something I would consider. It still needs more wind protection, and the revision of the silly over 80 mph and no cruise feature.

17K is getting close to the euro stuff.       
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Offline pistole

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2013, 05:08:19 PM »
nevermind , before the ESA fails , the switchgear will fail first.

.

Offline eng943

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #28 on: September 20, 2013, 08:42:38 AM »
nevermind , before the ESA fails , the switchgear will fail first.

.

Peanut butter...and jelly.
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Offline CADMAN97

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #29 on: October 13, 2013, 11:43:55 AM »
To those of you that have not rode an FJR all I have to say is don't knock it till you try it :)

I had the opportunity to rent a 2013 this weekend and I must say yeah its a pretty nice bike. The electronic cruise control is nice but there's more to it than just that. My impressions...

The first thing i noticed is how much lighter it is than the C14. I know Its only around 50lb, but it feels like more because the FJR has a much lower center of gravity. Isn't top heavy like the C14. I didn't feel soo worn out after a days ride. Parking lot speeds/maneuvering is easy and very controllable.

Plain & simple, its just easier to get on & off the FJR. My wife also confirms this. She had a much easier time swinging a leg over. The passenger seat is lower and seems closer to the rider, & just overall lower to the ground. She said she felt very secure & liked how much lower & easier it was to get on & off the bike. The adjustable rider seat is pretty nice & pretty simple to adjust. I rode in both positions, but preferred the lower seat height. I felt like I was riding in the bike, and not on it...also was able to flat foot it at stops better (Im 5'11"). The seat itself was pretty supportive for my weight (205 with riding gear on) and had really no discomfort. I didn't travel the country on it, but the amount of time i did spend on it I did like it more than the OEM seat on the C14.

For those of you who think it needs a 6 speed tranny, think again. I also thought this prior to my riding experience. The gears are spaced wider than the C14, and at highway speeds the RPM's are no higher than on the C14. Shifting is pretty smooth, tranny is not clunky, overall a nice experience. Yes the engine is slightly smaller than the C14, but you never notice it. The power to weight ratio's are pretty close. The FJR has plenty of power to put a ear to ear grin on your face. The other nice thing the FJR has is two different driving modes. T for touring & S for sport. I used both modes, and ultimately preferred S, but T mode came in handy riding in busy Columbus traffic. It softens power delivery and really helps in around town/heavy traffic situations. Once out of the city, it was S mode all the way baby!

One of the least liked features about the C14 here on the forum, has to be the linked brakes. Ive def gottin used/adjusted to using them on my C14, but the linked brakes on the FJR are hands down absolutely 100% better. Yamaha routes two brake lines to the front right caliper, and when pressing the rear brake it activates two pistons in the front right caliper along with the rear caliper, and OMG what a night & day difference from the C14. The braking is sooooo much smoother, linear & stronger. There is 0 weirdness feel in the pedal like there is in the C14. My wife & I absolutely LOVED the brakes on the FJR. My wife commented to me on more than one occasion how much nicer the ride was because the brakes were soo much smoother. I was able to ride as fast and aggressive as i wanted and slow the bike smoothly as "one" unit. Even in somewhat quick/aggressive braking situations, the FJR came to a stop with 0 drama. What you put into the pedal is exactly what you get back. No weird pedal diving to the ground, no grabbing too much brake force when you didn't ask for it. Absolutely smooth linear braking force. Good job Yamaha! I am aware of this type of linked brakes, my 03 VFR had it, but it is the first time experiencing it on the FJR.

One of the negatives about the FJR is that the suspension is too soft. I had preload, rebound, & compression pretty much maxed out, and it def felt much better, but I still felt it was a bit soft. Im prob 205 & my wife is around 140 with full riding gear on. I do feel more confident in the corners on my C14 on riddin known roads, but Ive owned my C14 for 3.5yrs as well, plus I have PR2's on it too, which are awesome tires.

The other nit picks are that the windshield and heated grips are now located in the menu on the right side dash...so if you want to adjust the windshield height you have to toggle the menu to make sure its on the windshield adjustment, and then toggle over to heated grips & hit the up & down switch for high med & low. Seems to be more complicated than it needs to be especially on a motorcycle. A designated windshield switch and heated grip switch like they used to do would be much better. Also the toggle switch used to adjust the windshield/heated grips is in a really weird location & has an unnatural feeling to it operating it at speed. Over time I did get used to it and did became easier to use once I learned where all the switches were, but it just seems like it could have been done better.

Overall the FJR is a really nice sport tourer, despite the couple of negatives I could def see one of these parked in the garage?? Even tho its a 10yr old chassis/engine, its still a very competent ST. If you happen to get a chance to ride one, I highly recommend it.
   
« Last Edit: October 13, 2013, 01:28:25 PM by CADMAN97 »
1998 Honda Magna--->Sold | 2003 Yamaha FZ1--->Sold | 2003 Honda VFR800--->Sold | 2010 Honda VFR1200--->Sold | Kawasaki C14--->SOLD | 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000--->Current | 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300ES--->Current

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #30 on: October 13, 2013, 04:20:49 PM »
I'm going to have to go test ride on of these for the fun of it.  :cool:

I'll keep my C14 though.  ;D

 :yikes:

So......I bought an
03 FJR this spring.

 :yikes: :yikes:


I am a pretty big fan of Yamaha in general.

 :yikes: :yikes: and  :censored: :yikes:

You have a point Pokey. 
 

No he doesn't  :nuts:

To those of you that have not rode an FJR all I have to say is don't knock it till you try it :)

Cold day in  :censored: before that happens.
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Offline Gumby

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #31 on: October 13, 2013, 05:58:23 PM »
Cold day in  :censored: before that happens.
Tell us how you really feel!

Offline ZG

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #32 on: October 13, 2013, 06:25:25 PM »

Offline Caffeinated

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #33 on: October 13, 2013, 06:32:55 PM »
He seems to really like the  :censored: smiley!

I'm seriously considering giving and FJR a try. Just trying to decide which year is the best before 2013, so I could afford one.

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Offline CADMAN97

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #34 on: October 13, 2013, 06:51:16 PM »
He seems to really like the  :censored: smiley!

I'm seriously considering giving and FJR a try. Just trying to decide which year is the best before 2013, so I could afford one.
I would recommend 2006 or newer. Yamaha revised it in 06 to better control the heat into the rider cockpit. I did feel some heat on the 2013, but nothing that wasn't manageable. My ride happened with temps in the 50's & 60's tho.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2013, 01:34:41 PM by CADMAN97 »
1998 Honda Magna--->Sold | 2003 Yamaha FZ1--->Sold | 2003 Honda VFR800--->Sold | 2010 Honda VFR1200--->Sold | Kawasaki C14--->SOLD | 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000--->Current | 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300ES--->Current

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #35 on: October 14, 2013, 04:52:19 AM »
He seems to really like the  :censored: smiley!

I'm seriously considering giving and FJR a try. Just trying to decide which year is the best before 2013, so I could afford one.

Actually I do... ;)
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Offline concoursbdh

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #36 on: October 19, 2013, 08:57:45 AM »

I'm seriously considering giving and FJR a try. Just trying to decide which year is the best before 2013, so I could afford one.

I would go for '08 or newer if you can.  They made a few more small changes from the 06 and 07 that I like better.  They are not much but make the bike overall a more fun and easier ride.  The main fix was the throttle abruptness on the first 2 years of the 2nd gen that are gone with '08 and up!  The black on black of the '09 really looks great too!

Offline CADMAN97

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #37 on: October 22, 2013, 06:14:32 AM »
I was reading over on the FJR forum that Yamaha upped the cruse control limit to 100mph on the 2014's. The 2013 I rented would only set up to 82 (indicated), so actual was prob just 75. I guess a lot of FJR owners complained so it was increased for 2014.
1998 Honda Magna--->Sold | 2003 Yamaha FZ1--->Sold | 2003 Honda VFR800--->Sold | 2010 Honda VFR1200--->Sold | Kawasaki C14--->SOLD | 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000--->Current | 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300ES--->Current

Offline eng943

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #38 on: October 25, 2013, 03:59:09 PM »
I was reading over on the FJR forum that Yamaha upped the cruse control limit to 100mph on the 2014's. The 2013 I rented would only set up to 82 (indicated), so actual was prob just 75. I guess a lot of FJR owners complained so it was increased for 2014.

That is really good to hear. Yamaha has really got something now with this FJR.
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Offline martin_14

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Re: 2014 FJR1300ES... purdy!
« Reply #39 on: November 04, 2013, 10:53:01 AM »
That is really good to hear. Yamaha has really got something now with this FJR.

it would be even better if there could be a firmware update at the dealers, so the 2013 model buyers can also benefit.
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