wmailhos

Still available?

Welcome.  I haven't been on this forum much since I got my 2015 (red) in the summer of 2019 but the older models are great and could be had for a bargain for a while.  I think I could have sold mine for twice what I paid for it when all the craziness was going on but I kept it in the garage.

Love Spokane by the way.  I was out there last spring.  One of the few places I might want to live in WA state.

Those are definitely the best looking bags for a red 2015 FJ-09.  😉

Been off this forum and most all social media for a while...

Surely that bike didn't last long at that price?

I bought the 396 LMT-S last fall and just got around to wiring it to the battery and mounting it within the last month or so.

Just curious how you have it connected to the battery?  Loose connection not allowing for a good solid charge possbily?

I just stuck the exposed wires under some other terminal connections for now until I can get the end connections wired up properly and worried about it coming loose and not keeping it charged.

I bought mine (2015 FJ-09 model) used last year about this time and it is a fabulous all around bike.  Previous owner had done a lot of mods to it including a Madstad windscreen and front and rear suspension so I can't comment on the stock stuff.  He also put a Corbin seat on it which I took off after I got home.  I'm short at 5'8" with 30" inseam and went with a Yamaha lower seat and it has been great for me but many people complain about stock seats.  It works great for me.  Previous owner also installed a Yamaha top case and Givi Trekker Outback side cases and they work well for my trips.  They are not cheap to add on though.

I live in one of (if not the) best areas of the US for riding and have only taken the bike on two long trips and it did great on both.  I had planned more long distance riding but a consulting gig and the COVID got in the way of that.

All that being said this is probably the best bike I have ever owned.  I sold a Kawasaki Concours right before i bought the FJ-09 and it was great for touring but was a heavy bike that I never felt comfortable riding around here in the mountains.  The FJ-09 can do it all and do it well.

I'm lucky enough to ride that area every day if I wanted to.

😉

Rode my 2015 over to NW AR last fall.  I used to ride up in the area a lot when I lived in North Texas but hadn't been on the Talimena in a while and it was much more enjoyable on my FJ-09 vs. the old cruiser days...

I sold a Kawi Concours the day I left to go get my FJ.  It is a great all around bike.

I'm 5'8" and I had the same issue when I got my 2015 FJ-09.

I went with the low Yamaha seat and it works just fine for me.  I didn't want to mess with lowering the bike and the seat was the right solution for me.  I've taken a good trip over to the Arkansas "pig trail" on it with the lower seat and ride "the dragon" and other great roads in east Tennessee and western NC regularly and am confident I can keep it upright even with the side cases and top case on it. 

I'll probably put my stock seat and Corbin seat up for sale at some point on here.

I also got down to one proper motorcycle (still have two scooters) and sold my 2015 FZ-07 and 2010 Concours.

FJ-09 is a much better "all around" bike for my single moto.  I have only done one long trip (5 days and 2000ish miles) and it did great.  

Congrats on the Tracer. 

I rode my 2015 FJ-09 over to Arkansas (mostly western) a couple of weeks back and we spent the night in Jonesboro on the last night out on our ride.  Not a lot of good riding on the eastern side of AR.  😉

It all depends...

I just sold a 2010 C14 Concours before I bought my 2015 FJ-09 and liked it for long distance travel but it was WAY too heavy and not a great handling bike in the twisties around my area (motorcycle mecca of east TN).

I also had a 2005 FJR and liked it a lot but still like my FJ-09 better than the C14 or the FJR for the type of riding I do.  I rode it home from Sarasota, FL and it did great on the interstate as well.  About to do another 4-5 day trip and it will be fine for interstate riding and some nice twisty roads in Arkansas.

Greetings from Knoxville.

I just sold my 2015 FZ-07 before I bought my 2015 FJ-09.  Loved the FZ-07 for around here but this is more practical and I'm consolidating bikes.

Going to be in Murfreesboro next week to pick up a buddy on the way to Arkansas for a ride 10/17-20.

My brother went to HS in Jeff Co so I used to get up around that area a lot but only on the bike occasionally now.

Holler if you want to ride.

Greetings from Knoxville.  Where in east Tennessee are you located?  I picked up my 2015 FJ-09 in Sarasota, FL at the end if July and haven't ridden it much due to traveling.

Buddy lead me on an adventure ride down near Tellico Plains a couple of weeks ago (he had just gotten a KTM 1290 adventure) and it didn't take me long to realize I don't want to be off-road much on this thing.  Hopping some small logs and riding on some gnarly forest roads left me yearning to get back on pavement.

Let me know if you want to meet up sometime and ride (on a nice smooth surface).

Greetings from a former Texas resident (Fort Worth 1991-2014).  I moved back to east Tennessee and back to motorcycle mecca.

Three things I don't miss about Texas:

1.  Heat

2. Traffic

3. Had to ride 250ish miles to get to any good riding in the Hill County

15 hours ago, jonmue said:

BTW, what seat do you use, I'm dying here!

I have three. 

Previous owner had a Corbin single on there but it acutally raises you up some and he was probably 6' and I am closer to 5'8"  I rode home on that seat from FL to TN so it was manageable but I was always a little concerned.  

Tried the original seat and it was good.  Haven't done many miles on it but it feels fine to me.

I also bought a lowered seat (Yam factory) and it gets me a little closer to flat footing.  I'll probably stick with the lowered seat since I am so short.

I'm contemplating a trip to ME, NH and VT in September on my "new" 2015 FJ-09.

Anything I just can't miss?

Guess I'm going to have to make a run up to Shady Valley (had to google map it since I'd never even heard of it) when I get back to Knoxville.

Beautiful bike. 

I'll like be up that way in September on my 2015 headed to ME, NH, VT so I can check those off the states visited/states ridden in list.

I used to work in our pittsburgh office back in the mid to late 90s and didn't think much of it but was up there a couple of years ago and it's pretty cool now.

On 6/30/2019 at 1:40 PM, rustyshackles said:

Every Sunday morning rain or shine there is a motorcycle get together at a coffee shop on the cool downtown square in Denton, TX.  Denton is a college town (Univ. of North Texas) with a funky vibe (think poor man’s Austin) and solid bike culture.

Downtown Denton sure looks a lot different than it did when I left.  I used to ride through there a lot from my place in Haslet.

I just bought a 2015 in Sarasota, FL last week and rode it home this week (after several days on a beach vacation).

One of the most fun bikes I've owned.  I rode the piss out of it yesterday and the clutch was slipping a bit so I'll get into that soon.

Good luck on the deal.

I rode "Deal's Gap" back in the mid to late 80s when I had a 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 600R.  I used to ride up there with my brother and his buddies who I could never keep up with.  Moved out of the area in 1991 and back in 2014.  I didn't realize how great we had it in East TN.

I used to bash "The Dragon" also but it is famous for a reason and I have grown to appreciate it much more since I moved back.  There are a LOT of tourists on the road and that can make it dangerous but the road itself is in very good condition with very little to no debris (gravel, sand, etc) on it and only two access roads the entire length of it so you don't have to worry about cars pulling out on you.  Lots of good roads in the area but all of them have a lot of crap on the road and you always have to look for cars pulling out in hard to see places.

I ride 129 at least once every other week and do it during the week when there is little to no traffic on it.  

It's a great road and I'd recommend people try it at off times to really appreciate it.

I grew up in Knoxville, TN and left in 1991 for DFW, TX.  Year round riding in Texas but it was 250ish miles to get to any good roads in the Texas Hill Country.  Roads there were good.

Got a job offer back in Knoxville and moved back in 2014.  This is motorcycle mecca IMO.  East TN, SW VA, Western NC, NW SC and north GA are all great riding and the weather is relatively mild.  I don't ride a lot in the winter but you can with the right gear.  Appalachians are not majestic like the Rockies but are nice and enough elevation change for me.

I lived about five miles from that QT (of course it wasn't there then) when I moved to Fort Worth in 1991.  Lived over by Hulen Mall.

I have very little interest in LDR but respect those that do.  My idea of LDR is riding the "new" 2015 FJ-09 back from Sarasota to Knoxville over the next two days (staying on the beach as long as we can today).

Congrats.